Strong sound and ANC: Technics sells top-class earphones

With the EAH-AZ70W, Technics entered the race of wireless earphones a little late, but took over a top position. The plugs are particularly impressive due to their great sound and effective noise suppression.

Before you can only offer average, Technics would rather take a little more time to be able to offer devices that live up to the reputation of the Japanese audio company. So it can also be explained that the Panasonic subsidiary is only now launching completely wireless earphones on the market, where other manufacturers have already introduced the second generation of their true wireless earplugs. And the EAH-AZ70W meet the high expectations.

Impressive ANC

It starts with the look and workmanship. The plugs, which are protected against splashing water according to IPX4, look elegant and are of high quality. In the case, Technics goes one step further with a brushed aluminum housing. The design of the box and earphones is not spectacular, but beautifully simple. Technics supplies silicone attachments in five different sizes so that they sit well in the ear. If there are still no suitable ones, alternatives can easily be found, since the plugs have standard connections.

A perfect fit is extremely important because you can only hear what the EAH-AZ70W are capable of. Active noise cancellation for earphones is exceptionally effective. In the airplane, the ANC would also reach its limits, but the noise on trains or from traffic under the office window filters out the earphones almost completely. You can forgive the plugs for not amplifying the ambient noise as well as some competitors, but it is still enough to move around safely or to speak to the train staff.

Excellent sound

The sound of the Technics earphones is even more impressive. With their 10 millimeter drivers, the small plugs produce a sound that is close to that of good headphones. The sound stage is wide and airy, the highs crystal clear, the basses warm and powerful, the mids wide, but very precise. Overall, the Technics EAH-AZ70W are rather neutral and conjure a satisfied smile on the face of the wearer with every music style. The sound quality during calls is also great and the earphones are largely insensitive to wind.

If you want to readjust, you will find an equalizer in the tidy app or you can choose amplified bass or clear speech intelligibility. Here you can also set the level of noise suppression or switch to a perception of the surrounding noise. You can also do this using the large touch surfaces on the outside. They react precisely and make operation uncomplicated overall, although they offer many functions. Among other things, you can also control the volume using the tipper.

The fact that the manufacturer did not use aptX for the Bluetooth transmission is only a small drop of bitterness as long as no HD material is played. After all, iPhone users can get the most out of it with AAC. It is more important with ANC plugs that the radio connection is very stable and extensive. The signals are transmitted separately and each earphone works solo.

Good endurance

There is also nothing to complain about regarding the mileage of the Technics EAH-AZ70W. When the ANC is activated, you can count on up to six hours of uninterrupted music enjoyment. If you put the earphones in the battery box in between, you get a total of more than 19 hours. If you don't need noise cancellation, you can tickle out a few extra hours. Empty plugs are fully charged in two hours, 15 minutes are enough for around 70 minutes of listening fun.

With the EAH-AZ70W, Technics made a big hit straight away. In terms of sound, there are currently hardly any better earphones, the new Japanese are also at the top in terms of noise suppression, and the plugs show no other real weaknesses. However, this is reflected in the price, they should cost around 280 euros when they go on sale in early July. Not quite as expensive alternatives are the Libratone Track Air + and Sony's WF-1000XM3, both of which are available for just under EUR 190.