For anybody that frolicked in golf equipment and round DJs any time between the Nineteen Seventies and 2000s, the Technics model is synonymous with its legendary SL-1200 line of pitch-shifting turntables. After a quick hiatus that ended because of the resurgence of vinyl, that heritage of bombproof direct-drive decks continues with the just lately launched SL-1300G—a turntable aimed extra at audiophiles than competition headliners. In 2023, Technics launched premium Bluetooth earbuds to increase its legacy from the LP bins into the streaming period. The corporate is again a year-and-a-half later with the flagship EAH-AZ100 (purchase now for $299), a big improve each in and out. The earbuds are revealed in the present day at the annual Shopper Electronics Present in Las Vegas, however PopSci has been capable of check them for a bit beneath a month beneath embargo and we’ve walked away (and walked with them) impressed.
Disclosure: Our evaluate pattern was seeded throughout a press journey to Kyoto, Japan, paid for by Technics mum or dad firm Panasonic.
The construct
Of the various modifications Technics made to those earbuds, the one which instantly jumps out is their dimension. Whereas the EAH-AZ80 was considerably teardrop/formed, the AZH-100’s housing is extra compact and cylindrical and trims a gram off the load (all the way down to 6g per earbud). These stemless earbuds are loads smaller than the standard Bluetooth earbuds we’ve examined, which got here with a giant benefit: they’re much more snug to put on. As soon as we popped them in, we may take heed to hours with out stress or fatigue setting in. Technics contains a number of sizes of eartips within the field—we caught with the usual medium, that are put in by default, and we advocate attempting out a few tip units earlier than deciding which of them work finest.
Our evaluation is fully subjective, and for those who don’t like stemless True Wi-fi (TWS) earbuds, the EAH-AZ100s might not be for you. We didn’t have any hassle with them falling out of our ears, even throughout workouts like leaping jacks, however your expertise will range primarily based on the form of your ear. We initially thought that the discount in dimension would end in decrease battery life, however that isn’t the case. Technics says these earbuds can rise up to 10 hours of use with ANC (Lively Noise Cancellation) enabled utilizing the AAC codec; that’s up from seven hours on the EAH-AZ80.
In the event you allow LDAC (Lossless Digital Audio Codec) streaming on a appropriate gadget (choose Android smartphones or a devoted digital audio participant), the EAH-AZ100s supply the identical battery life as their predecessor whereas providing higher audio high quality—as much as 20 Hz – 40 kHz utilizing a 96kHz/990kbps connection. Technics additionally shrunk the dimensions of the EAH-AZ100s case whereas providing elevated battery life (18 hours up from 14 hours) with AAC enabled or 11 extra hours when LDAC is enabled.
Technics’ greatest technical addition to those earbuds is expertise known as the “Magnetic Fluid Driver,” first launched within the Technics EAH-TZ700—a set of $1,199 wired earphones. Usually when reproducing sound, the driving force (the a part of a speaker answerable for making sound) will transfer round in barely random instructions. This tumbling will finally create distortion. Technics took a 10mm ultra-thin free-edge aluminum diaphragm then backed it with an infrastructure injecting oil-type liquid crammed with magnetic particles into the house between the driving force magnet and voice coil, leading to extra constant motion.
It’s arduous to explain the distinction this makes, however when you hear the low-distortion playback, it’s tough to return to even different high-end earbuds. You possibly can see a blown-up instance of this correct, linear meeting under.
To enhance ANC efficiency, Technics moved one of many EAH-AZ100s’ microphones onto the within of the bud, which made an even bigger distinction than I initially anticipated. With ANC enabled and music at 60 p.c, any typical low-level noises—followers, footsteps, keyboard typing, and even a microwave—have been fully eradicated. Louder seems like automobiles honking may nonetheless get by means of, however the ANC efficiency of the EAH-AZ100s was effectively above common, giving noise-cancellation earbud champs Bose and the superb QuietComfort Extremely a run for his or her cash. A setting within the Technics app permits you to have the ANC alter to the sounds round you robotically, or manually decrease its efficacy to let extra outdoors noises in. The earbuds additionally function a passthrough mode that makes use of microphones to filter sounds by means of the buds, which will be useful when exercising in public, or in an surroundings the place you’ll be chatting with individuals semi-frequently.
