Technics True Wireless Earbuds (EAH-AZ70W-K)
List Price: $249.99
What We Dig
- Beautiful Design
- Great Build Quality
- Remarkable Balanced Sound
What To Think About
- No aptX
- Depth of Fit
Summary
On the market for about a year now, the Technics EAH-AZ70W is still one of the most capable True Wireless Earbuds available. They are built to last, look great, and have strong noise-canceling to block out unwanted sound when you travel (and they do it without a lot of hiss).
They also have decent battery life, 6.5 hrs per charge (enough for a cross-country flight), and stable connections, which is very important. The sound is balanced and open, making just about any music you throw at them sound good. EQ, amongst other things, is available via the free companion app.
If I had any complaints, it would be that the earpieces can feel a little large at first (I quickly got used to that), and the treble can be a little edgy on certain tracks, but not to the point of distraction.
These buds are perfect for the frequent flyer or traveler looking for a great-sounding bud that they can toss in their bag and go.
https://youtu.be/mtJdeHd9IN4
Disclaimer: The EAH-AZ70W was sent to us by Technics in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. They do not need to be returned.
Build/Features
In recent years, Technics has emerged as a high-end audio company with some of the best industrial designs in the business, and their first True Wireless Earbud, the EAH-AZ70W, is further testament to that. Even though they are over a year old, the design has aged well.
The earpieces are ensconced in a beautiful brushed aluminum case with Technics engraved on the top, and that finish is carried over to the top of the earbud, which is striking. I like it a lot because it’s a step above the plasticky finish you usually see in this product category.
Inside each bud is a 10mm diaphragm coated with lightweight yet rigid graphene, which allows for fast, precise movement. That definitely comes out in the sound, which I’ll cover later.
Comfort is decent, as I said earlier, but the earpieces can feel a little large since they have to be pressed firmly into your ear to stay secure. However, I got used to the feeling pretty quick. If you have very small ears, it could be an issue.
Overall, the fit is very stable, and the buds didn’t budge during routine tasks. But since there are no silicone stability fins like you get on some earphones, there could be some slippage doing active tasks. You do get 5 different sizes of ear tips, so that helps.
On each earbud, under the aluminum cap, there are sensors for the Touch Control which is one of the most intuitive and most responsive out there. Usually, I’m not too fond of touch controls because they seldom work the way they are supposed to, but the Technics buds responded right away to my taps, making them a joy to use.
A quick tap on both buds starts/stops the music, and several taps on either the left or right bud changes track or adjusts the volume. If you touch and hold the right bud, you can activate the active noise canceling or the ambient sound mode. If you do the same on the left bud, you turn on the voice assistant of your choice (Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant)
Speaking of noise-canceling, the Technics’ ANC was quite effective, working on both voices and low-level background hum like climate control systems. The ambient mode was good as well, allowing you to hear outside noises clearly without taking the buds out of your ears.
The buds paired to my phone and each other quickly and stayed connected, which was nice. There is nothing worse than a pair of wireless earbuds that are slow to connect or randomly disconnect from the phone throughout the day. You don’t have to worry about that with these; they connect super fast and maintain their connection.
Once paired, you can make a ton of adjustments with the free Technics Audio Connect app, including setting EQs, ANC, BT Codecs, Language, and switch up touch controls. You can also check the battery life, find your earbuds on a map, and a lot more. It’s an app that is well laid out.
Battery life is average for the category at about 6.5 hours per charge. You get about 19 hours total of use after charging them a couple more times in the charging case. Speaking of the charging case, it’s compatible with USB-C quick charging, so it takes about 2 hours to charge the buds and another 2 hours to charge the case.
If you need to top off the buds for a quick listen, a 15 min charge will get you about 70-80 mins of use, depending on the listening mode.
Listening to the Technics EAH-AZ70W True Wireless Earbuds
I connected them to my LG V60 smartphone for my sound tests using the AAC codec, which was the best available. The Technics buds don’t have aptX, which I always like better with an Android phone. AAC is usually better for iOS products since AAC is the standard for Apple phones.
That said, the EAH-AZ70W’s sound is well above average, with rich articulate bass that is not overdone, which I love. They basically lifted the sub-bass for a little extra warmth without muddying the mids. It also has a wide-open, natural (albeit a little recessed) midrange. The soundstage is awesome for wireless earbuds. I love how realistic strings and vocals are done.
The sound is basically u-shaped (slightly elevated highs and bass) out of the box, but you can easily add EQ with the app, as I said before. But I like the sound the way it is, as it sounded really good with every genre I threw at it.
Comparisons
I compared the AZ70W with two other wireless earbuds around the same price range, the $179 1MORE True Wireless ANC and the $149 Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch. The 1MORE is an ANC model with two drivers per side, and the Melomania Touch is a non-ANC with a high-power amp section for an engaging sound.
The Technics buds compared favorably with both models, especially when it came to connectivity. They had the most stable connection out of the three with the least amount of disconnections and drops.
As far as sound was concerned, they pretty much tied with Cambridge Audio even though the sound was slightly different on each. The Melomania Touch had a richer midrange with a lot of separation and depth, while the Technics was more detailed on the top end and had deeper bass. It also had a wider soundstage.
They both were really good; it just depends if you prefer a warmer, more mid-centric sound or a tuning with more sparkle up top combined with deeper bass.
The 1MORE came in last, but it wasn’t that far behind. The sound was pretty close to the Melomania Touch but with slightly less detail and depth.
That said, the 1MORE has good active noise canceling, which the Melomania does not. So if you like a mid-centric sound and want ANC, then the 1MORE may be your best bet. Speaking of ANC, I would say the Technics’ was slightly better than the 1MORE, but they were both good.
As far as comfort goes, I would say the Technics came in last since they have to be inserted relatively deep to stay in your ear. The other two have silicone fins to help them stay, so they sit very lightly in your ear. Both are probably better than the Technics for running or going to the gym.
The Wrap-Up
I have many true wireless earbuds on hand for testing, but I found myself constantly coming back to the Technics EAH-AZ70W. That’s because they sounded good with any music, and they were quite reliable (no connection issues, great ANC, good battery life, etc.).
I wholeheartedly recommend these wireless earbuds for those looking for an earbud to travel with, as they are durable, have nice noise-canceling, and great connectivity, so you don’t have to mess around with them constantly. That’s the worst, especially when you’re running through the airport (or train/bus station).
(BTW, as I said before, you can get these at a pretty good price right now, so that makes them even more attractive.)
Where To Buy:
Technics True Wireless Earbuds (EAH-AZ70W-K)
Amazon
List Price: $249.99
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I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My hunger for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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