• 3 min read
Status takes on the Harman Curve with GoldenSound buds
Status and audio engineer Cameron Oatley say most earbuds apply the Harman Curve wrong. Their $279 Pro X GoldenSound Edition arrives in August.
Image: TechRadar
Status Audio is launching a new version of its Pro X earbuds tuned with audio engineer Cameron Oatley, better known as GoldenSound. The result, the Status Pro X GoldenSound Edition, keeps the same core hardware as the standard Pro X but adds a proprietary tuning profile that Oatley describes as the “most accurate tuning that a TWS product has ever had” and a “faithful recreation of real-world sound.”
The earbuds will cost $279 when they go on sale in August, about £209 / AU$400, roughly $30 more than the current $249 Pro X.
What GoldenSound says is wrong with the Harman Curve
On the hardware side, nothing changes: the earbuds still use two balanced armatures and one dynamic driver. The big difference is the tuning.
Oatley argues that many engineers have been applying the Harman Curve incorrectly to true wireless earbuds. His reasoning is tied to timing: the Harman target was developed in 2012 and published in 2013, before true wireless earbuds existed. According to him, the curve uses the pinna, or outer ear, as part of the reference, but for in-ear products the sound starts inside the ear canal, so the outer ear should not be treated the same way for tuning purposes.
He says that led him to build a different target for the Pro X GoldenSound Edition, with particular attention to bass response between 80Hz and 100Hz.
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In TechRadar’s early listening session, that tuning reportedly delivered a cleaner, more open sound than the kind of boosted V-shaped presentation common in many earbuds. Tracks including Billie Eilish’s _Bad Guy_, Dire Straits' _Money for Nothing_, and AC/DC’s _Back in Black_ were described as expansive, controlled, and cohesive.
Oatley was also explicit about tradeoffs.
“Look, for ANC I think AirPods will always be tough to beat. But a lot of work has been done to make these sound better. These are for the user who wants the best possible sound in a true wireless design. I hope I’ve achieved that.”
He also argued that tuning matters more than codec choice, saying a perfectly tuned product on a lower codec can still beat a badly tuned one on a higher-end codec.
TechRadar says the AirPods Pro 3 sounded slightly more woolly overall in direct comparison, but also had a more elevated treble that could make some songs sound more exciting out of the box. That leaves a familiar split: a more neutral, hi-fi style presentation versus a more immediately flashy sound.
The new model’s GoldenSound EQ profile cannot be adjusted directly in the Status Hub app. Users can instead choose from presets including Status Signature, Status Audiophile, Knowles Preferred, and Vocal Enhance, or build their own profile with an 8-band equalizer set to neutral by default.
TechRadar framed the hands-on as an early listen rather than a full review, but the implication is clear: Status and GoldenSound are trying to challenge one of personal audio’s most entrenched tuning standards.
Gadgets Editor
Eli is obsessed with the tangible future. He reviews phones, wearables, and everything with a battery. Known for his rigorous testing protocols and unabashed teardowns, Eli has broken more review units than he cares to admit, all in the name of discovering the truth about durability and repairability.
via TechRadar