The setup
We paired the EAH-AZ100s to a number of gadgets over the course of our testing, and the earbuds’ Bluetooth 5.3 radio had no hassle connecting to any of them. The earbuds will robotically enter a pairing state the primary time they’re taken out of their case, which is handy, at which level you should navigate to the Bluetooth settings in your gadget and faucet on them to attach. As soon as related, you might be prompted to obtain the Technics app, which is required for those who’d like to regulate their EQ settings, obtain new firmware, and verify the battery lifetime of their case or buds themselves.
The EAH-AZ100s will robotically hook up with the primary gadget they’ve been paired to, however you may re-enable their pairing mode by holding your fingers on each buds shortly after eradicating them from their case and inserting them into your ears. You’ll hear a voice immediate letting you already know pairing mode has been enabled, at which level you may navigate to the Bluetooth settings on a second (or third) gadget to make the connection. The EAH-AZ100s will robotically hook up with the three most just lately paired gadgets in Bluetooth vary every time you pop them into your ears.
This triple multipoint pairing function was obtainable on the EAH-AZ80, however it’s as constant and spectacular as ever. The power to reliably pause music on my cellphone to look at a YouTube video, or play a recreation on my Nintendo Swap with out worrying about dropouts and interference is extremely releasing. Some earbuds don’t even supply two-device pairing, however Technics continues to be best-in-class on this space.
The sound
To place it merely: Listening to music and podcasts on the EAH-AZ100s for the previous few weeks has been a blast. It didn’t matter if I used to be listening to the 2024 remix of George Harrison’s Residing In The Materials World or Sabrina Carpenter’s Quick n’ Candy—these earbuds may deal with all of it. I solely streamed music utilizing Apple Music (set to lossless however compressed by way of the AAC Bluetooth codec) and 256Kbps audio information from my private music library. The largest distinction I heard all through all my listening classes was improved bass. I may hear devices in the whole decrease frequency vary much more clearly when put next with each the EAH-AZ80, the Bose QuietComfort Ultras, and Apple’s AirPods Professional 2. None of these earbuds sound dangerous, however the EAH-AZ100s supply higher low-end sound extra persistently. In the event you take heed to bass-heavy music, these are the earbuds to get.
We listened to a mixture of rock, pop, hip-hop, jazz, and spoken phrase throughout our listening assessments and located tracks from every style to be pleasing to the ear. Instrument separation was uniformly nice—it will come all the way down to the standard of a observe’s combine—and listening to songs with lots of completely different sounds taking place concurrently was a particular deal with. An amazing instance of this was The Flaming Lips’ “Ego Tripping on the Gates of Hell,” which includes a pulsing bassline, a number of background sound results, on high of echoey vocals. Each bit of the combination sounded clear and distinct when listening on the EAH-AZ100s, which was no small feat.
On the whole different finish of the spectrum was Neil Younger’s solo acoustic model of “Flying on the Floor Is Fallacious” off his Stay At The Cellar Door album. There’s an intimacy in each his voice and piano which you could choose up on instantly when listening on the EAH-AZ100s. The earbuds reward anybody who revisits tracks from deep of their music library to listen to one thing further within the background or a bit extra element in a selected instrument.
The EAH-AZ100s supply help for Spatial Audio when listening to content material with a Dolby Atmos combine, however the expertise stays so-so. It’s no fault of Technics, I’m simply not satisfied but by on-the-go immersive listening. Whereas Spatial Audio tracks can sound extra spacious—and enabling the head-turning mode, whereby the combination modifications dynamically as you progress your head, does mimic the expertise of listening to music on audio system—I largely caught with listening in stereo. There’s no technique to absolutely recreate the expertise of listening to Dolby Atmos tracks on a real multi-speaker part system with ahead and upward-firing drivers. Nevertheless, for those who’ve preferred this function on different earbuds, you’ll be happy to seek out it right here.
The conclusion
We’re solely two weeks into 2025 and Technics has supplied up a reference-grade pair of TWS earbuds. The EAH-AZ100s really feel like a considerable leap over their predecessors in all the ways in which really matter to customers. They’re extra snug, last more, have higher ANC, and have an all-new audio and microphone system. Slightly than choosing a easy spec bump, Technics went again to the drafting board to supply precise outcomes—proof that the venerable turntable model is placing a brand new, effectively, spin on its identification and merchandise.
You possibly can choose up a pair of Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds in the present day for $299.99, whereas the EAH-AZ80 will stay obtainable at $199.99.
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