Music lovers with Apple kit have long been forced to choose between the sound quality available from the established audio players and the slickness of the AirPods approach to connectivity – but the Technics EAH-AZ100 in-ear headphones have mostly resolved this dilemma.
They not only deliver the best sound quality I’ve ever experienced with in-ear headphones, but also an Apple-like Just Works experience when switching between devices …
The problem with Bluetooth
Pairing headphones with our devices has always been a somewhat clunky endeavor. Just putting them into pairing mode seems to involve a different process with every single manufacturer, and even if they automatically go into pairing mode when you first remove them from their case, pairing them to additional devices almost always requires you to consult the instructions or do some googling.
At the device end, too, it’s amazing how often we seem to need to switch Bluetooth off and then on again before new headphones appear in the pairing options.
Even when we’ve finally done the initial setup, switching our headphone use from a Mac to an iPad to an iPhone is far from automatic.
All these issues are why Apple decided to create a proprietary connection approach for AirPods. The problem with this is that while AirPods sound quality has improved dramatically over the years, it still doesn’t compete with the best of what you can get from the established audio companies, even at similar prices. That’s left us forced to choose between the slickest connection experience and the best audio.
Technics’ automated 3-point connectivity
The original Bluetooth standard could only connect to one device at a time. Two-point connectivity followed, so that you can easily switch between, say, an iPhone and a Mac. The three-point connectivity offered by the Technics EAH-AZ100 (just AZ100 from now on) is still a rarity.
Other companies can’t buy Apple’s H-series chip to get the same slick setup, so the initial pairing process remains a bit of a nuisance (hold the touchpads on both left and right earphones for around five seconds to place them into pairing mode for a second or third device).
But once you have paired them with three devices, all you need do to switch from one device to another is to start playing audio on the new device while wearing the headphones. This is a very AirPods-like experience.
Look & feel
The AZ100 is an update to the well-regarded AZ80, but are a worthwhile upgrade for the form factor alone, with both earphones and case smaller and lighter.
They’re available in a choice of black, silver, champagne gold, or midnight blue. I opted for black, obviously.
The headphones are supplied with five pairs of ear tips, along with a companion app which aims to let you test each of them in turn to find out which one offers the best seal. The app didn’t work for me, telling me it was unable to get a result with the third set I tried, but I appear to have standard-sized ears as I invariably find that the default tips work best for me no matter what the brand.
I have to say that the AZ100s offer the best comfort I’ve ever experienced with in-ear headphones. One time, I literally forgot I was wearing them after I paused the music and then got distracted for a couple of hours. I also find they never come close to feeling in danger of falling out.
The battery life allows you to take full advantage of this comfort: up to 10 hours on a single charge with ANC in use and a further 18 hours through recharging in the case.
Touch controls
The AZ-100 uses touch controls. I’m generally not keen on these, especially in situations where you can’t look at the surfaces you’re aiming to touch. However, while my preference is still for physical buttons, I do have to say that the very large touch targets on these make them easy to use.
The entire outer surface of each earbud is a touchpad, and you can use the app to change the default functions available for each one.
Being able to independently assign functions to left and right touchpads means you can have up to eight different features available on tap, literally. However, I don’t want to have to pause to remember which side I’m supposed to be tapping, so personally I’ve chosen to duplicate most of the controls. The only exception is a very logical left and right split for volume adjustment.
Audio quality
I always say that I’m not an audiophile, but my ears do appreciate the difference between mass market headphones and higher quality ones, thankfully maxing out before we get into silly money.
My previous in-ear headphones were the Master & Dynamic MW09 I reviewed back in 2023. It was a previous iteration of these which persuaded me to abandon my former habit of using on-ear headphones while mobile. Sadly, one drawback of the convenience of in-ear wireless headphones is that they are effectively disposable once the batteries eventually get out. That left me looking for a replacement.
The headline feature of AZ100, other than the three-point connectivity, is the Magnetic Fluid Driver. As the name suggests, this means that the drivers are suspended in an oil-like liquid with magnetic properties that helps minimize distortion. This technology was first introduced in the company’s $1,200 EAH-TZ700, and it still seems amazing to me that it’s now available in a pair costing just $299.
The first test track I listen to with any pair of headphones is Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. This has a really good range of frequencies, and is for me the ultimate test of bass. I’m very sensitive to bass: I need it to be sufficiently punchy but not exaggerated. This track has three layers of bass sounds in the opening, starting at 0:25, 0:43 and 1:00. The AZ100s sound absolutely perfect for each.
Neutrality across the complete range of frequencies is also key, and the headphones again pass this test with flying colours.
You can adjust the EQ settings in the companion app. There are six presets and three custom settings. I suspect quite a few people will prefer the Bass+ preset (with a Super Bass+ option that I would politely say appears to be aimed at Beats customers). Personally, I found that the neutral settings were perfect for me.
The headphones support spatial audio. This works as well as it does on AirPods, but personally I’m not a fan.
ANC
Customizability seems to be a watchword with the AZ-100s, the app allowing you to tweak the performance in all kinds of ways. This includes being able to adapt the ANC to your own preferences. I find the default settings again work best for me, and performance is incredibly impressive for in-ear headphones thanks to three microphones on each side.
There’s a transparent mode for when you want to hear what’s going on around you, and I was less impressed with this. There’s also an Attention mode which claims to accentuate frequencies in the range of the human voice so you can better hear people talking to you. I found this worse rather than better.
I don’t judge them too harshly for these optional modes, since I personally consider it’s polite to remove at least one earphone when somebody is speaking to me, and it’s just as quick to do this (the audio automatically pausing) as it is to select transparent mode, even if you assign a tap to that.
For phone calls, there’s a voice focus AI noise reduction feature which aims to eliminate background noises for the person on the other end of the call. Having listened to the other end of this, I found it horrendous! However, they are absolutely fine for phone calls in the default mode.
Pricing and conclusions
The AZ100s come in at $299. This positions them above AirPods Pro 3 and makes them significantly more expensive than AirPods 4 with ANC.
However, there’s absolutely no question in my mind that this is completely justified by the audio quality. These are quite simply the best-sounding in-ear headphones I’ve ever tried. Couple them to the near-AirPods-like convenience with greater comfort, and for me this is a no-brainer. Treat yourself: your ears will thank you.
The Technics EAH-AZ100 in-ear headphones are available on Amazon. The older AZ80s are also still available if you want similar but not identical audio performance and are willing to trade off a slightly larger form factor against around a saving of around $100.
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