Technics AZ100 earbuds review: audiophiles and multitaskers unite

It tin beryllium amazingly daunting to travel up connected a awesome brace of earbuds. The nonsubjective is to make improvements wherever imaginable without sacrificing thing that group loved astir the erstwhile set. That’s wherever Technics recovered itself pinch the $299.99 EAH-AZ100 earbuds, which it announced astatine CES 2025. I was alternatively taken pinch the company’s past flagship set, the AZ80, because of their rich | sound and unsocial expertise to brace pinch 3 devices astatine the aforesaid time. The caller buds look to augment those strengths pinch moreover much move audio, longer artillery life, and much tin progressive sound cancellation.

Technics moreover rethought the halfway sound. Inside the A100s are caller “magnetic fluid” drivers — and yes, there’s really liquid successful there. Technics puts an oily constituent (mixed pinch magnetic particles) betwixt the driver magnet and sound coil and says this approach, derived from its $1,200 in-ear monitors, helps little distortion and summation clarity beyond what the AZ80s were tin of. The aforesaid goes for bass response, pinch the AZ100s capable to excavation down moreover deeper for a much impactful thump. Despite the caller approach, there’s not a world of quality betwixt the AZ80s and AZ100s: some connection awesome item and beingness crossed euphony genres, though the newer buds person much extent and bass to my ears. I wouldn’t upgrade conscionable for that, though.

Thankfully the refinements besides widen to the outward design. The AZ100s aren’t rather arsenic bulbous arsenic their predecessors. You suffer the visible mic inlet that added a touch of Technics style, which intends these travel disconnected a spot much dull and nondescript. But I’ll return the smaller enclosure each time. These beryllium much comfortably successful my ears than the AZ80s. The very pocketable carrying lawsuit is somewhat smaller than before, but it’s only noticeable if you eyeball them broadside by side. As for durability, the earbuds’ h2o guidance remains unchanged astatine IPX4.

Should thing astir the sound signature beryllium underwhelming, you tin take betwixt respective different EQ presets aliases prevention 3 civilization modes. I’m not personification who consults wave charts erstwhile reviewing earbuds, but I’ve listened to capable pairs to abstracted the wheat from the chaff. These rank up location pinch my sound value favorites for illustration the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4. And I deliberation they surpass the AirPods Pro 2 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which are plentifulness bully successful their ain right. Supported Bluetooth codecs see LDAC and the newer LC3 / LE Audio protocol, truthful AZ100s should yet work pinch Auracast.

Technics is besides hopping aboard the spatial audio train. The earbuds’ companion app now has a Dolby Vision toggle (with optional caput tracking) that tin make your tunes sound much expansive and immersive if you for illustration it. I’ve learned that immoderate group really bask this type of effect connected definite songs — moreover if it’s faked/virtualized — whereas others for illustration myself are happy to disregard it. But if you’re a fan, it’s location now connected the AZ100s and you tin usage it pinch immoderate benignant of media connected your phone.

That Technics app remains filled to the brim pinch different settings, and they spell acold beyond customizing the controls aliases adjusting really overmuch sound comes done successful the (very crisp and natural) transparency mode. You tin optimize the sound cancellation for your circumstantial situation pinch a slider successful the app. Want the multipoint relationship to move automatically whenever you play euphony connected immoderate of your devices? That’s successful there. You tin besides trial really the mic sounds by signaling snippets of your ain voice. It’s a batch and tin beryllium overwhelming for non-techies, but I admit conscionable really overmuch Technics crams in.

ANC capacity is respectable — choosing the correct receptor tips for the champion seal is paramount present — though it doesn’t attack the reigning champion, Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. Those person superior ANC and costs less, but can’t lucifer up connected sound. Call value is besides very solid; Technics’ Voice Focus AI does an admirable occupation isolating your sound from immoderate inheritance ruckus. Callers told maine I sounded a tad robotic successful the loudest outdoor tests, but they could still make retired what I was saying.

Technics’ three-way multipoint remains a standout instrumentality of the AZ100s. I’m not a wizard multitasker and seldom find myself juggling much than 2 devices. But if you’ve often sewage a 3rd astatine hand, it useful arsenic advertised. (Just beryllium alert you can’t usage LDAC erstwhile successful this mode, presumably since you’re pushing up against the limits of Bluetooth.) And you’ll beryllium listening for longer: the AZ100s tin support playing for up to 10 hours connected a azygous complaint pinch ANC enabled. The lawsuit provides different 28 hours.

Just for illustration their predecessors, Technics’ AZ100 earbuds prioritize audio capacity while besides managing to connection 1 unsocial capacity that AirPods and Galaxy Buds deficiency — contempt the respective ecosystem advantages of those 2 competitors. But now they’re smaller, much comfortable, and past longer. If you don’t request the unconventional three-way multipoint, that $300 sticker value mightiness look awfully steep. But it’s progressively uncommon to beryllium capable to opportunity “these earbuds do thing astir can’t,” and astatine slightest for now, that’s still existent of Technics’ flagship buds.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge