Technics could not have the identical identify recognition because the Sonys and Boses of the earbud market, BUT it’s a reputation that’s adorned many an leisure heart or Hello-Fi rack because it launched in 1965. Whereas it hasn’t stopped making the premium turntables that made it a Hello-Fi mainstay, Technics has additionally introduced a few of that premium high quality and audiophile heritage to its flagship AZ80 earbuds. That pedigree doesn’t come cheaply at $300, however each little bit of the standard you’d anticipate from an audiophile-first firm is there to justify that value. Even when it doesn’t prime our checklist, the AZ80s are a contender for one of the best earbuds cash can purchase.
Whereas Technics is a reputation unfamiliar to most, it’s one of many many sub-brands Panasonic has spun off through the years. Being underneath the umbrella of a Japanese client electronics big isn’t a assure of high quality, however with three years for the reason that launch of its earlier flagship AZ70s, Technics has had loads of time to get the AZ80s excellent. Whereas Sony and Sennheiser have clearly crushed Technics to this market by a number of years, very like with Beyerdynamic’s Free Byrds, it’s good to see extra firms that sometimes cater to audiophiles make merchandise with mass enchantment with out betraying their Hello-Fi roots.
Supply: Technics
Technics EAH-AZ80
The Technics AZ80 earbuds ship sound that lives as much as the corporate’s Hello-Fi legacy, all with impressively efficient noise canceling, 7 units of eartips, and 3-device multipoint pairing. This all comes collectively to make the AZ80s a really interesting possibility within the premium section.
- Battery Life
- 7 hours per cost, 24 with case
- Weight
- 7g per bud, 50g case
- Noise Cancellation
- Twin hybrid ANC
- IP score
- IPX4
- Charging sort
- USB-C, Qi
- Driver dimension
- 10mm
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- Supported codecs
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Clear audio with a wide-open soundstage
- Extremely efficient ANC
- Controls have lots of customization choices
- Seven completely different earbud tricks to fine-tune your consolation
- Responsive in-ear detection
- Proprietary model of Quick Pair that is nowhere close to nearly as good
- You need to select between utilizing LDAC and multipoint
- Unintuitive default controls
- Battery life is not precisely wonderful
Worth and availability
Whereas black and silver aren’t unhealthy colours by any stretch, they’re a tad boring and conventionally “protected” decisions, so the Technics AZ80 earbuds aren’t precisely making waves within the shade division. Protected is likely to be the best play, although, for the reason that $300 value can really feel a little bit jarring at first, even when it’s the precedent that Bose and Sony have set for flagship earbuds.
It’s additionally unlikely the worth will drop very a lot over the lifetime of the AZ80s. Even supposing Technics nonetheless sells the gen 1 variations of its entry-level AZ40 and mid-level AZ60 earbuds at wholesome reductions on its Amazon retailer, that observe doesn’t prolong to its earlier flagship AZ70s. That tactic additionally doesn’t prolong to Technics’ personal web site or Greatest Purchase, the place the choice is proscribed simply to the present era of merchandise.
Design and match
Similar to the opposite earbuds Technics makes, the AZ80 earbuds have a stemless design, and huge, flat contact management targets. The contact targets are very responsive and almost inconceivable to overlook, however they’re additionally a not-so-subtle nod to the corporate’s roots. With a high-quality round groove going across the contact goal, it’s virtually inconceivable to not be reminded of a vinyl document. The charging case doesn’t have the identical design touches, however with a brushed aluminum lid and high-quality plastic physique, the case nonetheless comes off as premium.
Whereas the buds look pretty cumbersome, they’ve a reasonably low profile from the entrance and slender down sufficient in direction of the tip to not rub or be uncomfortable. Regardless of the chunky appears, the AZ80s aren’t very heavy within the ear, and between that and the beneficiant number of seven sizes of ear ideas, comfortably listening to the AZ80s for hours on finish is a breeze. One fascinating observe concerning the earbud ideas is the inclusion of a small sponge pad in each. Most earbuds solely have a mesh grille to maintain your errant ear wax at bay, so this further safety could assist you to on the everlasting wrestle to maintain your ear gunk out of your earbuds.
Sound & name high quality
It’s no shock that flagship earbuds from an organization that caters to audiophiles sound good. The AZ80s have crystal clear highs, and punchy bass, all with out sacrificing a little bit of the mids. Vocals all the time minimize proper by way of the noise of the band with out coming off as harsh or overlaying something up. The decently vast soundstage makes it straightforward to select particular person devices if crucial listening is your factor, nevertheless it additionally lets lots of songs open up and really feel larger. It received’t make studio albums sound like stadium exhibits, however you may discover particulars you by no means seen on songs you’ve listened to lots of of instances. To get essentially the most of that although, you’ll have to take heed to a service like Qobuz, Tidal, or iTunes that may take full benefit of the AZ80’s LDAC Bluetooth codec.
