The new flagship headphones from Technics feature 'Fluid Magnetic' drivers.
Starting today, the EAH-AZ100 is available for purchase at a price of 300 dollars.
The audio brand Technics, owned by Panasonic, has been recognized for offering some of the best wireless headphones, although its fame is not as widespread as that of other industry giants. An example of this is the EAH-AZ80 headphones, which feature sound quality and active noise cancellation comparable to, and in some aspects even superior to, options from more well-known brands like Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser.
At CES 2025, Technics unveiled its new headphone model, the EAH-AZ100, which is now available for purchase at a price of $299.99. This model stands out for being the first to incorporate the company's patented fluid magnetic drivers. Although this may seem like a technical term without basis, Technics explained that there is a liquid with magnetic particles between the 10mm driver and the moving coil, which helps reduce distortion. It remains to be seen whether this claim holds up in a real listening experience, although they have conducted tests with sound engineers, apparently with good results.
The EAH-AZ100 offers a frequency response starting at 3Hz, an ultra-low frequency that is typically difficult for the human ear to perceive but whose vibration can be felt in the body while listening. Comparatively, most headphones, including flagship models like the Sony WF-1000XM5, operate within the range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz. So, in summary, a broad yet balanced audio experience is anticipated, with warm bass. Additionally, the headphones support Dolby Atmos spatial audio technology and head tracking.
Each earbud is equipped with three microphones allowing features like Voice Focus AI, which detects and amplifies the voice during calls while filtering out traffic noise, wind, and other external sounds. This technology is also used for active noise cancellation, further adapting to the user's ear shape. However, it remains to be determined if the new transparency mode improves the somewhat artificial playback experienced in the previous version.
The EAH-AZ100 includes other modern connectivity features, such as the ability to connect to three different devices simultaneously, surpassing the two-device limit of many competitors. They are also compatible with Google Fast Pair for seamless switching between Android devices, Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast for pairing and sharing audio across multiple devices, and the low-latency audio codec LC3.
The wireless charging case provides an additional 28 hours of battery to the advertised 10 hours of use in AAC mode, and up to seven hours with LDAC mode activated and active noise cancellation turned on. Moreover, they have the same IPX4 water resistance rating as the AZ80, although the case does not have a similar rating.
All these features seem well-suited for a flagship headphone model in 2025 at a price of $300, and in some aspects, the AZ100 sets a higher standard. If they can improve the sound experience of their predecessor, competitors in this segment of wireless headphones should take notice.
