Technics EAH-AZ70W review: Top-notch noise canceling earbuds

I are not able to bear in mind the very last time I reviewed a Technics solution — it truly is been that many many years — but the venerable audio brand, which Panasonic brought out of retirement in 2014, seems on the firm’s line-topping noise-canceling earbuds. The Technics EAH-AZ70W’s checklist price of $250 (£220, AU$449) places them squarely up against Apple’s AirPods Professional ($250), Sony’s WF-1000XM3 ($230) and Sennheiser’s Momentum Correct Wireless two ($300). Though they are a tiny significant, they stack up perfectly against that stiff competitiveness, with extraordinary sound and noise-canceling operate.

They have a equivalent glimpse to the Sennheisers and match in the same way, even though not pretty as easily. In that perception, they are a tiny even larger than your ordinary accurate wi-fi earbuds and adhere from your ears a little bit farther. Sennheiser managed to shrink the 2nd-gen Momentum Correct Wireless model as Jabra did with its Elite 75t, so this Technics would preferably be smaller sized. (As it is, it may possibly not match people with smaller sized ears.) But that, along with a considerably significant price tag, are its only notable downsides.

Read through additional: Most effective noise-canceling accurate wi-fi earbuds of 2020

I was capable to get a cozy match and limited seal with the medium-sized ear ideas. That limited seal is essential for ideal sound high quality and noise-canceling performance. These do not have a activity fin to lock the buds in position, but they did match securely and would be fantastic for exercises at the gymnasium. Like the AirPods Professional, they have an IPX4 h2o-resistance ranking, which signifies they are sweatproof and splashproof.

The integrated carrying scenario is not the most compact, but it truly is not too significant and has a quality feel, as do the buds them selves, with their aluminum shell. Regrettably, there is certainly no wi-fi charging. The scenario fees by way of USB-C, with battery lifetime rated at six.5 hrs of use though the charging scenario provides an additional 19.5 hrs of playback. Individuals are first rate figures for noise-canceling accurate wi-fi earbuds — the AirPods Professional are rated for 5 hrs — but the figures have been creeping up for accurate wi-fi earbuds devoid of noise cancellation. 

The Technics EAH-AZ70W have “twin hybrid” noise cancellation, utilizing two techniques of microphones: feedforward noise cancellation (FF-NC) and opinions noise cancellation (FB-NC). This hybrid tactic is getting additional typical, but Panasonic’s rendition is first rate, correct there with that of Sony, Apple and Sennheiser. And as with a ton of quality earbuds, there is certainly a transparency method that will allow sound to leak into the buds so you can listen to the outside planet.

You can toggle by way of 3 modes — noise canceling on, ambient noise on and off — by tapping and keeping the correct earbud. In addition, the amount of noise-canceling and ambient sound can be adjusted in the Technics Audio Link companion application for iOS or Android. Tapping and keeping the remaining activates your phone’s voice assistant or you can substitute that for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant.

In all, I found the contact controls responsive and these do have quantity controls — you faucet the remaining bud two times immediately to flip the quantity down and 3 periods to flip it up. The earbuds do not have a sensor that mechanically pauses your new music when you get them out of ears, but you can have them mechanically flip off if you leave them out, say on a desk (outside the scenario), soon after a set period of time of time.

My wi-fi connection was rather a great deal rock reliable. Panasonic claims these earbuds have a “Left-Right Impartial Signalling Procedure that helps keep a steady connection with suitable sound stability involving correct and remaining channels.” In potential, additional earbuds will have the earbuds link independently to your system but this is between the to start with styles to tout the aspect.  

The buds are geared up with 10mm motorists with a graphene-coated PEEK diaphragm which is made to decrease vibration and distortion, Panasonic claims. The top end result of all people functions, as I mentioned previously, is that the EAH-AZ70W earbuds sound fantastic. They’re at the higher echelon for accurate wi-fi earbuds for sound high quality. They deliver comprehensive, loaded sound with perfectly-described bass and a rather wide soundstage so the sound doesn’t feel caught in your head. They do the job perfectly with a variety of new music and sound relatively all-natural for Bluetooth headphones (by that I imply new music and vocals do not sound overly processed). They help the AAC streaming codec but not aptX. 

The Sennheiser Momentum Correct Wireless two earbuds are hotter and I favored their sound additional. The EAH-AZ70W effortlessly beats the AirPods Professional on the sound entrance, however, even though the AirPods are considerably lighter and additional cozy.

Sony’s WF-1000XM3 has even larger bass and I found it additional cozy, although it sticks out from your ears even additional. But the Technics buds were being a satisfaction to pay attention to. The only exception was some cases when I felt there was a treble force in the significant mids, which created some woman vocals sound a contact too vivid. It can be worth mentioning that there is certainly an equalizer for tweaking the sound in the Technics companion application for iOS and Android. It doesn’t make a massive variance but it will change the sound profile.  

These earbuds do the job perfectly for building phone calls, with fantastic noise reduction that does a first rate occupation muffling the history noise around you. Callers mentioned my voice sounded clear. The only matter lacking is a sidetone aspect that will allow you to listen to your voice in the earbuds so you can modulate it superior when chatting. You can use a solitary earbud to make phone calls. 

Panasonic sells a step-down model, the Panasonic RZ-S500W ($180), which gives equivalent functions, which include noise cancellation, in a a lot less-quality bundle with smaller sized 8mm motorists (the scenario does feel a tiny low-priced). That model is advertising on Amazon for around $a hundred and fifty five correct now and is possibly the superior price, but the Technics EAH-AZ70W is clearly superior. 

I do consider the EAH-AZ70W’s price will have to appear closer to $two hundred for it to contend as a newcomer in the quality accurate-wi-fi arena (I do count on to see some reductions heading into the holiday break obtaining time). That mentioned, aside from its dimension, it performs perfectly and does justice to the Technics brand.