Whereas no-expenses-spared {hardware} can convey lots of enhancements like that to sound high quality, one of many largest listening expertise enhancements flagship earbuds can have over mid-range ones is lively noise canceling. The AZ80s have a number of the least intrusive noise canceling I’ve heard. Along with having subsequent to not one of the further stress I’ve seen complaints about on some earbuds, whereas I’m simply casually listening to music, I’m not all the time conscious the noise canceling is on. Whereas I’ve all the time thought that AirPods Professional, for instance, felt like they projected silence into your ears, the AZ80s simply current you with silence reasonably than impose it on you.
Noise cancelation isn’t only for listening, although. For anybody taking calls from inside wind tunnels, the AZ80s use JustMyVoice and the identical mic array it makes use of for ANC to attempt to isolate your voice for the individual on the opposite finish of your name. This characteristic appears to work very nicely, however with extra intense background noise, folks will be capable of hear the tough tinny fringe of the aggressive noise cancelation. When the choice is just not listening to you in any respect, although, that looks as if a good tradeoff.
Software program
Google Quick Pair has made it useless easy to arrange your new earbuds and get you listening as quick as doable. It’s additionally change into extremely frequent on high-end earbuds, which is why it feels so conspicuous that it’s lacking from the AZ80s. It isn’t simply not therealthough, it’s changed by Technics’ proprietary model of that characteristic that requires you have already got its app put in to make the most of that. The app is already vital because it’s the one method to get firmware updates, set a customized EQ, and alter any settings or controls, however Technics’ in-house fast pairing was considerably much less clean and handy than Quick Pair because it not solely required you to put in its app first however to have it open as nicely.
Two of the promoting factors of the AZ80s that sadly run counter to one another are the LDAC codec and its three-device multi-point connection, since enabling one disables the opposite. Out of the field, the AZ80s default to multipoint restricted to the AAC codec, and if you wish to step as much as LDAC, you need to manually change that within the settings. The multipoint switching labored pretty nicely, although I don’t discover myself switching forwards and backwards between my cellphone, laptop computer, and pill all through the day. I do take heed to a high-def streaming service for a lot of the day, so it was a excessive precedence to trace that down within the settings.
The contact controls of each earbuds could be independently modified in Technics’ app, which is nice since I undoubtedly wasn’t used to the default management schema. A single faucet of both bud is the standard play/pause, however the best bud has skip ahead and backward on double and triple faucets respectively, whereas the left bud has quantity down and up on the identical gestures. An extended faucet of the best bud cycles by way of the ANC and ambient modes, whereas the left bud will convey up your assistant. Whereas the faucet settings could be modified to any of those instructions, the lengthy press choices are kind of restricted to the 2 already listed, and powering down the earbuds.
Battery life and charging time
With the all-day consolation the AZ80s have, all-day battery life to go along with it might be good. If all you’re utilizing is noise canceling, you possibly can anticipate proper round 9 hours on a single cost, and including music to the combo will convey that all the way down to seven hours and alter. Anticipate that to drop a tad extra in case you’re utilizing the LDAC codec, although.
Popping the buds again within the case for fifteen minutes will web you about an additional hour of playback, and a pair of hours within the case will take them from useless to full. The case holds a little bit over two extra full fees in it for a complete of 24 hours of listening time. The case takes a little bit over two hours to totally cost by way of USB-C, and one other hour or so in case you’re utilizing a Qi pad.
Competitors
In case you’re purchasing for premium earbuds across the $300 mark, there’s a stunning quantity of stiff competitors. The 2 most notable contenders are Sony’s WF-1000XM5 and Bose’s QuietComfort Extremely, with nice sound high quality and industry-leading ANC from each. With lower than 8 hours of listening per cost, the AZ80s don’t have fairly the longevity of the Sony’s, particularly since turning off the ANC will bump the XM5s as much as about 12 hours of listening. The Technics have far more customizable controls, although, in addition to bigger 10mm drivers in comparison with the 8.4mm ones discovered within the Sonys.
The QuietComfort Ultras are lacking some creature comforts the AZ80s have, like wi-fi charging and multipoint assist. Whereas the QuietComfort Ultras are additionally liable to occasional hissing and ANC artifacts, the AZ80s have a number of the most seamless ANC I’ve ever skilled, to the purpose the place I didn’t even know that there was noise being canceled the overwhelming majority of the time.
Must you purchase them?
If top-notch sound high quality and industry-leading ANC are necessary to you, and also you’re prepared to shell out $300 to get it, that’s precisely what the Technics AZ80s have. With crystal clear particulars throughout the whole spectrum and a number of the most spectacular noise cancelation I’ve skilled, Technics clearly is aware of what it’s doing.
One of many largest praises I may give the AZ80s is simply how usually I discover myself utilizing them regardless that I’m sitting at my wired headphone setup. Whereas they aren’t with out flaws, most of my gripes are pretty minor, and none of them are sufficiently big to maintain me from dailying them.
Supply: Technics
Technics EAH-AZ80
The Technics EAH-AZ80 earbuds ship close to audiophile high quality sound, embrace 7 units of eartips and provide multipoint pairing. All informed, the EAH-AZ80 is a really compelling providing within the premium section.
