Technics EAH-AZ100 review: TWS headphones that will surprise you

The Japanese from Technics have every opportunity to conquer the TWS headphone market. This well-known audio brand, which is owned by Panasonic, produces high-quality wireless headphones that compete with popular solutions from Sony. For example, the new flagship model Technics EAH-AZ100 has unique dynamic drivers with the addition of magnetic fluid, they have an adequate application and serious sound. But will all this be enough to destroy the competition? Let’s find out in this review.

Technical specifications of Technics EAH-AZ100

Headphone type	In-channel
Connection type	Wireless, Bluetooth 5.3
Support for codecs	SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3
Management	Touch
Microphones	Є
Active noise reduction	YES, ANC
Headphone removal sensors	Є
Protection against moisture	YES, IPX4
Compatibility	Android, iOS
Charging	USB Type-C, wireless Qi
Autonomy	Up to 10 hours on a single charge with noise reduction and AAC codec, up to 7 hours with LDAC and ANC, the case provides 28 and 18 hours of additional charge, respectively
Headphone weight	5.9 grams each
Case weight	48 grams

Packaging and equipment

Technics EAH-AZ100 are sold in a small square box with a cardboard wrapper. On it we see a picture of the headphones, the name and various technical information.

Inside the main box there is a case with headphones, documentation and manual, a short USB-C cable and a set of five pairs of interchangeable ear cushions of different sizes. They are conveniently placed in a cardboard mold.

Design and ergonomics of the Technics EAH-AZ100

The Technics EAH-AZ100 case is plastic, but its texture visually resembles metal. Especially the upper parts are made of corrugated glossy plastic, but most of it is matte plastic.

The touch panels of the headphones themselves have a classic Technics flat round shape, with characteristic concentric rings and the brand logo — restrained but recognizable. The weight of one Technics EAH-AZ100 headphone is only 5.9 grams, and the case weighs 48 grams.

The case is compact and flat, so it fits easily even in a small jeans pocket. The lid has a gold Technics logo on it. On the front panel, there is an LED that informs about the charge, on the back there is a USB-C port for charging, and on the bottom there is various technical information about the headphones. Inside the case, everything is simple and functional: two jacks with contacts, no unnecessary buttons, and glossy plastic everywhere.

On the top of the headphone case, you can see the grilles under which the microphones responsible for active noise reduction are located. On the inside of the headphones there are contact pads for charging, markings for the left and right earbuds, additional microphones, and infrared sensors that automatically pause music when you remove one of the earbuds from your ear.

The fit in my ears is not very deep, you can see it right away, so at first, I was sure that they would fall out. But that’s not the case at all. The relatively light weight and good ergonomics have done their job, so Technics EAH-AZ100 sit very securely in my ears, and they don’t fall out when I walk, run, or exercise. And in general, they are comfortable to wear for hours, they do not press, rub, or tingle in the ears anywhere.

Technics EAH-AZ100 are IPX4 waterproof. This allows you to use them during training, in the rain, etc.

We reviewed the silver version of the headphones, but there is also a more classic black one. I like the first one better, but I’m sure that the black ones will find their fans.

The Technics EAH-AZ100s have a balanced, calm, and versatile sound — without pronounced highs or lows in the bass or treble. The most pleasant impression is the excellent detail. This is probably due to the magnetic fluid system I mentioned above.

The sound of the headphones is clear and precise, with a well-developed stage. The upper frequencies sound natural and without harshness, so there is no unnecessary buzzing here. The mids didn’t disappoint either, but the bass is the least, so I liked the «Dynamic» preset in the settings, which adds a little bass and pulls everything else up to it. And if that’s not enough for you, there are two separate bass boosts, but the second one is a bit much, in my opinion.

In general, Technics EAH-AZ100 give the impression of being the most versatile headphones for everything, which also reminded me of Sony models. Depending on the genre or type of activity, whether you are listening to music, a wide variety of genres, or watching a movie, these headphones can be adjusted to this task and they will sound great. Technics EAH-AZ100 will be the least suitable for bass fans, but there are three presets for them as well.

As for TWS headphones, the microphones are good. They transmit voice loudly and clearly and almost do not distort it at all. At the same time, the algorithms of the available Voice Focus AI do a good job of removing background noise. So, in general, we have a high-quality surround voice that is not from a barrel and not robotic, which is rare for this class of headphones.

Connection and control

Technics EAH-AZ100 connect to devices via Bluetooth 5.3. As soon as you open the lid of the case, a window appears on the nearest phone asking you to connect to the headphones. You don’t have to go to the Bluetooth section and look for these headphones yourself.

These TWS headphones can connect to three devices at once. However, you will have to pay for this with the inaccessibility of the LDAC codec because it is available only with one device. Therefore, everyone chooses their own priorities here.

The novelty works with the proprietary Technics Audio Connect application. The visual style of the program may seem simple to some, but to me, it looks more like retro asceticism. And the main thing is that there are many functions, but at the same time a limited number of sections and submenus, so it is simple and easy to understand the application.

