Technics is one of the oldest audio brands. Half a century of hi-fis hasn’t left the brand with a lot of sex appeal, but there’s a reassuring feeling that these guys know what they’re doing.
So it is with the new EAH-AZ80 flagship earphones. Going toe-to-toe with Apple, Bose, and Sony at the $300 end of the true wireless earbud market requires guts, but Technics has earned it.
With a simple appearance, terrific quality, and the near-unique ability to connect to three devices at once, they are one of the finest alternatives for people who care more about how their buds sound than the name on the box.
Design & build
- Premium build quality
- Choice of seven ear tip sizes
- Chunky carry case
The AZ80 buds appear to be straightforward. The buds, which come in black or silver, are made of plastic but have a brushed metal-effect finish on the exterior touch-sensitive side.
The surface area is small, with the buds forming an almost-circle in the ear and not jutting out much.
You’d have to have really outlandishly proportioned ears to not find a fit
In two ways, Technics has prioritized both comfort and fit security. To begin, the buds’ bodies are bent hither and thither in a way that appears to urge them to nestle comfortably inside the conch, snuggling into the real form of the organ.
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Second, instead of the standard three pairs of silicon eartips, the firm includes a whole set of seven in all shapes and sizes, so you’d have to have pretty oddly sized ears to not find a fit.
Of course, every ear is different, but with a little trial and error, I discovered a setting that kept in place throughout jogging and weightlifting and proved pleasant for multi-hour listening periods.
An IPX4 water-resistance certification is beneficial, guaranteeing that they can withstand light rain or gym-induced perspiration without issue.
My only major gripe is with the charging case that comes with the buds. It appears to be in good condition, with a top that matches the brushed finish of the buds and an etched business logo, but it has already picked up a few scuffs and scratches that detract from the impression after only a week.
It’s also on the bigger side of the range, which is beneficial for battery life but makes it seem cumbersome in a pair of denim pockets.
Specs & sound
- Large 10mm aluminum drivers
- Rich, expansive sound
- Good noise-cancellation
The sound is the main reason to purchase the AZ80. These earbuds sound excellent and can compete with any other quality set you choose to test.
Performance here really is sublime
Technics has outfitted them with newly built 10mm aluminum drivers. When combined with an acoustic control chamber and a harmoniser, the business claims that the overall configuration provides extended responsiveness at high and low frequencies while minimizing distortion compared to its previous high-end earbuds.
Normally, I’d caution you to take that with a grain of salt, but the performance here is just magnificent. These offer one of the most open, spacious soundscapes I’ve heard from earbuds yet, with a clarity that’s difficult to find anywhere.
Dive into the companion app’s EQ settings to turn up the bass, and they can produce throbbing low-end without compromise, bringing out the finest of the slinky baseline on Men I Trust’s ‘Oncle Jazz’ or driving some of The Chemical Brothers’ punchier tracks ahead.
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Technics has also introduced support for high quality audio through the LDAC codec, with compatibility with Android and certain other devices – while iPhones will not be supported. If you have high-resolution files or subscribe to a streaming service that accepts higher-end audio, you won’t have to sacrifice on quality.
There’s also noise cancellation. The technology is good, but in the major audio sector, where brands like Bose and Sony compete, Technics may be a touch behind.
I found it mainly effective at filtering out my surroundings, particularly low-level background noise, although noisy traffic or music playing at my gym still managed to get through. The noise-cancelling volume may be adjusted, but there is no smart mode that adapts to your hearing.
However, getting a precise fit using the silicon tips helps, and this may be where some users prefer the AZ80 buds over competitors, because the seven sets may allow individuals with unique ears to obtain a fit that they couldn’t find elsewhere and
There’s also an ambient mode, which takes in outside sounds and slightly intensifies it – ideal for hearing what’s around you or holding a conversation.
Technics has also improved its noise cancellation and speech separation technology for phone conversations, which is outstanding. Call quality is greater in loud situations than on most other buds, making these an especially ideal alternative for remote professionals who may need to accept calls or meetings on the fly.
Smart features & app
- Connect to three devices at once
- Fully customizable controls
- Built-in Alexa
The EAH-AZ80 buds’ smart features are managed using Technics’ Audio Connect app, which is available for both Android and iOS.
The support for three-way multi-point connections is the most fascinating feature here. That’s a lot of language for meaning you can connect to three devices at once, rather than the typical one or two, so you can smoothly swap between phone, tablet, and laptop.
The only catch is that you won’t be able to fully utilize both this and the buds’ LDAC hi-res capabilities. When you enable LDAC, you will be limited to two concurrent connections, and the software will even advise you to limit yourself to one device at a time, so there is a trade-off to be made.
However, the app provides more control than that. The sound can be altered, with six default sonic profiles and a five-track custom EQ option, and the intensity of the noise cancellation and ambient modes may be adjusted.
The touch controls on the buds are also entirely customizable, which is unusual. You may adjust the impact of single, double, triple, and long taps separately for each bud, giving you a total of eight distinct interactions with nine possible controls to assign to them (with the ability to deactivate some inputs if you’d prefer keep things simple).
The app delivers a lot of flexibility
Smaller choices include switching between a spoken notice and a simple sound when changing ANC modes, modifying the auto power down settings, and customizing how the buds react when one is removed from your ear during playback.
In summary, the app provides a great deal of versatility.
What it lacks are any innovative tools for optimizing the sound for you. Rival buds now frequently feature tests to assist improve the fit of the buds, fine-tune noise cancellation, or optimize the EQ around your hearing and ear shape – everything is done manually here.
Finally, Amazon Alexa compatibility is included into the buds, but you may alternatively use your phone’s default virtual assistant – or none at all.
Battery & charging
- Up to seven hours on a single charge
- 24 hours including case
- Wired or wireless charging
Another great feature is the battery life. According to Technics, the earbuds can last up to seven hours of continuous usage, with a total battery life of 24 hours between the buds and case.
Those values are based on listening with noise cancellation turned on but the more power-intensive LDAC codec turned off, so they may vary depending on your usage.
While switching between settings, I was constantly astonished by how slowly the battery on the buds dropped – clearly viewable inside the official app, which also shows the case’s battery, and most Android phones will display this automatically.
It took a full week of frequent use for me to feel the need to plug in the case. Even better, you can then choose between wired USB-C charging or just placing the case on any Qi wireless charger.
Price & availability
The Technics EAH-AZ80 buds are not cheap at $299/£259, available from Amazon and others, but they are exceptional value in the sense that they are as good as anything else you might spend this much on.
Verdict
The Technics EAH-AZ80 earphones are a pleasant surprise.
In earbuds this price, there isn’t much room for error, yet Technics has developed a set that excels in all areas: audio, noise cancellation, connection, and battery life.
Other pairs may appear to be more flashy, and although the ANC here is strong, it isn’t the finest around, but few competitors are as well-rounded as these – and the combination of hi-res audio support with three-way communication is really unique.
Specs
- 10mm aluminium drivers
- SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
- Up to 7 hours battery with ANC
- Up to 24 hours total battery with ANC
- Wired (USB-C) and wireless charging
- 3-way multi-point pairing
- IPX4 rating
- 7 sets of ear tips
- 69 mm x 36 mm x 29 mm charging case
- 7g per earbud
- 50g charging case
