This reviewer looks at a lot of headphones, and one pair from last year really sticks out as being a fantastic little offering.
While Apple and Bose largely led the game last year, the Technics AZ100 delivered one of the best competitors of the year, offering an excellent sound and cancellation combo in a package that really delivered. They really are are a great little pair, and a model this reviewer still reaches for.
But in-ear isn’t what everyone is looking for. In fact, some people prefer on-ear and over-ear a lot more than they do buds and phones that go in the ear, and that can mean clever technologies like the Technics magnetic fluid-based driver go missed by many. It’s a shame, too, because it means people are missing out on a neat bit of ferrofluid engineering used to make the sound better.
All that’s needed is to get Technics to make bigger headphones and bring that tech to a different size.
If you’ve been waiting for that point, Technics appears to be ready in the A1000, a pair of headphones that includes technology like the AZ100 in-ears, but makes these ones over ears, all while using similar technology.
While the AZ100 used as 10mm driver with magnetic fluid engineering, the A1000 relies on a 40mm driver with that same fluid engineering technology, using the magnetic tech to help cut back on vibrations from the bigger driver.
The diaphragm sitting beneath this uses carbon fibre in its design, as well as Technics’ Symmetrical Surround Technology, a concept the company uses in its speakers, as well. Meanwhile, little structures inside the headphones help deal with airflow, and sound processing handles both the audio rendition and active noise cancellation.
There does seem to be a lot to the Technics A1000, with four microphones on each side making it eight in total, support for spatial audio via Dolby Atmos, and a look that almost channels a tone arm in record players, something Technics is known for. The aesthetics here uses a “flow arm”, which is basically a stretch of metal that holds the headphones in place, and does give them a different look.
That paired with the 45 hour maximum battery life, and you get the vibe Technics is looking not just for a Bose beater, but also one to strike against Sennheiser and Sony, as well.
The price is definitely in the same ballpark, set for $699 in Australia when it lands later this month. If they’re anything like their little AZ100 sibling, we can’t wait to try them.
