I have reviewed dozens of audio brands over the years, but somehow one brand has escaped my clutches, Technics. But that changed a few weeks ago. The company reached out to me and asked if I could review the Technics EAH-AZ60 Hi-fi ANC TWS earbuds, and I said yes.
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Technics sent the EAH-AZ60 earbuds, but also sent them along with the EAH-AZ40 earbuds, which I was not expecting. So I’ve been using the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds for this review, and if I get time to use the AZ40s, I will have a review later.
Technics has been around for a long time, and I am more familiar with the company’s turntables than their headphones. So it was nice to get something new for a change. Let’s jump into the full review of the Technics EAH-AZ60 Hi-Fi ANC TWS earbuds.
Specifications
The Technics EAH-AZ60 have the following features and specifications:
- Driver Unit (mm)
- 5/16 in
- Mic
- Monaural, MEMS Mic
- Playback Time with Battery (LDAC)
- Earbuds
- Approx. 4.5 hours (NC ON)
Approx. 5.0 hours (NC OFF)
- Approx. 4.5 hours (NC ON)
- Earbuds with Charging case
- Approx. 16 hours (NC ON)
Approx. 17 hours (NC OFF)
- Approx. 16 hours (NC ON)
- Earbuds
- Playback Time with Battery (AAC)
- Earbuds
- Approx. 7.0 hours (NC ON)
Approx. 7.5 hours (NC OFF)
- Approx. 7.0 hours (NC ON)
- Earbuds with Charging case
- Approx. 24 hours (NC ON)
Approx. 25 hours (NC OFF)
- Approx. 24 hours (NC ON)
- Earbuds
- Charging Time (25°C/ 77°F)
- Earbuds
- Approx. 2.0 hours
- Charging cradle
- Approx. 2.5 hours
- Earbuds with Charging case
- Approx. 3.5 hours
- Earbuds
- Quick Charge (15 minutes, LDAC)
- Earbuds
- Approx. 45 minutes (NC ON)
Approx. 50 minutes (NC OFF)
- Approx. 45 minutes (NC ON)
- Earbuds
- Quick Charge (15 minutes, AAC)
- Earbuds
- Approx. 70 minutes (NC ON)
Approx. 80 minutes (NC OFF)
- Approx. 70 minutes (NC ON)
- Earbuds
- Standby Time
- Earbuds
- Approx. 9 hours (NC ON),
Approx. 15 hours (NC OFF, Auto power off does not work)
- Approx. 9 hours (NC ON),
- Earbuds
- Weight
- Earbuds (one side only: L and R are the same)
- Approx. 7 g
- Charging case
- Approx. 45 g
- Earbuds (one side only: L and R are the same)
- Supplied Accessory
- USB charging cord: Approx. 0.2 m (0.66 ft)
(Input Plug: USB Type-A Shape, Output Plug: USB Type-C Shape),
Earpieces set: XS1, XS2, S1, S2, M, L, XL (M attached)
- USB charging cord: Approx. 0.2 m (0.66 ft)
- Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
- Version
- 5.2
- Supported Profiles
- A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
- Codec
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Operating Distance
- Up to 10 m (33 ft)
- Version
- Water Resistance
- IPX4 Equivalent (Earbuds only)
- Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling
- Yes
What’s In The Box
- Technics EAH-AZ60
- Assorted earbud tips in various sizes – 5 total
- USB-C charging cable
- Quick Start Guide
- Documentation and Manual
Design
Let’s start the design portion of this review with the charging case. The case feels like a high-quality plastic made to resemble brushed aluminum. The Technics logo is engraved on the to, the USB-C port is on the back, and the front has an LED light. Opening it up reveals the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds inside.
The case is about the same relative size as most other TWS earbuds. It fits nicely in a pocket or purse and is very lightweight. The lid opens easily, and I don’t feel it can break easily; it has a lightweight yet robust build quality.
The first thing I noticed about the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbud design was how well they fit in my ears. For the most part, earbuds like these tend to fit just fine, but these fit exceptionally well! The seal created by the ear tip and earbud helps with the AZ60’s noise cancelling. Technics also includes a variety of sizes of ear tips which should help most people find the best fit for their ears.
The rest of the design is relatively basic for earbuds; there’s only so much you can do differently with such a small device. The Technics logo is on each bud, and you can see the noise cancelling mics just under the logo. As for weight, they weigh next to nothing and don’t feel heavy in the ear at all.
Overall, the design of the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds isn’t much different from many others, but they do excel in fit and comfort. At least for me, they did.
Ease of Use
When it comes to setting the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds up and using them, it’s no different from any other Bluetooth device. First, you should charge the earbuds and case to full capacity for the best battery performance.
Then remove both earbuds from the case, open Bluetooth settings in your device and find the AZ60’s on the list then tap connect. Once you’re connected, that should be all you need to do to get going. There is more involved with the app, and we will get into that in the app/software section.
As far as controlling your music, that is done with the touch sensors on the face of each earbud. You can customize these in the app; more on that later, but here’s a list of operations available with the touch sensors on the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds.
| Function | Touch sensor (L) | Touch sensor (R) |
| Listening to music | ||
| Playback/pause | Touch once | |
| Raise the volume | Touch rapidly three times | – |
| Lower the volume | Touch rapidly two times | – |
| Forward a track | – | Touch rapidly two times |
| Back a track | – | Touch rapidly three times |
| Making a phone call | ||
| Receive a phone call | Touch once while receiving the call | |
| Raise the volume | Touch rapidly three times | – |
| Lower the volume | Touch rapidly two times | – |
| Mute the voice of the call*1 | – | Touch rapidly two times during the call |
| Switch the noise level heard from the other party | – | Touch rapidly three times during the call |
| Reject a phone call | Touch and hold for about 2 seconds while receiving the call | |
| End a phone call | Touch and hold for about 2 seconds during the call | |
| Change control of external sounds | – | Touch and hold for about 2 seconds |
| Start the voice assistant | Touch and hold for about 2 seconds | – |
| Set to the Bluetooth mode*2®pairing | (l 21, “Connecting a Bluetooth® device”) | |
| Return to the factory settings | (l 29, “Restoring to the factory settings”) |
- *1 To cancel muting, touch the touch sensor (R) twice again while muting.
- *2 With both earphone LEDs (L and R) blinking alternately in blue and red
I’m not a fan of touch sensors on earbuds, but the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds manage to make these sensors less prone to accidentally hitting them. I can adjust the earbuds without much fear of an accidental touch.
Overall, these are very easy to use. You don’t even need to download and use the app if you don’t want to, making them even more straightforward.
Sound
Out of the box, before any app manipulation, the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds have a reasonably neutral soundstage. There is no favoring of any of the frequencies, so everything sounded flat. I generally prefer a balanced soundstage for my IEMs when playing guitar on stage, but I would have liked to hear a slight bump in the mids and a tiny bump in the bass for music listening earbuds.
So, none of this is a bad thing, The included app gives you an EQ, and a few presets that help boosts the soundstage and mold it how you like. I’m not a huge fan of apps and software for earbuds; I hate having that extra layer between me and my music. But, the Technics app genuinely improved the earbuds’ sound for me. I would have preferred not to use it, but it does work.
Alex’s Headphone Playlist
The Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds come with ANC and Ambient Sound. The ANC works well, though still not as good as my AirPods Pro. Still, the ANC is adequate and combined with the excellent seal these have in your ear, the combo gives you a tremendous noise cancelling experience.
We’ve seen Ambient Sound in pretty much all newly released TWS earbuds. This feature uses the mics to allow you to hear the world around you. This is great for joggers, bicyclists, office environments, and anywhere you want to know what and who is around you. This feature also works like a charm.
Overall, the sound of the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds is outstanding once you tweak the EQ in the app. Out of the box, they sound fine, but I found the app helped immensely to tune them where I like the sound.
App/Software
I am not a big fan of headphone apps, as I mentioned before. Thankfully, the Technics app isn’t overly complicated. It’s pretty straightforward.
Once you’ve connected to the earbuds, you’ll be presented with the home screen. Here you can see the battery life of each earbud and perform a Just My Voice Test. The next tab is Ambient, where you can adjust ANC or Ambient modes.
The third tab is the sound tab. Here you can adjust the EQ or choose from a handful of presets. The last tab is settings. Here you can adjust the voice prompt, add headphones, find headphones, and adjust a few other trivial things.
The more critical part of settings is the customize touch sensors portion. This is where you can adjust what each touch sensor does if you don’t like the default setup. You can even turn off the touch sensors if you do not like them. Thanks for that, Technics!
Overall, the app is simple. The three most important settings that I think most people should be aware of are the ANC/Ambient toggle, the EQ, and the touch sensor customization. Otherwise, it is a straightforward app to use.
Reception/Call Quality
Reception and call quality are both excellent. The standard Bluetooth range applies here, so you will hear breaking up once you get 30-40 feet away from your source. Expect less range when your source is behind a wall or obstruction—all normal operating parameters for Bluetooth.
Battery Life
The advertised battery life is 7-hours for the earbuds and 24-hours total with the case. This is pretty standard for these types of TWS earbuds, and these hit the advertised mark. Quick charging for 15-20 minutes will gain you around 70 minutes of playback.
As always, battery life is dependent on individual use. So my results may not be yours. The volume makes a difference in battery life, as does the distance from the source. Overall, the Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds have excellent battery life.
Price/Value
The Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds are priced at US$229.99. This is a typical price for TWS earbuds with these features. I do think the company would move more of them at a lower US$199.99 price, but that’s just me. These earbuds are priced appropriately against their competition and are worth the asking price.
Wrap Up
The Technics EAH-AZ60 earbuds are impressive. Once EQ’ed within the app, they have a fantastic soundstage, great ANC, a great seal in the ear, excellent comfort, and everything that makes a great TWS earbud. Technics just disrupted the playing field with this entry.
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Last Updated on May 29, 2023.
