Supported Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
Codec: SBC, AAC, LDAC
IPX4 Equivalent (Earbuds only)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 40 kHz (LDAC 96 kHz/990 kbps)
Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling
Total Score
Introduction
The utopia of a tws is to give the same sound performance as a good iem in the same price band. The Technics AZ80 has achieved this and more. Here is the Technics EAH-AZ80 review with its sound and technologies.
Design & Build
All parts of the AZ80 are very tough and made of premium materials. The quantity and quality of the tips gets an extra point.
The shells fit very well in your ear and provide good isolation. The foam at the tip of the tips is obviously necessary because the sound is quite good. The size of the charging case is very good and easy to carry in your pocket.
Technology
To answer a question early, the noise cancelling is pretty standard, there are better ones in this price band. Still, NC allows for a quieter listening experience while you go about your daily business. The ambient mode is relatively good, and I like how it’s divided into transparent and attention. In Attention mode the microphones focus on speech, while the transparent mode lets in all sounds. Otherwise the sensors work smoothly and quickly. When you remove one earbud from your ear, the music stops and the attached earbud starts to pick up the outside noises. This lasts until you start listening to music with one earphone.
The only sad thing is that the microphones are not very good. I’m not saying it’s bad, it works well indoors and in daily use, but in noisy areas, especially where there are a lot of people, the microphone can’t transmit your voice properly. In fact, it offers almost the same speech quality as your phone. My criticism at this point is a reference to the fact that we see great microphones at this price point.
Connection
I can easily say that the connection quality is good. With bt 5.3, you can easily listen to music from a few walls away (7-8m) without losing connection. It works very well with LDAC, reducing the wired/wireless difference in 16bit flac format to an imperceptible level.
Battery Life
In this section I will provide you with direct manufacturer data. The only thing I can say about it is that the battery life never let me down in about 120 hours of testing. If you don’t listen to more than 4 hours of non-stop music in LDAC with these tws, you’re unlikely to have battery problems.
ACC
Earbuds: Approx. 7.0 hours (NC ON), Approx. 7.5 hours (NC OFF)
Earbuds with Charing case: Approx. 24 hours (NC ON), Approx. 25 hours (NC OFF)
LDAC
Earbuds: Approx. 4.5 hours (NC ON), Approx. 5.0 hours (NC OFF)
Earbuds with Charging case: Approx. 16 hours (NC ON), Approx. 17 hours (NC OFF)
Application
I can say it’s one of the best apps I’ve ever seen. Everything is very simple and transparent. The app gives you full control over the AZ80’s. There’s a useful eq and adjustable nc/ambient, which is pretty good. There’s also a technology called JustMyVoice that only transmits your voice during a call and blocks other sounds. JustMyVoice works quite well, improving the AZ80’s relatively poor microphone performance.
Another feature of the Technics EAH-AZ80 is a measurement tool available in the app that allows you to find the right tip size for you. I got better results by choosing the tip myself, but it’s still a good feature.
Sound
Let’s talk about what makes AZ80 famous, the sound. First of all, the AZ80 sounds excellent for a tws. For a $300 tws, it almost sounds like a $300 iem. Of course it’s not technically perfect, but the stage, separation and layering are impressive for a tws. Moreover, the AZ80 produces detailed sound that an audiophile would enjoy listening to on a daily basis. There are some nuances it misses, but this is a tws after all. The Technics EAH-AZ80 is superior to other tws in the following technical aspects: imaging, staging, sense of tension in the instruments. Resolution is slightly better than tws at this price point, while detail reproduction is significantly better.
The AZ80 has a very consistent and well-extended bass response, while the speed is average. App-supported eq allows you to hear just the right amount of bass with these headphones. The mids sound very detailed and well separated on all instruments, where detail is good and microdetails are average. The trebles don’t extend as much as you would expect from a tws with a single dynamic driver, and they rustle very slightly. Still, the highs are acceptable and in fact sound quite natural.
Tonality
The only reason I’m writing this part under a separate heading is because the AZ80 has a great chord. It has a very natural sound and this works great on acoustic recordings. This great tone (default) is enhanced with a 5 band eq, but my recommendation is to listen without eq.
Technics EAH-AZ80 ($300) vs Denon PerL Pro (€349)
In terms of sound, AZ80 has higher resolution and a better stage. Detail and separation are close, but AZ80 is slightly better. The PerL Pro offers slightly better low frequency response. Both are close and good tonally, with the Denon PerL Pro being flatter. Noise cancelling is better with the PerL Pro (Adaptive NC always on) and PerL’s ambient mode quite better than AZ80.
PerL Pro is superior when it comes to Technology. Because it has Adaptive Acoustic Technology that generates a customized sound profile and measures for it. This technology measures your sensitivity to frequencies and reconstructs the sound. App support is better on the EAH-AZ80, while PerL Pro has better microphones. PerL Pro does not have LDAC, while Technics AZ80 does. PerL Pro offers longer battery life.
Last Words
The AZ80 is a very sensible device with some average aspects and some good aspects. It has great sound, good application and a lot of technology. With better noise cancelling and better mics it could be the best tws on the market, but as it is it’s pretty good.
