Technics EAH-AZ100: Two-minute review
Announced at a press conference at CES2025, the new Technics EAH-AZ100 are the company’s latest and (on paper, at least) and most thorough attempt to make meaningful waves in the stacked markets that are the best earbuds and best noise-cancelling earbuds.
There’s no denying the lengths to which the company has gone. From the extremely thorough specification (covering everything from multipoint connectivity and adaptive noise-cancellation to Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity with LDAC compatibility) to design (smaller, lighter and yet somehow no less premium in look and feel to the model they replace), the Technics EAH-AZ100 are ready to compete. Control options are numerous and well implemented, and the carefully ergonomic design extends as far as providing five different sizes of ear tip.
Of course, if you’re competing at the upper end of the market it’s important to go to these sorts of lengths. The most obvious products the Technics EAH-AZ100 intend to usurp – Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, the Pi6 by Bowers & Wilkins, the ubiquitous WF-1000XM5 from Sony – all look good on paper, too. The fight, as always, will be won or lost where sound quality is concerned.
And the sound quality that’s available here is convincing in pretty much every respect – or, at least, it is with ANC switched on. With noise-cancelling engaged, the AZ100 sound robust, insightful and thoroughly musical and sit easily among the best ANC earbuds out there. They can turn their hand to pretty much anything where styles of music are concerned, and are able to extract the most transient details in the most unpromising circumstances. Switch ANC off, through, and the solidly punchy and nicely controlled low frequencies lose a lot of their substance – and the Technics sound fractionally lightweight as a result. There’s a lesson there somewhere…
Technics EAH-AZ100: Price and release date
- Release date: 7 January, 2025
- Price: $299; £259; AU$478 (approx.)
The Technics EAH-AZ100 are on sale from 7 January 2025, having been unveiled at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. They are an update on Technics’ much lauded EAH-AZ80, which arrived in 2023. A US price of $299 (the same asking fee as their predecessors) also puts the AZ100 into competition with any number of well-regarded rivals – think Bose, Bowers & Wilkins, Sennheiser and Sony just for starters…
Technics EAH-AZ100: Specs
| Type: | True wireless in-ear |
| Weight: | 5.9g (earbuds); 42g (charging case) |
| Drivers: | 10mm free-edge dynamic |
| Battery life: | 12 hours (earbuds, ANC off); 17 hours (charging case) |
| Control: | Capacitive touch controls; native voice assistant; Technics ‘Audio Connect’ control app |
| Bluetooth: | 5.3 with SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3 compatibility |
Technics EAH-AZ100: Features
- Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3 codec compatibility
- 10mm free-edge dynamic drivers with ‘magnetic fluid’ technology
- Three-device multipoint connectivity
No matter what you think of the way the Technics EAH-AZ100 perform, there’s no arguing with the feature set here. Technics has laid it on with the proverbial trowel.
For instance, the EAH-AZ100 use Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity, and compatibility with SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3 codecs means there’s something for everyone here. Perhaps it might have been nice to see Qualcomm’s aptX range of codec supported, too, but I guess you can’t have everything,
Once the digital audio information has been wirelessly received, it’s delivered to your ears by a pair of 10mm full-range dynamic drivers with free-edge aluminum diaphragms. The gap between the driver magnet and the voice-coil is filled with a viscous liquid charged with magnetic particles – Technics suggests this results in precise low-frequency response and low distortion throughout the frequency range. They quote a frequency response of 20Hz – 40kHz.
You’re able to enjoy this full-range sound for a good while, too. In the most favorable circumstances (using the AAC codec with active noise-cancellation switched off) the earbuds should play for around 12 hours between charges, and even if you go to town (using the hi-res LDAC codec with ANC switched on) you should be good for seven hours or so. The charging case is good for a respectable-but-hardly-startling one-and-a-half further charges, and you can go from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ in around two hours when charging via USB-C. Fifteen minutes on the juice is good for 90 minutes of playback. The EAH-AZ100 are compatible with Qi-certified charging pads, too, and need around three hours to become fully charged this way.
