Review: Technics EAH-A800 ANC Headphones

Technics have be proven to be a brand with a reputation of producing flagship class true wireless audio products with the success of the EAH-AZ60 and EAH-AZ70W. This time, Technics is back again but with a pair of wireless ANC headphones called EAH-A800. At S$499, Technics EAH-A800 is priced to compete with the flagships.

Unboxing

Inside the box, you will find the following items:

• Technics EAH-A800 ANC Headphones
• Carrying case
• USB-C to USB-A cable
• Flight adapter
• 3.5mm audio cable
• User manual

Tech specs

Build quality and features

The Technics EAH-A800 is available in two colours, black or silver. The unit I have is the silver version, and on the first look you can definitely tell that this is a flagship pair of headphones. Technics EAH-A800 are made from plastic with the ear cup having a matte finish that doesn’t pickup fingerprints. The plate on the ear cup seems to be metal and sports a premium brushed finish, with the ‘Technics’ logo embossed on.

Build quality of the Technics EAH-A800 is pretty good. While there some creaks heard when flexing the headphones, it doesn’t feel like I would damage it. The Technics EAH-A800 is foldable, and Technics also included a hard shell carrying case for you to store the headphones and other accessories such as the flight adaptor if you plan to bring it when you travel.

Controls

The Technics EAH-A800 employs mix of touch and physical controls. It is mainly physical controls via the pill-shaped buttons on the right ear cup, but I say mix because the brushed metal portion of the right ear cup is actually touch sensitive. The touch panel on the right ear cup allows you to switch between the different sound modes such as noise cancellation.

The physical buttons are tactile feeling and thankfully do not bottom out too heavily such that they leave an audible thud when pressed. The buttons are located at the back of the ear cup to allow for a more intuitive thumb press when reaching for it. The center button could do with a little dot so that it is easier to identify the play/pause.

Ambient Sound mode

Ambient Sound allows external surroundings come into the headphones, and the effect is very natural and open sounding. I did not find any frequency spectrum bring emphasised nor is there any robotic effect of voices. If I were nitpicking, I’d say that fan or wind noises are heard as a very subtle hiss at the back if I’m not listening to any music.

Audio Connect App

Like its true wireless earbuds sibling, the Technics EAH-A800 is supported by the Technics Audio Connect app. The app allows you to do many things and set customisations to fine tune your user experience.

You have standard app features such as adjusting the different sound modes, set and customize EQ, and customise controls. Furthermore, you have more minute settings regarding headphone fitting sensor, choosing type of connection, disabling voice prompts, and setting the time of auto power-off to name a few.

Battery life

One of the standout feature of the Technics EAH-A800 is its battery life. You can expect up to 50 hours of listening time with ANC on a single charge. You get 60 hours if you listen mainly with ANC turned off. For sake of comparison, the latest Sony WH-1000XM5 does only 30 hours with ANC on. If you ever find your Technics EAH-A800 out of battery, the quick charge feature allows you to get 10 hours (with ANC) of listening time with just 15 minutes of charging. Charging is done via USB-C.

Fit and comfort

Technics EAH-A800 is comfortable to wear for extended periods of listening. There is ample room in the ear cups which helps which breathability. I found the clamping pressure to be just nice as well, and the tension starts to relax a little after multiple uses. The earpads used on the Technics EAH-A800 also contribute to the other comfort as they feel plush and soft against my skin. The cushioning on the headband could use a little more plush, but I’d say they are still good.

Sony WH-1000XM3 is still the most comfortable headphones I have worn to date. For comparison, the Technics EAH-A800 is a close second, reason being the Sony feels lighter on the head. At 298g, the Technics EAH-A800 is heavier than its flagship competitors where they come in below 260g. If Technics manage to cut the weight to around 250g, I think they may have a shot at being the comfort kings.

Pairing, connectivity, and latency

Technics EAH-A800 is equipped with the latest Bluetooth 5.2. And during my time of testing, I did not encounter any connection issues. There is also no latency when it comes to audio-video sync when watching YouTube videos from the YouTube app on my iPhone 11.

Another really useful feature of the Technics EAH-A800 is its multipoint pairing. Multipoint allows you to connect to up to two devices at the same time. You can switch between audio sources seamlessly based on which device is playing audio. I also like how Technics EAH-A800 has the 3.5mm AUX-in port so that you can use it plugged in, unlike the Huawei FreeBuds Studio which is strictly a wireless device.

Sound quality

With Technics earbuds of EAH-AZ60 and EAH-AZ70W producing top quality sound, I had high hopes for the Technics EAH-A800 headphones. And thankfully, I was not let down. Sound on the Technics EAH-A800 is really engaging, with bass extending deep and low yet still retaining the clarity from mids and treble.

Bass offers enjoyable punch and body, with a notable of sub-bass presence to provide depth that surrounds. The weight is fun and well-controlled to not sound over-bearing. Midrange has great detail and clarity. Vocals and instruments are well presented is never overshadowed by bass booms. As for treble, Technics EAH-A800 is bright and sparkles with detail. There’s a nice shine to it that never gets too harsh on the ears.

Furthermore, another aspect Technics EAH-A800 does well is the imaging. This coupled with the relatively wider than average soundstage allowed me to identify different sounds and have that sense of space in songs. For folks who care about sound, the Technics EAH-A800 has LDAC audio codec support and Hi-Res Audio certified as well.

ANC performance

Technics EAH-A800 has impressive noise cancelling performance. Low frequency noises from bus engines are almost unheard, and tougher rail squeals when riding the MRT in underground are also eliminated to a good extent, though I can still hear them from time to time. But as long as you are listening to music, you probably won’t be hearing it. When compared to a much older Sony WH-1000XM3, the Technics EAH-A800 is better in every frequency range. Voices are reduced to muffled waves which you’d have to really focus to guess the sentence.

You can adjust the intensity of the ANC, but I’d wouldn’t really reduce it since it does not cause any cabin pressure effect. You can also optimize the ANC level, but I couldn’t really discern any significant change to the ANC experience.

Microphone quality

The microphone on the Technics EAH-A800 pretty good for pair of headphones. In a controlled environment, the Technics EAH-A800 is able capture my voice clearly with enough detail and depth. But when compared to earbuds such as the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2, my voice doesn’t sound as forward, which is expected for headphones microphones. Having said that, it’s still very usable for handling Zoom calls as there is still good clarity, and does not sound too distant for comprehension.

The impressive part of the Technics EAH-A800 microphone is when background noise is introduced. The microphone does well at isolating my voice and at the same time manage to cancel out almost all of the background noise. My voice did not glitch or break up at all during the period of noise. This is largely due to the four beamforming mics and noise suppression technology used in the Technics EAH-A800.

Conclusion

At S$499, consumers may be tempted to spend a little more to get the new Sony or Bose ANC headphones. But if sound and microphone are two key feature set you look for in a pair of headphones, then the Technics EAH-A800 is definitely one that will impress you in this regard. Furthermore, the impressive 50 hours of battery life is something that you may not appreciate until you use it. Overall, the Technics EAH-A800 is a very well-rounded pair of ANC headphones that does everything reliably well. Not to mention to you can fold the Technics EAH-A800 down for ease of carry when its rivals decided to go for an un-foldable design.

If you are interested in purchasing the Technics EAH-A800 , you can purchase it from the following shops:

• Shopee
• Lazada
• Qoo10
• Zeppelin
• SAM Audio