The main screen of Technics Audio Connect shows the charge level of each headphone individually and the case. There are also items with noise-canceling mode, where you can adjust it for yourself, literally changing the level of this very canceling on the go. There is also an equalizer and ready-made presets. I advise you to listen in the standard or Dynamic mode, which I mentioned above. At least I liked these two the most, but some people will definitely need a bass boost.

We didn’t forget about gesture and touch control settings. The latter can be reprogrammed or left as is, which is what I did. In this case, the following control scheme will be available:

• Single tap on the right or left earbud — play music, answer a call, or pause;
• Double-tap the right earbud — switch tracks;
• Double-tap the left earbud — change the volume;
• Long press on the right earbud — activate the voice assistant;
• Long touch on the left earbud — switch between «transparency» mode and active noise reduction.

In other sections of the app, you can activate voice prompts and do it in Ukrainian. In general, the app supports nightingale, which is rare for such programs. There are also digital instructions, activation of enhanced sound, or you can choose the priority of connection reliability. It also allows you to customize the size of the ear cushions you need, adjust the voice quality in the microphone, and even listen to the result.

Autonomous robot Technics EAH-AZ100

Technics EAH-AZ100 is claimed to work up to 10 hours on a single charge with ANC, and with the case, it’s 28 hours. But this is with the basic AAC codec. If you indulge in LDAC, then this time drops to 7 hours and 18 hours with the case.

In practice, I got more out of it because I listen to music in the background while working. I used them with ANC and LDAC, the volume was usually 20-30%, but sometimes I listened to something at 70-80% when I wasn’t working. During such sessions, the headphones lasted almost 8 hours. That is, they really lasted for a full working day without any problems. If you listen to music at 50% on average, which is the recommended volume, you’ll get the claimed 7 hours.

It takes 2.5 hours to fully charge the headphones with the case. There is also fast charging, so 15 minutes gives you an hour and a half of listening to music. We didn’t forget about wireless Qi-charging. It is, of course, slower, so a full charging cycle takes more than 3 hours.

Experience of using Technics EAH-AZ100

I liked the Technics EAH-AZ100 very much, but it’s understandable because they are flagship headphones. It would be strange if something was wrong, but there were no such moments for me.

I liked their design, especially in silver, the headphones themselves were very ergonomic and fit like a glove in my ears, and the case is very compact and fits literally everywhere.

I liked the sound. And although I’m a fan of bass, it’s good that it doesn’t stick out by default, but you can add it. It’s worse when there are a lot of basic low frequencies because they interrupt the rest, and it’s not corrected as well.

The sound of the headphones is universal, so you can recommend them to literally everyone and for everything. Technics EAH-AZ100 are suitable for classical music and rock, for YouTube videos or TV shows on MEGOGO. I have listened to KOROLOVA, Mastodon and the new Sleep Token album, Coheed and Cambria and «Palindrome» with them perfectly and enjoyed the sound equally. But, of course, it’s better to change presets for each of these tasks.

The noise reduction is good, but it seems to be a little worse than in Sony because loud sounds, especially at high frequencies, are not drowned out as well as we would like. However, the headphones do a great job with all other noise cancellation.

But the setting of «transparent» real-time mode via a special wheel is very cool. You can adjust this mode to your needs right now, and then easily adjust it more or less to suit other needs.

The sensor that monitors the location of the headphones is also cool to use. If you take one off, the YouTube video or song is paused. It’s a very convenient thing, but it’s inherent in all flagship models.

Technics EAH-AZ100 is an in-ear model, so I knew that they would sit in my ears at least normally. But it turned out that they seemed to be made for my ears because they fit perfectly with the basic ear cushions. The headphones easily passed the walking and sports test, and most importantly — the chewing test. I didn’t need to adjust them at all while eating, at least in my case.

If you shake your head a lot, then of course, sooner or later, they will fall out. Likewise, It is clear that everyone has different ears and someone may have a different situation, but there are many sizes of ear cushions in the set, so I think you will find the right ones for you.

Price and competitors

Technics EAH-AZ100 are sold at a price starting at UAH 12,999. In my opinion, they are definitely worth the money, but I realize that for many people it will be expensive, especially since there are many serious competitors. And some of them are even cheaper. So the price is probably the biggest problem with these headphones.

For example, the most obvious competitor, in my opinion, is Sony WF-1000XM5 are sold in large official stores at a price of UAH 10,999. You can also look in the direction of its predecessor Technics EAH-AZ80which differ little, but cost from UAH 8700.

There are alsoJBL Tour Pro 3 (price from UAH 9,570), Sony LinkBuds Fit with a price tag of UAH 6300, Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen (price from UAH 7800), Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 with a price starting at UAH 7120, Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 (price from UAH 7549). There are also Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 with a price starting at UAH 7120. 7099.