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Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones Review

Technology meets tradition – this is how Panasonic Corporation describes the new in-ear headphones of the Technics brand, the Technics EAH-AZ60. With their excellent sound, but above all with innovative features, these headphones are intended to play directly into the premium class.

Technics EAH-AZ40 and Technics EAH-AZ60, two new in-ear headphones of the prestigious Technics brand are presented by Panasonic Corporation these days and provide solutions with which they have taken on a lot. Especially with the top model, the Technics EAH-AZ60, they want to offer True Wireless in-ear headphones that effortlessly play their way into the premium class.

This ambitious goal is all the more remarkable because this premium class is very prominent in the in-ear headphone sector, numerous well-known manufacturers are represented here with their solutions and fine sound alone is no longer the only decisive criterion.

Technics EAH-AZ60 – Innovative technologies and outstanding sound quality as the goal

Panasonic Corporation has also recognised this and has equipped the Technics EAH-AZ60 in particular with a series of very innovative features, all of which are intended to serve two goals: unadulterated, undisturbed music enjoyment for hours on end, but also the best possible communication in everyday business life.

It is clear that the new True Wireless in-ear headphones are aimed at people with active lifestyles, at a target group that is looking for a solution for their working environment as well as for relaxation and that does not want to sacrifice flexibility, comfort and certainly not quality.

Technics – A brand synonymous with Japanese hi-fi tradition

Like only a handful of other brands, Technics stands for the finest Japanese HiFi tradition, that can be stated without a doubt. And Panasonic Corporation still feels committed to this tradition, even when it comes to personal audio devices such as in-ear headphones.

The new Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones are supposed to be further proof of this, and any doubts about this will probably be dispelled at the very first contact with this product.

Extremely elegant in appearance

A product that is supposed to be in the premium class also needs the right appearance, and this starts, it must be said, with the packaging. From the very first moment, the customer must get the feeling that he is buying something noble, an elegant and valuable product.

When opening the package of the Technics EAH-AZ60, the headphones are not directly in front of the user, but rather the transport case, which in this case almost resembles a jewellery box, in which the actual headphones are hidden.

Nevertheless, the product of desire is in your hands in just a few steps and without having to tear open any foils or additional boxes, and you can use it immediately.

Even the extensive accessories are packaged in such a way that the essentials are immediately accessible, first and foremost the various earpieces and the charging cable, but more on that later.

Very compact with ergonomic design

Technics in-ear headphones have always stood out because of their very slim form factor. This is also true for the Technics EAH-AZ60, which can be described as tiny compared to many other such solutions.

In addition, this solution has a very special design, the manufacturer speaks of a teardrop shape, which not only looks elegant, but also seems ideal from an ergonomic point of view.

The earbuds of the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones have dimensions of only 26 mm in height, 23 mm in width and 28 mm in depth, and thus weigh only 7 g. The housing is available in silver or black. The silver or black housing is IPX4 certified and thus splash-proof and resistant to adverse weather conditions.

Earpieces in seven different sizes

Of course, the so-called earmoulds are essential in order to guarantee the best possible wearing comfort. The Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones come in seven different sizes, namely XS1, XS2, S1, S2, M, L and XL. These are all made of silicone and have the classic round shape. However, special designs or memory foam solutions are unfortunately not included in the scope of delivery.

Technics EAH AZ60 True Wireless In ear Kopfhorer im Test 09
Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones Review

Designed for the best sound quality

The aforementioned special design of the cabinet naturally also has advantages from an acoustic point of view, because apart from the fact that a solid cabinet guarantees playback free of vibrations, it also prevents sound-damaging resonances inside the cabinet.

In general, the developers of the Technics EAH-AZ60 relied on a special acoustic design, in which the actual driver with a diameter of 8 mm and a particularly stiff and at the same time low-resonance biocellulose membrane is housed in an acoustic control chamber and relies on a newly designed harmoniser. This is to achieve a rich, clear and detailed sound.

Signal transmission with Bluetooth 5.2

For signal transmission from the source device, the Technics EAH-AZ60 relies on Bluetooth 5.2 and uses the usual profiles such as A2DP, AVRCP, HSP and HFP.

It is interesting that the developers rely on the SBC and AAC codecs, i.e. those that, strictly speaking, work with loss, although this is hardly significant in practice, at least with AAC. It is pleasing that at least LDAC is offered as an alternative, because with it a signal transmission is even possible in hi-res audio, namely with 24 bit and 96 kHz, but only if this is also supported by the source device.

In the case of LDAC, this includes selected smartphones with Google Android as the operating system, but primarily portable hi-res audio players.

