Technics EAH-AZ100

A serious contender in the premium wireless earbuds category

- 

Technics started its 60th year with a bang, kicking off its diamond anniversary with a new flagship pair of wireless earbuds. The EAH-AZ100 sit above the previous flagships, the EAH-AZ80, and are peppered with improvements, from a new driver and improved noise-cancelling to longer battery life and a new design.

The EAH-AZ100 are smaller, lighter and overall more comfortable to wear over long hours than their predecessors. The earbuds' body has a more rounded shape that sits even more snugly in our ears, and weighs 5.9g per bud compared with the AZ80's 7g. That's the same weight as the Sony XM5 buds, but we think the weight of the AZ100 is better distributed along the earbud as they sit in your concha compared with the denser-feeling XM5.

You get five pairs of ear-tip sizes in the box and we find it easy to get the right fit and seal with no issues.

The touch controls on each bud are comprehensive and entirely customisable. The Technics Audio Connect app lets you assign any function to either earbud, meaning you can play/pause, skip and rewind, switch between noise modes, control volume, answer/reject a call and summon a voice assistant in any combination and with however many taps feel sensible to you. We really like this degree of personalisation. The controls are easy to use, although they can be a touch too sensitive. We find the single tap can sometimes be mistaken for a double tap, which can be frustrating depending on how you have set up the controls.

The charging case has been given a similar nip and tuck, and remains a slim, pocketable case that is easy to carry with you. There's a smaller LED at the front to indicate charging levels, and you can charge the case using a USB-C cable or Qi-compatible wireless charger.

Industry-first features