GravaStar Sirius P5
GravaStar returns with its rugged, sci-fi-inspired tech. While I can’t say I’d recommend the Combo variation, the Sirius P5 on its own provides a smooth and consistent experience and works very well as a set of portable gaming earbuds.
Pros
- Three choices of casing
- Lightweight design
- Gaming and Music modes
- Solid and reliable audio
Cons
- No companion app
- Unreliable touch controls
- New cases can be fiddly to remove and attach
Availability
- UKRRP: £129.95
- USARRP: $139.95
- EuropeRRP: €139.95
- CanadaRRP: CA$218.95
- AustraliaRRP: AU$190.95
Key Features
- Customisable designThe Combo version comes with three removable cases for customisation
- RGB lightingThere’s an RGB lighting strip on the main earbud case
- Different audio modesGaming Mode and Music Mode
Introduction
The GravaStar Sirius P5 earbuds come with three optional cases as well as a detachable necklace, sticking with the same rugged, sci-fi design that the company is known for.
I’ve already had the chance to try out another pair of earbuds from GravaStar – the Sirius Pro – and it looks like the Sirius P5 has taken the same cues when it comes to design. As the latter prioritises customisation in its marketing, it’s one of the most interesting earbud sets I’ve tried.
But there is more to these earbuds than just the design, and despite the price, I do think these are serviceable – although that’s not to say they don’t have their downsides.
Design
- Three cases to choose from
- Comes with a necklace accessory
- RGB lighting
The GravaStar Sirius P5 has a very striking design, which I have come to expect from the brand. The most interesting aspect of these earbuds is the three cases that come with the Combo pack, including the Defense Armor, Defense Mecha and Defense Crystal. In terms of aesthetics, my favourite was the Crystal variation, which is a plastic blue case.
While I liked this level of customisation, in reality, I have used mostly the same case throughout my review, as it’s rare that I would need or want to switch over. None of the cases come with any specific features or advantages, so it’s just down to an aesthetic preference.
Attaching the cases is also fiddly – it requires removing a small screw from the bottom of the case by hand, and it always felt like I could lose the screw easily during these moments, which further put me off trying out the other cases.
The Defense Armour is the sturdiest because it’s made from Zinc alloy, while the others are primarily plastic. Despite this, the latching mechanism on all three cases seemed flimsy. I felt that if I dropped them at the wrong angle, they would have a chance of snapping – something that did happen to me with the Sirius Pro.
Even though the Defense Crystal felt like the least sturdy case out of the three, I didn’t experience any breakages during my day-to-day use and only felt that I needed to be mindful when the case was open.
When the outer casing is removed, you are left with the black buds inside a black shell. The shell is more bare-bones, with the GravaStar branding and the new slogan “Be Cool, Play It” written on the front and back. The bottom of the shell houses the USB-C charging port, the pairing button and the small screw hole that is used to connect it to various cases.
The shell feels a little cheap, but since it’s always covered with an outer casing, this isn’t an issue. On the right side, it houses an RGB lighting strip that changes colour during pairing and charging. Try as I might, I still don’t understand what each colour means – other than red, which indicates that the earbuds need charging – but it was fun to toggle through the colours anyway. Switching up the cases results in different effects due to the light shining through them, which adds to the sci-fi aesthetic.
I much prefer the stemmed design of these earbuds to the tapered design of 1More ComfoBuds Mini, and I like the addition of the glowing RGB GravaStar logo on each bud to signal where the touch controls are housed. They fit snugly in my ears for the most part, although they did come loose when I tried to use them during yoga.
With an IPX4 rating, these buds can handle water splashed from any direction, meaning they’re protected against rain or a particularly sweaty workout. The included metal necklace can be attached to all three cases. It makes the earbuds easier to access, although I wasn’t a fan of wearing them as a fashion item.
Ultimately, while I commend GravaStar for coming out with a very distinctive product, I wouldn’t recommend buying the Combo pack, unless you are very taken with all three cases. Instead, I’d suggest you buy favourite case individually because it’s a lot more affordable, and you can always go back and purchase another one if you do want to switch things up.
Features
- No companion app
- Environmental Noise Cancellation
- Music Mode and Gaming Mode
Despite their lightweight design, the GravaStar Sirius P5 buds pack a reliable battery. Each earbud features 8 hours of use when fully charged, and the case holds another 4 charges, resulting in up to 40 hours in total.
I rarely had to charge them up, but since there is no companion app available, I couldn’t really gauge when they needed charging until the RGB lighting turned red, which seemed to happen when the buds were on their last legs.
The lack of a companion app is my biggest issue with the Sirius P5, as it meant I could not customise the touch controls or control the buds manually from an app. Also, since these earbuds have such a focus on sci-fi tech, it would make sense for GravaStar to create an app that matches this aesthetic while also improving accessibility.
Turning back to the touch controls, I was able to switch modes and pause songs after using these earbuds for a few days. It was definitely not a seamless experience, as nudging them further into my ear would quite often disrupt the audio. But the touch controls here were worlds better than the ones on the 1More PistonBuds Pro.