The noise-cancelling itself is of a new ‘adaptive’ design that intends to adapt to fit the wearer’s ear and deliver optimal results. Three mics per earbud also look after voice control telephony, and Technics has introduced ‘Voice Focus AI’ in order to provide the best possible call quality. The AI noise-reduction chip analyzes your surroundings in order to filter out unwanted sound, and at the same time assesses the incoming call quality in an effort to make conversations as pain-free as possible.
What else? Well, the AZ100 offer three-point connectivity for the inveterate multi-taskers among us. A suite of Dolby technologies – ‘Atmos’, ‘Audio’ and ‘Head-tracking’ – offers spatial audio, enhanced clarity for voice-based content, and a sound-field that responds to the movement of your head respectively.
- Feature quality score: 5/5
Technics EAH-AZ100: Design
- 21 x 26 x 25mm (earbud); 36 x 69 x 27mm (charging case)
- 5.9g (earbud); 42g (charging case)
- Five sizes of ear tip
Technics has long had a bee in its bonnet about the fit of true wireless in-ear headphones, and with the EAH-AZ100 it has gone to even greater lengths than before to ensure the earbuds are a secure and comfortable fit for lugholes of all shapes and sizes.
Both the earbuds and the case in which they charge are smaller and lighter than the outgoing EAH-AZ80 model. The concha shape and fit has been reworked, and there are now five sizes of ear tip provided in the package. It seems unlikely in the extreme that you’ll be unable to ensure your AZ100 fit snugly and remain comfortable for hours on end.
Otherwise, it’s high-end Technics earbuds business as usual. The EAH-AZ100 are available in silver or black, and no matter which finish you prefer, you’ll find yourself in possession of well-made, carefully finished and quite tactile earbuds that travel in a smooth, robust charging case with a nice slice of aluminum across the top which bears the company logo.
Controlling the AZ100 can be done in a number ways, each nicely implemented and responsive. Your source player’s native voice assistant is available, of course, and interactions are rapid and reliable. The same can be said for the capacitive touch-surface on each earbud – it’s in the same spot as the brand logo, and is as responsive and reliable as these things ever get. And you can rearrange the meaning of the various ‘touch’ or ‘hold’ commands in the newly reworked ‘Technics Audio’ control app that’s free for iOS and Android. It’s not, perhaps, the most exciting-looking control app around, but it has a huge array of functionality (from adjusting EQ settings to finessing the amount of noise-cancellation you prefer) and proves utterly stable over the long haul.
- Design quality score: 5/5
Technics EAH-AZ100: Sound quality
- Balanced, detailed and respectably dynamic sound
- Energetic and unified presentation
- Pronounced difference in sound depending on whether ANC is on or off
Asking a premium price for true wireless headphones means there’s really no hiding place when it comes to sound quality – ‘good’ is nothing like good enough. Happily, the Technics EAH-AZ100 are never less than ‘very good indeed’ and are capable of giving the class leaders plenty to worry about.
No matter if they’re dealing with a 16bit/44.1kHz FLAC file of Summon the Fire by The Comet Is Coming via AAC or a 24bit/96kHz copy of Weyes Blood’s Grapevine using LDAC, they’re a balanced and insightful listen, more than capable of bringing order to ear no matter how unruly a recording might think it is. Detail levels are high at every turn, and the AZ100 organize and lay out a recording with such confidence that even the densest tunes are easy to understand.
With ANC on and EQs set to ‘direct’ (which basically means ‘flat’), these Technics are a straightforwardly enjoyable and entirely convincing listen. Low frequency activity is deep, punchy and textured, and controlled with enough authority to make sure rhythms are expressed with assurance. The midrange is open and informative, with a whole stack of detail regarding tone and timbre not only made available but put carefully into context. And there’s proper drive and attack at the top end, but treble sounds have sufficient substance to ensure they never become hard or bitey.
Best of all is the way the AZ100 unify the entirety of the frequency range. They’re completely even-handed, and the sweep from the top end to the bottom is smooth – no area is given undue prominence, no area is underplayed. It’s possible to alter this stance quite radically if you fiddle with the EQ settings, of course, but it’s obvious Technics’ engineers have found a suitable balance – it’s called ‘direct’.
