Technics - Premium Hi-Fi EAH-AZ80-S

One common mistake I see people doing with the AZ80s is running the ldac codec at 96.0 kHz / 32 bits. I actually use the Bluetooth code changer app to run at 44.1 kHz / 16 bits. Doing this I find the AZ80s to sound much better. Most music, even the Flac files I have is at this sample rate. Although I cannot find proof of this, but there are plenty of people who say that android scales everything to 48.0 kHz no matter what. Give it a try. Btw to do this in developer options you have to switch to another codec AAC then back to LDAC before it will let you change the sample rate

The AZ80s to me are way better than Sony. Sony NC may be slightly better but the AZ80s sound better and fit me much better.

The AZ80s are my main gym drivers. They have a solid fit for me. I have zero issues with them moving or wanting to fall out while lifting

Most flacs are at 44.1 kHz / 16 bit. Go into developer options and change from 96/32 to 44.1/16. You will hear a difference. Also run playback quality at best for audio. You can use the Bluetooth codec changer app to automatically change when you connect the earb2

Godspeed with this one bro, "comfortable" and "high quality sounding" are both wildly subjective. For my money, I'd go technics az80 or Sennheiser TW4.

Denon Perl Pro are amazing if they fit in your ears. My right ear had trouble but the volume and sound quality after the acoustic tuning for your ears is top tier. If those don't fit well then try the Technics AZ80 but the volume is a little lower even at max volume.

from all the tests i´ve seen, The only Wireless headphone that can stand toe to toe with its wired equivalent is the Audezee Maxwel and it steamrolls everything else in the bluetooth world. When you make a headphone, first you design the headphone, and then you think how you´re going to connect it. but in bluetooth headphones its the other way around. I tested time and time again, when i had the sound rhyme SR5 with a adapter cable, or the EM6L with AZ20 compared to "high end" bluetooth buds like the Technics AZ80, the Denon Perl pro, the Sony XM4... they just crush them. you lose ANC, and the package is bigger overall, but the sound quality is just in another category, thats why i have the AZ80´s for when i listen to audio books or go out at night and dont want to take my actual good mobile setup, and then have the BTR17 with the Aful P7 as by standard carry on and work setup (soon to be xenns top pro).

This is likely the worst take on the AZ80 I've seen. Guy didn't even mention the excellent fit of the AZ80, which is a key factor contributing to its overall appeal. The AZ80 excels not only in sound quality (6.5 is laughable) but also in terms of fit, connectivity, and decent noise cancellation, making it the best all-around choice for Android users.

I recently got the AZ80, and I’m very happy with it. It sounds good paired with my iPhone, and it sounds even better when paired with my Surface laptop. I’ve re-listened to my favorite songs (using the AZ80, and I heard so many details I haven’t heard before when I used other earbuds and speakers. I can hear more instruments and more background voices. Their tagline “Rediscover Music” is quite fitting.

I have the Technics AZ80! Sound quality is 👌👌👌

I recently got the AZ80, and I’m very happy with it. It sounds good paired with my iPhone, and it sounds even better when paired with my Surface laptop. I’ve re-listened to my favorite songs (using the AZ80, and I heard so many details I haven’t heard before when I used other earbuds and speakers. I can hear more instruments and more background voices. Their tagline “Rediscover Music” is quite fitting.

airpods pro 2 still remain to be the most balanced sounding out of everything I've tried this year. But, the AZ80 and Momentum 4s were also fantastic but their form factors and ANC feel like compromises in comparison.

No, they are still too bassy and have a small soundstage, very in your head sound. I've tried alot of earbuds, the best ones sound quality wise have to be the Sennheiser momentum 4 true wireless, Technics AZ80 (or wait for the upcoming AZ100 on the 10th), and airpods pro 2. Bowers and wilkins Pi8 is boring, its your average V shaped sound signature, too much bass and treble.

on sound quality and clarity alone, by a mile. The XM5s are just wasteful on high quality music because of the bloaty bass, alot of clarity thats found in instruments and vocals is lost in the mix. the AZ80s are just much more detailed and pleasing sounding. The AZ80 loses out in anc though. One thing to consider, the AZ100 just got revealed, so it's worth waiting for more comparisons, because those may even beat the AZ80s

I have the AZ80 for a while now, still keeping them. they replaced my Sony that had battery issues. Soundwise for me, I prefer the Technics. It's a bit more detailed sounding than the XM5.

I have them, and they're amazing. Bought them for 160€, it was a no-brainer.

Yes, Technics AZ80s offer excellent sound quality along with impressive battery life.

Technics Az80s Az100s can connect to three devices at once. Works great.

I've only done with the 80s. Works great for on those

I did not like the az80 wanted a set of buds for my phone and one for my PC found them very quiet and muddled compared to my Pro 2. On my PC or on my IPhone. I ended up returning them same day was very unimpressed.

I have a pair of Denon PerL Pro, and I think the sound is elegant, and controlled, and just a joy every time I use them. However, I've tried a pair of Technics AZ80, and I think those are just a tiny little bit better.

I have a pair of PerL Pro, and I love the sound, but as I said in several comments on this sub, the AZ80, which I've tested for a couple of hours, sound a little, little bit better. Not by much though.

I have a pair, but I've tested the Technics AZ80, and I like those a little bit better.

I have and had Perl Pro, AZ80, Elite 10. I also wanted to try MTW4 but i have the momentum 4 headphones. For some reason whenever i want to do critical listening i always reach for my az80s.

I have both technics az80 and nothing ear 2024. I believe the nothing ear has crazy value for the asking price. Bass is reaching basshead levels, decent clarity and separation. LDAC availability. Awesome software. Nice modern utalitarian design. My only complaint with them was some harshness and unrefinement on the treble region. There was a time a believe the AZ80s were muddy too. Im glad i didnt return them. I believe their tuning is not for excitement, but for long relaxed listening sessions. They are warm, lush, smooth and intimate. Best mids i ever heard on a tws. Total opposite of the nothing ears. Exciting, engaging, lively but can be thin and lackluster on the "audiophile" areas, which are mids and treble. I listen to some jpop jrock and i understand why you prefer the nothing ears. Jpop is a genre that needs more liveliness. The technics is too thick sounding for that. Ironically, i love listening to black and death metal on my AZ80s. They have a very forgiving nature, in a sense that poor recordings still sound pleasing on them. Both are good in my opinon, just on totally different flavors. Edit: I am lmfao when u said that the nothing transparency is trash. That what makes me not want to use them sometimes. It really is hot garbage lol. Technics transparency is really, really good.

Not really calling them crap, but i had returned mine as well in favor of L3P and AZ80s. I just find the stock tuning odd specially the upper mids to treble region

I just got them for black friday. I have the AZ80 for a while now and i can safely say they can be in the same league with the Technics. Maybe a tad more refinement and resolution on the AZ80s, but the Jlab have stronger bass extension.

Still Liberty 3 Pro. But Nothing Ear 2024 comes close. Just dont expect the same refined sound from the likes of AZ80s, specially on the treble region.

Bose qc ultra is a mess. 15db bloated bass ruins all instrumentations. Horrible adaptive eq. You try to decrease bass, treble will increase and become unbearable. Xm5 is miles better but got a bit bloated too after the update. Technics are more refined than these two. I dont have the 100s but have the 80s. I am interested more on jbl tour pro 3 bc of the dual drivers.

I would not pick pi8 for multi genre listening. I would rather recommend Technics az80 on dynamic preset. It will 100% be a smoother and enjoyable listening experience. Pi8 lacks a huge amount of sub bass and they tuned it to be bright and detail oriented. It is also prone to sibilance.

I had these and think theyre terrible for metal. Just harshness overall, not really resolving. Az80 and liberty 3 pro are still a league above this.

Now youre saying that, it makes sense why my hear id always try tp reduce treble. But my personal preference is still a sparkly treble. (Hence the love of L3P and AZ80) i just find the treble on these soundpeats not as refined. It makes sense at the price point. I put Earfun Air pro 4 (better soundstage) and Nothing Ear 2024 (almost as good as L3P) a little above this. Liberty 4 pro is released yesterday and now im curious about those.

I dont have a new one. My latest was supposed to be Rex5 but got stuck on processing, so i just decided to refund instead. I have been rotating my tws and realized i preferred a full bodied midrange than a leaner one. Its just a smoother and a more enjoyable experience (leaner sound tends to be more analytical imo, hence i returned my pi8 immediately.) The technics az80 still has more enjoyable sound than them. When i wear them all sibilance is gone, and i just focus on feeling the music instead of analyzing microdetails. Another one of my favorites are the nothing ear 2024. After sound personalization, the sound profile opens up. It has tactile bass and has one of the grittiest electric guitars i have heard (even compared to iems). My only problem with them was they never fail to hurt my concha after some time. I have smaller ears so i accepted my fate.

Yeah.. they kind of hurt my ear 2- whats up with that ? :( I have to think very hard if i can justify to keep them. Just going back to the az 80s that fit perfect in my ear. Am i using them wrong?

Thx for review. Now I'm using AZ100 also AZ80. Noise cancelling not as good as XM5,but wearing is more comfortable

I've owned the AZ80s and the buds3 pros and the buds3 are actually quite a lot better. There would have to be a very big improvement in the AZ100s for them to be an upgrade for me personally. Bare in mind people have different shaped ear canals and preferences so you can never truly decide based on someone else's comparison. You've also got to consider the source and whether they tweak the EQ like I do (stock buds3 pro sound is a little muddy and bass heavy)

The Technics really do have an outstanding sound, I can confirm that. For me, however, the 1more Evo is definitely the budget choice. They're always available for around €100 (Europe) and, to be honest, the sound is hardly any worse; the software even makes it very individual. The ANC is not at the highest level, but the case is extremely high-quality. Disadvantage: No foam attachments fit on the in-ears, otherwise they jam a little in the case

I'll vote az80s. I have those and previously had sony xm4 (well, still do.) I wrote some comments in the sub reddit here you can probably find. For me, sound quality is top, followed by call quality. The call quality on the Sony line is terrible. I've been told bose has similar problems. Call quality on the az80s is on par with airpods in my opinion. The clarity blows everything I've heard away though I admittedly like the more bassy sound on the sonys, but they are unusable for conference calls etc., The noise cancelation for the az80s is on par with bose over the ear. I've even used my az80s as pseduo hearing aides... By changing transparency to filter background noise so I could hear people next to me in noisy environments.

I'm currently using the technics az80s as well. They replaced a beloved pair of xm4s, which had recently suffered sudden battery drain issue. Because this seems to be software induced I will probably never own another set of Sony earbuds despite thinking they sound better than just about anything. I'm also a huge fan of foam tips. ====== For the az80s: I love the looks (have silver) and size of the case. Battery life so far is very acceptable... Clocking 4 to 5 hours of use with ldac enabled. The recharge rate is very quick. Several people have raved about the sound stage while a handful say it's not good. It took me a few days if listening to figure out why: The clarity / thd is spectacular.... Same clarity at 30% vs 100%. But they aren't as loud as competing products... Such as the xm4/xm5. So if you listen to a lot of heavier music you might not be happy. I think you need to really pay attention to the equalizer settings and remember some phones (like Samsung) have their own equalizer too. If you listen to anything other than heavy music they should easily best most anything else with clarity. ANC also gets a lot of mixed reviews. You have adjustments to make in the app. Please make them. Better ANC than anything I've tried including airpods pros and xm4s. Finally I'll comment on background noise reduction. This was the feature that made me pick them. I watched several reviews and in all of them the az80s handled background noise better than just about anything but Huawei free bud pro 3s. The xm4s did terrible on mic quality. Now trying az80s real world I've had more mixed results... You do need to make more adjustments in the app again. So far I'm pretty impressed with the background noise reduction for very loud areas with lots of voices. However underwhelmed for moderately noisy areas. May take some more tweaking. Hope this helps.

I will know Friday. I'm a big fan of foam tips and comply is the best brand by far. I had a set for my xm4s before they died battery death. Super comfortable. Excellent passive noise reduction. I will say the formulation for the default ear tips with the az80s is not as itchy as standard silicone tips. I also think that the noise reduction from the default tips is very good.... If you fit them properly.

I too hate airpods. I think the sound is horrible. I tend to prefer earbuds with the most clarity and the best base. But I do need to talk on them so mic quality is a must, which kills a lot of recommendations. Right now I have AZ 80s from Technics and clarity-wise they are top notch. The mic also works great and unlike other people I find that the noise canceling is exceptional. Perhaps they need to change their ear tips or they need to make adjustments in the app for their hearing. Technics now has az100s, but the 80s were the previous flagship and are only 160 bucks now. Well worth it. The noise canceling is on par with the Bose quiet comfort Line and the mic is on par with airpods. Battery life is quite good in my experience. The Sony X4 and X5s will have similar but not quite as good clarity but super excellent bass. I do prefer excellent base as a mostly prefer Rock metal Etc., but the mic quality on the Sony's is terrible. So overall Technics is my favorite. And I will recommend either the AZ80 or the AZ100

With my AZ60 I get vastly different sound when I use the S2 eartip compared to when I use the S1 eartip. S2 is shorter and the bore is of some other material I think. I think that AZ80 comes with the same eartips, hence this comment. With S1 there isn't much subbass at all and there is lots of treble. The EQ can't boost the subbass. I don't like that sound at all. With S2 there is plenty of subbass but treble is a bit muted do I have to EQ it slightly and then the sound is very lovely. (My EQ is like an upward slope increasingly boosting everything except the lowest band) Size S is almost a little too small (passive isolation suffers slightly) for me and the M eartips are as long as S1 and produce the same sound that I don't like. So currently I'm stuck with S2 until I find some third party eartips that retains the super lovely sound I get with S2. TLDR Try different eartips, wild how much of a difference they can make.

Technics AZ80 are great

I have the az80; mainly as they give imho the best mic quality and in my job as IT Consultant I feel I owe my clients and partners a clear voice, even if I’m somewhere outside/subway/cab/… For audio they are great too, maybe there are better ones. So if the az100 aren’t a step back with regards to the mic and isolating voice from background, they’ll be a good choice

I have the Technics AZ80. Often, at work, I will work in small office to isolate myself because of the constant noise in a open floor concept. The door remains open and people drop in frequently to talk to me. Often, when wearing the earbuds using ANC and listening to music I won't hear them. They have to move closer and wave so I can notice them. I cannot compare with Bose and Sony but I am satisfied with both the ANC and how the music is sounding.

Dissapoint in AZ-80, they dont stick in ear at all...despite being one of the best in fitting category. Almost lost them then they pop up suddenly at night walk, so annoyng to move them back.

Interesting your take on the AZ80s. I’m giving the AZ80s another try right now. I think the Denons sound better also. There’s a few other cheaper buds I think are right up there with them but it’s true they are a really solid all arounder.

Right now I’m giving the AZ80 a second chance and switching back between those and the Soundpeats Capsule Pro+ and the OnePlus Buds 3 Pro. I think both of those are holding their own depending on what song is playing.

Technics definitely needs eq and built in eq is useless. I have az80 but the sound should be pretty similar. In the end I used the autoeq to create the wavelet preset. I used az80 preset and the diffuse field 5128 (-1db Oct) with some additional minor corrections. https://imgur.com/a/uRthaKi

Nobody knows what is good for you. You have to listen to them. Also it's useful to look into their measurements curve. I didn't listen to the Denon,Jabras and Nothing Ear. Sony are linear but will not amaze you with details and clarity. Same to Technics. Sennheisers sounds just wrong for me with no lows. Bose are ok but initial tuning is too bassy for me. It's like one just increased the bass with eq. I personally have Devialet Gemini 2. Very linear with slight increase of lows and trebles which is easily compensated. Amazing resolution, imaging, separations you name it. But again, just listen to them. I listened to Nobles, B&W, Bang and Olufsen and they did not suite my needs. But maybe they are for you.

I've tried all of these. I would go with the Momentum 4 or AZ80. Both sound the best of any I have tried.

I think the "best" is going to depend on each persons use case. As for the ones you listed the XM5 never had the same problems, but the tips dont suit everyone so maybe on paper you could say they are the best bud, AZ80 as others have said must be a contender, one of the best sounding buds by far with ok ANC, but personally and seen a few cases of pressure headaches from them, so sadly not my "best" bud, Airpods same story as XM5, great at everything, best at nothing, on paper you can argue best all round with XM5. But I think if you take one person vs another, lets say me, I wear buds walking, some quiet parks so sound quality is nice, then some busy streets with lots of traffic noise so average ANC wont do and then a gym that sounds like a EDM club. Not to mention, I live in a very rainy area and powerlifting is my thing so weight lifitng chalk everywhere, especially my hands, need that IP rating to be dust and water! So Jabra elite 10 gen 2 or maybe these incoming AKG N5 (have them on order) will be my GOAT for 2024? Take a look at how you use them first, what you need most, then go from there. First call, your device, what codecs it uses and how you use it, is it in a pocket? etc. Then make a shortlist like you have, pros and cons them. Again using me as an example, Samsung S24 Ultra, LDAC or Samsungs SSC for hi res, or I go to a good sounding older codec bud like Jabras or Gemini 2. Do they have dust resistance? The Jabra do, is ANC good? Reported comfy and good for the gym for hours? YES, got my GOAT.

