Technics EAH-AZ80 Earbuds Review: Comfy, Feature-Packed Leave a comment

While you suppose of the best wireless earbuds, Technics is probably not excessive in your checklist. Let’s face it, the Panasonic-owned hi-fi model is probably not in your checklist in any respect. The legacy audio imprint has been working exhausting to alter that in recent times, and the brand new EAH-AZ80 are the fruits of that journey.

These buds provide tons of options, nice noise canceling, and glowing sound. Their design is cozy and classy, providing a diffusion of ear tricks to tailor your match and a tempered contact of premium flash. Options like three-device multipoint pairing assist set them other than rivals like AirPods Professional (9/10, WIRED Recommends) in terms of multitasking within the work-from-home period.

At $300, the AZ80 are pushing the envelope contemplating you’ll be able to typically get high selections like Sony’s growing old WF-1000XM4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) on tremendous sale today. However these buds show Technics deserves to be part of the dialog alongside Sony, Bose, Apple, and others.

Model and Substance

The AZ80 are a little bit massive, however they’re the best-looking buds I’ve tried this yr, particularly trendy within the silver/grey model. Whereas the fake brushed aluminum on the case’s lid seems to be a little bit glitzy, the metallic caps on the buds themselves provide simply the correct sparkle, instantly recalling Technics’ glimmering turntables and receivers.

Within the field you’ll discover a QR code for the helpful Audio Join app, setup directions, and 7 pairs of ear ideas. Google Quick Pair is likely one of the few massive options the AZ80 lack, that means each Android and iPhone customers might want to dive into the Bluetooth menu, however they join in seconds. The app enables you to select between your telephone’s voice assistant or Amazon Alexa (or neither) and refine just a few different setup choices.

If I’ve to complain, I don’t love how Technics’ voice prompts blurt out connection standing. However like most AZ80 options it’s adjustable, so I merely turned it down. Different adjustable choices embrace the whole lot from a multiband EQ to noise canceling, transparency mode (there are two variations, together with one designed to focus on voices), and even ambient sound suppression for telephone calls.

Talking of changes, the AZ80’s mound of ear ideas helps you discover simply the correct match. When mixed with ergonomic housings, even at a comparatively weighty 7 grams per facet, the earbuds are snug for a number of hours of damage. It’s a serious enchancment over final yr’s AZ60, which was a improbable general bundle that was just too bulbous for smaller ears like mine.

You can even rearrange the contact controls, although the default appears to be the best choice. The format is a bit odd at first; single faucets for pause/play are mirrored on each buds, however different controls are unfold between the buds through a collection of multi-taps and lengthy holds. Most essential, although, you get entry to all main capabilities, together with quantity, with out the necessity to fish out your telephone. That’s one thing you’ll be able to’t say about loads of rivals, together with Sony’s WF-1000XM4.

There are many different options to futz with, however three-device multipoint pairing is arguably the most important get, setting the buds other than nearly each competitor. The function works fairly effectively, letting you swap between a telephone, pill, and pc with relative ease. That fulfills most use instances for the AirPods Professional’s Auto Switching function, however as a substitute of being chained to iCloud units, you get the liberty of blending and matching gear throughout ecosystems.