Reviewed 17th October 2023 - Aaron

Some of you said “forget the Sonys, Bose, AirPods and Jabras” the Technics AZ80 is the best in many areas including features, sound, noise canceling and call quality. It’s not the cheapest option, being a little more expensive than more popular earbuds, but how do they compare to those competitors? Are they worth the extra cost? That is exactly what we’re going to find out. And later on we’ll be talking about pros and cons versus each competitor, so stick around for that.

The AZ80 feels like a complete package. Its build quality feels premium, and it’s got most of the features people want, and then some. This is only one of a few earbuds that does Multipoint pairing between 3 different devices. While most devices max out at two, this one lets the buds stay connected to 3 devices so you can take calls and switch between them. But if you’re just happy with 2, congratulations, you get to stream over the Hi-Res LDAC codec on supported devices.

But what’s also great is how customizable it is. The Technics Audio Connect app covers all the basics including customizing sound with manual EQ or presets, you can customize controls down to the individual tap gestures, and you can even choose how much noise filtering you want during phone calls. There’s normal mode, and strong mode which is supposed to be useful for calls in noisy conditions. Plus, you can toggle strong mode directly from the earbuds.

It’s true that if you’re using an iPhone you can also toggle voice isolation mode which does basically the same thing. But this will benefit people who don’t necessarily use iPhones, or have a mix of different platform devices.

Microphone Quality

It appears that the Technics AZ80’s mic pickup to be quite similar to the Sony XM5 in quiet conditions. But in noisy conditions it was heavily noise gating, cutting out a lot of my own voice and making it sound soft and recessed. The other one that’s somewhat similar to the Technics is the Bose, but it had weaker noise reduction compared to the Technics. The Jabras had better balance between noise reduction and voice quality, while the AirPods Pro 2, had the most natural-sounding mic pickup in quiet conditions. Listen to the samples.

(Tested under simulated noisy cafe conditions and wind from a fan. It is important to note that with iPhones running iOS17 and later, there is a ‘Voice Isolation mode’ when making calls, which cuts background noise regardless of whether the earbuds’ noise gating is effective or not.)

Active Noise Canceling

In terms of active noise canceling, the Technics are very good. It cancels only a little less noise in general than the Jabra Elite 10, Bose QC II or AirPods Pro 2. And it’s better than the Sonys at canceling low frequency noise while Sonys do muffle voices better due to their foam tips. Listen to the samples.

Do note that its ANC is on default settings because I found that default works best for this particular type of noise. And if you do get the Technics, I recommend going through the ear tip fit test, because it does have an impact on noise canceling performance.

Transparency Mode

In terms of transparency, it’s not as transparent as AirPods Pro 2, which sounds like you’re not wearing earbuds. Instead it’s actually closer to the Jabras and Sonys in terms of the amount of occlusion, and which frequencies get amplified. It is however, a little weaker in terms of passing through vocals, so you may find it hard to converse because it’s amplifying everything else and not really the voice. For conversations there is a mode that focuses the passthrough on voice, but it also amplifies the upper mids too much that it sounds very glassy and brittle. It’s usable, but default transparency sounds a lot less annoying.

I’ve also noticed that with sudden gusts of wind, it will attempt to block it, but it gets stuck in transparency mode until you unpair and re-pair the device. Seems like a glitch that could get resolved in an update once Technics knows about it.

Also, it doesn’t have peak limits, so it doesn’t cut off noises that could sound too piercing like the beep of handheld scanners at the supermarket, something that’s become standard among premium TWS.

Let’s just say that the Technic’s transparency is not its strongest suit. Rather, its strongest suit is its sound quality.

Sound Quality

The AZ80s aren’t bass heavy by default, and this is by design because what it’s really good at is sounding crisp and vibrant in the vocal range, while avoiding the mistake of exaggerating the upper mids and treble so much that it sounds too fatiguing. like the Jabras. I do prefer the Elite 10’s bass, but I did have to bring down its treble a bit. I didn’t have to do that with the AZ80.