Did you get some cabin pressure and headaches with the AZ80? I swear I thought I was losing it, I would get uncomfortable, take them out, then even hours later get a migraine even sometimes. I kepy plugging away with them because they do sound so good.

I have AZ80s and Samsung buds 3 pro, the AZ80s use LDAC once enabled in the Technics app and bluetooth settings, if you want audio to be optimal then you need to do that every time in developer options, otherwise it remains adaptive. But its never switched back to AAC for me. Buds 3 pro obviously switch to SBC and then SSC with my S24 uiltra.

Fantastic write up, can I ask why the Gemini II are not your favourite daily if they sound the best? Also why the Elite 10? Currently finger on the trigger to buy a new pair of buds and I own quite a few also, top 3 WF1000XM5, Bose QCII and AZ80s. The Sony are my favourite for ANC though Bose more consitent, the foam tips fit ok, but my left ear unseats them sometimes and the ANC inner mic taps on my ear causing a noise, the AZ80 sound amazing, do everythin else good, but give me headaches (though I may have fixed it with the ANC customise settings) So I kind of want a pair for quiet walks and good sound, or at home, if I need good ANC for the gym I use the Sony

Compared AZ80, Samsung Buds 3 Pro, WF1000XM5, Bose QC2 (the newer buds are a slight improvement) and AKG N5 recently, one of the things I did was sit in a cafe with music paused to test ANC, I found the Bose were the best, not my favourite musically, but for ANC they are king. Voices are unpredictable so you want more isolation than ANC although ANC if done well will try to help, it deals more with predictable constant sounds like air conditioning or engines, Bose have a decent seal on the ear, the Sony WF1000XM5 come quite close with foam tips. As a fellow ADHDer, also autistic, plain earplugs or music ones like Loops for example are also decent. You will never get full silence unless you go industrial over ear level protection, but all the above will take a bit off the top of the volume.

Love my technics Az80’s i heard bad things about the 100’s and that everyone just goes back to the 80’s

I work at a hotel that is currently doing a gigantic expansion project so a ton of construction and loud trucks when i go for my walk outside during lunch. Not even noticeable. I would try to focus on the sound of a bulldozer bucket dumping dirt and could only hear the music!

I've tried the Sony, Sennheiser, and Technics from that list. Sennheiser (Momentum 3): Very good sound quality, but they broke after a couple of months. Also, even after owning them for about a year, the ear fins made my ears sore during longer listening sessions. Great sound, but not the most reliable or comfortable. Sony: I bought the Sony earbuds to replace the Sennheisers. While the sound was good, the foam ear tips were annoying, and they didn’t support the ear well, leading to discomfort. Like the Sennheisers, they made my ears sore after longer periods. I ended up returning them after just a few days. Technics AZ80: These were my favorite out of the ones I tried. Very comfortable with good ear support, and the sound quality was excellent. Sadly, one earbud jumped out of my ear into a river while I was running, so that ended that. Now, I'm using the Nothing Ear (2). Honestly, I would recommend the Nothing Ear (2) over all the others. It offers basically the same sound quality at half the price, and the app experience is much better than Technics'. Summary: All of them have good sound quality. Sennheiser sounds great but has reliability issues and uncomfortable ear fins. Sony has good sound but uncomfortable ear tips and poor fit. Technics are the best overall for comfort and sound. Nothing Ear (2) delivers about 95% of the Technics experience, has a better app, and costs half as much.

AZ80s developed a problem within like 6 months for me where any time i wanted to use pass thru or anc there would be an annoying buzzing noise. have you had any issues w durability?

just purchased technics az80 from zepplin at sim lim, highly recommend the buds and store

My only issue with the AZ80 is the ANC, otherwise it's great. For ANC, my XM4, MTW3 is way better.

I just have to note since they pointed out sports, I feel like the AZ80 was kind of designed for people with smaller ears. The default tips almost feel sized down one from what I am used to, and I wish the nozzle was just a little bit longer because they don't feel as secure to me as other TWS buds I've tried. The insertion depth is just slightly less than where I'd really want it. This might or might not be an issue for op.

In order For 300: AZ100 For 150: Perl Pro if they fit For 130: one plus buds 3 pro (also didn't fit my ear but sound is good for the price) You could also go for the AZ80 since they are below 200€ now. Please note that I rate them for sound only.

I bought AZ80 because of all these \*REVIEWS\*. Sound quality is not better than EarFun Air Pro 4, it is a slightly different (little less bass, so little more voice). Of course, I have used LDAC 900kbps profile with both models. Sound quality can't be physically better, both models has single dynamic driver. I was hugely disappointed and returned AZ80 back to Amazon. AZ100 still have single dynamic driver, sound quality could not be better than AZ80. It is an limit of the technology.

Your words are not supported by theory or practice. It's just your words. Theory: show me at least few loudspeakers with SINGLE driver, lol. Quick example, my loudspeakers Wharfedale Jade 7 has 4 drivers for different frequencies. Practice: single driver Technics AZ80 sound quality similar to single driver EarFuns Air Pro 4. New AZ100 still have single driver, so there won't be any changes.

I have Jabra Elite 10, Technics AZ80 and Denon Perl Pro. My experience is that the Jabras (with AZLA tips) are the most comfortable pair I own, with good mics and reasonable sound and long battery life - definitely the pair I use the most. AZ80 and Perl Pros are quite even in terms of (superior) sound quality with Perl having slightly better ANC.

Technics AZ-80 really good sound quality and comfortable. They just released the AZ-100 which are a bit smaller and with better sound quality. They both have 3 device multipoint connections which I really like

From my personal experience: 1) Devialet Gemini II 2) Technics AZ80 3) Bowers and Wilkins Pi8 4) Sony XM5 The Gemini II are flat out best sounding buds period to me and I'm yet to find something that out ranks it in the sound department. I have to listen to my planar magnetic wired headphones to get better sound. Looking forward to a comparison between the Gemini II and the AZ100.

az80

The sound stage is like nothing I’ve heard before and they are the most comfortable earbuds I’ve ever worn. They may not be the strongest in any one category (outside sound quality) but overall the best tws imo

AZ80 truly are in a league of their own.

I just bought the AZ80 and MTW4 last week. The AZ80 lacked enough volume for my preferences so I sent them back. I would recommend the MTW4.

I know this is an older thread but I'm frustrated with my AZ80s and considering what to buy next as a replacement. The AZ80s in my experience have a fatal flaw: the pin holes fill up with ear gunk and they won't charge afterwards. I examined my other previous earbuds (Sony MX4s, Jabra Elite 7t) and they never had this problem because the contact area for the charge pins isn't recessed. When this contact point is flush with the plastic body of the earbud it lowers the chances that something gets stuck in there, but the AZ80s I'm constantly having to keep clean. I do clean my ears regularly and I'm used to having to do a bit of cleaning on earbuds as well, but nothing like this with previous pairs. So my question is **does the AZ100 still have recessed pin holes or are they flush?**

Technics sound better than the Sonys, but the Az80 (not sure about the 100’s) aren’t loud enough and the Sony has much better ANC

check out AZ80/Denon Perl pro and XM5's. I have had all three and my favorite sound is the XM5, but favorite fit is by far the Perl Pros.

I recently upgraded from my best fit pros to technics az80s and I love them. The sound quality is excellent and better than my momentum 4. The only negative is the anc and transparency modes aren’t as good as my beat fit pros but I’d rather have better sound quality so it’s not an issue for me.

I just went with the technics and am pretty satisfied with the quality of both sound and hardware. Sound great, feel great, and they had / still might have a pretty good holiday discount going on. I think they're worth it, but also don't think you can go to wrong with any of them on the list you have.

MTW4 has crap sound quality. Technics AZ80 and Perl Pro are the best currently. Except Noble Fokus Rex5 just came out and I’ll report back how those sound.

I currently have the Technics AZ80’s and while they have the most balanced sound I’ve ever heard from a wireless earbud, it does lack punch, bass and it suffers from distortion.

I 100% agree! It has the widest soundstage I’ve ever heard from a wireless earbud but it could be better. I’m an audiophile and the distortion, bass, and low volume level bothers me to no end. I’m hoping the Bluetooth 5.4 and higher quality drivers will make the Rex5 the best ones yet! Also, my technics are already having battery issues just owning them for 5 months. So I’m not very happy about that. I guess that’s what you get with consumer brand earbuds! :/

For those with both, how is the clarity of the vocals on the AZ100s? I love the Sennheiser sound profiles and the clarity and detail that comes through on the highs yet still has good bass response. I tried the AZ80s but returned them after not being blown away and thinking my MTW4s were just as good or better still. Do the AZ100s finally best the MTW4s? Or would I still prefer the MTW4s if I'm focused on clarity and detail in the music with a nice side of bass? When I listen to songs like Chris Stapleton's Death Row, the detail and scratching of the guitar pick on the guitar strings is present in my MTW4s like no other buds I've tried, although still nowhere near the detail in the M3 OEs (which are better than the M4s imo). I love bass, but i want that detail and vocal clarity as well. Will the AZ100 do that as well as the MTW4s?

I’m an audiophile, professional sound engineer and gear addict.  I own Sony xm4, Apple AirPods Pro, technics az80.   I personally think they all sound great but the Sonys are my favorite.  Apple second but very close to technics the Apple gain some points for functionality and reliability.  All three are great

I’d argue my Sonys have both great anc and sound at least as good as my az80 (which are also very good)

I personally have the technics az80 but the az100 are better

Yep. I'm curious about those too. AZ80's that I bought unfortunately I had to return due to case not charging anymore after 2 weeks only. AZ100's I hope have fixed that issue, also I really hope they have a sound difference.

It is true that sound quality is subjective everyone is going to give a completely different answer than what you'd hope, so I'm going to try and be as concise and honest as possible. One of my main hobbies is trying and returning earbuds on Amazon, so that I can do my best to help other people find the pair that best suits their needs. It's been close to 200 at this point, I'm sure. So here's an unpopular take, which many may disagree with, and I'm still trying to understand why i seem to be the odd one out. I've tried the status between 3, and the original beteeen pro that I ordered through kickstarter, and I'd put them in the same category as the nuraloop, which i also ordered through kickstarter in 2016. Sadly, the denon perl pro sound pretty much the same to me, which is, dynamic, but completely muddy, and as if a thick theater curtain hides the detail from you in all three pairs. They should all be worth less than 80 dollars for the way they sound, imho. I was very unimpressed. The momentum true wireless 4 have very delicate drivers that are incredibly sensitive to changes in eq, making them distort and crackle on aptx, and I didn't find them to sound that much better than my old galaxy buds 2 Pro, tbh. Similar sound signature. I've tried all of noble Audio's wireless earbuds, and I'd put them in the same category as raycons. Overhyped, oversold, unimpressive sounding, consumer targeted garbage that looks really cool. Sadly, my 20 dollar soundcore a20i sounded miles ahead of the Noble fokus prestige, which are supposed to be the "pinnacle" of true wireless. I don't understand why people like them at all, and I hope their iems sound better. The beoplay ex were very impressive for what they were, but were incredibly uncomfortable due to the plastic seam which held them together. I have yet to try the pi8. The master&dynamic mw08 sport were amazing earbuds, but only after an eq was applied, and then they did the same thing the mtw4 did, crackle and distort due to weak speaker drivers, but they were the best and most realistic I'd ever heard, so maybe put the new mw09 at the top as well? Not sure. The devialet gemini 2 seem to get both positive and negative reviews, so it may be a gamble, haven't heard them myself tbh. Svanar wireless are another I haven't tried, but seem legit. Possibly beyerdynamic's new pair. I would say the mtw4, xm5, az80, and buds 3 pro would probably satisfy most people generally, but I've heard so many earbuds that were impressive and downright atrocious sounding that I'd put those three in the category of "good enough", not something like the prestige category. Comparing those to the beoplay ex would be like comparing caviar to boba, its just not the same. Anyways, at this point I'm rambling and probably not that helpful, sorry. Good luck with your search!

I mostly use the AZ80s nowadays. Still keep my AirPods 2 Pros around.

I’ve got other issues with the AZ80s but muddiness isn’t one of them, especially not compared to the AirPods. Maybe you did something to their configuration that made them sound this way? According to my ears, the opposite is true. The AirPods feel flat, muddy and lacking in detail compared to the Technics set. To me they’re definitely a significant step up when it comes to SQ (detail, soundstage, instrument separation, bass) and even ANC.

Sounds plausible. As for TWS, in my opinion, the situation is the same. Single driver is not able to output excellent voice and excellent bass at the same time. You can get either excellent voice and weak bass (Technics AZ80), or good voice and good bass (EarFun Air Pro 4).

Technics AZ80 are fabulous. I had AirPods Pro for a couple of years and thought the NC on those was good, but the AZ80s are several levels above them.

I got the AZ80s recently for a replacement for my buds +. Although the ANC was better I felt like the sound for the price of the AZ80s was underwhelming. Also a much more uncomfortable fit. I returned them about 2 weeks ago. My search continues. I’m on my 2nd pair of buds + because they’ve been the best to me so far.

I just got the AZ100s and I've only had them for a few hours, but they're fantastic. I would say the Denon Perl Pro, Pi8, Devialet Gemini 2, and BeoPlay EX still have a slight edge in terms of sound quality, but the AZ100 sound pretty fantastic and aren't that far behind, at least in LDAC (which is all I've tested). The AZ100 are better all-arounders than any of those, although I have no real complaints about the Devialet and Denon. My initial impression is that they've dethroned my beloved Sennheiser MTW4 for best sound in the $300-ish range, but I need to spend some more time with them to know for sure. I preferred the MTW4 over the AZ80 but so far I think the AZ100 has them both beat.

The MTW4 are one of the best sounding earbuds out today, and a very good all around earbud. They are a bit better, in almost every way, than the Technics AZ80, which is a crowd favorite here. The best sounding earbuds are the Devialet Gemini II, the Denon Perl Pro, and the Beoplay EX, but these are all in the $300-500 price range. The Sennheisers are the best sounding earbuds under $300, and occasionally, on some tracks, I actually prefer their sound over all the $300-500 ones. They are in the top 5 for ANC, their touch controls are customizable, they're pretty comfortable and they have multiple eartip sizes plus wing-thingies to help hold them in the ear. I have almost all the top premium earbuds on the market today and the Sennheiser MTW4 are probably my 2nd favorite overall for everyday use, after the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2. The Sennheiser sound is better than the Jabra. Their personalized sound feature in the app is one of the best, because it essentially has you mix a track to your taste, and then adjusts the EQ and tuning based on that. However, I've found that I get the most premium sound when I put the MTW4 in High Resolution mode, and in this mode the personalized sound feature is disabled. But I recently discovered that the EQ section has something called "sound check" which guides you through developing a personal EQ setting, and this *is* functional in High Resolution mode, so the combination of high res mode and soundcheck is where I've gotten the best possible sound.

>can I ask why the Gemini II are not your favourite daily if they sound the best? Also why the Elite 10? Mostly because the Devialet are expensive and I don't want to risk carrying them with me everywhere. The sound detail isn't as important when I'm out and about and listening casually--nowadays even cheap JLab earbuds make my music sound great for casual listening, and the Jabra sound far better than cheap JLabs. Besides, I frequently have only a single earbud in, listening to an audiobook while I do other tasks, so I don't need to break out the audiophile buds for something likely recorded in the narrator's walk-in closet. :) Also the Devialet battery doesn't last all day. The Elite 10 are extremely comfortable, the only earbuds I can wear pretty much all day, in terms of comfort and battery life. If I've been wearing other earbuds for a while, switching to the Elite 10s is like taking off my work shoes at the end of a long day and putting on a comfortable set of slippers. I like the sleek style and the soft-touch rubber and the color options. They're just about the last earbud brand with physical buttons, which are so much better than touch controls, and the app lets you customize them completely. They sound very good--loud and musical and punchy and detailed: the only reason I don't rate them higher in sound is because I'm really spoiled by the amazing sounding Devialet, Denon, Beoplay, Sennheiser, and Technics. The Jabra are still among the best sounding earbuds, it's just that those few others are *exceptionally* good sounding. If you like the Technics but have one or two little problems with them, the Sennheisers might be worth considering. I describe the Technics and Sennheisers like Coke and Pepsi: they're more or less tied, but if one isn't quite to your taste, the other is probably just right.

