The last pair of technical earbuds I reviewed didn’t impress me. this AZ70W It is a set of Panasonic’s first logo with the iconic carousel brand since its reboot in 2014. The 2020 model does a great job at $250, but the inconsistent audio performance prevents them from becoming A serious competitor. The company follows up in 2021 Two other wireless earbud optionsAnd 2023 AZ80 The voice quality of many reviewers is respected by many commentators.
For the 2025 model, Technics Tips for digging a bag Improved the already powerful AZ80, resulting in AZ100 ($300). These flagship earbuds offer brand new drivers, adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC), voice tools from AI-Tage, spatial sound from Dolby Atmos, and a neat tool without competition. Thankfully, the AZ100 expresses the promise of “epic, high-resolution audio with reference quality”.
Technics/Engadget
Technics’ magnetic fluid drivers offer numerous upgrades to sound performance, and you won’t find a multipoint connection to three devices anywhere else.
- Excellent sound quality
- Lots of options in the application
- Small size means comfort
- Three devices multi-point Bluetooth
- The best ANC behind
- There is no “smart” function today
- Space audio cannot improve default adjustment
Sound quality
I’m very clear that I’ve skipped several generations of technical earbuds since the AZ70W, but it also means I have a clearer understanding of the company’s improvements since the company. Compared to the first model, the AZ100 is a sound miracle, offering some of the best sound quality among the hundreds of earbuds I’ve tested over the years.
The technology behind audio boost is the new magnetic fluid driver. Technics says they offer “low distortion, accurate bass and high resolution”. These parts are developed by the company’s expertise $1,200 EAH-TZ700 in-ear monitor (IEM), it is also packaged in a 10mm magnetic fluid drive. Integrate liquid into the voice coil of the driver to ensure precise movement of the diaphragm for minimal distortion and excellent clarity throughout the sound field.
Technics also pays attention to improving the bass performance of the AZ100. These drivers can help you with this, but the earbuds also have new acoustic control room and harmonies to amplify the low-end features. The AZ100 supports Dolby Atmos’ spatial audio and Sony’s LDAC High-Res wireless audio codec, also won’t be hurt. While the former is common on flagship sets, the latter is rare outside of Sony’s own earbuds and headphones.
The best tunes of the AZ100 are high resolutions such as Apple Music’s Dolby Atmos catalog. Alt-Rock/Post Hardcore with LS Dunes Purple, The earbuds provide a large and powerful bass that stay tight and detailed. For example, the kick drum has a thunderous rhythm and serves as the main canvas for improved technology for the audio platform on the AZ100. Even old albums from earlier stages, such as Appleseed Cast Mare Vitalis, Instead of a recorded album, cover you with an atmosphere of drums, duel guitars and live performances. This can be impressive when you think this is lossless on Apple Music rather than streaming on Dolby Atmos.
Speaking of spatial audio, this is the area that the AZ100 stumbles on sound quality. The driving mode with or without Dolby Dynamics with or without Dolby Dynamics, when it is turned on, the sound becomes too thin to get my preferences. The improved bass brings inventory adjustment energy disappears, leaving behind a more sterile audio curve, which is a little boring.
ANC performance
Although Technics uses its “standard-of-the-art” noise technology, the AZ100 lags behind the best in this regard. These earbuds do use adaptive ANC to adapt to your environment automatically, but not as good as Bose letimfort ultra earplugs. The AZ100 will serve you well in some cases, but like most games, they don’t handle chatty neighbors in the office well, nor will they silence constant noise sources such as fans and white noise machines.
Applications and features
Today, every earbud company offers a companion app, although their practicality can vary greatly. Technics has included a lot of its software, and most of what you often need is on the home screen. Once the AZ100 is paired with the phone, the app will show the battery life of the earbuds individually and the case will be displayed on the top. You will then get a guide to use, noise reduction controls, EQ presets, and voice focus AI testing. Along the bottom, you can quickly access ambient sound, eq and more detailed settings menus.
