Note: This review was first published on 4 March 2022.
The EAH-A800 is Technics' flagship wireless ANC headphone and it's main rivals are the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose QuietComfort 45.
Going on a tear
Technics is making a big push in the personal audio space. After last year’s TWS earbuds double unveil, they are back at it again with a new flagship-class wireless ANC headphone called the EAH-A800. With advanced active noise-cancelling, long battery life, and extensive audio codec support, Technics clearly wants to make a big entrance. Let’s see if they’ve succeeded.
Design & features
The EAH-A800 comes in black and silver. (Image source: Technics)
The EAH-A800 comes in black and silver. I received the black unit for testing and it looks rather plain. I haven’t seen the silver version in person but I suspect it will look more stylish. The only real design flourish is the engraved Technics logo on the metal portion of the earcups. Compared to its closest rivals – the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose QuietComfort 45 – the EAH-A800 looks a little bulkier. It folds and can be stowed away in its carrying case. The carrying case is about the same size as the Sony and Bose.
Thank god for physical buttons.
All of the EAH-A800’s controls are on the right earcup. There are physical buttons that control playback and volume and the metal portion on the earcup serves as a touch panel for switching between active noise-cancelling and ambient sound modes. Speaking of modes, the EAH-A800 offers helpful voice prompts to let you know exactly what mode you are in. This is certainly preferable to the ambiguous sound effects and bing and bongs that some other manufacturers like to use. One nice thing about the buttons is that the volume buttons are shaped slightly differently so it’s easy to find them without looking. The touch panel is also responsive and registers your inputs faithfully. Overall, the controls are intuitive and it shouldn’t take owners long to get accustomed to them.
The earpads are soft and deep. They also provide quite a bit of passive noise isolation.
At 298g, the EAH-A800 is a good bit heavier than its closest rivals. The Sony and Bose are lighter at 254g and 238g respectively. It doesn’t look or sound like much, but the EAH-A800 is 17% heavier than the Sony and 25% heavier than the Bose. When you put it on your head, you feel the difference. Fortunately, generous padding in the headband and large plush earpads help alleviate the extra weight. The clamping force is a bit excessive at first but eases up with use. Once the EAH-A800 is a bit more worn-in, it never becomes uncomfortable to wear.
The EAH-A800 charges over USB-C. Its battery life is incredible.
Battery life is one of the strong suits of the EAH-A800. It charges via USB-C and Technics claims a single charge is good for up to 50 hours of music listening even with ANC off. Turn ANC off and that goes up to 60 hours. And that is well beyond what the Sony and Bose are capable of – 30 hours and 24 hours respectively. It took about 1.5 weeks of around 6 hours of listening each day (with ANC) before I needed to recharge the EAH-A800.
The app lets you customise and tweak many aspects of the headphone.
Like any high-end personal audio device, the EAH-A800 has an accompanying app with which you can customise various features and functions of the headphone. As far as apps go, this is handily one of the most powerful ones and allows for very deep customisation of the headphone. Casual users might be overwhelmed by the sheer number of options presented, but more advanced users will definitely welcome the ability to truly make the headphone theirs. You can choose which audio codec to use, enable/disable multi-point connection, customise the touch panel, adjust the level of noise-cancelling, tweak the ambient sound mode, change up the sound signature via EQ, and more.
ANC & mic performance
The EAH-A800 uses four mics for voice pickup and another four for the ANC system. (Image source: Technics)
The EAH-A800 has a whopping 8 microphones. Four are used for voice calls and another four for the ANC feature.
Similar to other high-end headphones and earbuds with ANC, the EAH-A800 uses a combination of feed-forward and feedback mics, where they are used to listen for noise outside the earcups as well as within the earcups. The system’s effectiveness is remarkable because the EAH-A800 successfully suppresses a good amount of unwanted environmental noises. I live next to a major arterial road and I’m completely unaware of the cars passing. Even with a fan blowing at me, I could only hear the faint hum of wind noise. It’s certainly very good but I’m afraid Sony and Bose are still very slightly better.