Since your first criterion is great ANC, I'd take the AZ80 off your list. It's one of the best earbuds out there in nearly every way *except* for its ANC, which is serviceable but not as good as other flagship models. The Sennheiser MTW4 is roughly equivalent to the AZ80 in most ways but has better ANC and some more future-proof technologies like AuraCast. I think the Sennheiser has better sound than the Technics too, but I came to that conclusion only after extensive back and forth testing in which I preferred the Sennheiser roughly 60% of the time, so it's a close call. Overall my favorite is the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2, which is more comfortable and has better controls (physical buttons, all customizable), and roughly equivalent ANC. I'd say the Sennheiser sound is a bit better though. I find the Sony to be uncomfortable and it annoys me that the touch controls only have limited options for customization. The sound is pretty good but I think it's a bit shy of top-tier. The ANC is up there with the Sennheiser and Jabra. I'm not an Apple person so I can't really compare to the AirPods, but AirPods are boring and who wants to be boring?

Sony XM5 will never win a "most comfortable" contest. The most comfortable earbuds are the Jabra Elite 10, and they sound *good* but there are several earbuds with better sound and more hi-res codecs. If money is no object, the Devialet Gemini 2 are very lightweight and comfortable, and are widely considered the best sounding earbuds on the market today. The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are growing on me as well: they are comfortable and well made, and sound fantastic, and support some high res codecs like APTX lossless. I still think the Devialet sounds slightly better but my mind changes from track to track. Sennheiser MTW4 and Technics AZ80 are a bit more reasonably priced (though still on the high end of the consumer earbud market). Both are pretty comfortable and sound fantastic. To my ears, the Sennheiser sound a bit better and the Technics are a bit more comfortable. In the under-$200 range, the Nothing Ear (2024) and the OnePlus Buds *Pro* 3 are both very comfortable and sound fantastic. The Nothing supports more high resolution audio codecs but whether this matters depends a lot on what your phone supports.

Don't believe it. I have them for like 3 weeks now and I never had any problem. The sound on these buds is out of this world. I had Technics AZ80 and I returned them. They were in the quiet category.

For me sound quality is the most important, and the Nothing Ear 2024 is ELITE level for the money. I tried the Denon PerL Pro and the AZ80's but Nothing destroyed them. I was surprised tho 😆 but its the best i've ever had. And it looks badass 😁 Anc is weak tho.

I agree with others. I recently returned my shitty mtw4, as well as some crappy galaxy buds 3 pro and landed on the jbl tour pro 3. I looooove them! And also having the az80 I can attest to them being on par with the jbl so the az100 I sure will impress too. Can't go wrong with either.

Apple airpods pro and technics az80 are very good with voice calls and I use them daily. Airpods pro is very good in noisy and wind environments. Noice cancellation is also very good. I use AZ80 for my office zoom and teams meetings.

New for 100£ is great Technics AZ-80 and 100 are good too or Denon Pearl pro, but the pi7 for that price is crazy new

Maybe check the technics AZ-80 Those cost only 179€ right now

I Hardly ever need to go up to 60% of loudness that’s how loud they are, the base is quite good but they let you improve it a even more through the bass EQ in their App.

AZ80 is my favorite. I've not compared as many as the OP. Looking for a new set. I just like newer and better things. It's an illness lol

I have these and they're good. But soundwise I prefer the Sony wf xm5 and Technics AZ80. Out of the three I use the Technics most frequently. They're all very good options though.

I have never even felt the need to max the volume out. So that's pretty subjective.

I have an android so I wanted a good set of earbuds that wasn't airpods. The goal for me was getting something that provided good sound quality but would also allow decent call quality and withstand sweat from working out. I eventually bought the AZ80s after reading very good reviews on Reddit. Once they arrived I really liked them. They looked nice, the sound quality was great, and calls were clear. However, one day I went on a light jog with them and as soon as some sweat got on the earbuds they stopped working. They made a little buzzing sound and just stopped working. Since I only had them for a few days, I got a refund for them and bought Apple Airpods 2 pro. Even with an android device, the app2 is amazing. They are much more versatile and the Anc/noice canceling is fantastic. To me, the airpod pro2s are the best earbuds you can buy. Everything else has trade offs, like having good sound quality but bad mic, or great sound but bad connection with devices. App2 is just the best all around earbuds that are much cheaper than az80 or xm5 of qc ultra without any trade offs. And the best part is they work just fine after a heavy work out.

My Technics stopped working after running in them once, after some sweat got on them. I've worked out in $40 earbuds from Amazon that held up better than the az80's. I will be getting a refund for them and buying something else.

Are they louder than the AZ80s? I have the AZ80s and I like them but they just don't get loud enough

Yeah, I tried that and it didn't do anything. I had read before that they didn't get very loud. Nothing I've tried worked

Are they louder than the AZ80s? I have the AZ80s and they sound great but they don't get loud enough

Technics AZ80. The P9 can hold full 990 kbits LDAC, even outdoors most of the time.

Here's what I've tried in the last 6-12 months and in order of preference based on sound: Denon Perl Pro Sennheiser MTW 4 Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro Nothing Ear 2024 Earfun Air Pro 4 Technics AZ100/Technics AZ80 The above are all excellent choices - The top 2 stood out for me but decided on the Perl Pro's. Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 Huawei Freebuds Pro 4 Couldn't find a sound that suited one on these 2 above.

This is an accurate review of the AZ80. I had the Denon Perl Pros first then bought the AZ80. I was pleasantly surprised on how similar the soundstage was to the Denon Perl Pro, however they lacked that bit of bass. I do own the MTW4 as well which has a narrower soundstage unfortunately, but I felt that guitars didn't sound as crisps on the AZ80 compared to the MTW4. They are no doubt an all rounder bud, but there are areas they do lack slightly.

I haven't tried the AZ100 but do own the AZ80 and MTW4. The AZ80 sounds better because of the wider soundstage and better instrument separation. The MTW4s have a narrower soundstage although they sound a bit more detailed and have got one of the best treble out there. So if you love a wider soundstage the AZ80 is the way to go but if you are into good treble the MTW4 is the way to go. Also I would recommend MTW4 if you like metal a lot as the guitars sound better than the AZ80.

I have the MTW4, AZ80 and Denon Perl Pro. Of the 3 in terms of sound quality the Denon Perl Pros are the best and come at a good price although the fit might not suit everyone. On second spot will be the AZ80. Probably the most comfortable of the 3 and I guess the AZ100 will be similar. Sound wise they are almost similar to the Perl Pros but just that the Perl Pros have a slightly wider soundstage and better sub bass. Nonetheless they sound awesome. The MTW4 are good as well but just that they have a narrower soundstage compared to the other two. The strings and electric guitars sound the best on these so if you're into metal you may like these. The bass is equally good, probably sounds better than the AZ80 but just slightly. Also the ANC is better on these and the AZ80s following just behind. Cannot say much about the Bose to be honest as I've never tried them.

I have the AZ80 and they are known to be on the quieter side and did hesitate getting them to begin with. I finally took the plunge and got them, but was actually surprised them as listen to them above 60% volume on my Pixel phone. For the record I never listen to most of my earbuds above 50% volume, but if you are someone that listens to your earbuds at close to full volume then maybe the AZ80s are not for you. I'll be concerned though if people listen to their earbuds at full volume.

I do agree on this. I recently got the AZ80s and I've been binging on them because of the wide sound stage they have which I love, but did realize that the string instruments do not come out as good compared to the MTW4. So now I interchange them depending on what I want to listen to. I do get why people would choose the AZ80 or AZ100 over the MTW4, however I think there are things that the MTW4 can do that the AZs cannot achieve.

I started with the MTW3 which were worse than the MTW4 in terms of reliability and pretty much went through 5 pairs till they ended up giving me the MTW4 under warranty. So far I've had the MTW4 for 7 months and they seem to be holding up a bit better, but I better not jinx it. Sound wise they are okay but lack the instrument separation that you can get on the Denon Perl Pro and AZ80. I have the Denon Perl Pro which are by far the best sounding earbuds I have tried so far. Good soundstage and instrument separation. Also the stand out thing about their sound is the immersive feel you get out of them. However you may start getting white noise issues in ANC or Ambient mode with the earbuds, and I'm currently waiting for a replacement for that issue. I also got the AZ80s which are somewhat similar to the Denon Perl Pro in terms of soundstage and instrument separation, but lacks the immersiveness of the Denon Perl Pro. Can't say much about reliability though.

I've had the Sony XM5 for a little over a year. If ANC is what you're looking for, the Sony's are very overrated. It's terrible. I have quite a few other gripes about them as well. I had the XM4s before and IMO, they were better earbuds overall. From your list, I would go with the Bose Quiet Comfort. In my quest to replace my XM5s I'm currently trying out the Technics AZ80s and Bowers and Wilkins Pi8. If ANC is what you're after, I definitely look into the Technics as well. Noise cancellation is pretty fantastic. They don't touch B&W from a sound quality perspective, but ANC is great.

I compared most TWS options at SoCal CanJam, and my favorite for sound quality was the Technics AZ80. I own several TWS's, but I still have my eye on the AZ80. For sake of comparison, I currently own the Sennheiser MTW4, Bang & Olufsen EQ, Bose QCII, Grell TWS/1X, and Moondrop Golden Ages. On my first listen, I thought they sounded better than most TWS in my collection. The AZ80 is that good. I would need to sit and compare for longer to rank them exactly. The AZ80 were my favorite TWS at the show. I plan to pick up a pair eventually.

I have Technica Az80's, and I like the ZX1's more. They're just technically better in almost every way.

Yes, I sent back the Bose. They definitely had great noise cancelling for steady noise, but introduce a sudden load noise and they were abysmal! They would let the load noise through and then take several seconds to recover, thus letting in the steady load noises for those few seconds. I have iPods pro 2 and they are good most of the time. I also have the XM 5's, but quite unhappy with them. I cannot get ear tip replacements that work for me. Anything comfortable and not enough noise cancellation despite having a good seal. I do have one manufacturer that works extremely well for noise cancellation and sound quality, but quite uncomfortable. I've tried 10 different manufacturer replacements and not found anything suitable. I broke down yesterday and ordered the AZ80's. Will be arriving tomorrow. The sound quality of the XM5's is head and shoulders above the AirPods Pro 2's. I hope I have a good experience with the Technics.

They were my favorite so far. Great sound quality great call quality, noise cancellation pretty decent with Sonic foam tips... and then... not sure what is going on. In load environments the right earbuds will drop to almost no sound coming out. Chatted with support and couldn't get anything resolved. They work fine at home, in my pickup, but in my two different work trucks, the right one kicks out.

I bought the Perl Pro, the sound on these is next level. I put my AirPods Max on after these and the APM sounded trash in comparison. But they weren’t the most comfy and did run into connectivity issues. After hearing how good the Technics AZ80 were I bought them to try. Much more comfortable, smaller, more reliable, better build quality, basically better at everything bar sound but even that is fantastic on them. Returned the Perl Pro. I should have been happy, the Technics do everything I want in an earbud. But they didn’t set my world on fire like the Denons did. If I had never heard the Denons I might have been more than happy with the Technics. But everytime I put them in my ears I just think, you’re just not the Denons. In the end I ordered them again in the Black Friday sales and am selling the Technics. I know, I’m crazy. I’m giving up a more comfortable, more reliable, better made all rounder earbuds with excellent sound quality for another earbud that is worse in all categories. Except sound. Man that sound is like a drug

I do Like the Technics AZ80 and Sony WF-1000XM5. They work really good in my opinion

how long have you had them? I have the az80 and the tips hurt me for a week or two, but once the silicon softened they are SO comfortable.

I do enjoy them too, honestly don't even feel them most of the time. I've heard the az100 changed the tip shape and size so I'm worried about upgrading

return them both, get the technic az80s

Set AZ100 on LE mode. Sounds comfortable for my ears vs LDAC . The battery consumption on flight back from Japan . ANC on est 10% drop for an hour . Medium volume. I hav az80 too both sound diff .

Are the az100 a good improvement over az80? I was thinking about them, but I'm still mad about paying $300 for the az80 and then realizing that they lowered the price to $199 on the following couple of months, you don't get those kind of surprises from Sony or Bose

... Weak bass

I think denon looks stupid, ex are old, uncomfortable, lacking bass and also visually unpleasant, az80s is something every reviewer likes but i never tested it, I heard the bass also lacks there, as for the pi8 I tested px8, and preferred my momentum 4, so I'm not exactly excited about the pi8, though it's still good. Edifier stax is a headphone, I don't deal with headphones anymore.

Incredible buds i had them but just a note... They are not loud enough for me at least. For exaple they have like the 75-80% volume of the max airpods 2 volume. Its like they are like 3 taps on your volume button lower than the max volume of airpods.

Technics EAH AZ80 are still the winners in my view. AZ100 lost some sonic neutrality and WAY over-pumped the low end. AZ80’s are absolutely superb for sound: balanced, full, intimate and sonically on-point. I also think they are incredibly comfortable. ANC is not class-leading but it is still excellent. Voice calls are better than AZ100 which makes one sound like a robot.

The AZ80’s in my view are better - less bass heavy and better balanced sound

Just ordered mine, currently use the AZ80s so I’ll see how they compare.

I’ve tried so many brands so I’m hoping the search stops here 😂 otherwise I’ll stick with the AZ80s.

Honestly gotta give it to the AZ80, they do everything well, especially the sound. I also use mine in the gym consistently no issues of them falling out whatsoever. ANC is also solid.

Technics AZ 80. Ive used Sony xm5 and jabras's and tô me the technics are suberb.

I spent the last month extensively searching for a new pair of earbuds to replace my Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, which I’ve been using for the past year and a half. I tested several top brands and models that reviewers frequently recommend as great overall options, including the Technics AZ80, Sennheiser Momentum 4, and Jabra Elite 8 Active. Unfortunately, I encountered issues with each of them in key categories. My main priorities when it comes to earbuds are, in order: 1. Sound Quality 2. Comfort/Security in the ear 3. Microphone Quality 4. Battery Life 5. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) 6. Case Size \*\*Jabra Elite 8 Active:\*\* I enjoyed wearing these to the gym, but they quickly fell short compared to my previous earbuds. While the Jabra offered better sound clarity than the Soundcore, I would rate their sound quality a 6 out of 10, whereas the Soundcore gets a 7. I didn't feel it was worth testing the other categories further. \*\*Sennheiser Momentum 4:\*\* I’m unsure if I had a defective unit, but I encountered a strange issue with the microphone quality/volume. The ANC would aggressively reduce all sounds coming from the earbuds when there was noise around me. During calls or while listening to a podcast, I found the voices to be much quieter, and even at maximum volume, they were unacceptably low. Also, the soundcore had better microphone quality which was strange. Would expect Sennheiser to do a better job for the price. The sound quality was good, but they felt too aggressive and unbalanced. I typically try to boost mids and highs due to slight hearing loss, but that didn’t work adequately for me. After prolonged use, my ears became fatigued by how the music sounded. Additionally, the case was bulky, and the earbuds were uncomfortable for extended periods, leading me to return them. \*\*Technics AZ80:\*\* These were much better overall. The sound quality was more balanced and warm, with plenty of bass. The Dynamic preset was my favorite, and I almost decided they were worth the investment. Unfortunately, after two weeks of testing, I determined that I needed to keep searching. The main issue was comfort; my ears felt slight discomfort after about an hour of use, which only worsened over time. The battery life was also a bit on the low side when considering the case, but it was still acceptable. Eventually, I came across the Nothing Ear (2024) earbuds, and I am very happy with them so far. In terms of sound quality for me, they are better than the Technics and Sennheiser due to their extensive customizability. I was able to alter the sound to my taste, resulting in the best earbuds I’ve tested and used to date. Initially, the sound was a bit harsh with sound personalization, but I managed to adjust it to my liking. The comfort and security are great, good microphone quality, decent battery life—especially with ANC off and case + a unique and cool design. Great job, Nothing! My sound config for my nothing buds is: Personalized Sound 50% intensity ( Did it at least 10 times). Had to be sure I get the same results after repeated tries. More bass preset and Bass Enhance level 2. PS: After spending more time with the Nothing Ear, I feel that I should also mention the most annoying downsides. \- controls: the lack of swipe up/down for volume.I have to pinch 2 times and hold which is annoying \- bluetooth connection: the connection distance between the phone/laptop and how much I can move around the house without having the call become unstable is smaller than expected. \- case is very sensitive to scratches. it already looks like is been used for 6 months. \- very rarely the connection becomes unstable for 1 sec and reverts back. right now is not enough to bother me but if it happens more often I would be tempted to send them for a warranty check \- sometimes one earbud charges faster than the other. The difference is between 10-15%. If you leave them in the case for enough time they will both reach 100%.

