We like Technics’ EAH-AZ60 earphones, which offer active noise cancellation and an accurate sound signature for $229.99, so we were eager to test their more affordable counterpart, the $149.99 EAH-AZ40. Although these true wireless earphones lack noise cancellation and use slightly smaller drivers, they still sound excellent. And like the EAH-AZ60, you can customize the audio signature and other controls via a companion app. The pair might seem a bit expensive in light of cheaper alternatives with more impressive water-resistance ratings and/or active noise cancellation, but few can match their sonic performance in this price range.
A Secure Fit and Adjustable Controls
The earphones are available in black, rose gold, or silver, and each earpiece sports the Technics logo on its touch-sensitive outer panel. The pair doesn’t ship with any fit aids, but you get four pairs of silicone eartips (all different sizes) in the box. The earbuds fit securely and comfortably in testing.
Internally, each earpiece houses a 6mm dynamic driver. The earphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and support the AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs, but not AptX nor LDAC (unlike the more expensive EAH-AZ60).
The on-ear controls work fine, but some aspects of the control scheme are a bit odd. A single tap on either earpiece handles playback and calls. Holding down on the left earpiece summons your phone’s voice assistant, while the same behavior on the right turns the Ambient mode on or off. These controls all make sense.
However, you control the volume level and track navigation from the same earpiece. For example, a double tap on the left earbud lowers the volume and a triple tap raises it. Similarly, a double tap on the right earbud skips forward a track and a triple tap takes you one back. It’s far more common and, in our opinion intuitive, to associate the same gesture (such as double taps) with the same function—for instance, a double tap on the left earbud to turn the volume up and a double tap on the right to turn the volume down. Fortunately, you can change the control layout via the app if you don’t like the default setup.
The IPX4 rating here is modest. The earpieces can withstand light splashes, such as from sweat or rain, but you can’t submerge them or expose them to faucet-level water pressure. Plenty of models in this price range (even some with noise cancellation) boast significantly stronger IP ratings. The charging case isn’t water resistant at all, so make sure to fully dry the earpieces before you dock them for charging.
Technics estimates the earpieces can last roughly 7.5 hours on battery, and that the case provides an additional 17.5 hours of charge. Your typical listening volume affects this estimate, so you may not get these numbers exactly.
App Options
The Technics Audio Connect app (available for Android and iOS) is a one-size-fits-all solution for multiple Technics products. It walks you through the pairing and setup process (albeit with too many annoying pop-up alerts) and helps you install the latest firmware.
Beyond this, you can use the app to adjust and create five-band EQ presets, as well as to set up Alexa as your hands-free voice assistant (this requires the Alexa app). The app also lets you switch between various Ambient sound modes and customize the on-ear controls. Rounding out the options is a Find Headphones feature, which plays loud sounds through the earpieces as long as you’re within Bluetooth range.
Accurate Audio
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver powerful low-frequency response. At top, unwise listening levels, the lows don’t distort, and at more moderate volumes, the bass still sounds full and well balanced with the highs.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the sound signature. The drums on this track can come across overly thunderous through bass-forward earphones, but here, they sound full, natural, and only slightly boosted in the lows. Callahan’s baritone vocals receive plenty of low-mid richness. That said, a smidge more high-mid presence would help the vocals sound crisper. The highs are somewhat boosted—the tape hiss takes a step forward in the mix and the acoustic strums sound bright. Nothing that’s emphasized—the lows or highs—sound wildly overpowering, but if you find any frequencies need tuning, the app’s EQ lets you make those changes.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives a little less high-mid presence than we prefer—the attack sounds less punchy as a result. But again, it’s simple to both dial up the high-mids and boost the lows in the app’s EQ to give the sub-bass synth hits more power and depth. The earphones responds well to EQ changes and are far more capable than their default sound indicates.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound bright and full. The lower-register instrumentation receives slight boosting and the higher-register instrumentation, despite its natural crispness, also gets some extra brightness in the highs. The sound here is more balanced and accurate than with most earphones we test.
The built-in six-mic array performs well. We easily understood every word we recorded with the Voice Memos app on an iPhone in testing, and even noted a bit of additional low-frequency response in the signal. The mics employ wind reduction technology to cut down on surrounding noise as well, so even calls in noisy environments should sound clear on both ends.
Excellent Sound Outweighs the Lack of Features
For $149.99, the Technics EAH-AZ40 earphones deliver accurate audio, good mic quality, and a decent level of customizability. The $179.99 Jabra Elite 7 Active earphones are fully waterproof and offer active noise cancellation, while Anker’s Soundcore Life P3 earphones offer active noise cancellation for just $79.99, but neither pair sounds as good as the EAH-AZ40. If you like the look and sound of the EAH-AZ40 but want noise cancellation, Technics’ pricier EAH-AZ60 earphones are worth considering. But for a pair of simple true wireless earphones focused on accurate audio, the EAH-AZ 40 earn their price.
