Audio review
Technics EAH-AZ100 Review: Calls Scored 3.2, or Best in Class
One lab said voices came through choppy and garbled even in a quiet room. Another called the call quality among the strongest they have tested. Same earbuds, six microphones.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Technics
Technics EAH-AZ100
Good · researched from 3 sources
The sound is the reason to buy these and two of three sources rate it very highly. Call quality is the coin toss: one lab found it superb and another scored it 3.2 out of 10, so test a call before the return window closes.
- Buy if
- Listening quality above all else, on two of three assessments · Android sources that can use LDAC, at the cost of battery · Trains and aircraft, where the low-frequency cancelling is strongest
- Skip if
- Anyone whose earbuds spend the day on meetings · Long LDAC sessions, at about 5.5 hours · Pocket-friendly cases, which two sources call bulky
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
Six microphones, two verdicts
TechGearLab scored call quality 3.2 out of 10. Their description: voices sounded choppy and garbled, in quiet environments, despite six dedicated microphones.
Trusted Reviews tested beside a busy road and called the Voice Focus AI noise reduction remarkable, placing the result among the strongest wireless earbud performances they have tested.
SoundGuys, testing the mono MEMS microphone, found it adequate in ideal conditions and significantly degraded in an office or on a street.
Three assessments, and the two extremes are describing opposite products. A firmware difference between test units is the likeliest explanation and it is speculation. What is not speculation is that you should make a real call within the return window.
The cancelling is aimed at engines
SoundGuys' summary is precise: no records for raw attenuation, and roughly 35 to 38 dB below 100 Hz, which keeps pace with Sony in the region aircraft and trains occupy.
Trusted Reviews ran pink noise against the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and found the suppression matched.
TechGearLab is cooler, scoring 7.7 out of 10, finding mid and high frequencies handled well and engine rumble still audible.
Two out of three put it at flagship level for the noise most people are trying to escape.
Ten hours, or five and a half
SoundGuys, at a steady 75 dB with cancelling on and SBC: 10 hours 40 minutes, about 28 with the case.
TechGearLab, cancelling off: 14.7 hours.
Trusted Reviews, on AAC: about 4 percent drain an hour, so roughly ten hours. On LDAC: about 5.5.
That LDAC penalty is the number to hold onto. The codec that makes these interesting to Android owners costs nearly half the runtime, and Trusted Reviews adds that enabling it also drops multipoint from three devices to one.
The sound, and one dissent
Trusted Reviews: rich but balanced, a wider soundstage, better instrument separation, and an 8 mm magnetic fluid driver giving more depth, weight and punch. Five stars.
TechGearLab: sound quality 7.6 out of 10, their strongest category for these.
SoundGuys: an odd sound that wants EQ adjustment, listed among the criticisms of an otherwise 8.2-rated product.
The app has presets. Start there if the default does not land.
The practical grumbles
The case is bulky. TechGearLab calls the metal casing large and stiff; SoundGuys lists the size as a criticism.
Trusted Reviews found connection instability in interference-heavy places like train stations and convention halls.
There is no Auracast, and the rating is IPX4, which covers rain and sweat and nothing more.
How it scored
The overall 7.8 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
Trusted Reviews describes rich but balanced sound with a wider soundstage from an 8 mm magnetic fluid driver. TechGearLab scored sound 7.6 and SoundGuys calls the tuning odd enough to need EQ.
Value
Trusted Reviews gave five stars and an award. SoundGuys scored 8.2 out of 10 while naming the price a drawback. TechGearLab scored 69 out of 100, twelfth of twenty-three.
Build quality
A metal case that TechGearLab finds large and stiff, and SoundGuys also criticises for size. IPX4 only.
Comfort
TechGearLab scored comfort 6.3 out of 10 and puts the limit at six hours. Trusted Reviews found them comfortable for all-day wear across extended travel.
Noise cancelling
SoundGuys says it keeps pace with Sony below 100 Hz at roughly 35 to 38 dB. TechGearLab scored it 7.7 and found engine rumble still audible.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- SoundGuys reports it matching Sony in the low bass at roughly 35 to 38 dB of attenuation
- Trusted Reviews matched it against the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds on pink noise
- SBC, AAC, LDAC and LE Audio, with three-device multipoint
- SoundGuys measured 10 hours 40 minutes at 75 dB with cancelling on
- Trusted Reviews praises an 8 mm magnetic fluid driver for depth, weight and punch
- TechGearLab scored app features 8.0 out of 10
What we didn’t
- TechGearLab scored call quality 3.2 out of 10, calling voices choppy and garbled
- Trusted Reviews reports LDAC cutting battery to about 5.5 hours
- SoundGuys calls the sound odd out of the box and says it needs EQ
- TechGearLab finds the metal case large, stiff and bulky
- Trusted Reviews reports connection instability in crowded places
- No Auracast support, and IPX4 only
Specifications
| Drivers | 8 mm magnetic fluid per Trusted Reviews |
|---|---|
| Noise cancelling | About 35 to 38 dB below 100 Hz per SoundGuys |
| Battery | 10 h 40 m at 75 dB with cancelling per SoundGuys; 14.7 h with cancelling off per TechGearLab |
| With LDAC | About 5.5 hours per Trusted Reviews |
| With case | About 28 hours per SoundGuys |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC and LE Audio |
| Multipoint | Three devices, but single device only on LDAC |
| Water resistance | IPX4 |
| Microphones | Six, with Voice Focus AI |
| Missing | No Auracast |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the measured battery at a stated output level and codec, the attenuation characterisation against Sony, the codec list and the microphone assessment, and scored 8.2 out of 10. TechGearLab tested against twenty-two other earbuds and supplies the category scores, a second battery measurement with cancelling off, the comfort limit and the call quality score, ranking them twelfth of twenty-three. Trusted Reviews supplies the driver detail, the comparative pink noise test against Bose, the codec-dependent battery observations and the opposing call quality verdict, and gave five stars. The three disagree fundamentally about call quality, which the FAQ reports rather than resolves.
What we read
Common questions
How good is call quality on the Technics EAH-AZ100?
How good is the noise cancelling?
How long does the battery last?
Do they sound as good as people say?
What are the practical annoyances?
The bottom line on the Technics EAH-AZ100
The sound is the reason to buy these and two of three sources rate it very highly. Call quality is the coin toss: one lab found it superb and another scored it 3.2 out of 10, so test a call before the return window closes.
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