I would certainly include the Status Audio Between ANC3’s From your list, most of which I’ve auditioned, I’ve kept the AZ80’s and the Betweens (and the Apple Pro 2s … nothing beats these for daily use)

For pure sound quality, the Technics AZ80 offers detailed, balanced audio with strong bass, while the Sony WF-1000XM5 builds on the great soundstage of the XM4s. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 and Denon Perl Pro are also excellent for immersive, audiophile-grade sound. For wired, consider Moondrop Blessing 2

Cambridge audio Melamania m100 (under 200) Technics az80 (under 300) (Both have great sound quality all around but imo Cambridge is more balanced if that's what your looking for)

Budget under 100, Roseselsa Earfree I5, Soundpeats Capsule 3 Pro Plus HM: Moondrop Moca, Budget for 100-200 Denon perl pros, Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 HM: OnePlus buds pro 3, Nothing Ear, Technics az80, Jlab Epic lab Budget for 200-300, B&W Pi8(when on sale) HM: JBL Tour Pro 3, Technics Az100, Sennheiser MTW4 300+ Noble Fokus Rex 5, Devialet Gemini II This would be my suggestions for audio quality, I base these off their performance in soundstage, imaging, seperation, and things similar to that. As for tuning it really comes down to personal preference, most of them will suite anyone's personal needs with their custom EQs. I've tried countless amount of earbuds in all price ranges (20 to 300+ dollars worth) but these come out to be my top performers. I might have missed some since I have so many but I'll probably come back if I missed some. (I'll get into more details if you really want, like durability/longevity, battery, ANC, transparency, etc)

I have the AZ-70, 60, and 80's. Can't wait to get my hands on the 100's.

This is the most accurate review of the AZ80's. Your ears must be an exact match to my own. Thanks for the write up! I did tinker with the EQ to a W shape which sounds better to me (+5 100Hz, 1kHz, 10kHz, and +2 315Hz, 3.15kHz). With comply tips of course. Also worth taking into consideration that the Az80s can use LDAC instead of aptX which hugely increases the clarity of sound.

Mate, if they go toe-to-toe with the AZ80s, I'll be a very happy camper when my arrive in a couple of days! Have been really happy with my older AZ60s for the last few years, but they're just a tad bulky for certain situations - eg more vigorous exercise, etc, and thought these will be a good match.

Technics AZ80.

In my case, they are very stable, and they do not move at all. No wingtips needed. In regards to the Sennheiser buds with the heart rate sensor, I remember reading on another thread that the sound takes a back seat with those, but since I haven't tried them myself, I can't comment any further.

I have only been able to test the DENON PerL Pro and the AZ80, I have both. The Technics are better in sound because of the clarity to hear and distinguish instruments and voices in their excellent soundstage, although the Perl Pro also offer a very good soundstage. Also ANC-wise, the AZ80s are also much better than the Denon Perl Pro's, but in transparent mode both are a bit weak. The only thing that bothers me about the AZ80s is having to press one of the two earbuds two or three times to turn the volume down and up. Another pro of the AZ80s is that you can locate the earbuds by map and by sounds.

I just got my AZ80s today, would it be worth returning for this?

In that case I would be worrying about hearing damage or levels of tinnitus but I’m also very anal about those things. I bring custom molded earbuds to concerts, double up when drumming, as well as when shooting guns indoors. I’m excited for the az100. The brief time I had with the az80 was very enjoyable.

They have great clarity, and honestly the first few days sounded good when I didn’t have anything to compare them to. It’s when you put them side to side next to a pi8 or the Perl pros where they really sound lacking on low frequencies/bass. I’ve seen reviews vary on technics too.

Shout out to Technics! They have one ability that no other have. Ability to connect to three devices simultaniously. I only have two grievances with them, but those are with all others too. Mic/phone quality in a noisy car (read old car and Finnish tarmac) and not large/tight enough tips. Latter can propably be fixed with aftermarket options. The mic proplem is different. I havent found any device that would fill that spot after my trusty nokia hf headset died.

Heard a lot of buzz about the earfun pro 4, cheap and best bang for your buck. Recently ordered one myself along with an technics az80. Love the az80, legit feel like an extension of my body, like cyberpunk vibes. The earfun pro anc is pretty sweet, I would say 80% of the az80. Sound quality is great, the only downside I found was the tips, they don’t fit my ear well.

Sennheiser has a pair of buds that have a heart rate monitor in them. The design also has wing tips built in. I can't attest to the sound quality but they are quite expensive ($450 CDN). Cant imagine they sound too bad but keep in mind part of that high cost is for the heart rate monitor tech. I'm using Technics AZ80 with wingtips from an old pair of Samsung Buds (they fit perfectly on the bud just not ideal for the case). They are the same wingtips they use for the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE. Without the wingtip solution I probably would have returned the AZ80. They slip out of my ear very easily (almost impossible to hold into place when running or biking). Not sure why so many reviewers claim they are stable, not the case for me at all. I also found huge improvement by getting some memory foam tips from Amazon.

I tried many and all of them are personal taste. If you can, you should try listening to see what's your preference. For me after trying some sets: Clarity and sound: Technics AZ80 Convenience and controls: Sennheiser True Wireless 4

My top Picks are 1. Technics AZ80 2. Bowers and Wilkins Pi8 3. Denon Perl Pro

Technics az80, they have a good sound quality and very good reviews

I have sony linkbuds s and technics az80.  I wfh and switching between calls and teams etc, I always get told how clear and good the technics are for voice and no background noise (the multipoint is always perfect t too!) Technics has an adjustable "just my voice" feature and works well!  with the sony the multipoint is hit & miss (unreliable) and I get told I sound like I'm in a empty hall. Lots of background noise etc. 

Unfortunately there are NO "one size fits all" and there are NO "best wireless earbuds" at rhe moment. Sound, ANC, fit & comfort are very much dependant on how they fit you. Eartips FROM Azla, Spinfit and Comply also enhance the experience with better grip and comfort. I've had all the buds on your list. I see Sonys mentioned a lot in this thread. They are awful imo. Very small footprint makes them loose in my ears. Terrible hybrid foam tips which are too small and have no grip. It's ANC gives a bad thudding body noise when ur exercising or when there's a loud noise near u. Turn anc off and it's gone. Call quality very average and poor in noise environments. They also have battery issues which u can read with a quick Google. Technics AZ80 have very good sound quality and decent battery life but they didn't stay in properly for me. ANC is average at best. The customisation and app is one of the best out there. Jabra Elite 10 are solid. Esp when paired with Azla eartips. Good anc, good sound good call quality. Bose QC Ultra have good sound, best in class anc but they also have a thudding noise when anc is on, although not as bad as the Sonys. Call quality is average and bad in noise environments. App control and connection and stability are not great. Sennheiser MTW4 are what I stuck with. Good sound (esp when personalised and tweaked), good comfortable fit for me, good anc, good battery. Call quality is average. Good app and customisation.

Jabra Elite 10 don't give this thump. I've had a few sets. Try Azla eartips on them to improve the sound and stability. Sennheiser MTW4 don't have this thud either. Bose QC Ultra do have the issue. Sony XM5 do have the issue. Technics AZ80 don't have the issue.

Sennheiser MTW4 imo. Jabra Elite 10 (gen2) Technics Az80 also worthy.

Yes but unfortunately no one earbud set contains all of the good things. Best ANC = Bose QC Ultra Best sound = MTW4, Technics Az80/100, Pi8, Devialet Gemini 2 etc etc Best comfort = Bose QC Ultra or Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro imo Best mic and call quality = Galaxy Buds3 Pro imo. Some say Huawei pro 3 Best battery.. Most are 6hrs+ without anc and up to 6hrs with There are prob buds I've forgotten but I have tried a lot and my faves up to no have been the MTW4's. Not the best at everything but the best all round imo.

There is no way the nothing ear 2024 sounds better than Technics AZ-80. I have them both, and the latter blows it away in terms of sound clarity and soundstage

I used the AZ80 for two years before buying the AZ100 and never had any durability issues beyond the case getting scratched up but that’s me being nitpicky

Similar things happened with mine. I sent them back into Panasonic and they sent me a refund.

the best sub 100 earphones I've ever had were the Cambridge audio melomania touch my favorite overall is the technics EAH-AZ80. they're over 200 bucks though

Technics Az 80’s They are really overall great!!

Az80 is really good.

If you want the best ear retention for running, Bose’s wingtip design is the most stable, not always the most comfortable If you want the best ANC, Bose as well Best sound goes to Technics Sennheiser’s recent QC issues has me steering away from them, and the bowers and Wilkins just don’t perform as well as they should compares to the rest of the market. Their car stereos are phenomenal though.

I was already biased during my shopping from having some Technics headphones and liking their app, did not look at B&O

Xm5 is ass compared even to az80

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds had the best ANC overall. On a plane, they blocked out engine noise almost completely, and even in noisy cafés, they handled voices really well. Sony WF-1000XM5 were a close second. Great at blocking low-frequency sounds like fans, traffic, or office hum. They let a bit more high-pitched noise through (like sharp voices), but still very quiet overall. Technics EAH-AZ80 had decent noise cancelling — enough for a train ride or a coffee shop, but I noticed more background sound slipping through compared to Bose and Sony.

Technics AZ80. Will move on to 100 if they ever go kaput

AZ80 sounds miles better from Android using LDAC than iPhone still.

That’s one pair I haven’t tried! I’ve had Denon PerL Pro, Technics AZ80, B&W PI5 S2 and overall I love the MTW4

I've not tried these. The earfun's have 12mm drivers which definitely helps naturally with the bass rather than forcing it through tuning. I note the Anker have 10mm drivers. I would say if you are not a fan of bass then the earfun's might not be ideal for you. However, I would say when listening to non remastered 80s and 90s rock it was a revelation on these. (Faith no more - epic, sounded better on these than my technics AZ80s) The moon drop I couldn't get a huge amount of info on but they do attract great reviews. These have ANC so I suspect to squeeze that in for the cost there must be some cheaper bits somewhere. Basically for rock, 80s and 90s UK indy I'm reaching for these earfuns. They are also my gardening go to's For work, walking busy streets and housework I reach for my Earfun air pro 3s (for the ANC) For sitting and actually listening to the track and absorbing the music it's the technics AZ80. If it helps, I gave away some Soundpeats capsule 3 pro plus' this week to a friend cos I'd rather have these Earfun life's in my rotation. I actually think for a non ANC set they are the best I've tried. They have relegated my JBL reflect flow to the drawer as well

Just this minute hit buy on these to replace some xm4s that had the battery issue and then I broke while fixing. I spent all morning talking myself out of it but your post gave me enough fomo to make a decision. £209 GBP on Amazon prime day, which is under $300 USD all taxes paid which seems a good deal (silver only) Edit: can I ask... Du they have in ear detection? The technics website says yes, but some reviews say no

Denon perl pro or technics AZ80.

Odd. With custom audio test in the app, it makes it much better then stock. Then I have android and I use wavelet to eq even more and it's pretty nice. AZ80 needs less tweaks but more expensive. Not much touches these two in terms of sound in terms of the price beyond maybe OnePlus 3 pro, the earfun air pro 4. Sony's, bowers and Wilkins, Jabra, and status are some others that are competitive. Good luck!

"best" is very subjective. That being said the Technics AZ60 M2 or the AZ80 are imo the best ear buds you can get. Edit: I'm bad at reading.

The Technics, they excel at both.   The Jabras would be next. Hard to recommend them though now that Jabra is exiting the market.

Battery life is great especially if you don't use LDAC, even on LDAC I get 3-5 hours of usage on a single charge. Technics is owned by Panasonic, they make batteries so they know what they are doing. The earbuds shape on the 80s is super comfortable, the 60s I find less comfortable but not the worst either. They both come with 7 ear tip shapes and sizes so you're likely good to find a good fit. I swapped out for aftermarket tips myself but I can wear them pretty much all day.

How long have you had your az80s? I've mine for less than a year and the charging case flaked out on me and it appears others have had the same problem. It won't charge more than 30%. I was hoping they would honor the warranty by just sending me a new case, but they require I send the defective unit back to be evaluated for a potential fix. Kind of a pain. Have you experienced any issues?

Yes very first warranty ever.

I tried them both .. Nothing ear, after EQ, has amazing sound quality but very poor ANC and transparency… Bose has the best ANC, comfort and a pretty efficient transparency. Sound quality is solid but below the nothing ear… if I have to pick one I would take the Bose Qc ultra though .. I ended up picking the technics az80 which, overall, was a better package for me

Same. Those WERE my second fave after the Bowers PI7... Then came the 8's, which were good but not like the Sennheiser MTW3. Currently using my tried and true Bose QC II and the Technics AZ80's. This is my second pair of the Bose. I sold the first ones and picked up another after about a year of missing them and toying with other brands along the way. Still want to grab a set of Beoplay EX just out of curiosity. I've had the EQ's but i still want to see what it's all about with the stem form.

I bought the Sennheiser TWM4s and have a pair of the AZ80s on the way. Planning to side by side them and return the ones I like less.

I ended up going with the Technics, simply for the fitment. Both sound awesome. I just have weird ears. I'm actually gonna return the technics and wait for the AZ100s to come out in Canada, then get those I think.

After using Airpods for years I switched to the AZ80's and I have to say they are by far the best earbuds I've ever had. Pricey but worth it my opinion, I have them synced to my PC and Iphone and it's pretty damn seamless. I constantly switch between using the PC and Phone for calls/ videos/ music and it almost always works exactly how I want it to. Besides this they are the only earbuds I've used that have never fallen out of my ear. My only real complaint is that for some reason the Iphone seems to pretty dramatically restrict the volume. When I use the PC as the source no volume problems but this is pretty damn annoying tbh.

I was debating between the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, JLabs Epic Labs and the Technics AZ80. I ended up purchasing the JLabs on Amazon for $94.99 USD (53% off) Black Friday Sale. Seems like a no brainer at this price point.

I really hope my comment gets some traction, but I also had problems with buds falling out. Airpods will literally fall out at the tilt of the head. The only two earphones to fit my ear are the Sony WF-1000xm series but my absolute final love for earphones is at the Technics AZ-80. The AZ-80 fits my ears PERFECTLY and the sound signature is so pleasant. As someone that's had many many high end earphones, I can clearly say that these are the perfect wireless earphones for me. Please consider them!

I'm no audiophile and unless you are I think you'll be perfectly happy with them. (Audiophiles seem to think nothing is good unless it's like $5000 or more, no judgement, I have fine tastes in some things too). I ANC is good in both. I never think "I wish these had better ANC" If I had to choose one, I'd probably choose the AZ 80's. From a sound perspective I couldnt tell you which pair was better. The AZ's feel a bit more premium and they can connect to three devices at once and they have better options for "find my buds" when I inevitably can't find them in my house. The Jabras smart case is really cool but for the few times a year I need it, it's not worth an extra $100, to me. The Jabra are more comfortable in my ears.

Very happy with them. One thing to note though since OP mentioned Android. If you want LDAC or less lossy codecs and you have a Samsung phone I believe Samsung enables the better codecs only when the phone is paired with the Galaxy buds. The Technics work with AAC on my S24.

Well the Technics az80 support LDAC but Samsung won't let me enable it in my developer settings.

So I just tried enabling it and the LDAC becomes selectable in the dev settings but it doesn't seem to work. Plus it recommends to disable multipoint.

Even the AZ80s have better sound than the XM5. Well done, Panasonic!

Nope! Even the AZ80 have much better and refined sound than the XM5

I just tested out those crystal pods, they sound better than airpods pro 2’s. And not much different than technic AZ-80’s. The anc isn’t as good, and I didn’t test out the call quality, but im getting a 2nd pair before the price goes up!

imo The Best wireless earbuds are AZ80, Pi8, Denon Perl Pro, Airpods pro.

Normal Pixel buds 2 with spinfit tips were the most comfortable buds I've ever worn. Sound quality is very average. The technics AZ80 are very comfortable with incredible sound

Call quality on both are average, AZ80s are better. WH-XM5 are the best call quality I've ever experienced but that's an over ear set

Best are Devialet Gemini 2 and Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 The pro-sumer tier are: Technics AZ80, Denon PerlPro's and B&W Pi8 I am impartial to my AZ80s

My AZ80s are my fav piece of tech. They're incredible

I love my AZ80s, incredible sound

Technics AZ80s are mine. Only buds that match my Fiio FA9s close enough in resolution and fidelity.

I bought them for the sound quality first and they're incredible. Genuinely stunning sound presentation. Phone calls are fine. ANC is meh to me but I have WH-XM5s. All other ANC is just inferior when comparing to them. If I only had them for ANC I'd be disappointed imo Connection is absolutely incredible as well.

ANC=WH-XM5 not WF-XM5 Pure sound quality = AZ80s

I have both Bose and Sony. And Samsung buds 2 pro. Sennheiser MTW4 and technics eah-az80. I'd rank Noise cancelling as follows : Bose >> sennheiser mtw4 = Sony wf-1000xm5 > technics eah-az80 > Samsung buds 2 pro

Audio quality depends on person to person. I like punchy bass and am basically a slight bass head!! For me it's as follows : 1. Sennheiser MTW4: works on most number of genres. Awesome bass but not overpowering. 2. Bose QC Ultra: the most booming bass. Like it when I'm listening to hip hop, edm etc. But vocals are good too. Treble is a bit weak but I'm very treble sensitive so don't really mind. 3. Technics and Sony wf-1000xm5: very smooth and balanced. Sony has slightly more bass than technics. Respond well to EQ. I love these when I don't want to drown myself in bass. Particularly for classical, jazz, country music etc. 4. Samsung buds 2 pro : weakest bass in this bunch. But very bright and clear sound. I mostly use this for movies and podcasts but sometime I listen to classical on this.

