Technics EAH-AZ4OM2

These Technics earbuds are good, but are they class leaders elect?

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Like The Return Of The King or The Dark Knight Rises, the new Technics EAH-AZ40M2 feel like the conclusion to a trilogy. Following the premium EAH-AZ80 and the upper-midrange EAH-AZ60M2, the revamped AZ40M2 are the most affordable of Technics’ current trio of wireless earbuds released in the past year or so.

Competition is fierce at this end of the market, and then there’s the fact that, while we certainly enjoyed our time with both the AZ80 and the AZ60M2, our four-star reviews reflected two pairs of buds that couldn’t quite reach the highest peaks to compete with their illustrious rivals. Spacious, clean and technically sound were the watchwords across both respective assessments, and it’s a similar story for the AZ40M2, albeit at the lower end of the price spectrum.

They look good, they are well-furnished with features and they share their siblings’ refined and uncluttered sonic style; but is all that enough for the AZ40M2 to find a place in a market populated by some truly outstanding earbuds?

At £129, the EAH-AZ40M2 are placed at the bottom of Technics’ EAH-AZ range, sitting below both the AZ60M2 (tested at £199) and the flagship EAH-AZ80 (tested at £259). This price puts them right on a collision course with the 2023 Award-winning Sony WF-C700N, which are currently available to buy for just under £100 in the UK (tested at £100), while the entertaining five-star JBL Live Beam 3 are yours for a tad more at £150.

With this in mind, the AZ40M2 have to work even harder to justify what now seems like a £30 premium over their class rivals. Of course, newer models are always going to be more expensive than those that have been out for a while, but even so, Technics’ affordable buds must bring something new to the party to pull consumers away from their established rivals.

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