Review: Technics EAH-AZ70W ANC True Wireless Earbuds

Technics is known for its Hi-Fi products in the past, and they have finally made its first foray into true wireless earbuds market with its Active noise Cancelling (ANC) capable EAH-AZ70W. The Technics EAH-AZ70W retails for S$349.

Technics is actually the child company, or the audio arm of the Panasonic, so there is actually quite some similarities between the Panasonic RZ-S500W.

Unboxing

Inside the box, you will find the following items:

• Technics EAH-AZ70W ANC earbuds
• Charging case
• Ear tips x5 (XS to XL)
• USB-C to USB-A cable
• User manual

Tech specs

Design, build quality and features

The charging case exudes a classy and sleek look with its brushed metallic case, with the “Technics” brand embossed over the top of the lid. The case has some heft to it due to the metal used. The earbuds do not rattle in the case when I shake it. A sacrifice for these more premium-looking case is the pocketability. The case is about 3.5cm thick, a little hard to carry around in your jeans pocket without an observable bulge.

The earbuds share a very similar design to the Panasonic RZ-S500W so much so that their charging pins are even the same – meaning you can actually charge the Panasonic RZ-S500W in the Technics EAH-AZ70W case (but you cannot close the case). Instead of the round edges on the Panasonic RZ-S500W, the Technics EAH-AZ70W have a flat surface. The earbuds combine both plastic and the brushed metal element found on the charging case in the design. The Technics EAH-AZ70W is rated at IPX4 water-resistance rating so you should be able to use this during your workouts.

Controls

Like the Panasonic RZ-S500W, Technics EAH-AZ70W also employs touch controls. The controls are exactly the same as the RZ-S500W, which allow all the media playback and phone controls. Even when performing harder touch actions like a triple tap, the touch controls are responsive. As the touch face of the earbuds are flat, they are not as overly sensitive as the Panasonic RZ-S500W.

Transparency mode

The transparency mode experience I’m getting is rather similar to that of the Panasonic RZ-S500W. Wind and air seems to be over amplified such that using it in a mall, I can only hear the the shrill of the air coming into my ears, and not the crowd chatter like I would without wearing earbuds. Thankfully, the level of transparency can be adjusted in the app. I found that setting the level to about half makes it sound a little less over-processed and more natural.

Audio Connect App

The Technics EAH-AZ70W has an accompanying app called “Audio Connect”. If you’ve seen the Panasonic RZ-S500W review, you’ll find that the UI looks exactly the same. And so, the extra features are the same. You can connect the Technics EAH-AZ70W earbuds to Amazon Alexa if you use it as your voice assistant.

The level of noise cancellation can be adjusted but I found the increments and decrements to be very subtle. There is also a “find headphones” which should be handy if you misplace them. Lastly, you have an EQ which you can adjust, or simply select different presets. The changes are noticeable but d0n’t expect the level of tuning you can do with the Jaybird Vista or the Harman Kardon FLY TWS.

Battery life

Battery life and features is the same as the Panasonic RZ-S500W. You can expect 6.5 hours of play time per full charge with ANC turned on, which is quite long for an ANC capable earbuds. There is an additional 13 more hours in the charging case, bringing the total to 19 hours. Technics EAH-AZ70W also has a quick charge feature that gives you additional 70 mins of play time from just 15 minutes of charging.

The charging case is charged via USB-C which is great but unfortunately it does not support wireless charging, which is a surprising omission considering its S$349 price tag.

Fit

Despite having very similar shape with the Panasonic RZ-S500W, the Technics EAH-AZ70W is more tapered when it angles into the build of the nozzle. This allows the Technics EAH-AZ70W to sit deeper in my ear canal. As such, the seal on the Technics EAH-AZ70W is slightly tighter than on the RZ-S500W. The overall fit is quite comfortable and it sits rather nicely in my ears. However, as the earbuds are on the chunky side, it can stick out and you may not enjoy the same fit I had if you have small ears.

As the nozzle circumference is a little thicker than the Panasonic RZ-S500W, the Comply TrueGrip foam ear tips DO NOT fit on the Technics EAH-AZ70W.

Sound quality

The sound signature of the Technics EAH-AZ70W is quite similar to the Panasonic RZ-S500W, with some nuances to its tuning. Bass is punchier and more precise. It delivers well-defined strong bass hits that never wants to intrude into the space of the mids. However, I do wish that there was just a little more presence in the sub-bass, as I tend to miss the reverbs I get on some songs.

Mids on the Technics EAH-AZ70W are its clear and detailed. Vocals and instruments are heard easily with a great amount of clarity and separation in various genres of music. Treble is bright and sparkles without sounding sibilant. Soundstage on the Technics EAH-AZ70W feels wide and expansive. Overall, the audio tuning is one that is a bright and crisp sound that is punchy and emphasises more on the upper mid frequencies. 

Technics EAH-AZ70W vs Panasonic RZ-S500W

Despite the 10mm on the Technics EAH-AZ70W vs the 8mm on the Panasonic RZ-S500W, the bass on the Technics EAH-AZ70W doesn’t go deeper. In fact, RZ-S500W seems to provide a little more sub-bass warmth while the EAH-AZ70W delivers slightly more impactful bass hits. Midrange and treble is just a little more forward and transparent on the Technics EAH-AZ70W.

ANC performance

The dual hybrid ANC on the Technics EAH-AZ70W is impressive, and its no surprise considering that the Panasonic RZ-S500W already delivers superb ANC. The ANC performance is largely the the same story – low frequencies noises such as rumbling in buses are cancelled out almost completely. Higher frequencies noises like train whooshes and traffic are reduced to a noticeable extent. ANC on the Technics EAH-AZ70W doesn’t seem to react with wind, which is a good thing. The ANC does alter the EQ slightly, causing the bass to sound tighter and less expansive. I did not feel any vacuum effect or hissing noise with the ANC turned on.

Microphone quality

The microphone on the Technics EAH-AZ70W is slightly better than on the Panasonic RZ-S500W. The microphone is able to pickup my voice clearly with a good amount of definition in my speech being heard when I was testing it in a quiet room. In noisy environments, the microphone is still able to isolate my voice well and clear, but you can hear the background noises at the back. The Technics EAH-AZ70W just does a slightly better job isolating and keeping my voice more forward than the Panasonic RZ-S5000W. But overall, it is still a reliable microphone for calls in a variety of environments.

Pairing, connectivity, and latency

Technics EAH-AZ70W has Bluetooth 5.0 and connection during my time of testing is stable. If you do have the need to use just one earbud at a time, you can use either the left or right earbud. As for latency, there is zero latency or lag from watching YouTube videos from the YouTube app on my iPhone 11.

Conclusion

Technics EAH-AZ70W is asking a lot to be delivered given its S$349 price tag. And on many fronts it delivered. ANC is effective and reliable, audio is pristinely tuned to sound clean and detailed, has a long ANC battery life, and it also rocks a premium design. However, lacks some features like wireless charging and auto play/pause, but does give you an app to adjust certain audio and ANC settings. You won’t be sacrificing much even if you choose to go for the cheaper Panasonic RZ-S500W.