I was in the exact same spot as you a few weeks ago. I'd put my Jabra Elite Active 75s through very heavy usage, running, lifting, work meetings, and daily listening. They finally died after 4 years. I could not find a new option that ticked all the boxes the 75s did, with good sound, hear through, multi-device connection, a good IP rating, good reliability, etc. The new Jabra models (8 and 10) look good, but Jabra is leaving the consumer headphone space, so future support is an unknown. After a bunch of research, I just accepted the fact that I wasn't going to get a single do-it-all option. So I went with the Technics EAH-AZ80 for most uses, and the Suunto Sonics for running and cycling. I feel way better about the bone conduction for safety. And the Technics blow the Jabra's noise cancelling out of the water. I don't love two devices, but all the other single device options I could find didn't match the Jabra 75s. RIP to a great set of headphones.

If you have an iPhone and a Mac or Apple TV I’d say yes. Otherwise there are better choices in my opinion in that price range. I myself have the Technics Az80

Yeah I do wish they were a little louder. However 1) I need to go get my ears cleaned out by a doctor. 2) it’s my understanding that louder than they play is bad for your hearing long term so idk.

The biggest issue i had with the az80 was not the sound quality or NC...which was excellent...but the fact that the right ear volume would significantly drop and become miffled after a period of time. I went through 2 rma bc of this issue and the third pair just started doing it. Panny has acknowledged the issue and found many other reports on reddit about the same thing. Hoping the az100 fixes that as I would love to grab a pair.

As per sound quality alone, az80 or jlab epic lab edition(this has low latency dongle as a plus not found in others)

Perl Pro comments sound to me like Denon has a huge marketing budget. Galaxy Buds Pro 3 are actually lowkey epic. The AZ80's are also very good. Smooth sound? AZ80. Impact? Pro 3. That's all I've tested out of these "best SQ's" That said, Connectivity is GOD on the AZ80's. Like instant multipairing perfection gucci mane holy fk. All other multi pairing doesn't work for me.

Bose qc ultra followed by az80 followed by xm5. Large gap then everything else.

With the AZ80 dropping down to $167 I think they take my win for overall best.

Is it safe to assume most here are using Android devices that can take full advantage of higher-res codecs? I’m an iPhone user and previously had the AZ80s, which sounded great until the sound quality deteriorated and felt stuck on SBC or worse, so I replaced them under warranty and eventually sold the new pair. I’m now considering the AZ100s or AirPods Pro 2 but wondering, as an iPhone user limited to AAC, if the AZ100s would offer a noticeable improvement over the AirPods Pro 2. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Az80 is better than the qc ultra and cheaper.

I like the sound stage on the az80, the fit and comfort and cheaper.

Interesting. Wouldn't have thought something as relatively bass light as the first gen pros would work for that kind of music. Well I could recommend technics az80 or az60m2. Nothing ear (2024) are also really good (I'm just not into stem style buds). Jabra elite 8 active Gen 2 if you want something very rugged. OnePlus buds pro 3 seem to be a bit more on the dynamic side rather than neutral but seems to be pretty good

No auto ANC. Has a 0-100 slider you adjust and a pre calibration slider you can use which can make a decent difference to the baseline performance(though I assume most people who mention poor ANC don't go into the settings to try it)

I find it pretty good with public transport and flights. Easily sleep through everything. Vocal suppression is decently good though not amazing. Slightly cuts down on loud cleaner vacuum noise but won't completely kill it (if the vacuum cleaner is mostly high pitched nose. Does much better if it makes more mid to low pitch noise) Though if you're listening to music or a video with ANC on, then I'm pretty much in my own world and can't hear anything. Feel like the ANC is developed to allow you listen to your content with minimal distraction (though you can still get a quieter napping experience even without listening to anything)

You can switch off ANC during calls on the technics az80 though I notice some social media apps with call functions don't always link up with the buds call mode touch controls

Hmmm ones with good sound could be denon perl pro and Sennheiser mtw4/momentum sport Honestly regarding wing tips, I've kinda been indifferent. Used the liberty 3 pros but then upgraded to technics az80 after I lost them. So far have pretty similar stability with a bit less of that occasional soreness I got from the wingtips There are also things like the Jabra elite active series with the silicone covering meant to help with making them more grippy to the ear. So there are different approaches to the same things

Hollow and tinny sound might be a caused by a bad fit. You need to make sure that you are using eartips that fit well, and also make sure that you put the earbuds in your ear the right way. Sometimes you need to twist them a bit. But fit is very, very important. I returned my B&W Pi8’s because of this reason. I tried various eartips but I couldn’t get a tight fit. So I bought a pair of Technics AZ80’s and they fit great.

Sams experience here, I tried xm5 then az80s. The peak is with perl pros and they're often on sale so it's not even about money.

One thing to know is that sound is subjective. All the ones you a re looking at are competitive with one another in the higher end consumer segment. The momentums might be a good choice for your music needs as they are a bass forward earbud with good sound. I love the Technics but the fit might not be the most comfortable for everyone. I can tell you this the AZ 80 earbuds are not the most comfortable for my ears BUT I have used more comfortable earbuds. Also the Perl Pro are comparable imo for sound but I had the experience and have seen a lot of people says they are uncomfortable. As for the Sony they are decent but the others produce a better sound profile. The best thing to do if you are able to is look at some reviews YouTube. If you want some good sources I can help with that. Also try the others if you can and return what you don't like. Unfortunately it's a big trial and error type situation especially with fit. One thing that will help with the fit is some eartips from Spinfit. I've found that I've gotten better sound and fit from earbud using theor eartips. Hope this helps some

Thank you so much for your review. I had been loving the AZ80 for a few months for its nautralness, clarity and wide soundstage, but your review had been in the back of my mind for a while. Could the Denon actually be better? One day I saw it on sale, took a chance and bought it, and you were right. It's better on every level. More clarity, while retaining naturalness, better imaging and a bigger, holographic soundstage. Even the bass is better, more impact and presence without being boomy. It's better than every wired headphone or earbud I've tried. I felt I owed you a thanks. Note to others: You must do the hearing test setup in the Denon app, because out of the box these sound awful, thin. After the setup, it's suddenly MAGIC.

Technics! AZ80 and looking forward for the new version, whenever it will be out!

I’d take out the Technics, Sony, and Samsung if ANC is your focus. Their ANC levels are all mid-tier, at most. If you have an iPhone, I’d also add the AirPods Pro 2 to your list. I also suggest adding the JBL Tour Pro 3. In terms of ANC, it goes Bose, JBL, then Sony/Apple. Some argue that the Jabra Elite 10 version 2 have the best ANC, but they let in sounds that were cancelled out by both the Bose QC Ultra (there is no such thing as the Bose QC Ultra 3 earbuds) and JBL Tour Pro 3. If you don’t want to deal with bugs and can take a small, nearly unnoticeable hit in ANC, get the JBL Tour Pro 3. If all you want is ANC and you’re ok with bugs, the Bose QC Ultra earbuds are it.

Jabra Elite 10 (Get them before they're gone) Jabra Elite Active 8 Gen 2 (light, easy, excellent sound quality, and basically waterproof; no good hires codecs though, and the app is decent at best) Also get them before they're gone. The other thing about the Jabras is that the case becomes a Bluetooth transmitter for devices that aren't Bluetooth enabled. So, for example, you can use your earbuds on the in-flight entertainment systems on some airlines. (I LOVE them for travelling.) (Jabra is discontinuing their lines of wireless earbuds, which is really a shame.) Technics AZ-80 (one of the leaders in the 200-300 space; they were just made obsolete by the introduction of teh AZ-100s, so I'm expecting their price to go down even more soon) Denon PerL Pro (excellent sound quality, great integration of AptX codec, and amazing sound personalization, but blech everything else, including app and case). These were on sale during Black Friday/Christmas for $150, and for a short time Amazon had some limited stock for $99, which is absolutely insane quality for that price. Back at $200? I think I like the other options better. But be on the lookout. Nothing Ear (2024) -- stylish, comfy, squeeze controls so no accidental misclicks, great app. Sound quality is probably one rank below the Jabra, Technics, and Denon, but they're fine buds.

I’ve had experience with a few of these, and I can give you some insights based on your priorities. Here’s what I think, in terms of sound quality, Sony and Sennheiser are usually considered the best, with crisp highs and deep bass. For ANC, Sony and Bose are top-notch, but the Technics and Jabra also do well. Call quality is solid across all, but I’d give an edge to the AirPods Pro and Sony for clear, noise-canceling calls. Would love to hear what you decide!

I think the xm5 stacks up fine with competitors. You just need to use the eq a little bit (excited is a good preset if you can’t be bothered). Technics az80 would be my pick, especially at their new price.

Out of the box the l4 pro sounds better sure, for metal and rock. Az100 with eq is better imo, but out of the box I think the az80 is much better sounding.

Sony xm5 is great and has a versatile eq. Technics az80 sound great out of the box with dynamic preset, much better than the az100, that one takes a bit of tinkering to sound normal and not nasally. Cambridge m100 are amazing for the current price of $99, they used to be $250.

I have a ton of buds and the technics az80 is probably the best value, and just my favorite all around. Not the best transparency mode, but if you aren’t talking, or if you don’t mind a little bit of occlusion effect it works great. Either that or the xm5. AirPods Pro 2 if you are using iPhone and want a natural sounding bud with great anc/ambient/calls. Noble FoKus Rex 5 or devialet Gemini 2 if you want the best sound quality. Cambridge m100 if you want the best sound quality (very similar to technics az80) at a budget price, but it doesn’t handle wind very well.

I didn’t notice any lag with the az80, but it has a slight occlusion effect even with transparency mode on.

EarFun air 4 pro is a good budget pick. Otherwise you could go all out on noble rex5. Technics az80 or az100 are great middle ground, and have good anc/passive and very reliable.

I really like xm5 and technics az80. Status between 3ANC is a nice one as well, but might be an odd fit for some people I guess. Out of those 3 the az80 is by far my fav. If you get it, the dynamic eq is nice, otherwise I can give you the eq I made which is similar but has better vocals and sharper treble. Otherwise it’s a warm nuetral iem with nice thumpy midbass and great separation and nice staging. I use iPhone 11 Pro, never had much of an issue with tws, just that app2 is my every day carry because it’s always reliable and has good anc and unbeatable passthrough

Oh I think technics az80 is going to be your best bang for buck btw. They are like $180 now, they used to cost $300.

Technics az80 with dynamic eq or custom eq. They don’t sound the same, but they are even better sound quality wise. 3ANC can sound thin at times (v shape), and the vocals are recessed a bit. Still one of my favorites though.

I had the AZ80 for 12 months. I’ve used AirPod Pro Gen 2, and audio technica twx9. The AZ80 had the best sound by far. I listen to quite literally all genres. The mids and the highs were noticeably MUCH better. It was really nice to be able to listen to a drums in the background of a big band song and to be able to pick out each individual cymbal being struck. They were truly amazing for sound. The downsides. The battery life isn’t as good as it says online. The call quality was awful for people trying to hear my voice. Regularly I’d get friends and family repeatedly saying what. Especially if trying to call from outside with any sort of a breeze at all. They tout having the tech to single out your voice for others but it doesn’t work. And after 13 months, both earbuds just finally popped, and the case stopped charging 3 months ago, I have to use pass through. Going to get another set now, and I’m getting a new job that will have me on the phone more so I’m going to center my choice around a bud that can do that well. If I didn’t care about the voice calling, I’d probably get them again just for the sound quality being that much better to my ears.

This is just a little post, I got them, haven’t break them yet and only used them for 8 hours. With this I have a clear image of what this TWS offer. **Sound quality:** I'll start with the most important, to get it out of the way. They sound "fine". That's it. Any decent pair of cabled IEMS or Headphones will outperform this in any audio category, very fast, and very concisely. The audio perse lacks definition, let’s say "resolution", some nuisance disappear completely or get damped out by the stronger bass emphasis. The best audio setting for me would be "Treble", but then you loose I guess a tad much on the bass level. Custom EQ only does too much, and the definition is just not there. So I agree that “Dynamic” setting is the overall best. Soundstage is ok, not bad, very good even, but again, don't expect miracles from an audio perspective from this. Compared to another TWS, maybe the MTW4 do sound a little better, but again, it’s the same level. The B&W PI7 sound better for sure, but again, it’s so slight difference, or best said, the gap between the current TWS audio and the cheapest IEM or decent headset is too wide yet. I do love them, and I'll keep them, but this won't replace by any stretch the use of my dedicated audio experience. Even my Moondrop Chu V1 sounds way better, my H490 just seams luxury now. To end this category, in the audio quality they are really good for the consumer audience, and for sure anyone that doesn’t know better will say this are “Audiophile Grade”, which they are surely not. This doesn’t mean they are trash, they are In fact really good and I like them for what they are. Maybe this will change after 30 hours of use? I don’t know, if they do, I’ll update here, but it doesn’t seem that they will by the profile I perceive, maybe the bass will get tighter, and the sound will get a little more of “air”. But the resolution part for sure I don’t think will improve, if they do, I’ll let you know. **Volume:** It’s on the lower side. I won’t say unusable, and I even think they have a healthy top volume level. This is ok, but you may perceive at first that the max volume is to low, but with the excellent ANC you’ll get used to it. Give them, and you, some time to adjust, know each other and return to safe audio levels. **Audio Codecs:** LDAC DOES makes a difference, really, prioritize it over AAC and God forbit SBC. Disabling multipoint slightly increases the quality so consider this as well. 2 Devices with LDAC sounds sufficiently good in my opinion. **Connectivity:** 0 Issues, I move a lot in the office, and left my phone (OnePlus 12) in my office while I’m out and about. Cero disconnections even in the kitchen with many interference prone devices. Multipoint connection? These are the best damn set of TWS in the market in this regard, only air pods on IOS ecosystem MIGHT give them some fight, but anything else, and only for this, there is no competition. The true nature in the end for a TWS, is conveniency and ease of connection, and these shine above them all. The swap between devices is delightful, and I know this seems like an “ok nice” feature, but its actually game changing when you rely on them for work. One BIG caveat, for some reason Android 14, even on silence, prioritaizes any notification that arrives to the phone, pausing any video or media you're seeing in the other device, it's so anoying. Only solution I found was to activate a "Silence all notifications" toggle to the quick settings bar. **Battery:** Definitely there are better ones in this area, my Galaxy Buds + last way longer, but, its ok regarding the Sony XM4, I don’t care for case battery, my top priority is in bud battery, and so far the Galaxy Buds + have been one of the best I tried and I’ve have them I think for over 2 years now. This being said, I don’t think is an issue, fast charging does help, just keep in mind that you’ll have to charge them at least 20 minutes a day. I’m talking mostly on a work-related environment, lots of calls, 2 devices (sometimes 3), transparency on most of the time, for 8 to 10 hours a day. This already got at 50% by the 4 hour of use mark, but 10 minutes in the case took them up to 83%, so I know this won’t be an issue. **ANC:** This are good, as good as Sony WF-XM4’s, for sure, at least for constant low frequency noise. For high pitch noise they really don’t cancel them much, but they do to a sufficient amount. The ANC is better than my PCX 550, take it as you wish. I am happy with the level of ANC they provide and need no more. I felt a little of cabin presure but, nothing relevant. To compliment this part, and transition to the next, I tried some Spinfit W1 (horrendous), some Moondrop Spring tips, some Generic Comply Memory Foam tips, Regular silicon, and the stock ones. USE THE STOCK ONES, any other tip I tried outside the stock ones, really make the ANC WAY worse, by 60% I would say, and it’s not an exaggeration, the stock ones are good, but I know that for some they might itch after long sessions, sadly this is something I don’t think is worth not enduring, the ANC is so good with the stock ones. **Transparency:** It's good, and works as intended, no hiss or static, easy to activate. Can't decide which is better, normal setting or focus only on voice, but for now, they sound good. They are not as good as Air Pod Max nor Air Pods 2 Pro in this regard, but they are in a "premium" level for sure. **Comfort:** They are good, comfy overall, there are some IEMS for sure more comfortable, but for TWS, I think they are very very good, but to each their ears. The tips I use, that seal and gave the best fit were the stock L ones. Do try different ones and go through the tutorial in the app, but the best way to test the fit is, 1st, for them to stay in your ears and do some pressure, but not too much, and not be slightly loosen, then open a window and if the ANC blocks the street noise, you're set. They are extremely secure on my ears, the Moondrop Spring tips are better, but, sadly they don’t seal well. **Call quality**: They are better sets out there, but this are good. They work, you sound robotic, but people understand you. The only ones that would say are worth ditching everything else just for voice call quality would be the 1MORE Evo, very basic in everything in my opinion, but the voice call quality are next level, and honestly, anything else in the whole TWS market is, okish, usable or trash. I know this review started a little harsh, but I really love 'em earbuds, I think they offer the best all rounder feature set from all competitors, sound will for sure impress the masses, they are NOT for bass heads or people that want to crack the volume to trembling levels, but they do good. Worth the $300? Only if you want something premium. OnePlus buds 3, Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Galaxy Buds FE, Air pods 3, there are many options that, if they have the options you want, like the style, fit or something else, will do the same for you as this one. Multipoint, comfort, Audio, App & Features are what makes this set a $300 USD one. If you can live with one or 2 things, they are not for you, if you need them all, for sure. In my opinion, the offer more for the money than the Momentum TW4, Bose QC Ultra, Sony WF-XM5, Air pods Pro 2, OnePlus Buds 3 and 2 Pro, they are truly focused to appease the biggest amount of demographic they can, and I think, they succeed in doing so.

