Blogs & Little Things

Technics EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds with Noise Cancelation

I picked up a pair of Technics’ top-of-line earbuds recently and wanted to share what a positive experience I have had enjoying music over these earbuds.

This is not a “review”, per se, but it will be published on the main site under the “Blogs & Little Things” Section. A full review is underway by Mr. Michael Galvin that should be posted in due time. I still wanted to prepare and publish this short assessment because I was literally blown away by the performance of these amazing little earbuds!

Technics EAH-AZ80 True Wireless Earbuds with Noise Cancelation Specifications
Design:

In-ear monitor with Active Noise Cancellation

Drivers:

10mm Dynamic Drivers

Frequency Response:

20 Hz – 40 kHz (LDAC 96 kHz/990 kbps)

Bluetooth Version:

5.3

BT Codecs:

AAC, SBC, LDAC

Operating Distance:

Up to 10 m (33 ft)

Microphone:

Monaural, MEMS Mic

Playback Time:

7 hours (AAC with Noise cancelling ON), 4.5 hours (LDAC with Noise cancelling ON)

MSRP:

$299.99

Company:

Technics

SECRETS Tags:

technics, earbuds, iem, wireless, noise cancelling, anc

Secrets Sponsor

The Technics EAH-AZ80 earbuds are surprisingly lightweight and very comfortable to wear, even for long stretches of time. They also incorporate some of the best noise cancelling I have previously experienced with earbuds. The Technics EAH-AZ80’s noise cancelling was good enough to be able to cancel the sound of a vacuum cleaner! Also, ambient sound is the best I’ve heard; much more natural sounding than the AirPods Pro.

Technics has a handy little app for your phone that you should download and use to set up and control the earbuds. This app has an algorithm to help you choose the best ear tips from the standpoint of which tips will provide the best isolation. I thought this was pretty keen at first, but the noise cancelling algorithm proved to be confusing and difficult to set up due to issues with the earbud fitting. I was instructed to keep switching back and forth between ear-tip sizes when trying to optimize the noise-cancelling feature. I eventually gave up and went with the ear-tip that is most comfortable, that being the extra-large tips. Noise cancelling in these earbuds works great as stated before. It was just a challenge to “optimize it” and, due to these issues, I’m not 100% certain if I ever actually did optimize the isolation features. So, the app was cool, but it fell a little short of its broader promise. This did not, in fact, detract one iota from an overall amazing listening experience.

What I heard (and what really counts) was a very engaging warm, rich sound with an incredibly wide soundstage. In many ways, the bass response was the star of the show. Never in my life have I heard bass like this from a pair of earbuds! Do you know how you can feel the bass in your body when enjoying a great system? Well, these little earbuds had such deep and punchy bass, that I perceived that I actually felt the bass while listening! A great example would be testing the bass response with the song “Hey Big Eyes” by Caroline Polachek. There is some very deep bass during the first chorus that really highlights the capabilities of these earbuds.

The Technics EAH-AZ80 are not a one-trick pony, either. They also conveyed detailed treble and sounded amazing with any genre, but were best with R&B, Hip-Hop, and Pop music in my opinion.

Secrets Sponsor

Operationally, they provided a seamless connection with my iPhone. The Technics earbuds actually connected just as easily as my Apple-made AirPod Pros. Also, the Technics EAH-AZ80 can be simultaneously paired with up to three Bluetooth devices. I use this often by listening to music while working on my laptop and then seamlessly switching to a phone call from my iPhone. This is a great, practical feature.

I also enjoyed the Technics earbuds’ excellent battery life which could run non-stop for an 8-hour work shift when fully charged! Even when I started the day with less than a full charge, the earbud case (which stands up on its flat base) can provide an additional playtime of up to 24 hours! Also, the app has EQ settings that I did not use very much as is typical with high-end audio—tone controls are not required and are rarely an actual improvement, either.

My overall experience with the Technics EAH-AZ80 has been totally amazing. I can’t believe you can get this kind of performance for $299. I am pretty confident Mr. Galvin will concur with me in his full review. P.S., I currently have a pair of Apple AirPod Pros for sale cheap if anybody is interested!

Jim Clements

Jim Clements has been an audio nut since childhood where you could find him underfoot at his local high end store on most weekends. (This particular shop was within walking distance of Jim's home, much to the chagrin of the owner and his staff.) Jim's audio journey started early because he loved great music of all kinds. And he still does. Like most audiophiles, Jim was not particularly inspired by a vast majority of the audio systems he encountered. So his quest grew through his efforts to recreate a live listening experience in the home. This has proven to be a never ending quest. One major offshoot of all this is that Jim has become something of a cinema enthusiast as well. So now he's working on the video and surround sound conundrums too. Since perfect recreation of sound and video is a goal to be pursued but never attained, Jim derives his pleasure from the journey itself. He wants to help our readers on their own personal quests by reviewing products thoroughly and objectively. On a personal note, Jim is a Professional Engineer, licensed in California and Texas. He currently has his own engineering practice in San Antonio, Texas. Jim is also part owner of a small chain of craft beer growler stations in South Texas.

Recent Posts

Introducing ALBA in-ears – a new addition to the Meze Audio portfolio

Bala Mare, Romania – Meze Audio is delighted to introduce ALBA to its impressive range…

10 hours ago

The History of SECRETS

In 1994, John launched the SECRETS Primer and the original SECRETS website, while also attending…

1 day ago

Marantz Cinema 70s Receiver: A Video Review

This review is late. Like really late. Like not just late for the Best of…

1 day ago

Introduction to DAC boxes

A Digital-to-Analog Converter or DAC box is an audio component that converts a digital audio…

3 days ago

T+A Solitaire P Planar Headphones and HA 200 Headphone Amp Review

T+A elektroakoustik delivers luxury and performance with its Solitaire P Planar Headphones and HA 200…

3 days ago

SORTA HIFI, Episode 01 – Munich, High-End, Cars and Sheiks.

So we are going to let you in on a little experiment. Editor-in-Chief Carlo Lo…

6 days ago