Today, Technics unveiled two new true wireless earbuds products, the EAH-AZ80 and EAH-AZ60M2 True Wireless Earbuds. Each of these earbuds showcase the latest in audio and proprietary Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology from Technics. These products also feature wireless Qi charging, Bluetooth Multipoint Connection, LDAC support, and Technics’ own JustMyVoice™ technology. The EAH-AZ60M2 features a uniquely designed acoustic chamber, harmonizer and 8 mm driver. Meanwhile, the EAH-AZ80 houses a new 10mm free-edge aluminum diaphragm.
Here, we will focus on Technics’ latest flagship earbud product, the EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds. Let’s dive into the EAH-AZ80 to see what they have to offer.
Build and Physical Features
The EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds are offered in both black and silver models. A purchase of the Technics EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds comes with a charging case, a USB Type-C charging cable, and seven different sizes of ear tips.
As mentioned before, the main driver of the EAH-AZ80 feature Technics’ newly designed new 10mm, free-edge aluminum diaphragm. These diaphragms are designed to extend high and low frequency response while reducing unwanted resonance and distortion. Then, the EAH-AZ80’s unique acoustic box design works to optimize the vocals and mids while a harmonizer handles the trebles. With this design, the EAH-AZ80 aims to deliver a rich and detailed sound while minimizing distortion.
There are four mics on each of the EAH-AZ80’s earbuds, driving one of the product’s highlighted features, JustMyVoice. With JustMyVoice, two voice detection mics focus on detecting your speech. Meanwhile, two MEMS mics isolate your voice while reducing ambient noise. All together with beamforming technology, JustMyVoice works to enforce clear calls in noisy or windy environments.
Another highlighted feature of the EAH-AZ80 is the Technics proprietary Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology used its active noise cancelation feature. A feedforward mic suppresses noise on the outside of the earbud while aided by a digital software filter. Meanwhile, a feedback mic and an analog hardware filter handles noise from inside the earbuds.
The earbuds are fitted with Concha Fit Foam to promote comfortable and secure wearing for long periods of time. The buds come with seven different earpiece sizes, from XS2 to XL, with the M-sized tips installed by default. They also house a wearing sensor that detects when the buds are removed from your ears. When removal is detected, playback is paused until the buds are placed back in your ears.
The surfaces on each bud where the Technics logo displays are the headset’s touch controls. By default, single taps trigger Play and Pause on both ear buds. On the right earbud, double taps trigger Next Track and triple taps trigger Previous Track. On the left, double taps lower the volume while triple taps trigger raise the volume. Holding your finger on the right earbud for two seconds toggles between ANC and Ambient Sound Modes. Meanwhile, a two-second hold on the left earbud activates your device’s voice assistant. A long press on both earbuds simultaneously puts the headset in pairing mode.
Speaking of Bluetooth pairing, the Bluetooth Multipoint Connection allows you to pair your EAH-AZ80 with up to three devices simultaneously. The headset seamlessly shifts its focus to whichever device transmits audio last. For example, imagine that you have the headset paired with your PC and phone, and you are currently listening to music from your PC. If you suddenly receive a call on your phone, the media on your PC will pause as your headset shifts its focus to your mobile device.
Lastly, the charging case of the EAH-AZ80 offers both wireless and wired charged of your earbuds. With the case, you get a total of 25 hours of usage from the earbuds before having to recharge the cradle. The total battery life can vary depending on your usage of Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) and the JustMyVoice features.
Without ANC – 7.5 hours of music playback, 25 hours total with the case
With ANC – 7 hours of music playback, 24 hours total with the case
With ANC and JustMyVoice active – 4 hours of call time, 13.5 hours total with the case
Summing up the headset’s build, the EAH-AZ80 earbuds are sleek, stylish, and best of all, comfortable. From the moment I tried on the EAH-AZ80 with the medium-sized tips pre-installed, I already experienced a comfortable and secure fit. After determining that the size L tips were better suited for me, I found the EAH-AZ80 to be one of the most comfortable and secure earbuds I have worn to date. Wearing them in the gym, I was able to work out with full confidence that the buds would stay put throughout my workouts. Not to mention, using the right ear tip size meant that I had the perfect acoustic seal for my listening experience.
Handling the touch controls of the EAH-AZ80 felt second-nature as single, double, and triple taps executed responsively. Using double and triple taps to control volume was an interesting, yet effective approach. With all of the earbuds I have tried, I would instinctively reach into my pocket to adjust volume directly from my mobile device. However, thanks to the touch controls’ ease of use, I found myself leaning more on using the buds directly.