Actually they are pretty bassy for my taste. But I know people "want" bass, so, to let them know these don't have rumbling bass. What I complain is only clarity, treble is a little mild. But for sure, they sound better than most premium TWS.

Hi! Look, they are definitely better than the Buds2 Pro in all categories, and I love those sets, but obviously the AZ80 are at a premium. I would say that if you want the best, have a phone with LDAC, use Drezzer, Tidal, Apple Music, with Hi-Fi lossless settings, yes, the AZ80 sound amazing, once they break in, they are not that far away from audiophile grade if you know what you want. Other options that I consider better than the buds2 pro are the nothing ear 2 and OnePlus buds 3, an excellent option at a moderate price. I bought my Technics at $255 back then, now they are at between $340-$380. I wouldn't buy them today at that price. It's an amazing pair of earbuds, but only worth it if you have specific needs to fulfill, mostly call, work, transparency/anc, decent to very good music experience, multipoint. Battery on earbud is mid, fit is mid, ANC is good enough.

Yes, bass is deeper with ANC and / or transparency off, and sounds a little fuller. But this only matters if you're in a quiet environment and really paying attention to your music. In noisy environments ANC will win all the time.

Nah man, they aren't, by a long shot. Too much low end but not the rumbling type one, details are not that great and treble is too damped down, rock or guitars in general sound really weak. This being said, they are truly worth $250-$300 in my opinion for everything else, build quality, comfort, call quality, multipoint, decent ANC (a Starbucks shop might be too much for them tho) But also it's not fair to compare them with cabled IEM's or Headsets. Comparing it with Bose and Sony sound wise, I like the AZ80 better. But the xm5's are ok as well. By no means they sound bad, but in summary, maybe the tuning is not of my taste.

Just an update on this, just last week they started sounding better, details and technical performance is for sure higher now, treble is way clearer now as well. Another thing, before, they sounded best with ANC or Transparency off, now, they sound significantly better with ANC or transparency on, I'm as baffled as this reads. All this on Dynamic preset.

All is still good with the AZ80 so far, battery life is still consistent. But they are 6-8 hour buds at best before needing to go back to the case. They charge pretty fast tho.

Sony's are better in noice canceling, bass and volume. Az80 are better in treble, technicalities, soundstage & detail/resolution. I think I can summarize it like this.

They aren't, to be honest. The momentum 3&4 sound really good but, they are still a little far from a budget IEM. Now, to get audiophile grade audio, and the perks of a modern TWE, I think you will need to make compromises. These earbuds are for when you need to move or be at work, you won't be paying extra attention to music, they are fine and sound fantastic for that. But when you're in a quiet space, relaxing, and really digging into music, better get some cabled IEM or Headphones. Also, the best audiophile gear is not that great in the isolation department so, it's not ideal to use them on the commute or office or coffee shop etc. The AZ80 for me are on the same level as the MTW4. The Sennheiser are a little better in sound, but worse in everything else. Again, for true wireless earbuds, this is the flagship tier of earbuds.

I mean, coming from a constant minimum of 86db from other earphones, yes, but once you get accustomed it's ok, I use them at 50% normally, in the street or noisy environments with ANC I do have to be at 85-90% volume to hear "good". It's just, their top volume is not crazy levels of volume just, enough. I do think this might be an Android limitation, they are noticeably higher volume in windows for example, there is a codec for LDAC on windows, I recommend it, although, it's not free. Depending on your laptop BT Antena, your bitrate will be between 400kbps to 700kbps, 900+ is achievable with a very high end BT antena only.

+1 for the AZ80…They play well with the Apple ecosystem so far. I’ve had them maybe 5 months and use them daily. My only complaint is that the max volume seems quite low. Other than that- love them.

Another set of Jabras or Technics Az80 are my current daily call takers. No problems with audio either end, and with the az100 just out the 80s are cheaper 👍👍

Technics Az80. Best overall soundscape on any bluetooth headset and can connect to 3 devices at once.

I think the AZ80 is exactly the gem you're looking for.

User experience is not refined enough to justify the price tag imo. Sound and ANC are both great, but transitions between call/music and between multipoint devices are sloppy. Between call and music, the earbuds switch to ANC off before going to your actual ANC setting. Further, the earbuds seldom sync on startup before playing the "connected" chime, resulting in a weird phasey announcement most times I start listening to them. I really wanted to like them but had to return since the "polish" factor was just not there.

I have the AZ80 and Space A40 from this list. I also have the Earfun Air Pro 4, Soundcore Liberty 4NC, Soundcore Sport X20, and I've had several others over the last couple of years including the Jabra Elite 10 gen1. The Earfuns are my favorite for music. The AZ80s are my favorites for day to day use, including phone calls and transparency mode. What I've learned is, the difference between the really high dollar options and mid-priced ones is much smaller than you would expect. I hadn't used the A40s in a while, and they were my absolute favorites for a long time. While they aren't as good as my Earfuns or Technics, unless you're comparing them side to side, you'll probably be okay.

First, I would say after owning several, that what is your favorite doesn't have to be the "best". But since you ask, I would give the best to the Technics AZ80. They are incredibly well rounded and do pretty much everything well. The only negative I can say is, mine had to be replaced because the case stopped charging. I actually had the AZ60M2, and Technics upgraded me to the Az80 as a replacement. There's not a huge difference between the two, but the AZ80s have the slight edge The ones I use most often are the Earfun Air Pro 4. These have been a major surprise. I like them because of how comfortable they are. I also really liked the Oneplus Buds 3, but the Air Pro 4 edged them out on sheer comfort. If you don't want to spend AZ80 money, then the Oneplus Buds 3 or Earfun Air Pro 4 is absolutely where I'd stay and I'd be very happy.

LDAC can be activated on Technics under device control and device settings once paired and connected. Love mine for the music but the calls aren't very good unless in a quiet setting. The wife says the Buds3 pros sound like I'm on my good headset. Just my 2 cents. Impressive

I'm really surprised with how much I'm loving the OPB3Ps. I have the AZ80s, the Denon PPs, Galaxy B3Ps and others. Sound, battery life and call quality are just top tier. ANC and pass-through are as good as anything I own. Comfort is subjective, but they're light and I can wear them for hours. HTH!

I really do. You'll love the AZ80s, IMO. They sound great, they're comfortable and the app features are great. Battery life isn't great and call quality is just OK. The Denons sound amazing and have great battery life, but that's about it. They're heavy af and bulky, so, for me, they become uncomfortable fairly quickly. I still use them for short amounts of time because they sound damn good. The app features help with that. The OPB3Ps cover all the bases so I grab them first every time.

I absolutely love my AZ80s... Volume isn't super loud but the sound makes up for it. Noise canceling is superb as well. Coming from Bose Quietcomfort Ultra earbuds.

Technica az80 with creative bt-w5

Agree

I currently have the AZ80 and Momentum 4, Liberty 3 pro, Linkbuds S Had PerL pro, Elite 10, Status 3anc, Pi7 S2 Tried a friends Nothings Ear (2024) and they have insane amount of bass compared to the rest! AZ80 with superbass preset gives me some mega clean bass. Momentum 4 can be personalised to give you a decent bass, not as bassy as momentum 3. Liberty 3 pro has more bass amount than both above, the subbass rumble is impressive. PerL pro and 3anc has slamming bass.

Pi7 s2 sounds great, on par with momentums for me. AZ80 and PerL Pro felt more dynamic and clear to my ears. Lack of EQ and comfort issues made me return them. I'm a b&w fan as iove my PX8, I expected these to be better. They should have improved the drivers from pi7 to pi7 s2 to be more competitive. Don't get me wrong, they're among the top.

Looks like your options are.. AZ80, personally, the best sounding earbuds. Good ANC. Good transparency. Good customisations in the app. They work very well in the gym, and bass is plenty for workouts using super bass preset. Momentum 4, with a good warranty are good. A lot of issues from momentum 3 were fixed. Sound is brilliant. Devialet gemini ii is meant to be very good, just haven't got to try it. Nothing ear 2024 is a nother good one with a great EQ. Lower price too.

If you have an iPhone, Airpods Pro 2 probably is a good all rounder. ANC and transpareny are top notch. Sound quality is good but not as good as earbuds such as AZ80, Momentum 4, Denon PerL pro, Devialet Gemini II..

You CAN turn off noise cancelling on AZ80, its a simple toggle on the app. Or you can set the controls to do it too.

Technics AZ80 if you have an iPhone Sony if you have Samsung Momentum 4 if you have a device that does AptX lossless or adaptive The technics do the best with the low bit rate iPhone codecs. The other two sound better if you can use the better codecs. The technics sound the most clean and clear The Sonys are smooth and laid back The M4 is the most dynamic/energetic If you consider the Sony, see if you can test them when walking. I found they weirdly amplified and echoed footsteps.

Undoubtedly. But it’s tonality suits aac from An iPhone the best.

Technics AZ80 wireless nc buds.....and love them over the Sony XM's and Galaxy Buds3 pro

I would recommend you to try Technics AZ-80. They give you rich, detailed sound. Not absolutely flat like many other audiophile's earphones but still hi-fi. Also they support LDAC and their mics are pretty good (almost AirPods level).

Thanks. I've tried them but their Concha fit... just doesn't fit my ears. They kept falling out and had to return them.

AH-AZ100E-Technics EAH-AZ1OOE K have a DEEP fit and are awesome I tried my friends and am now saving up Technics EAH-Az80s are on sale on Amazon but aren't quite as good otherwise I would recommend trying some foam ear tips

Sorry about your Bose, that's rough. In that price range, you could also consider the technics AZ80 and the Sony WF-1000XM5. The technics sound amazing and have pretty good noise cancellation. They also come with 7 pairs of eartips to dial in your size, have multipoint connectivity to 3 devices, and the app is wonderful. Their successor the AZ100 just came out like two weeks ago and are being hyped to no end, but they're $300, so a bit above your stated range. The 80s are super solid and much cheaper now, though, so you will still enjoy them. The sonys don't sound quite as impressive but they're still very good, they have a nice app, and their noise cancellation is much better practically on par with the Boses'. They come with 4 sets of memory foam eartips so finding a seal shouldn't be too hard (comply foam tips also work amazingly if none of the stock ones fit you). Source: have owned both of these. The creative aurvana ace mimi also just came out and are only $129 but use a personalization service and XMEMS drivers which reviewers are calling incredible, especially for the price. I haven't used them myself, though, so I can't go as in depth about them. P.s. a good set of noise cancelling buds/cans in med school is so key; the Sony over-ear noise cancelling XM2s I had at the time got me through so much step studying in a house with loud roommates. I am graduating residency in a few months and I'm not sure I would be here without them. Good luck with everything!

I use my Airpod Pros when I walk the dogs, they work well in letting sound in but still sounding pretty good. I've owned every pair of premium earbuds on the market and feel that the Technics  EAH-AZ80 are the best, hands down. Super rich sound - they have an ambient setting that allows you to really dial in the amount of outside noise you want let in. The noise cancelling is also incredible. $100 off at Best Buy right now.

I didn't have a chance to do a back-and-forth comparison since I had returned the AZ80 already by the time I got the MW09. But from what I remember...the sound quality is about equal. MW09 has thicker bass. AZ80 has more sonic detail and sparklier highs. Although even for me there is a certain crispness in the AZ80 treble that is overdone. AZ80 also fit great and we're very comfortable for long periods. AZ80 connectivity was a perfect 10. AZ80 app was a 9 with tons of great features and ease of use. Mic quality was the same. Battery was good but not quite as good as MW09. Overall I'd give AZ80 the same 8 rating as MW09. I would've kept them since they were cheaper except that you can't completely turn off ANC and ANC makes me sick.

I spoke with Technics /Panasonic support and you cannot switch it off. I forget exactly now since it's been a couple weeks but I think the issue is that even in transparency mode the AZ80 uses a bit of ANC.

I do not recommend the pi7 because of sound quality issues. When I first tried on the pi7 and put on Last Last by Burna Boy, I was sooooo happy. They sounded so lush and pretty with powerful bass. Then I went to Nipsey Hustle Blue Laces, Sister Nancy Bam Bam, Bach Cello Suite...all gorgeous sounding. But when I went to rock music like Everlong by Foo Fighters, Tool Eulogy, and then to some folk and classic rock like Paul Simon Diamonds in the Souls of her Shoes, When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin, and I couldn't believe how bad they sounded. I went back and forth in quick succession between Perl Pro, AZ80, Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2, and pi7, and by far pi7 sounded terrible with rock. I listen to a lot of rock so that was a deal breaker for me. The pi7 also had sub par mic quality. People said they could heat me but I sounded muffled and at a distance. And yes, I put them in correctly with the mic angled correctly. The AZ80 were my all around favorites but I couldn't keep them because you can't turn off noise canceling completely in them. In terms of just sound quality the Perl Pros slightly edged out the AZ80.

The Sennheiser‘s have a giant case that will not fit in your pocket nicely. I don’t know if that’s a factor or not. And to me their sound is overly warm and a bit subdued sounding, and the microphone quality is not great. The Denon’s are the best sounding of the bunch. But they’re not that comfortable and will fall out during exercise. The Bowers and Wilkins have surprisingly poor sound. they are great for certain genres of music that are more bass heavy but for something like rock music they sound like trash. I saw you mention banging Olsen in another comment. They don’t sound great to me either and are hit or miss as far as the fit, depending on your ear shape. that leaves the Sony‘s and techniques. If you have the capability, I would buy them both, try them out, and return the one that you don’t like best. Between noise canceling, sound, quality, mic quality, fit, the battery, etc. they each have their pros and cons, but end up stacking up fairly equal. I had a problem with the Sony‘s in that they would not make a perfect seal in my ears, and I’ve seen other people mention that as well, so that could be a factor. You will absolutely see a difference in sound quality and noise canceling if you’re able to achieve a perfect seal. In the end, after trying out 20 earbuds, I kept the Master & Dynamic MW09. But they’re sold out everywhere now. If you want to pursue those, check out my review in my post history.

The AZ80s are amazing. I would rank them top 3 personally base on reviews I account their experiences also.

I concur with your assessment; I possess 2x Ultra earbuds, Qc 2024 earbuds, Ultra headphones, and Qc headphones. I enjoy the audio, comfort, and design, but the application is awful. I also have 7 other earbuds, but my top choice is FiiO Fw5 (no ANC, chosen for sound). The FiiO app is significantly inferior, plus they produce some crackling noise; however, the sound quality is incredible. Additionally, Melomania M100 offers fantastic sound, decent ANC, and transparency, great comfort, and excellent battery life, with a working app. Sony offers decent active noise cancellation and okay audio quality, but the battery in the earbuds is poor; it's best to avoid Sony. I evaluated AZ100 and Gemini 2; they sound good, but I wasn't impressed otherwise. I believe their prices are too high. AZ80 offers better vocals, which I find clearer. This is just my perspective; don't trust all that you hear. People quickly become attached to brands and tend to exaggerate. Comfort and sound are subjective. If you desire active noise cancellation and good sound, consider Bose. However, if you're looking for affordability in earbuds, the Cambridge M100 will impress you with its sound, comfort, and incredible battery life.

In the same price range, in order of sound quality, Denon Perl Pro (with AAT) Technics AZ80, and Sennheiser Momentum TW 4 (with Sound Personalization). In order of ANC/transparency performance, the MTW4, Perl Pro, AZ80. Because of app and feature set, I daily drive the MTW4, but without question the Denon’s are the better sounding set and the one I reach for if I’m just consuming media. My only gripe with the Perl Pros is the tips, which are too shallow for my tastes; I run them with the Divinus Velvets (if you change tips you’ll want to also rerun AAT). There are sets that are better from a pure sound quality perspective, like the Gemini II, but they’re not priced competitively and need some further revisions to codec, BT and application/feature set support before they’re ready for prime time. The Geminis reminded me a lot of the Levinson 5909, a phenomenal sounding set held back by the hardware and software included. Unfortunately, the APP2s are extremely difficult to beat from a pure value perspective (if you’re an iOS user). I still use them often during travel when I need the best ANC possible, but fit and other issues hold them back from being in my top 5. That, and Apple really needs to consider its prosumer customer base and provide access to some form of parametric EQ (something they’re unlikely to ever implement, sadly).

