Technics EAH-AZ60M2

At this point, I have reviewed so many different headphone models in the "In-ear" category that it feels like an impossible task to try to innovate and avoid repetition. I'm a bit like an old broken tape recorder at this point, gnawing on the same type of rhetoric and terminology and even though I wish I could find different approaches and words, I'm simply too lazy to even try. Headphones are headphones, and after rating 36 different models in various price ranges, I consider myself something of an authority on the subject. Perhaps you think I'm more of a pompous arse for even thinking of starting a hardware review with unadulterated self-congratulation, but the upside here for me is that I'm also too lazy to care. When it comes to wireless in-ears, not many people have thoroughly tested as many as I have over the past few years, and in the process I have of course become painfully fussy and picky.

And that's why I also love Technics EAH series.

It doesn't really matter if you choose the AZ40, AZ60, AZ70 or the flagship AZ80. All their current models are brilliant. And now that the Japanese hi-fi giant has upgraded and improved the mid-range AZ60, it's hard not to scratch the box with superlatives. These are phenomenal headphones.

The M2 is the second version of the AZ60 and there are many new features. They now support Bluetooth 5.3, they now support wireless charging, they have better call quality via more microphones and a brand new transparency mode. It is now also possible to have your AZ60 connected to three sources at the same time, which just as in the case of the AZ80 makes Technics a little better on the functionality than most of the closest competitors. The elements are still the same Panasonic-made 8mm variants that sound great and fall between the slightly tighter sound of the AZ40 and the big, airy sound of the AZ80. I like both, or all, of Technics' headphones and can see the pros and cons of all the different sizes of their elements but you only need to have the AZ60M2 in your head for about 20 seconds to realise that the Japanese have created a headphone here that sounds bigger and better than the last one.

The soundstage is warm and glorious. Bass reproduction is brilliant and the treble is crisp, tight and detailed to the point where I can hear John Mayer's sensual lips touching during certain specific words and phrases on the HD/24 version of Sob Rock. Technics, like Jabra and JBL, have really got the tuning of their DSP right and, unlike Apple and Sony, I love the fact that their basic mix allows orchestras to sound like tight and cohesive bands rather than scattered musicians ten metres apart. It simply sounds very good, it's smooth and engaging, and the soundstage is much bigger than the AZ40, for example, but slightly narrower than the AZ80, which I consider the best Bluetooth-based in-ear headphones I've ever put in my ears. Because these are phenomenal headphones.

As for call quality, it's improved and given that it was good in its predecessors, it's hard to find anything to complain about here. The active noise cancellation is slightly better than in the first AZ60 model too and can now easily compete with the best in the product segment and price range. I also like the transparency mode which feels spot on and the battery life is 7.5 hours per charge and 24 hours in the included charging case. In the end, it's easy to recommend these headphones as a slightly better version of an already great product.