It is therefore a good thing that the Technics EAH-AZ60 support Bluetooth Multipoint, i.e. the simultaneous connection to two source devices. This makes it possible to enjoy music from a DAP, for example, but as soon as a call comes in on the smartphone, it can be accepted.

Technics EAH AZ60 True Wireless In ear Kopfhorer im Test 10
Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones Review

Unclouded music enjoyment

Especially with in-ear headphones, the special use directly in the ear, at least with the best fit, ensures a certain degree of unclouded music enjoyment. This means that ambient noise is already passively shielded quite well.

But things get really perfect when, as in the case of the Technics EAH-AZ60, a particularly sophisticated active noise cancellation system is offered.

Technics Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology

The Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones are equipped with the so-called Technics Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology, which the manufacturer quite rightly describes as the industry-leading solution in the field of active noise cancellation.

Not only does it combine digital and analogue signal processing for the best possible results, but it also addresses two disturbing influences at the same time, namely feedforward and feedback noise cancelling, in order to achieve a particularly effective noise cancellation.

The feedforward technology is the well-known method of operation; it detects ambient noise and generates a counter-sound based on it, which is added to the useful signal and thus, at the end of the day, only the actual music signal is shown to its best advantage.

Feedback technology, on the other hand, detects unwanted noise inside the headphones, which is eliminated by sophisticated noise filters.

The aforementioned combination of digital and analogue circuits is supposed to offer a particularly accurate result due to short reaction times.

Technics EAH AZ60 True Wireless In ear Kopfhorer im Test 11
Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones Review

Ambient mode and attention mode

An essential feature of this type of solution is that the user always has the option of adapting the mode of operation of the active noise cancellation to the respective situation. The Technics EAH-AZ60 offers two options for this purpose.

With the so-called ambient mode, ambient noise with a very wide frequency range is detected, so that, for example, what is happening in traffic can be reduced, but still perceived.

In the so-called attention mode, on the other hand, the detection of ambient sounds is optimised to a frequency range that corresponds to the human voice. This makes it possible to hear announcements in public transport, for example, and even when used in the office or at home, you can be reached by other people in the truest sense of the word.

Incidentally, there are no fewer than eight microphones in the Technics EAH-AZ60, four per earbud. These are high-quality MEMS microphones that are positioned in such a way that they are not affected by wind noise, for example.

Technics JustMyVoice Technology

These microphones are also used to enable the in-ear headphones to be used as a hands-free device for telephone calls and video conferences, as well as for voice control of a smartphone.

Here, too, the manufacturer relies on an advanced technology, the so-called Technics JustMyVoice Technology, to guarantee the best possible voice quality.

The combination of several microphones guarantees nothing other than absolutely perfect voice quality, because it also analyses ambient noise and suppresses it accordingly.

Voice control included

As we have already mentioned, the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless in-ear headphones can of course be used for voice control, whereby the manufacturer itself lists Amazon Alexa first and foremost and describes this solution as “Alexa built-in”.

However, this does not mean that the control only works with this voice assistant, Google Assistant and Apple Siri can of course also be used without any problems.

Technics Audio Connect App

The central interface for all these functions is, of course, a corresponding app, the Technics Audio Connect App, which is available for Apple iOS and Google Android.

The app is initially used for simple set-up, and any firmware updates are also installed with the help of the app. In addition, various configuration options are available here, such as adjusting the sound via an equaliser, activating more bass, ambient sound control and other parameters for individualisation, such as noise suppression.

Another feature of the app is a tracking function for the headphones, should you ever misplace the Earbuds, which should also be mentioned here for the sake of completeness.

Technics EAH AZ60 True Wireless In ear Kopfhorer im Test 12
Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones Review

Elegant transport box as mobile charging station

As we already mentioned, the headphones themselves are slim and elegant, and so is the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless in-ear headphones’ transport box.

The box is so compact that you can easily stow it in your trouser pocket and always have it with you.

Nevertheless, the integrated rechargeable battery ensures a long playing time, because the in-ear headphones themselves are already capable of playing for up to seven hours at a stretch, including activated noise cancelling. The transport box ensures that you are independent of a power socket for up to 24 hours.

By the way, 15 minutes in the transport box are enough for the in-ear headphones to be used again for up to 70 minutes via a quick-charge function.

Of course, all this information depends on the individual use, but in practice we achieved this without any problems at a moderate volume that was more than sufficient for our liking.

By the way, the transport box is charged via USB-C, whereby the corresponding cable – although very short at only 20 cm – is part of the scope of delivery. Unfortunately, wireless charging is not provided here.

