Just when we thought we’d ticked off every prestigious brand name where active noise-canceling wireless over-ear headphoness are concerned, along comes Technics. How did we forget Technics?
After all, no other audio brand has more emotional resonance than Technics. Don’t tell us you’ve ever had a big night out that wasn’t soundtracked at some point by a pair of Technics turntables. It’s safe to say most brands that consider themselves competition to Technics would love to have the same sort of brand recognition and cachet.
With the EAH-A800, Technics is attempting to leverage all that profile and built-in goodwill into what is currently the toughest job in all of Consumer Electronics Land: making a pair of wireless headphoness that deliver better performance for the price than a pair of Sonys.
It’s not just WIRED that reckons the Sony WH-1000XM4 are the best all-rounders money can buy—and, what’s more, the Sonys are more affordable than a pair of Technics EAH-A800s. So it’s going to take a bit more than slapping a Technics logo onto a pair of me-too, same-again headphoness and hoping for the best. Fair’s fair, though: With the EAH-A800, Technics has managed to cover pretty much every base.
These are, by prevailing standards, reasonably compact (they fold flat into a smaller carrying case than most rivals need), reasonably light (298 grams, to be precise), and reasonably well turned out. They’re available in silver or black (which is mostly black with some mildly metallic gray accents), they prove comfortable over the long haul (pleather-covered memory foam at every contact point is always a good idea), and they feature some genuine highlights where specifications are concerned.
The Technics use Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connectivity, as well as compatibility with SBC, AAC and the hi-res Sony-centric LDAC codecs, which also contributes to battery life that’s a match for any rival at any price. As long as you’re not absolutely pounding the volume, the EAH-A800 should last between 30 hours (using LDAC and with noise-canceling switched on) and 60 hours (using AAC with noise-canceling off). These, by any metric, are big numbers—and a flat-to-full time of three hours, with 10 hours of use available from just 15 minutes on the power, are not to be sniffed at, either.
Sound is served up by a couple of 40-mm free-edge dynamic drivers. Each is augmented by an “acoustic control chamber” which is, according to Technics, able to increase the audible sensation of space and sharpen up low-frequency precision. And on the outside there are a total of eight mics spread across the ear cups—they take care of noise cancellation, voice control, and call quality.