The settings menu is where things start to become confusing. In short, there are so many options here that it can all be overwhelming. In some cases, higher items should be closer to the bottom – such as custom touch controls. Space audio can only be activated from this menu, which I think should be an item on the home screen. There are a lot of things here to help you configure the AZ100 for your preference, but it will take some time to find everything you need.
A unique feature offered by Technics is the multi-point Bluetooth connection for up to three devices. I haven’t experienced this on other earbuds, but the feature is not without precautions. First, LDAC audio cannot be used when connecting three devices, which is most likely due to Bluetooth limitations. Actually, if you want to listen to LDAC quality music, Technics recommends disabling multi-point. Using the app, the company allows you to choose whether multipoints switch devices during media playback or during calls. I mainly use multiple points with my phone and laptop, but if the tablet is also part of your daily workflow, or if you have a dedicated work phone, I can see the utility of triple threats.
Call quality
Voice Focus AI testing is a tool that lets you hear what it sounds on a call using the AZ100. This is a nice feature, so you can determine if the earbuds are enough to accommodate important calls or virtual presentations. For this, the AZ100 sounds natural when you are in a quiet position. When you move to a louder position and the sound focus AI starts, you will sound more robotic and processed. People on the other side will hear you, and there is no background noise, but the sound quality is obviously suffering.
There are two options for ambient sound – transparency and attention – but not much help with voice and video calls. The AZ100 doesn’t make sounds through the earbuds, so you have to speak to hear your own. In ambient mode, transparency allows all sounds through the earplug without changes, while attention focuses more on the sound. In all cases, even if I try to listen to someone, I actually find transparency is better of both.
Battery life
Technics promises to enable up to 10 hours of battery life with ANC, plus another 18 hours you consider in your wireless charging case. If you choose LDAC audio, these numbers drop to 7 hours and 11 hours respectively. After 10 hours of use, with the noise turned on, the AZ100 still has 20% battery left. Based on the exhaustion rate I experienced, this was enough to wait for two hours. And, when you find yourself in a difficult situation, a 15-minute fee will give you up to 90 minutes of use.
Design update
You must discuss design updates from a distance on the specification sheet on the AZ100. That’s because sound and technology upgrades are the real story here. However, Technics does make some changes to the appearance of these earbuds, including reduced size and weight compared to the AZ80. The revised shape allows the IPX4-class AZ100 to better embrace the curve of the ears for added comfort and stability, the company said. This is correct because the earplugs always stay in place and I never felt any irritation even after hours of use.
The earbuds’ touch panel and cover both feature the iconic technical logo on textured metal (on black and silver options). While I’m sure not everyone will be excited about gold, this definitely gives the whole scene a good look. None of the design changes are hugely different from the AZ100’s predecessor, but thoughtful improvements, especially in shape and fit, are significant.
compete
Bowers & Wilkins stand at the top of Engadget before the AZ100 arrives List of best wireless earbuds The best sound category in a long time. Recently, the company was downgraded to No. 2, which is incredible but expensive Fokus Rex5 From Noble Audio. Neither Bowers & Wilkins nor Technics compete with the five-drive setup offered by Noble, but both companies offer excellent audio quality for a price below the $449 price of the Fokus REX5.
Since the competition is now ranked second, I gave the advantage of the AZ100. There are a lot worth it Bowers & Wilkins’ PI8if you prefer more natural sounds with fewer low-end tones, then they might be your choice. For me, I like the bass provided by new tech drivers, and the AZ100’s feature list is longer. I also pay tribute to Technics when it comes to ANC performance, plus the AZ100 is $100 less speed than the PI8.
wrap up
It’s hard to follow a highly respected product, and there’s another great one. Perhaps that’s why many audio companies rarely make huge changes to the new model’s earbuds and headphones, but instead choose to keep sound quality consistent with ANC’s performance. “If there was no bankruptcy…” all of this.
Technics believes it can make its carefully reviewed AZ80 better by borrowing technology from another entry in its portfolio, and gambling has been determined to pay off. Of course, you can find better noise performance with Bose and Sony’s more modern features, but Technics has developed excellent sound quality that few people can challenge. I’ll say that Best CES Award Tired.
