TechnicsReference Class Hi-Fi Wireless Earbuds, Dolby Atmos with Head Tracking, Adaptive Noise Cancelling, 3 Device Multipoint, 10-hr Battery, Wireless Charging, Improved Fit - EAH-AZ100-K (Black)

Amazing sound! Best I've ever heard from a set of earbuds. I moved up from a cheap pair with no ANC, and the difference in quality is immensely noticeable.I spent WEEKS mulling over which brand and model to buy. I'm a casual audiophile, so I wanted incredible sound while also factoring in comfort, features, battery life, and user reviews.I narrowed down my options to this and the B&W Pi8, which I knew would also be a good choice. The reason I chose this over the Pi8 is use reviews. Nobody complains about the sound quality of the Pi8, but the overall user experience for the AZ100 was higher, so that swayed my decision.Let me tell you, brother, I am more than happy with my choice! Here is what I love about this product:Sound quality: Listening to Ultra HD music with LDAC enabled is a religious experience. I'm listening to some music I've heard a LOT before, but it's an all-new experience for me. It's like falling madly in love with the same person all over again! I prefer stereo mode, but using positional audio with Dolby Atmos and head tracking is a nice option, and I've found it to be really great on certain tracks, especially those specifically designed with 360 audio in mind.Comfort: My old, cheap earbuds were pretty good, for the price, but I had to fiddle with them a lot to get to stay in and feel okay. Once you go through the guide to figure out what size tips to use, these earbuds "lock in" better and feel great. It's like I forget they are even there. The longest I've ever used them so far is two hours straight, and I felt zero discomfort.Noise cancelling: Impressive! I've never experienced ANC before, so I cannot compare it to Sony or other brands, but this is a game-changer for me. I live in a very quiet house in an extremely quiet neighborhood in the middle of nowhere, and I thought ANC would be overkill at home, but I was wrong. It's crazy how much ambient noise there is that you don't even think about. When I turned ANC on at home, I think I audibly gasped! I had never "heard" so much silence before! 😂When I started listening to music, it was something special, and I knew I had made the right choice to spend good money on a premium product.Customization: The app lets you adjust equalizer settings to your liking, which is a must for me. I know this is standard for premium earbuds, but my last one only had presets, and no matter what I did, the bass was always too much, even with the "Bass reducer" setting. I don't understand the appeal of the power frequencies overpowering everything... but I digress.Beyond the equalizer adjustment, you also have so much control over the noise cancelling settings. When I'm at work, I can not only turn off ANC altogether, but I can adjust how much of the outside world is boosted. I have to be attentive to my coworkers and notifications on my computer, so it's amazing to be able to hear everything so clearly and still be able to hear the music in such amazing detail.I cannot say anything negative about this. $300 is a lot to spend on earbuds, so that may be one aspect of this that some would find as a negative, but this is probably the last set of earbuds I'll buy for a VERY long time, so that's one way I justify the price. The other is that you really get what you pay for here. Multiple professional reviewers list this as the best overall option for 2025, and they have done that with good reason. If you are on the fence like I was, and you can afford the premium price tag, I think you'll be beyond satisfied with your purchase.

I am a slightly reformed earbud junky. I have owned or own almost every credible earbud in the last five or so years. I use both an Android and an Apple phone, an iPad Pro, and a Dell XPS laptop so I am ambidextrous when it comes to devices. I owned the first gen Technics buds and I mostly really like them. Like the Sony buds, they were a bit big but it was a hell of a comeback for the Panasonic owned HiFi company. My current daily drivers are the Sony 1000XM5’s and the Apple AirPod 2 Pros. I love them both. However, the Sony’s are still a bit big and the multi connectivity, while present, isn’t the best. The AirPods are awesome but aren’t great for non Apple products. So, after putting this purchase off for many months, I finally pulled the ripcord and got these. They are awesome. Here is the breakdown:Sound: This is how I start every review on buds because sound is the main purpose of any bud or headphone. The sound here is amazing. This is a single 10mm liquid filled driver that is new technology in a bud. It creates deep sound that is a bit bass leaning. You get strong separation between the low, mid, and high tones. The sound here crushes the AirPods and is equal to the Sonys in my opinion. There is support for LDAC and LE Bluetooth codecs. However, these sound amazing without the high end codecs which is good for Apple fans. Those that love lossless audio though will be glad to have these on board. The sound is almost enough to recommend these but read on because there are many more reasons.Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): This is one area I think these buds don’t wipe out the competition. The Bose buds and the Apple AirPods are both a bit better. These are on par with the Sony buds for me. Good but not the best. There are a lot of adjustments in the app but I just leave them on adaptive. I think these will be great for a plane trip as these do a great job on low end noise. Sudden sharper noise gets through though. I do love that these don’t make you feel ear pressure that some buds give you with it on. Overall, while not class leading, the ANC here is still very good.Form Factor: These won’t be to everyone’s liking but they are pretty dynamite. These are smallish stemless buds that have a nice soft finish inside the buds with a nice metal finish on the outside. The look and feel great. I find them comfortable for long periods.Call Quality: The class leading AirPods are still the best, but these run a close second. Technics embedded AI that can identify your voice, enhance it, and cancel out noises around you. Some reviews I read say that this process can end up making you sound a bit robotic but I haven’t had anyone comment on it and I have been asking. Very good calls all around here.The case: I always rate the case in earbud reviews because you frankly interact with the case more than the buds. This is a solid case overall. The brushed metal design is great. It is a good slender case that is similar in size to the Sony buds but metal not plastic. There is a single LED and it does support wireless charging. It is a great case with one nitpick. I wish the magnets were a bit stronger. In a purse or a gym bag, you may find buds flying around.All the other stuff: Battery life here is closing in on class leading. As long as you aren’t using the hifi codecs often, you will get over ten hours of use. Awesome. Connectivity is stable and fast. I have these connected to both of my phones and they connect to both immediately upon pulling out a bud. Further, these easily pass back and forth between the devices as needed. I was on one call today and got another on my work phone. It was ringing me to let me know I had the other call. Awesome. There is Spatial Audio here that sounds great especially for a movie. Lastly, the Technics app deserves a nod here. It is a really great app. Where the Sony app gives you everything, it is very convoluted. This app gives you sound customization, ANC control, and more but without being difficult to use. Oh, and there is a Find My component to the app that allows you to make sounds if you lose your buds or see where you last had them with location data. All so good.I will just say this about what Technics has done here. If these aren’t the best all around buds on the market, they are darn close. I am a huge fan and strongly recommend buying them.