Technics AZ80, Denon Perl Pro, and the M4. The M4 gets the most use, however. While the Technics and Denon have a slight edge in tuning (and the AZ80 in comfort), the M4 pulls ahead with solid ANC and transparency and overall a very competent feature set. The ANC can’t quite match the XM5 or QC Ultra, but it gets very close to their performance, while sounding better than both of those sets.

This can be somewhat subjective. M4 technically ranks higher on an attenuation graph, which is an objective measurement, but it’s going to be dependent on both seal and what frequencies you’re most sensitive to. I get more competent ANC with the M4. Since I travel and use TWS for work more often, the M4 gets a lot of use. That said, if I’m just consuming media the AZ80 is the easy pick. I’d be hard pressed to pick a winner between them and the Perl Pro for sound quality alone.

I would always go for a dedicated TWS like the Denon Perl Pro, Technics AZ80, or Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, with the Creative BT-W5 before any of the “gaming earbuds.” Of your list, I’ve either owned or tested many of these and the VR P10 is the best bang for your buck of all of them. The additional dongle feature works very well; I have one for all of my devices, and switching is easy. Sony’s buds do work well with their platform (and the Portal), but they are simply too pricey for the quality of the tuning and feature set. The only other option I would consider is Steelseries, just given the access to a very wide database of EQ profiles; you’ll likely find one that works for you, and Steelseries has done a genuinely decent job at emulating a parametric EQ in their Sonar app.

The three best for sound quality are the Denon Perl Pros (with AAT), Technics AZ80, and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (with Sound Personalization). I rank them in that order, from best to worst. The Sony XM5s are probably 6th on my list. Their ANC is superior to all but the Bose QC Ultra, but their tuning is poor. I use the Denon’s when I want sound quality that competes with some of my wired IEMs, but daily drive the MTW4 for their superior app, ANC and general feature set. AZ80s multipoint is convenient for travel and usually go with me when I’m abroad and/or on work trips. Any of those three will not disappoint.

I’d definitely still recommend any one of the three listed, yes. All three have very good sound quality, ANC, features, and good call performance. Denon is a very reputable Japanese brand that’s been in the consumer audio and enthusiast space for decades. This is their first real TWS, which is why you probably don’t recognize the name, but they have made excellent “hifi” headphones for many years. Of the sets above, as I said, I use the Sennheiser most due to having the best balance of all three. The Denon sound the best, followed by the AZ80. If you don’t care about multipoint, the AZ80 doesn’t bring anything unique to the table so it feels like a decision between the Denon and Sennheiser. Both are excellent.

Best will depend on your preferences, and whether you value comfort, ANC, or sound quality. Here's my personal shortlist, having tested dozens of these sets in the past few years: **Sound quality:** Denon Perl Pro (with AAT), Technics AZ80, Sennheiser Momentum 4 (with Sound Personalization), AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM5s (with personalized EQ, Clearbass set to off), Beats Studio Buds+/Beats Studio Buds, Beats Fit Pros, Bose QC Ultra **ANC:** Bose QC Ultra, AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM5s, Sennheiser Momentum 4s, Technics AZ80, Denon Perl Pro, Beats Studio Buds+, Beats Fit Pro, Beats Studio Buds **Comfort:** Beats Studio Buds+/Beats Studio Buds, Sony WF-1000XM5s (with Dunu S&S tips), Denon Perl Pro, Bose QC Ultra, Sennheiser Momentum 4s (very dependent on concha; ranked higher if you have larger ears), Technics AZ80 (another one that depends more on outer ear physiology) Any buds with a "locking" mechanism, or small ear hook, is very dependent on your individual ears. The Momentum's take this a step further, actually locking in behind your antihelix, resting in your concha. If these fit you, they're one of the most secure and comfortable fits on the market. They rank higher for me because they fit well, but are lower on my list because I think this can vary dramatically by person. For sound quality, I've gone back and forth between the Perl Pros and AZ80s on which sounds best. I used to rank the AZ80s higher, but I have a second AAT profile for the Denons, with Immersion at a +2, that handily beats the AZ80s. This could be due to the initial AAT profile being poorly done -- and yet, still somehow performed better than most of my other sets. With that profile, the Denon's compete with some of my midfi IEMs. They are exceptionally good. The Devialet Gemini IIs are also excellent, but are well outside of your budget and, honestly, not worth the investment. Gemini IIIs may be, if they improve codecs, BT support, etc. Don't sleep on the Beats brand of earbuds; for the price, they are genuinely great sets. The Buds+ are very good performers and the most comfortable set I own. With the Spinfit Omnis, these disappear in my ears. ANC is solid, transparency is serviceable. Sound quality is very good. The Fits Pros are the best option if you're active; one of the best "secure" fits out of dozens of buds, second only to the Powerbeats Pros. The Beats brand gets a lot of eye rolls due to brand stigma, but I don't care about the label on the box. If something works well for its intended use, I'll buy it. In this case, depending on the sales, the Buds+ can be an exceptionally good value. I did not include the device manufacturer earbuds on my list, like the Galaxy and Pixel Buds Pros; these are honestly excellent sets in their own right, but I do not use the devices they're most integrated with and thus I cannot test them fully so it's hard to do a fair comparison. But if you use those devices, they are also great -- and cheap -- options. For my part, I ended up daily driving the Sennheiser Momentum TW 4s; although it's not at the top of any of my lists, it is the best all around performer, getting close to the sound quality of the Technics and Denons, ANC that's nearly as good as the Sony's, but with an app and features that are more robust (and with better UX) than the Technics and Denon apps. On the whole, it's my favorite set to use for work and travel, some light media consumption, and around the house use. However, if I don't want to pull out one of my wired IEM, but I want to listen to music or other media and have the best possible experience, it's the Denons or Technics.

The best buds are the iFi Go Pods with a pair of dedicated IEMs. I'm running them with the Theiaudio Hype 4 For traditional earbuds, my personal ranking list: Technics AZ80 > Denon Perl Pro > Sennheiser Momentum TW 4 (w/ Sound Personalization) > Sony Linkbuds S > AirPods Pro 2 > Sony XM5 > Galaxy Buds2 Pro > Beats Studio Buds+/Beats Fit Pro > Powerbeats Pro I end up daily driving the Momentum 4s most days, just given their ANC/Transparency is competitive with other sets, and the app is fairly solid. Sound quality alone, toss up between the AZ80 and Perl Pro.

This is marketing and brand reach doing what it does best. There are plenty of brands doing great things in the market that aren't getting a lot of attention. JLAB's Epic Lab earbuds were fantastic; JBL, Moondrop, Nothing Ear, SoundPeats, numerous other brands tested very well against the top of my list, which consisted of the Denon Perl Pro, Technics AZ80, Sennheiser True Wireless Momentum 4, Sony XM5, AirPods Pro, B&W Pi7 S2 and Pi8. I have the AZ100s on the way, and I'm sure they'll occupy one of those top spots. It's important to note, however, that many of these brands do not need to push as many units to remain successful. At the economies of scale companies like Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose are operating at, the investment into their production, distribution, customer service, and operations pipelines is immense. They are likely expecting to sell tens of thousands of units, to the thousands that other brands need to turn a profit. And while you may see those more prolific brands everywhere, don't forget the communities of people on social media platforms that regularly market and recommend the opposing brands. They're not as common, but that's to be expected and will remain that way by nature. In other words, while the popular brands may be ubiquitous, that is by design. It doesn't mean opposing manufacturers are on a downward trajectory. This was the assumption when Jabra cancelled its TWS ANC lineup, and that may have been part of the decision, but Jabra had other, more profitable interests and chose to constrain their business goals around those interests because there was more opportunity there. As someone that's tested dozens of ANC earbuds (and has a wide ranging collection of dedicated, wired IEMs), I have very few biases when it comes to competing brands. If it works well, I'll use the thing. I have no qualms recommending a pair of Soundcore VR P10s, right alongside top-tier TWS sets if I think it fits the individual's use case. Recently, I took a long flight overseas and left all the other major TWS brands behind and took a cheap pair of PortaPros and a $20 pair of Aliexpress stem-style earbuds with me. Everyone else on the plane was wearing AirPods.

My ranking (pictured [here](https://imgur.com/a/tws-ranking-left-to-right-MBqgKk5)) based on sound quality, battery life, app, and features: MTW4 (w/ Sound Personalization) > Technics AZ100/AZ80 > Denon Perl Pro (w/ AAT) > B&W Pi8 > Devialet Gemini II > Sony XM5 > APP2 > Bose QC Ultra Sound quality isn't an empirical measurement. It will be based on preference. Most TWS within a certain price range aren't going to suffer from "qualitative" issues and will all perform well, but will be tuned very differently from one another. Recency bias also plays a major role in recommendations within the community, so keep that in mind. MTW4 with SP was the best balance of tuning, battery life, features, and user experience for me, and is my typical go-to. I'm also a fan of rock/metal and hip hop, thus a set like the AZ100, which excels in many other areas -- including battery life and ANC -- and beats the MTW4 in some genres, gets ranked lower as the timbre and tonality in genres with high gain guitars is lacking. It's as if Technics applied a high shelf filter and rounded off the treble, which diminishes some of the dynamics and energy/attack of guitar-based tracks. AZ80 is better in this regard, but a downgrade in ANC and battery life. The Perl Pro sound stellar with AAT, but AAT can be hit or miss for some and is very tip dependent. AAT *should* be used in conjunction with EQ to get the most out of the Perl Pros -- something many users miss, as AAT is correction, not intended as a replacement EQ -- and I'd recommend looking at alternative tips like the Dunu S&S, Divinus Velvet, Spinfit Omni/Neo, etc. B&W Pi8 sounds very good, but is a bit too neutral for my tastes. It was also plagued with connectivity issues. I replaced my original unit, and had the same problems, so that set is rarely used. I know a lot of users that swear by this set, but it was not near the top of my list even without considering the connectivity issues. EQ could not fix my issues with the tuning; in some cases, it introduced sibilance. Outside of ANC, the Bose QC Ultra is at the bottom of my list. And to be fair, that list is much larger than what was pictured above as I have tested dozens of TWS sets. The tuning of the Bose is just not for me, but I know other hobbyists that swear by it. The ANC is world class, however. One of the few sets I quickly returned as I had no interest in keeping it around, even to collect dust. TLDR; this is very subjective, and I wouldn't recommend basing your buying decision on one user or reviewer's opinion unless you know your preferences align -- and even then, you may be disappointed with the results. If sound quality is your one and only goal, there are better options. Even the best TWS in my rotation will rarely beat out a dedicated IEM, running on something like the Q5k, iFi Go Pods, or the FiiO UTWS5 -- the former and the latter both have access to EQ. Unless I need ANC or TWS features, this is what I use the majority of the time.

Sony and Bose are still the leads if ANC is your main priority. However, they are much further down the list if you're prioritizing sound quality/tuning. My current list consists of the Denon Perl Pros, Technics AZ100s/AZ80s, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, and a few other budget options. The Devialet Gemini II and Noble Audio Rex5 are both pricier sets, but the Gemini II -- while it's an excellent sounding earbud -- had several issues that held it back for me. The deal breaker in my case was latency, which was quite high even for a TWS. The Rex5 is the best earbud Noble has put out thus far, but they need to make improvements to their app and overall user experience. My current rotation looks something like the AZ100s, MTW4 and Denon Perl Pro, as each provides a good overall balance of battery life, sound quality, and features. The AZ100s have excellent ANC, that gets close to competing with Sony and Bose, but is a slight downgrade in some areas of the frequency response compared to the AZ80s. The battery life is excellent, however, which makes them a contender as my main travel earbud. The Denon Perl Pros with AAT can be one of the best sounding buds on the market, but AAT can be hit or miss for some and is very tip dependent -- and I do suggest you change the tips, to something like the Dunu S&S. The Perl Pros also offer an EQ over the top of the AAT correction, which is a nice touch. I still reach for the MTW4 a lot of the time as well; with Sound Personalization it is still one of the best sounding earbuds on the market, with very solid ANC and transparency. I was not as sold on the Pi8, although I found the "case as transmitter" feature much more useful than I originally thought. I preferred the bass response of the Pi7 S2. In general the Pi8 feels a bit safer, and a bit more boring, for lack of a better word. It is still an excellent sounding earbud if you prefer a more balanced, more neutral tuning that prioritizes clarity and detail. I tend to lean towards warmth and energy, and so it didn't quite make the top of my list. TLDR; if money is no object, buy a BT dongle DAC/Amp or ifi Go Pods/FiiO BT ear hooks and a pair of dedicated IEMs. For now, this market is still juggling a "winner" and you'll be hard pressed to decide what is the best for the price -- no matter if it comes at a premium.

Sound: Sennheiser's Momentum lineup, Denon Perl Pros, Technics AZ80/AZ100, and B&W Pi8, in that order (taking into account Sound Personalization and AAT are being used). Everything else on the market, from the typical brands, falls below that line -- APP2, XM5, Bose QC Ultra, etc. Longevity, having tested dozens of these sets, the AirPods Pros are likely to outlast most of the other brands (my first and second gens are still charging well without any discernible issues). I've had battery and charging issues with the XM4s and XM5s, Sennheiser's MTW3 (MTW4 hasn't been on the market long enough to know whether there are any battery longevity issues); Denon is already showing serious battery degradation issues; Technics are in the charging issue camp as well (one or both earbuds often do not charge and need to be reseated often, similar to the Sony's); Pi8 has intermittent connectivity issues. The list goes on. There are outliers like the JLAB Epic Lab Edition, which have excellent battery life and seem to hold up well over time. Surprisingly, these are some of the best sounding and longest lasting buds on the market, for sometimes half the price of competitors. It can't compete with the top brands on tuning, but it gets damn close for the price. At some point, chasing sound quality (and longevity) begs the question, should you just sacrifice wireless connectivity and choose a traditional IEM? Despite owning most of the current premium earbud lineup, I find myself recommending and often daily driving the Epic Labs -- just due to the convenience of the battery life alone. And if that battery starts to degrade, there's enough overhead where I could still potentially get a good amount of time out of them before the issues are untenable.

Apple AirPods Pro are near the bottom of my list for sound quality. Their value is in feature set and ecosystem integration. It no longer owns the top spot in ANC, which goes to the Bose QC Ultra. If you want the best earbuds for sound quality and balance of features, Denon Perl Pro with AAT, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 with Sound Personalization, Technics AZ100, Technics AZ80, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Pi7 S2, and the Sony WF-1000XM5. In that order. If you need a cheaper option, the JLab Epic Lab Edition is a great “budget” option. I don’t own the JBL sets, but I’ve heard good things. Which buds you choose should be based on personal preference. If I preferred a more neutral tuning, the Pi8 would probably be higher on my list. I prefer JM-1 or V-shaped tunings, with strong low frequency emphasis, and bright, clear treble. The best overall performer if you places ANC and sound quality on the same scale would be either the AZ100 or MTW4. Both have solid ANC, with the AZ100 coming out ahead, but the MTW4 beating the Technics in tuning due to the AZ100s strange upper mid/treble timbre. Anything below the JLab, you’d need to reassess your expectations. Some sets have decent enough sound quality, but below a certain budget you’d might as well shoot for a dedicated IEM and something like a Qudelix 5k for your wireless connection.

This is a repost, but is still relevant. Sony and Bose are still the leads if ANC is your main priority. However, they are much further down the list if you're prioritizing sound quality/tuning. My current rotation consists of the Denon Perl Pros, Technics AZ100s/AZ80s, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, and a few other budget options (JLab Epic Lab, Beats Fit Pros, etc.). The Devialet Gemini II and Noble Audio Rex5 are both pricier sets, but the Gemini II -- while it's an excellent sounding earbud -- had several issues that held it back for me. The deal breaker in my case was latency, which was quite high even for a TWS. The Rex5 is the best earbud Noble has put out thus far, but they need to make improvements to their app and overall user experience. My current rotation looks something like the AZ100s, MTW4 and Denon Perl Pro, as each provides a good overall balance of battery life, sound quality, and features. The AZ100s have excellent ANC, that gets close to competing with Sony and Bose, but is a slight downgrade in some areas of the frequency response compared to the AZ80s. The battery life is excellent, however, which makes them a contender as my main travel earbud. The Denon Perl Pros with AAT can be one of the best sounding buds on the market, but AAT can be hit or miss for some and is very tip dependent -- and I do suggest you change the tips, to something like the Dunu S&S. The Perl Pros also offer an EQ over the top of the AAT correction, which is a nice touch. I still reach for the MTW4 a lot of the time as well; with Sound Personalization it is still one of the best sounding earbuds on the market, with very solid ANC and transparency. The new Smart Control Plus app finally allows you to disable ANC, which was the only real weak point of this set. I was not as sold on the Pi8, although I found the "case as transmitter" feature much more useful than I assumed it would be. I preferred the bass response of the Pi7 S2. In general the Pi8 feels a bit safer, and a bit more boring, for lack of a better word. It is still an excellent sounding earbud if you prefer a more balanced, more neutral tuning that prioritizes clarity and detail. I tend to lean towards warmth and energy, and so it didn't quite make the top of my list. If you’re a neutral plus bass boost lover, it doesn’t get much better than the Pi8 in this price range. TL;DR: For now, this market is still juggling a "winner" and you'll be hard pressed to decide what is the “best” for the price -- no matter if it comes at a premium. Of all the major brands, I lean heavily toward the MTW4, Denon Perl Pro, AZ100 (unless you enjoy metal/rock, then replace this with the AZ80), and the Pi8, in that specific order. If you want a more budget conscious set, you can often find the JLab Epic Lab for half the price of the aforementioned brands, and it’s a set that’s not recommended enough. Excellent sound quality and decent ANC for the price.

