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Technics EAH-AZ100 review: Getting weird with it
Published onApril 8, 2025
Technics EAH-AZ100
Case: 26 x 68 x 36mm
Case: 42g
Case: 26 x 68 x 36mm
42g
There’s no dearth of true wireless earbuds on the market nowadays, but it can be tough to figure out what scratches the right itch. But any kid of the 80s will recognize Technics — so is the successor to last year’s EAH-AZ80, the Technics EAH-AZ100, worth the money? Let’s find out.
The Technics EAH-AZ100 is for people who want the latest and greatest true wireless earbuds, but are looking for something different than the sleek white plastic AirPods, or the Sony WH-1000XM5.
This article was published on April 5, 2025, and this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
What’s it like to use the Technics EAH-AZ100?
The Technics EAH-AZ100 is a rather chunky set of earbuds, with an IPX4 ingress protection rating, and soft rectangular nozzles. These nozzles couple to four different sizes of bespoke silicone eartips, each with foam in the gap. On the back of each earbud is a capacitive touch surface that bears a metallic-looking material, the Technics logo, and a wind-screened microphone for noise cancelation purposes. Near the nozzle on either side is a light sensor that reports back to the earbud whether or not you’re wearing the earbuds at any time.
While the size of the earbuds isn’t for everyone, it will nestle in most ears fairly comfortably, with the nozzle doing a lot of the fit work, and the circular back housing resting against your concha. I found these earbuds to be comfortable for a couple hours at a time — once I got the right fit, that is. I find that nozzles that abandon the traditional cylinder shape will nestle into ear canals easier, and this is the case with the Technics EAH-AZ100. You can also find four extra sizes of ear tips in the box (XS, S, L, XL) should the installed medium-sized ones not do the trick.
Because these earbuds are more premium and fully featured, the Technics EAH-AZ100 has pretty much everything you’d find on a set of non-Apple high-end earbuds. Consequently, there’s really not a situation for which the Technics EAH-AZ100 is a poor fit. Not only is it good for commuting due to the ease and customizability of the passthrough mode, but the extremely effective ANC should take care of airplane engine noise like few other products do.
The case of the Technics EAH-AZ100 is a rather unassuming rounded rectangle that has a Qi-compatible wireless charging coil in the bottom, as well as a USB-C charging port on the back. Though the case itself is not moisture resistant, keeping it in your pants pocket when they’re not being washed should be more than enough to protect it sufficiently.
The touch controls of the Technics EAH-AZ100 are fairly straightforward, though you can customize them in the app.
| Input | Left ear | Right ear |
|---|---|---|
| Input Single tap | Left ear Play / pause | Right ear Play / pause |
| Input Double tap | Left ear Volume down | Right ear Track forward |
| Input Triple tap | Left ear Volume up | Right ear Track backward |
| Input Long press | Left ear Toggle voice assistant | Right ear ANC mode toggle |
You can also dig into the settings to change the toggle behavior, for example: changing the ambient sound mode to toggle between passthrough and ANC on, or simply ANC and ANC off.
What are the best features of the Technics EAH-AZ100?
Like most of the true wireless earbuds out there, the Technics EAH-AZ100 has to strike a unique blend of features in order to stick out from the crowd. I mean, come on: how many earbuds on the market are there that are truly memorable? Only a handful. But like the rest of the high end pack, the Technics EAH-AZ100 carries a number features like Find My, Multipoint, in-ear detection, LE audio, passthrough, ANC adjustment — you get the idea. It’s a lot. Sure, the earbuds don’t have a lot of the spatial audio features found on other earbuds, but they are Atmos-compatible.
The Technics EAH-AZ100 makes its name on the high-bitrate codec connection, competitive features, and mainly: the metal aesthetic. Otherwise, they’re a pretty standard set of ANC earbuds for the price bracket, aimed squarely at options like the Sony WF-1000XM5, Apple AirPods Pro 2, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the AI voice focus setting for calls, as it allows you to either isolate conversations around you and deaden the noise in your environment, or deaden the conversations while listening to the environment around you. This is pretty key in certain situations, and could be a decent boon for those with sensory issues, or those who tend to get overloaded by sensory information when out in public. This is a cool idea, and one I hope to see more.
How does the Technics EAH-AZ100 connect?
The Technics EAH-AZ100 can use Bluetooth 5.3 to connect to source devices over SBC, AAC, LDAC, and LC3 codecs. At least on paper, the Technics EAH-AZ100 has enough in the way of advanced codecs to satisfy even the most nitpicky out there, as the inclusion of LDAC will get you the closest-to-lossless that you’ll get over Bluetooth, and the LC3 codec can help you achieve maximum battery life. Just be aware that if you’re using SBC or LDAC, you may notice a slight delay in your signal reaching your ears — but a couple of tenths of a second is hardly worth worrying about.