Bluetooth 5.2 is featured on these buds, and I could connect them to my iPhone 13 Pro, various laptops and Nintendo Switch without any issues. The connection was faultless in busy-signal areas such as train stations.
Unfortunately, there is no support for an automatic pause, which was slightly annoying in circumstances where someone was trying to talk to me and my earbuds continued to play audio even when I removed them from my ears. However, this is not a massive issue, and it’s only something you’ll notice if you’ve used this technology before with the likes of Sony LinkBuds.
The GravaStar Sirius P5 buds do not support ANC, but they do feature Environmental Noise Cancellation. This is not a feature you can toggle, but they did block out some external noise in certain environments, such as the office and coffee shops. However, they were no match for noisy places, like the London Underground, and they were less effective than the Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick.
I will discuss the Music and Gaming modes further in the next section, but I liked the inclusion of different modes and appreciated how the audio changed depending on the mode it was in.
Sound Quality
- Reliable and smooth in Music Mode
- Great focus on low-frequency audio
- Gaming Mode is ideal for portable gaming
I was impressed with the audio quality of the GravaStar Sirius P5 earbuds and thought they sounded similar to the Sirius Pro; balanced, with an emphasis on bass in Music Mode.
They offered an enjoyable sound that complemented most genres of music with a weighty bass and a clear treble that homed in on the vocals. The soundstage was great: at default volume, I could pick out the instruments being played to the left and right. Turning up the volume broadened the soundstage and gave the bass notes even more richness – more so than my Apple AirPods (2019) are capable of.
The high notes in Rachel Chinouriri’s All I Ever Asked were distinctive and never sounded too sharp, with a smooth midrange that had an effervescent and ethereal quality. More Like You by Orla Gartland boasted a similar aesthetic: the subtle bass drop complemented her voice very well and created a consistent but expressive experience that elevated the emotional moments of the song.
Every song seemed to flow remarkably well, and while some tracks lacked certain detail, I prefer the effortless mellow feeling these buds provided over the inconsistently punchy bass of earbuds like the OneSonic BXS-HD1.
The lack of detail did not interfere with instrumentally heavy music, such as Gene Harris’s Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong. The ending of every note seemed to blend into the next, to create a dulcet and enticing experience full of personality. While the overall sound of these buds could be more dynamic, I’ve grown very fond of the softness of their sound and how consistently they handle every genre.
Moving onto Gaming Mode, this is where these buds dropped the soft pretence found in Music Mode and started to pick up on a lot more detail. I could hear the squelching of my wellies as I ran through my rainy town in Animal Crossing: New Horizons with a lot of clarity, and the gentle music during my night-time fishing was enjoyable and more pronounced than with the Nintendo Switch’s built-in speaker.
Hades had a soft but creepier aura that added to the immersive feeling of being in the Underworld. The sound of my blade slashing through enemies shined through, and it was easier to figure out where the enemies were on the map thanks to the audible cues that came from off-screen.
The game’s overall tone was definitely more sinister while using these buds. It was interesting to hear the distant cries of pain coming from each enemy as I thwarted them because it created a victorious but melancholy tone that added to the emotional beats of the overarching narrative.
While you could splash out and buy a dedicated pair of gaming earbuds like the Asus ROG Cetra True Wireless, I thought the Sirius P5 had plenty of detail and elevated every game I played with the added benefit of working wonderfully with music audio.
Its main downside is the reliance on a Bluetooth connection, which means you won’t be able to use these buds with a console, such as the PS5 or Xbox Series X. However, the portability of these earbuds makes them better suited to gaming on devices like a mobile phone or the Nintendo Switch anyway.
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Should you buy it?
You want a versatile pair of gaming earbuds that work great with music: These buds pack reliable and consistent audio that worked great with music and elevated gameplay. The sci-fi design is also more palatable than GravaStar’s other earbuds, giving them a broader appeal.
You want a more refined experience: The lack of EQ customisation and a companion app, as well as limited touch controls mean that these earbuds don’t offer the most polished of experiences.
Final Thoughts
GravaStar improved on the audio with the Sirius P5, creating a consistent and smooth experience that works well with all genres of music. The impressive battery life and stable connection also make these earbuds very reliable, and the portability aspect means it’s very easy to game on the go.
My main recommendation would be to purchase this set with one individual case rather than all three, as while the gimmick of having three cases sounds fun, I rarely switched them out in reality. Buying the cases individually also massively brings down the cost to around £60, which I think is a more appropriate price when you take the inconsistent touch controls and the lack of a companion app into account.
How We Test
We test every set of headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested over several weeks
Tested with real-world use
Used all available modes
Tried each case in the real world
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FAQs
Yes, you can buy the Sirius P5 earbuds as a Combo pack, or with just one of the cases included for a reduced price.
No, these earbuds do not have Active Noise Cancellation, but they do feature Environmental Noise Cancellation, to help limit ambient background noise.
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