[Here's](https://imgur.com/a/tws-ranking-left-to-right-MBqgKk5) how I rank them in order of sound quality, with ANC and additional features being close behind. Couple of notes: I don't recommend the Fokus Rex5 unless sound quality is your one and only priority. Noble's app is subpar, and hasn't evolved much. This is actually their 4-5th TWS, and each one has suffered from the same issue. Great sound, poor overall user experience. Devialet Gemini II is another TWS that prioritizes sound quality over everything else, to its detriment. It is unequivocally one of the best sounding TWS I've tested, but I buy TWS for the other features, connectivity, codec support, etc. My very candid opinion is if sound quality is that important and TWS features suffer as a result, you might as well pick up a good midfi IEM and run it with something like the Qudelix 5k or any of the FiiO BTR devices. Or if you need TWS, spring for the iFi Go Pods (Lite) and a pair of lower midfi/budget IEMs, which in many cases are still going to sound as good as if not better than the higher priced "premium" TWS. I still rank the Sennheiser MTW4 above most options, given the strength of Sound Personalization and it being as close as we've seen one of the typical TWS manufacturers get to a true parametric EQ. From there, the AZ100s, given the improvement to battery life and ANC performance over the AZ80s. Although they're not ranked higher due to call quality. The Denon Perl Pro with AAT and EQ are close behind the AZ100 and MTW4, but their other features (ANC and transparency) aren't as good as its competitors. The Pi8 gets a lot of love in the community, and if your preferences lean neutral, they're going to rank much higher than I have them in my list. I prefer energetic tunings (JM-1, Harman, etc.); compared to the other sets on the list, Pi8 has superior technical performance, but is otherwise a boring listen -- although if you need volume, these are the TWS to buy. Sony's XM5 is on the list due to the strength of its ANC, which is still right behind the QC Ultra -- still the best ANC performer on my list, alongside the APP2. The AZ80s are still solid, and in some cases (genres that feature high-gain guitars) they're better than the AZ100s, but in overall performance the AZ100s still win out. TLDR; depending on your genre preference, MTW4, Denon Perl Pro, AZ100s, or Pi8. Avoid the Rex5 and Gemini II -- if sound quality is more important, consider increasing budget for a BT dongle or BT ear hooks along with a budget/midfi IEM (Meze Alba, Letshuoer S08, Hype 4, Crinicle Dusk, many of the recent Ziigaat or Kiwi Ears sets).

I found the AZ80 ANC way better than the MTW4, both with stock ear tips. 

They were actually the last I tried because I had the same vibe. I haven’t seen this brand in ages. Well, the 100’s are pretty amazing. I was greatly impressed. Even the AZ-80’s are badass for $199. Plus you can get that awesome blue color.

Loving my new Technics !

Love my Denon Perl Pro for pure SQ so much so I feel alot of my material isnt good enough. As DD buds for work, calls & such, its below average due to its form & bulk. Have a LG Tonefree FP8 I use as DD. Its decent in ANC, transparency & mic. SQ is ok ie.acceptable but nothing to write home about. Just got in a Roseselsa earfree i5 with factory foamies. A bit spicy in upper mids & ever so slightly bass deficient (in quantity but not quality) but both are easily managed with some EQ'ing. With the foamies, its fit & comfort is leagues above most inears I've used. SQ isnt on par with the DPPs but overall, its good to excellent. ANC is average tho. But the fit & comfort trumps all others & now, its my fav DD. So much so that if I can only have one, I'd choose the Roseselsa i5 > DPPs. Best of all, its only \~$60. IMO ofcos All that said, in your OP stated choices, I'd go Technics if SQ is my prime motivator

Went with Technics AZ100. Upgraded from the AZ80. I chose it because it’s one of, if not the best all-around earbud across all areas combined. Comfort, size/weight, compact, sound quality, features, ANC, Transparency mode, mic. All great. My only complaint on them is they are a bit slippery to handle/grip with my fat fingers combined with the smaller compact design and material used. The az80s were easier to handle/grip in this regard. Love them otherwise. Good luck!

Technics az-100s are my pick for best “all-around” earbud…If you’re looking for a good all around earbud. I had the az80s which were also great but the az100s are a better enhanced upgrade. Better comfort, sound, battery life, ANC etc. if you’re looking for best sound quality, the az100s are no slouch but probably not absolute best in sound. I would say they are close to best but not quite.

They have a ton of different sizes buds you can swap so one should fit anyone’s ear. I would just complain about the QA because my first one failed on me after two weeks. Got them replaced but still cautious. Never had earbuds fail on me before (Sony, Apple, Beats) so quickly.

I tried all three at the same time, with the same songs in about 10 different genres. TLDR; the Technics AZ80 for me, despite slightly better battery life in MW09. An all rounder in sound. PI8 are very pretty looking, but bad call quality, enough to not regret at all sending them back.

After some research and then looking at prices, I got the Technics EAH-AZ80 which are currently on sale for 40% off, at $250 they blow the competition out of the water.

I cannot praise highly enough the listening sound quality of the Technics EAH-AZ80. Absolutely beautiful, well balanced, sounds like it's using a hi-fi codec even though it's just LDAC. Pricey for wireless earbuds but just incredible. Ambient Sound and Noise Cancelling and voice call quality won't be as good as Airpods Pro, probably, but these ABSOLUTELY kick ass for listening to music. And they're comfortable.

For years I've sworn by the Sony WF-SP800N - used them for everything from yoga to HIIT to running, and they never felt at all loose or wobbly, and have never fallen out. This year I upgraded to the Technics EAH-AZ80. They don't feel quite as "locked in" as the Sonys, but still never fall out, are more comfortable and better sound. I'm happy I made the change, but would reccomend either.

I tried them all except for Jabra's and the new JBL Tour (which I must try, I'm curious about them), and my pick is the Devialet Gemini II. With the right tips, these have better ANC and bass quantity and quality than the Technics. Don't bother with Sony or Sennheiser. edit: wife has Bose, excellent ANC but the sound is hit or miss.

I "main" gemini ii and have none of these problems 🤷‍♂️ also there is jbl tour 3, and some people say they prefer more natural airy sound of az80, me included. I'm glad that technics is doing fine, but this sub is clearly treating AZ100 like a second coming of jesus.

Yup. LDAC with Az80 is the shit.

Damn I just bought my AZ80s last month. If I'd known this I would've held out a bit longer for the AZ100. What a shame.

My Samsung a55 works on LDAC with the az80s. Have to enable in both Bluetooth settings and in app. Don't need developer settings to get it to work thankfully

I've bought nearly every pair of flagship earbuds released in 2023 and 2024 and so far the JBL Tour Pro 3 are the best for phone calls. Overall, I have been very impressed with them. Sold my Sony WF-XM5, Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Buds Pro 2, Galaxy Buds Pro 2. Kept the Airpods Pro 2 for occasional use with my work phone and kept the AZ80 for sound quality. If the AZ80 had better mic quality, they'd easily be the best.

I'm anxiously waiting for the Technics AZ100 announcement next week. Really really hoping they made mic and call quality improvements. My AZ80'S are, by far, my favorite for listening to music.

Can't find any retailers that have them up for sale yet. These are an insta buy for me. I love my AZ80 but call/mic quality sucks.

The tricky thing is I'm taking everyone else's word for it. I've done a ton of side by side A/B testing with multiple people giving me feedback. Calls always sound fine to me but it's way more important with my job for me to sound good to the person on the other end of the phone call.

About a year. No issues. I use them every day but money through Friday, I'm averaging probably 6-7 hours.

While the XM5 has a really beautiful sound, I found it (1) really hard to find the spot in my ear when I knew it was "in" and (2) the glossy nature felt slippery taking in and out. Otherwise zero complaints, great headphones. The Technics AZ80 (and even AZ60s) are fantastic. The latter if price is an issue. A little larger than expected but like a butter in the ear and you forget about the size quickly. Sound is superb. Case is larger than the XM5 but not unmanageable. These are my recent favorites. Buds Pro 3 if you use Samsung ecosystem are excellent too.

I have AirPods 2 Pro and just got the AZ-80’s. AZ-80 definitely beats the AirPods Pro 2 for music and sound quality, if you’re a busy person and talk on the phone a lot then stay with the AirPods. An other plus is that the AZ-80’s fit better in ear and they only really fall off with friction.

Easily to most debated topic in bluetooth right now ....Denon vs pi8s vs Az80...for me the pi8s have no equal in sound and comfort for me. However the Denon perl Pro are just under them and with their new price of $149..it is easily the best choice of them all now if you can take advantage of the price deduction now. But at their orginal price of $350...the Az80 at $280 was the best purchase. The Az80, while 3rd in sound, has the sound that is still amazing in timbre and at the cost to performance ratio,  represented a better value when all were new. Overall I still don't believe any bluetooth earphone is worth more than $300, let alone the overpriced cost of $399 for the PI8. I regret buying them still today becauee they don't live up to the cost-performance over the denon or az80. They have battery issues and the features work at a basic level at best. But again if all you asking is who is the top and best in sound regardless of margin of advantage it had over the other, the PI8 are it. Just be ready to spend the money and get issues with the battery life and charging sync consistency( You can find you earbuds only at 80% aftrt having them charging in the csse for 2 days) .  For those interested: Sound= 1. pi8:10 2. Denon perl Pro: 9.7 3. AZ80: 8.8  My overall score though with features, cost, and performance trust as of today 1. Denon perl Pro $149 2. AZ80 $260 3. PI8 $399

I’ve been hunting for the perfect pair this year and finally landed on the Technics AZ80.

Still using my AirPods Pro 2 buds. I've found that they work just fine and just as well as they did with my previous iPhone 15 Pro. Also got some Technics AZ80 buds, but for some reason the LDAC codec doesn't seem to be available for me which means they don't get used as much as I used to use them.

Love my Sennheiser TW4. Pi8 and AZ80s were good but Sennheiser blows them out of the water with sound personalization personally

I am using the Technics EAH-AZ80. For me so far these are the best in ear ANC headphones , with the right earplugs i would say they are comparable with the Airpods 2 for ANC (did a comparison with my friends pair, i do not own them). I have the Sony Xm3 and the Devialet Gemini 1( which i love for the sound quality and ANC, but the conectivity has issues and the battery life is shit max 2 hours with ANC on after 1 year). For me the Technics provide the best overall experience for sound quality ( great soundstage and clear sound, for some the bass might be lacking), conectivity BT 5.3 with multipont on 3 devices if i remember right (never had an issues when pairing/connecting to my Samsung S21 or laptop), battery life about 6-7 hours ( not quite the full workday, but pop them in the charging case for 10 min and they are good for another hour). With the case i would say you get 20 something hours out of them, and the case is not bulky. As for price i got them, where i am from Romania, for about 180 EUR at a discount, but seen them go from 170 to 240 EUR.

After an unfortunate "I knocked my left ear bud out of my ear and they vanished into anither universe" incident, gone and bought a pair of technics az80s. They're in the mail, hope they're as good as what I've read.

My personal top-3 is: 1. Technics AZ-80 2. Bower & Wilkins Pi8 3. Sennheiser MTW 4

Hey, the Technics AZ80 is a solid choice for great sound quality. If you're open to other options, you might want to check out the Sony WF-1000XM4 or Sennheiser Momentum 3. Both are known for amazing sound and noise cancellation. Hope this helps!

I wanted to like the Denons, but, those damn things just wont stay in my ears, regardless of the 6 or so different tips I tried, so I tried the PI8's and low and behold, mind boggling sound, and they stay put in my ears.. AZ 80's are solid, premium buds, but sound wise, the B&W PI8 and the Denons pearl pros definitely sound better

AAC in Apples is fairly good. But not better than Android world's Aptx and LDAC. I always prefer LDAC with Apple Music's ALAC. My ears are sensitive to sound and I can hear the smoothness, crisp notes difference in AAC codec and LDAC. But most of people don't and some doesn't care.  From the buds I've used, I suggest, Bang for buck - Anker models(liberty 3 pro, 4 pro) Best sound quality - Technics az series Flat sound, good anc - sony xm5(my daily driver)

Technics az 80 and az 100, I would say. they sound the best. Please check reviews. I have personally experienced az80 and they handle heavy metal like magic. Gives me goosebumps. next one is Sony xm5 buds. They have a balanced sound with a good sound stage. Rumors say Sony will release it's next new xm6 buds in this month.

Technics az series for sure. I'm on sony xm5s. Anything with decent ANC + LDAC or AptX.

Denon Perl Pro was $199 cdn at Gibbys electronics online, but don't know if still on sale. But at $200 they are easily the bassist ear bud and cheaper than everything else I tried. They look dumb but actually the most comfortable earbud I've tried. I ly weakness is call quality but it's passable. Have tried Sony XM5, OnePlus 3 pro, Technics AZ80, and Beoplay EX.

Yeah all the earbuds I e listed do. Denon has a masimo tuning where it scans your ear but after that you can still can eq that profile. I wanted to try the Sennheiser MTW4 which I see goes on for $250cdn on sale but I liked the Denon that much. Technic AZ80 are $300 and AZ100 are $400. If spending $300 the Denon and AZ80 is a tougher choice. The Denon's do sound better but the AZ80 is no slouch. They AZ80 seemed to do everything else a little better like call quality, 3 connections. So if Denon is still $200 it's an easy choice. Otherwise order all 3 from Amazon and try them. Places like Visions, Best Buy you cannot return earbuds after opening but Amazon you can.

Apple airpods pro 2 for iphone, technics az80 for android.

Technics az80 id say. I've tried Bose and Sony. Bose - master of noise cancelling and comfort mediocre at everything else Sony - too many quality issues and problems Technics az80 - jack of all trades, not really amazing at anything but its like all equaled out. One thing to note with the technics is it is definetly quieter compared to other earbuds I've used like id say 80% on other earbuds is this earbuds max volume.

I own the Perlo pro and Az80 the Perl pro are bassier and definitely louder, but Az80 instrumental and voice separation is amazing Perl pro sound good but when I try both the az80 brings out some amazing details that I'd never noticed before on the perls I'm using both the Az80 voice and midrange shines I love both though

I've had similar dilemma a while ago and ended up with Technics AZ80. I like the design, the case, ANC and sound are very good, battery life not so much, but still OK, tapping controls are weird to me, but that's probably my fault. The only thing I really didn't like are the voice calls, because of the terrible voice lag, but that again could be my problem, since I'm used to wired headphones for calls.

Technics AZ80, I've tried the Sony I've had the Sony wf1000xm5s, they were okay. The fit wasn't the greatest. Audio quality was overhyped, active noise canceling was average at best. All the really good transparency /ambient mode. So far I really have been enjoying AZ80, they are very comfortable in the ears, some people have knocked them for their bass but I'm a bit of a bass head and I find it sufficient for me. I listen to vocal trance so I do need the mids and the highs to come through as well, these earbuds are the most clearest sounding I've ever heard. The active noise canceling is good. It will completely silence low frequency noises but the higher ones it will just Make it not sound as loud. For me I can deal with this as the sound quality is really the best I've ever heard and I am more concerned with the transparency/ambient modes of which these really hit that out of the park as well.

I've tried the technics and the sonys (on Android, s24 ultra). The technics were much better, but I went with the Beoplay Eleven - I got it for around 400 after student discount applied.

For top-notch sound quality and active noise cancellation I suggest this [Technics Earbuds](https://electricfieldsfestival.com/Technic-Earbuds-3) strong call quality, and a comfortable fit.

They're better sounding than AZ80s, pretty much across the freq spectrum, more controlled and precise sounding.

LMAO, wait you really think single dynamic drivers all sound the same. The AZ100 sound very different to the 80s, but you go on using that trash. Hahaha, ahahaha, ahahahhahahhahahhahahhahaa. Wow. Just...wow.