Recently, I had the opportunity to review the impressive EAH-AZ60 from Technics. I found they offered stellar sound quality with active noise cancellation, but they are also a little pricey. Fortunately, Technics makes a more affordable pair of true wireless earbuds called the EAH-AZ40 that it also agreed to send out for review.
Design
The Technics EAH-AZ40 earbuds come in a lightweight compact case held in place by magnets with a USB Type-C port used for charging. As with the more expensive EAH-AZ60, there is no wireless charging here, but at least that’s more acceptable at this price point.
Touch-sensitive buttons to control playback, volume, and more are another similarity the EAH-AZ40 shares with its more expensive counterpart.
Comfort
I was impressed with the variety of ear tips that came with the EAH-AZ60, however, the EAH-AZ40 includes only four sets of ear tips. Unfortunately for me, the tips were all too large and I had to grab a pair from this set I ordered on Amazon to get a good fit. At least the earbuds are rather small and light since there is no need for large batteries like headphones with ANC require.
User experience
The EAH-AZ40 uses touch-sensitive buttons to control playback amongst other functions. However, due to the small size and design, I found myself often activating the buttons accidentally. This is an issue many headphones tend to have when opting for touch-sensitive buttons, and one that only a few brands get right. Thankfully, there is an option to disable the buttons in the app.
Speaking of, Technics has a wonderful app that allows you to check the battery level of the EAH-AZ40 earbuds, toggle on the ambient mode, adjust the equalizer, locate the earbuds, and more. The only feature I found missing was the ability to check the battery level of the charging case. That would really be appreciated here, but it’s a minor complaint given how good the app is overall.
Sound quality
The Technics EAH-AZ40 earbuds come tuned pretty well out of the box. It sounds balanced and provides a beautiful open soundstage with plenty of detail. However, I’m partial to more oomph in my sound, and after some tweaking inside of the app, the EAH-AZ40 had the deep bass and bright highs I prefer.
After my adjustments, I was extremely impressed by the quality of sound coming from the EAH-AZ40. It was nearly identical to the more expensive Technics EAH-AZ60, sans the noise cancellation. I believe the only reason the EAH-AZ40 came up a little short, was due to the use of the AAC codec over LDAC utilized in the EAH-AZ60, which provides a higher transfer rate for more data.
Sound is a very personal thing, and thanks to the stunning sound quality, plus the equalizer built into the Technics app, you should be able to find something that’s just right for you. What’s most important is that the EAH-AZ40 gives you an excellent starting point with an open soundstage and plenty of depth.
Battery life
Technics rates the EAH-AZ40 earbuds for 7.5 hours of consecutive listening time and 25 hours total with the charging case. I’ve found that to be pretty accurate after listening to them for the past few weeks. I was able to easily make it through my daily workouts using the EAH-AZ40 buds and only had to charge them once a week.
Final thoughts
The EAH-AZ40 is a fantastic midrange offering from Technics with premium sound quality, a lightweight case, good battery life, and a few additional features. It ticks most of the boxes for the average audiophile, except for active noise cancellation. However, if ANC isn’t one of your top priorities—then you’ll be delighted by the audio quality offered by the EAH-AZ40 earbuds.
If you’re in the market for a pair of earbuds with exceptional sound quality utilizing the LDAC codec and great noise cancellation, then you’d be better served by Technic’s EAH-AZ60 or Sony’s WF-1000XM4 buds. Just know that you’ll be paying extra for the privilege of these features.