To connect the Technics EAH-AZ100, all you have to do is open the case, and nearby devices should detect it. If your mobile or computer does not support fast pair, you can enable pairing mode by holding your fingers to the backs of both earbuds in the case for several seconds until the “pairing” prompt plays, and the case starts to breathe blue at the indicator LED.
- On your source device, open the Bluetooth menu and hit “scan.”
- Open the Technics EAH-AZ100’s case, and hold your fingers on the backs of both earbuds until the status LED breathes blue.
- In the Bluetooth menu of your source device, locate the Technics EAH-AZ100 in the list of available devices.
- Tap it to connect.
- (Optional) Install the Technics app for greater control and management.
How long do the Technics EAH-AZ100’s battery last?
In our standardized battery test with real music peaking at 75dBSPL, we found that the PRODUCT was able to last 10 hours and 40 minutes. This is fairly outstanding for true wireless earbuds, but your results will likely vary from ours if you turn the volume up, use LDAC, or stack on special features. Our results were achieved with SBC and ANC on. Still, a battery life like this is not only good enough to withstand an intercontinental flight, but to actually extend the life of your earbuds as well.
How well does the Technics EAH-AZ100 cancel noise?
Well, I’m impressed. The Technics EAH-AZ100 doesn’t set any records for amount of noise canceled, but what it lacks in raw attenuation, it more than makes up for in consistently high noise destruction. Anyone looking for an everyday carry earbud that can handle airplane noise or really cacophonous trains will be very happy with the Technics EAH-AZ100’s ANC performance.
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If you yourself find that the Technics EAH-AZ100 doesn’t perform so hot here, it’s likely that the earbuds aren’t fitting correctly, or that there’s something wrong. Considering that these earbuds isolate you pretty well even without the noise canceling active, it should be pretty obvious if you need to change tip sizes.
I found the transparency mode of the Technics EAH-AZ100 to be quite good, as it wasn’t difficult to toggle back and forth between different modes. However, I do like the “Attention” setting, where the earbuds will detect voices around you to boost over the ambient room sounds. It also automatically pauses your audio, which is a nice plus if you need to listen to someone like a barista or friend real quick.
How does the Technics EAH-AZ100 sound?
The Technics EAH-AZ100 has an odd sound, but most non-audiophiles will be perfectly fine with it. If you’re unsure whether you like the stock sound, we suggest playing with the EQ presets.
Reviewer’s notes
Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.
Can you use the Technics EAH-AZ100 for phone calls?
Yes, you can absolutely use the Technics EAH-AZ100 for phone calls. The mono MEMS microphone is more than good enough for the task, and you can hear our simulated environments below.
Technics EAH-AZ100 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):
How does the microphone sound to you?
Technics EAH-AZ100 microphone demo (Office conditions):
Technics EAH-AZ100 microphone demo (Street conditions):
Technics EAH-AZ100 microphone demo (Windy conditions):
Technics EAH-AZ100 microphone demo (Reverberant space):
Given that the microphone doesn’t do so hot in the presence of noise, it sounds like there’s a bit to be desired for office workers. Still, the results are workable.
Should you buy the Technics EAH-AZ100?
If you have an Android phone and it’s not Snapdragon Sound compatible, the Technics EAH-AZ100 is an excellent buy for anyone looking for top-tier ANC earbuds. However, it is quite expensive at $299. Anyone looking to throw around that kind of cash is probably sweating what they buy, and for that crowd: I’m okay recommending the Technics EAH-AZ100 on its features alone, though I strongly advise tinkering with the in-app EQ to get the sound you desire. It’s bizarre to me that these earbuds don’t have Auracast support, but maybe that will come with a firmware update.
What should you get instead of the Technics EAH-AZ100?
Of course, at this price point, you’ll find a lot of stiff competition, so definitely check out our best ANC earbuds roundup for inspiration if you’re looking for something else. Spatial audio enjoyers or iPhone owners would probably be better served with AirPods Pro 2 ($189.99 at Amazon), for example. Additionally, if you have a phone that supports aptX Lossless, you may want to go with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds ($299 at Amazon).
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that you could always just grab the older Technics EAH-AZ80 ($299.99 at Amazon) now that it’s been on the market a while. You’re liable to find them on sale, and they work pretty well, even if it doesn’t have the same LC3 support.
Technics EAH-AZ100 review: FAQs
Yes.
The Technics EAH-AZ100 are decent for working out, though they are merely sweat resistant. I wouldn't take these somewhere where you'd have to worry about water, though.
Yes.
Yes, however, you can only do so with LDAC 330kbps, SBC, or AAC. You can't connect to multiple devices over LDAC 990kbps or LC3.