The EAH-A800 uses its noise suppression technologies for its voice microphones too. As I mentioned earlier, there are four beamforming mics. These mics have special wind noise reduction structures. Your voice is then analysed by the headphone and then unwanted noises are filtered out. Voices sound quite natural and the noise suppression technology is mostly effectively. However, it can be tripped up from time to time if you move around in a noisy space, which results in sudden burst of noises. But if you keep still and the noises around you are relatively constant, the headphones do a good job of squashing unwanted surrounding noise.
Sound quality
Much effort has been spent to get the EAH-A800 to sound good. (Image source: Technics)
Technics makes a huge deal about the EAH-A800’s sound quality. To start, apart from the usual AAC and SBC, there’s also support for LDAC which uses a higher bit-rate. Having higher bit-rate means your audio is less compressed and should – in theory, at least – sound more natural and better.
Additionally, it has a complicated driver system. The drivers are 40mm large with PEEK (polyether ether ketone) diaphragms. PEEK is a thermoplastic polymer that is ideal for audiophile applications because it’s light yet rigid, which means it reacts quickly to input and has low distortion. Furthermore, within the ear cups are specially tuned Acoustic Control Chamber that allows for proper airflow so that the driver can perform at its maximum potential.
The end result is exceptional. The short story here is that it is hands down the best-sounding wireless ANC headphone I’ve heard. Technical performance was good. Transients are crisp and sharp, and notes have a natural and convincing-sounding decay. The sound stage it projects is relatively wide and the imaging is excellent. Separation is good too so it never sounds congested or confused.
As for its frequency response, the first thing I noticed was the airy and smooth quality of the treble. It has some sparkle and a crystalline quality to it but Technics has reined it in masterfully so it never becomes tiresome or harsh. The bass was excellent too. There’s real sub-bass here and the EAH-A800 digs deep. So bass notes sound full-bodied and natural, and not just fat in the mid-bass and lacking meat everywhere else. The only disappointment was the mids, which are strangely veiled and not as clear as I thought they should be. Vocals, in particular, ended up sounding a little muffled. Fortunately, this problem can be mitigated by using the app and its EQ function to lift the mids. Overall, the EAH-A800 sound signature leans toward being neutral but with a nice bass boost.
Compared to the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose QuietComfort 45, the EAH-A800 is handily the most balanced and refined sounding. The Sony is more energetic, exciting, and edgy. The Bose, on the other hand, sounds the most neutral – almost plain, even.
Final thoughts
The EAH-A800's excellent acoustics make it a great wireless ANC headphone for fussy and discerning listeners.
The EAH-A800 appears to have been designed by Technics for audiophiles. The drivers are immensely capable and the tuning is much more balanced, complete, and refined compared to its closest rivals. Audiophiles or discerning listeners have always viewed wireless ANC headphones with disdain but I think most of them will find themselves pleasantly surprised by how the EAH-A800 sounds.
Excellent acoustics aside, support for LDAC will surely please audiophiles with pricey digital audio players. And the high level of customisability via the app should appeal to an audiophile’s penchant for control and love of experimentation since the EAH-A800 responds agreeably to EQ. Another point worth mentioning is its insanely long battery life.
My only real complaints are that its ANC function isn’t as competent as its rivals, and comfort depends greatly on how you position it and how tolerant you are of heavier headphones. Price is also a bit of an issue because at S$499, it certainly isn’t what you’d call cheap. Still, its performance does somewhat justify the high cost. And to be fair, S$499 is the same as what Sony and Bose are asking for their flagship wireless ANC headphones.
All in all, the EAH-A800 is a triumph for Technics. The Sony and Bose with their more effective ANC and more stylish design might be better for most people. But if you are a fussy listener or if you fancy yourself an audiophile, I think the EAH-A800 is one wireless ANC headphone that you will appreciate and love.
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