My favorite true wireless earbuds right now aren’t made by any of the usual suspects. I’ve tested top buds from Samsung, Sony, Bose, and more, but the pair I use every day is theTechnics AZ80. Normally $300, these arepremium earbudspositioned to rival the likes of theSony WF-1000XM5orSamsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro— the buds I used regularly until the AZ80s came along.
But forBlack Fridaythey’ve been reduced to just $225, the lowest price they’ve hit since launching in May this year, and a healthy saving of $75. At that price, these are the buds I’d recommend to anyone shopping for a high-end set this Black Friday.
What makes the Technics AZ80 so good?
From the outside, the AZ80 earbuds don’t look especially remarkable — but in a way, that’s part of the appeal. With a simple pill-shaped case and a compact, rounded design, these are understated earbuds for those who don’t necessarily want their tech to be attention-seeking. You can grab them in black or silver, and either color comes with a subtle brushed metal finish across the outer edge of the buds and the top of the charging case.
Fit is one of the big selling points. Technics includes a whopping seven ear tips in a mix of shapes and sizes, so even those of us with odd ears should be able to find their fit. That matters when you’re dropping upwards of a couple of hundred bucks on your buds. You don’t want to find out they’re painful or keep falling out.
An IPX4 rating means these aren’t fully water or dustproof, but I don’t have to stress about taking them to the gym or out running in the rain.
Awesome audio
Fit is one thing, but at this price, it’s the sound that matters. 10mm aluminum drivers deliver punchy audio, with one of the most open, expansive soundscapes I’ve ever heard from earbuds and impressive clarity at both ends of the spectrum.
A fully customizable EQ in the accompanying app lets you tailor things to suit your taste, and support for the high-res LDAC codec has true audiophiles covered, too. (I, however, am lazy and cheap, so stick with Spotify.
Noise-cancellation is excellent, but I’ll admit this is the one area where I’d hand it to Bose and Sony. If your number one priority is blocking out every shred of outside noise, you might do better elsewhere. But if you’re happy for your ANC to be merely great rather than world-class, I think the trade-off for overall audio quality makes sense here.
Three-way multipoint connectivity is one of the other big selling points, though, I’ll admit I don’t get much use out of it myself. But if you want to dive between a phone, computer, and tablet at will, these are the buds for you. Just bear in mind that if you want to switch on LDAC support, you’ll be limited to two connections at once instead.
They also run for a while. Expect seven hours of playback on a single charge and a total of 24 hours once you factor in the case. You can top that up with either USB-C or wireless charging, too, by the way. That’s something that even theBose QuietComfort Ultra Earbudsdon’t offer.
All of that makes these a great pair of earbuds. But what makes me love the AZ80 is the sheer amount of flexibility Technics gives you.
Make them yours
Alongside some staples — a five-track EQ, settings for the ANC and ambient modes, and built-in Alexa support — the official app also lets you completely customize the buds' touch controls. You can change the effect of single, double, triple, and long taps for each bud independently, with a range of possible effects or the choice of disabling some altogether (great if you find you hit the single tap or long press too easily when adjusting your fit).
Other unusual options include swapping between a spoken notification or a simple alert sound when you turn the ANC on or off, changing when and why the buds power off automatically, and controlling how the buds behave when you take one out of your ears. These are the sort of options that big brands rarely give you, letting you tweak your buds to suit your habits and really make them your own.
With all that and a $75 discount, these are the budsIthink you should buy this Black Friday. But if I haven’t won you over, fear not; we’ve rounded up all thebest headphone and earbud deals this Black Friday, and there are plenty for you to pick from.
Technics EAH-AZ80
The Technics EAH-AZ80 earbuds deliver near-audiophile quality sound, include seven ear tip sets, and offer three-way multipoint pairing. At this price, that’s hard to beat.
