Technics is not any slouch within the function division, and the most recent pair gives nearly each trendy function you might need. You’ll discover all of the fundamentals like auto-pause sensors, a multiband EQ, Google Quick Pair, and an Earbuds Finder, with customization obtainable within the Technics app. In actual fact, just about all the pieces is customizable for an virtually dizzying array of choices. If there’s one thing you don’t like, from how the buds relay video sync to how your voice sounds on calls, there’s probably an adjustment obtainable.
Not all the pieces feels as polished as Apple’s AirPods Professional, the software program chief within the house. The AZ100’s name suppression function, for example, does an ideal job killing ambient noise round your voice (and even the voice on the opposite finish), however it makes you sound a bit sterile and robotic within the course of. The app itself generally refused to load, forcing me to refresh it, although it was in any other case steady.
{Photograph}: Ryan Waniata
Multitaskers might be happy to see the return of three-device multipoint pairing, letting you simply swap between your pc, pill, and cellphone over Bluetooth, with no model loyalty required. Talking of Bluetooth, you’ll not solely get assist for normal codecs like AAC and LDAC over Bluetooth 5.3, but additionally Bluetooth LE Audio, which ought to futureproof the buds for next-gen wi-fi streaming.
The AZ100’s contact controls are responsive, customizable, and complete, with default choices for playback, calling, quantity, and ambient audio on the prepared. The structure is a tad complicated at first, however I admire the flexibility to perform nearly any job with out grabbing your cellphone.
Velvet Sparkle
I usually save the sound efficiency for final, however the AZ100’s sound is simply too good to carry off any longer. Like most hi-fi buds, they supply a gradual and regular revelation of their abilities. The additional you drill down, the higher they sound.
Once I first fired them up, I used to be stunned by the sound signature’s heat and virtually thick taste, seeming extra reliant on the bass and decrease mids than anticipated. That mentioned, I typically favor a smoother contact in my hi-fi over sharp and zingy, and it didn’t take lengthy to seek out that the AZ100’s heat entrance acts virtually like a velvet backdrop on which instrumental textures and results glitter like jewels within the mild.
