Tech-N-Things

As someone who reviews and listens to a lot of earphones, there is a level of hype and excitement that comes with those products. That hype, in most cases, is mostly driven by the product being the latest talked about product. We get excited about what’s new. It’s the nature of the hobby and the culture of Technology. This is why influencers are so important to manufacturers. They can carry the brand’s item to millions without ever paying for a single TV commercial. And then there are people like me who just take the time out to buy a product and just put a review. Not to get paid or to get free products. Not to get money. I only do this because I love the tech and figure I would share what I’ve gone through with others.

Yes, the Az100 is my #1 earphone for my subjective needs and views. I don’t pretend that it should be or is that for anyone else. My needs aren’t yours. If you need an objective view, someone could walk away with the Cambridge M100 and think the same about them once their ears settle on its sound profile. And if you really want to go further down the rabbit hole, the Pi8 and Gemini 2 are still superior in sound( even with their issues) to all things on the market, and this doesn’t tie or defeat them in most people’s views that I’ve seen. If the Pi8’s did what they were supposed to, the way they promised or the Gemini 2’s actually had a battery life in the 7-hour range …nothing could touch these earphones, even by year’s end, and I would stand on that fact faster than I ever would believe that by the year’s end, the Technics Az100 will be the best earphone that nobody came out this year to beat( for others). It’s just facts. Yes, they are really good in sound(3rd best under the pi8 and Gemini 2), top tier in battery life, nice ANC/hear thru, great fit, and have amazing ANC noise reductions for phone calls, just like they promised. But more importantly …they don’t lie about things they can do but can’t and they don’t have failures and defects that I’ve come across in two generations of their earphone lineups. This is what makes them number one for me.

But don’t make the mistake of not remembering that companies like Devialet and Denon haven’t released any updates to their earphone lineup since their released versions in 2023. Companies like Sony and Sennheiser are due for another run of their lineups this year. You just have to be honest with yourself and not buy something because you want or need it to be better than anything else. Also remember, even when you buy the most expensive and very best, it is not promised to be there for long and you might end up finding that what was the best today might be found common tomorrow for cheaper. So trust me when I tell you, even though the AZ100 are absolutely wonderful earphones and #1 for my life, it’s not because I believe they are the very best in all areas nor is it because I think or believe that they can’t be defeated next month by some company that is known or even unknown. 2025 will be a very hard year for anyone to remain the champ for long. It’s just too many advancements out there in reach of a lot of companies now.

But if you wanted me to guess and put money down on who I think would be the best once the smoke cleared for 2025, I would bet that Companies like Sony and Sennheiser could very well step up the game in sound, Denon or Devialet could come out with their 3rd earphone with better battery life and you could be looking at the very best between those four. I don’t believe that the Technics can close the year out as the best because they aren’t the best out now in sound, they are just the first out of 2025 that has delivered on their promises and continues to punch above their weight in sound. They are my best based on the fact that I seek like Sound, Battery life, Fit, and Reliability as my top go-to’s and I’m sick of overpriced earphones that don’t live up to the standards( like the $400 Pi8s with battery leak problems) or prove their cost difference in their performance( like the $500 Gemini’s with 4.5-5 hours of battery life). I’m sick of the excuses or lies and Technics has only proven to me that they can be trusted the most while giving me at least the 3rd best sound in Bluetooth earphones and winning every other area like battery life, ANC, hear-thru, phone call ability, and Multi-point, Aurocast, and reliability. This doesn’t mean they are unbeatable as any company can and should be able to come out and put forth the same efforts, especially the four mentioned above.