In a way the Technics do sound like the Sonys, as you can see in this FR chart, but more airy and open, and a bit more laid back. The AirPods Pro 2 do sound heavier and a little more rich in detail, while the Bose sounds a lot more V-shaped, with heavier bass, but also sounding more nasal in the upper mids. Have a listen to the samples. Listen to the samples.

I think the AZ80s sound very good. I like how versatile it is, because whatever genre I throw at it, synthwave, lofi, classical, jazz, I enjoy it. Best of all, it requires little to no tuning for me, but if you do want to tune its sound to the way you want, it is also very responsive to EQ-ing through the app. Even though it’s only got 5 bands to play with, from 100hz to 10khz.

Technics AZ80 vs Sony WF-1000XM5

Compared to the Sony WF-1000XM5, the XM5 is a little more feature rich with things like Adaptive Sound Control, Speak to Chat, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling, while being a smaller package. If you want something more compact, you should look at the Sonys.

That being said, I do prefer the build quality and sound of the AZ80. It’s tap controls are also more customizable whereas on the Sonys it’s a lot more restrictive, because you are forced to give up ANC toggles on each earbud if you want volume. Silicone tips also last longer than foam although they don’t block as much noise.

In terms of fit, it depends. If you have small ears, the Sonys will fit better because the Technics are more bulky, but for people with bigger ears like me, you’ll find the AZ80s fit more snug.

Technics AZ80 vs Bose QC II

Compared to the Bose QC II, the Bose is the King of noise canceling, and I love the fact that even when using a single earbud, you can access all the controls like volume up and down, pause play, so on. It also has the best fit for me, staying secure while not plugging in all the way, which is why I often use it for the gym.

It doesn’t have multipoint pairing though, and its case is larger compared to the Technics AZ80s while also not having the ability to charge wirelessly. At the moment it also doesn’t support Hi-Res audio codecs, and to me the Technics are closer to what I consider great sound compared to the Bose QC II.

Technics AZ80 vs AirPods Pro 2

Comparing it to the AirPods Pro 2, the Technics’s case is larger, the AirPods also has better mic pickup, and it’s the best option if you have everything Apple because of all the Apple exclusive features, made even better with iOS 17. And just like the Bose, the AirPods also lets you access all the controls using just one earbud.

However, to me the AZ80s fit more securely, so it’s less likely to slip out and lose noise canceling power or bass. And I like the fact that you can access all of its features on both iOS and Android including firmware updates. Whereas if you’re using AirPods on Android, you’re basically locked out of most features not to mention firmware updates.

But if you’re using an iOS device, the AirPods Pro 2 is the most natural choice. If you’re concerned about the fit, that can be fixed with some third party foam tips.

Technics AZ80 vs Jabra Elite 10

I think the closest rival to the AZ80 is the Jabra Elite 10. The Elite 10’s got a softer, more gentle fit so you could wear it for longer without feeling pain, with no compromise to its noise canceling. It also has physical button controls which is better for fall and winter since you can operate it with gloves.

It’s also currently one of the best sounding earbuds even if it doesn’t support LDAC streaming like the AZ80. Where the AZ80 is better is in terms of customization of controls. There’s a lot more freedom to choose which gesture does what, and its case is smaller than the Jabras which makes it a little more portable for people like me who don’t like to carry bags around.

Also if you need multipoint that pairs three devices instead of just two, AZ80’s your guy. That being said, considering the cost difference, the Elite 10 seems like an easier sell since it’s cheaper while being just as capable in many ways.

Conclusion

But overall, I like the AZ80 for being a very complete product in terms of performance and features. It does need a bit of polishing software wise, but for some people it could justify that extra cost compared to the competition.

If you’d like to check the latest prices of these earbuds, click on the Amazon links below.

Technics AZ80 - https://amzn.to/3ZWv4V5
Jabra Elite 10 - https://amzn.to/3EHIp9J
Sony WF-1000XM5 - https://amzn.to/3qiamkS
Bose QuietComfort II - https://amzn.to/3gHBWmq
AirPods Pro 2 - https://amzn.to/3VbAmsW

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