Technics EAH AZ60 True Wireless In ear Kopfhorer im Test 13
Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones Review

From the practice

Once again, we would like to emphasise that we liked the appearance of the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones. From the moment you unpack them to the first time you hold them in your hand, the headphones convey their claim to be in the premium class.

And at the latest when you put them in your ear, it is clear that the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones not only play in the premium class, but are more than equal, if not superior, to previous solutions and thus set the tone.

Whether the sound corresponds to personal preferences is, of course, a purely subjective question that ultimately cannot be clarified by a test, but only by personal experience.

However, we can state at this point that we were really enthusiastic about the sound of the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones.

When Panasonic Corporation said at the presentation of the headphones that they had 55 years of expertise in developing high-quality audio solutions to achieve the best results in the tradition of the renowned Technics brand, we would immediately sign this on the basis of our practical experience. The Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones clearly deliver exactly those characteristics that one can expect from products of this brand.

There is no showmanship here, nothing is glossed over, but rather the utmost attention is paid to guaranteeing a clean, neutral and thus balanced performance across a wide frequency range. In addition, the Technics EAH-AZ60 are able to create a sound stage that is perceived as realistic, with a corresponding width and depth, which is something that can only rarely be enjoyed with in-ear headphones.

But, as described, this is of course our purely subjective impression. On the other hand, we can state quite clearly and objectively that the active noise cancellation is indeed one of the best of its kind on the market.

The results that can be achieved with these headphones are outstanding, whether in traffic or on public transport, and even in private, you can sit comfortably on the couch with the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones in your ear and enjoy music undisturbed, while family life takes place at the usual volume.

The awareness modes in particular deserve praise here, as they usually strike the right balance between seclusion and participation in what’s going on around you.

We must also praise the fact that the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones, as promised by the manufacturer, actually offer very good voice quality. Of course, this is already relevant for everyday phone calls, but it is even more important when the headphones are used in a business environment, whether for phone calls or video conferences.

Whether pure music enjoyment or use in the office or home office, due to the special compact shape, their low weight and the numerous ear adapters, the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones can be used for hours without any problems, the comfort must be emphasised just as positively as the simple, intuitive handling in daily use.

What else we would have liked…

However, we have to mention a few points that we would have liked to have seen. First of all, there is the broader support of Bluetooth codecs for playback in CD quality or hi-res audio. Well, LDAC is available, but many smartphones rely primarily on aptX or aptX HD.

It would also be nice if the earpieces were available in other materials and additional fits, and the option for “wireless” charging would have been the final touch to make the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones truly perfect. But all this is already complaining at a very high level…

Especially as we haven’t even touched on a very important aspect yet, namely the price. Measured in terms of features, workmanship and, of course, sound quality, these are very attractively priced true wireless in-ear headphones. The Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones therefore clearly receive a recommendation from the sempre-audio.at editorial team.

Getting to the point

From the moment they are unpacked, the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones convey their claim to be a premium class solution. The feel, extremely compact dimensions, a high level of wearing comfort, intuitive operation in conjunction with outstanding features such as excellent noise suppression and the best possible voice quality, and of course an outstanding sound that is fully in keeping with the reputation of the traditional Technics brand, are completely convincing. This puts the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones in the top league of their class. As if this were not enough for a clear recommendation, you get all this at a pleasingly attractive price.

PRODUCTTECHNICS EAH-AZ60 TRUE WIRELESS IN-EAR KOPFHÖRER
Price€ 229,-
BrandTECHNICS
ManufacturerPanasonic Corporation
DistributionPanasonic Deutschland – Eine Division der Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH
More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG
HiFiBLOG Award Outstanding

Technology meets tradition – this is how Panasonic Corporation describes the new in-ear headphones of the Technics brand, the Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear Headphones. As our test shows, these headphones are characterised by excellent sound and innovative features such as outstanding active noise cancellation and the best possible voice quality, and despite their attractive price, they are clearly in the premium class.


Positive

  • Very compact and light
  • appealing feel and impeccable workmanship
  • high wearing comfort even for hours on end
  • can be flexibly adapted to individual requirements
  • excellent sound
  • outstanding active noise cancellation
  • Impeccable voice quality
  • attractive price

Negative

  • unfortunately no aptX and aptX HD
  • no wireless charging
  • numerous earpieces, but only in different sizes and not different shapes

Test Environment

  • Apple iPhone 12
  • Apple iPad Air
  • FiiO M9 High Resolution Lossless Music Player
  • TIDAL HiFi
  • Roon

Conclusion

SOUND
DESIGN
HANDLING
PRICE/PERFORMANCE

The Technics EAH-AZ60 True Wireless In-ear headphones offer not only great sound but also innovative features.

User Rating: 4.51 ( 1 votes)

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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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