Despite the carefully judged frequency response and naturalistic tonal balance, though, the AZ100 are an energetic and decently dynamic listen when the material you’re listening to demands it. They fairly power through up-tempo stuff like Claro Intelecto’s Peace of Mind and make broad and fine dynamic variations completely obvious. They do this all with absolute authority – the Technics are always in control, and consequently the organization of the soundstage never gets blurred or uncertain.
All the above applies if you have active noise-cancellation switched on, and the ANC itself is pretty effective by the standards of any premium brand that isn’t Bose. Companies both large and small have tried in vain to replicate the almost eerie Bose Blanket of Silence, and all have failed – Technics is simply the latest. But if you accept that the ANC here can be bettered, it’s actually very effective where all but the most near-field, loud and toppy frequency occurrences are concerned.
Switch ANC off, though, and the AZ100 undergo a strange and obvious change in their sonic character. Low frequencies lose a degree of substance, and the overall presentation becomes rather flimsy and lightweight. It may well be fair to suggest that very few people buy a pair of true wireless earbuds with active noise-cancellation in order to leave the ANC turned off, but it’s equally fair to point out that any number of alternative designs sound exactly the same no matter if the ANC is operating or not.
- Sound quality score: 4.5/5
Technics EAH-AZ100: Value
- Look and feel like a premium item
- Balanced, convincing sound (with ANC on)
- Very thoroughly specified
Touching and wearing the Technics EAH-AZ100 is a very pleasant experience. They’re nicely made and finished from tactile materials, and the care the company has taken where ergonomics are concerned means getting a secure and comfortable fit is no problem whatsoever.
Technics has been similarly thorough when it comes to specification, too. If you judge value for money by the spec-sheet yardstick, a) you’re not alone, and b) you’re in business here. The AZ100 are handsomely specified, with triple-device multipoint connectivity to boot. Only the lack of aptX compatibility sounding the mildest of false notes.
- Sound quality score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the Technics EAH-AZ100?
| Features | Supreme connectivity, liquid drivers and a suite of Dolby tech – top notch | 5 / 5 |
| Design | Five ear tips ensure a perfect fit, responsive voice and touch controls | 5 / 5 |
| Sound quality | Balanced and detailed, but low frequencies lose substance with ANC off | 4.5 / 5 |
| Value | Premium item with tactile materials, let down only with noise-cancellation turned off | 4.5 / 5 |
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
Technics EAH-AZ100: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Technics EAH-AZ100 | Sony WF-1000XM5 | Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $299; £259; AU$478 (approx.) | $229.99 / £175 / AU$331 | $220 / £199 / AU$399 |
| Drivers | 10mm free-edge dynamic | 8.4mm Dynamic driver X | 10mm |
| Active noise cancellation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Quoted battery life | 12 hours (earbuds, ANC off); 17 hours (charging case) | 8hr earbuds, 24hrs total with the case | 6 hours (buds) 24 hours total with the case |
| Weight | 5.9g per earbud; 42g (charging case) | 4.2g per earbud | 6.24g per earbud |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3, SBAC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 | Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, Sony 360 Reality Audio, DSEE Extreme upscaling | Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, aptX Adaptive, Snapdragon Sound |
| Frequency range | 20Hz – 40kHz | Not stated | Not stated |
| Other features | Technics Audio Connect app, magnetic fluid driver, voice control AI | Sony Headphones Connect companion app, ambient sound, wind-reduction bone conduction mics | Immersive Audio, sound ‘modes’ |
How I tested the Technics EAH-AZ100
- Connected to an iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S
- Various codecs, various file types and various styles of music
- Listened (on and off) for very nearly a month
When connected to my iPhone 14 Pro, I am of course limited to the AAC codec – but this is nevertheless a decent-sounding smartphone and reveals a lot of what makes the EAH-AZ100 tick. The best results, though, naturally come via the FiiO M15S digital audio player – it’s compatible with the LDAC codec, which means higher resolution and an altogether fuller audio experience.
I spent the best part of a month (not 24/7, obviously) listening to the Technics earbuds, and in that time listened to a lot of different types of music, of different file standards and resolutions. And it wouldn’t be any kind of hardship to have to do it all again…
First reviewed January 2025
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BVueqkeWZ37tazHfLeBv7B-1200-80.jpg
Source link