The lifespan of the EAH-AZ80 earbuds was also quite impressive. I would use the EAH-AZ80 in five-hour listening sessions with both ANC and LDAC active. Not once did I have to interrupt my listening to recharge the buds in their cradle.
As far as builds go, the EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds sports a solid construction that holds nothing back.
More Features and Performance
Using the Technics Audio Connect mobile app, you can customize and tweak many aspects of the EAH-AZ80’s performance and behavior. You can fine tune the intensity of the ANC and Ambient Sound features, toggle or create your own EQ’s in Sound Enhancement, change up the behavior of the touch controls, or manage other quality of life options.
The Technics Audio Connect app is straightforward and easy to use, providing some nice on-screen instructions for some of its more unique features and options.
Now to dive into the meat and potatoes of the EAH-AZ80, the sound performance. The default sound presentation of the EAH-AZ80 is nothing short of impressive. It is probably the best I have heard from a pair of earbuds to date. The default “Direct” sound presentation gives you a vibrant sound with booming bass, clear vocals and crisp highs. Percussion and instrumentals are clean and the bass has a solid amount of life and depth. Technics’ touted 10mm, free-edge aluminum diaphragm does an excellent job at representing all of the sound ranges individually, without one range ever gaining emphasis at the expense of the others.
This was particularly apparent when I was playing around with the packaged EQs in the Technics Audio Connect app. I went into the Sound Enhancement screen and started hopping between the different options.
What impressed me the most is that regardless of the option I chose, that chosen range was enhanced without noticeably taking anything away from the other ranges. If I chose Bass+ or even Super Bass+, the bass was enhanced without taking away from the sharpness of the highs or the clarity of the mids. If I moved from Direct to Treble+, the bass presentation did not lighten up or lose any depth.
It is refreshing how the EAH-AZ80 and the Technics Audio Connect app allows you to choose your desired enhancements without noticeable sacrifice. Having tried various EQ’s with many other headsets, I always expected dips in ranges whenever I tried out their perspective “boost” EQ’s. Because of that, I would accept those dips as long as the EQ’s hit their targets without hurting the overall sound presentation too much. With the EAH-AZ80, if you want more of a range, you get more of that range. Plain and simple.
The Active Noise Cancelation from the EAH-AZ80 is the best I have experienced from any wireless earbud yet. At its highest setting, it does a great job at combating ambient sound as you listen to your media. Considering that the EAH-AZ80 has seven ear tip sizes to choose from, you have a very good chance that you will find the perfect acoustic seal with these ear buds. That acoustic seal combines with this quality ANC to give you a fully immersive listening experience.
The Ambient Sound feature is pretty solid as well, with the Audio Connect app complementing it with an adjustable dial.
Lastly, the call quality on the EAH-AZ80 is also the best I have experienced with any earbuds. The JustMyVoice feature had call participants not even realizing that I was walking the streets of NYC while I spoke. This ambient sound suppression was more pronounced when background noise reduction was set to Strong.
So, I simply left it always set to Strong. They only heard me and not the sounds of cars or traffic passing by. Since the JustMyVoice feature focuses on voices, call participants were able to tell when I walked by outdoor diners or vocal crowds. However, the EAH-AZ80 remained so focused on my voice that those background voices were not disruptive to the call.
Final Thoughts
I do not tend to throw around the word “best” too often in my reviews. So, I was pleasantly surprised that Technics’ EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds had me use it three times in this review. Simply put, the EAH-AZ80 has the best sound, ANC, and call quality that I have experienced from any ear buds to this day. Then, you also get excellent comfort, a solid battery life, and a companion app that gives you all of the options you will ever need for a headset. Technics knocked it out of the park with the EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds.
Technics’ EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds are available now for $299. You can check them out by clicking here.
If $299 is a little too much for your liking, you can consider checking out the $249 EAH-AZ60M2 True Wireless Earbuds. I have not tried them out as of the timing of this post, so I cannot attest to the EAH-AZ60M2’s sound quality. However, the EAH-AZ60M2 does share all of the other features as the EAH-AZ80, such as the JustMyVoice, ANC, and Bluetooth Multipoint Connection. You can check out Technics’ EAH-AZ60M2 by clicking here.
† There are no affiliate links contained within this post. We were provided a pair of Technics EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds and some stock images for review purposes and were not compensated for this review.
