Technics has lifted the lid on its latest pair of wireless headphones at CES 2022. The Technics EAH-A800 set comes with some exciting specs for audiophiles, including 50-hour battery life and newly developed drivers that are inspired by the company's work in high-end amplifiers.
Those 40mm dynamic drivers are made from a mix of materials chosen for strength and flexibility, which should ensure a clear sound and deep bass with minimal distortion – an issue that dynamic drivers capable of displacing lots of air can suffer from.
The drivers are contained within an acoustic control chamber. This controls airflow for "precise bass and rich spatial expression", while the use of thin polymer multi-layer capacitors (as seen in Technics' amplifiers) should ensure a stable current and limit distortion even further.
In other words? You can expect a clear, rich audio performance from the EAH-A800, which isn't muddied by harsh tones or distorted sounds and allows you to pick out every detail of your favorite songs.
As Technics puts it, the company has strived to "communicate the dynamics of lively music, the breath-taking silence and tension of musical performances, the energy of instrumentalists, and the inspiration of singers’ voices". That's exactly what you want from a pair of headphones that also supports hi-res audio for crystal-clear streaming over Bluetooth.
Ideal headphones for commuters
Technics hasn't only focused on the sound of its latest headphones. The EAH-A800 headphones also come with active noise cancellation to block out the sound of the world around you, making them ideal for use while traveling or trying to work in a loud environment. That's complemented by a fantastically long battery life of 50 hours.
That battery life isn't quite the longest we've seen – the Audio-Technica ATH-S220BT boasts 60 hours, for example – but it's damn good for a pair of wireless headphones.
If you do want to be able to hear your surroundings, there are two other modes to choose from: Natural Ambient Mode captures environmental noise, allowing you to hear as if you weren't wearing headphones at all, and Attention Mode reduces some external noise while boosting voices, so you can hear announcements and conversations more clearly.
Phone calls should sound pretty clear through the EAH-A800, with four microphones in each earcup to pick up your voice. Active noise cancellation is also applied during calls, reducing the sound of your environment so you can be heard more clearly during conversations.
Some of the microphones have been equipped with mesh materials to reduce wind noise and further improve the quality of calls in windy environments.
Another handy feature for phone calls is multipoint pairing, which allows you to connect the headphones to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously. Technics says that if you join a video conference on your laptop, but need to discuss a matter with someone else on your phone, you can simply touch the call button on the headphones to switch over – pretty nifty.
So, how much will all this cost? We're still awaiting global pricing, but they'll cost £299 in the UK – that works out at around $400 / AU$560. That's no small amount to pay for a pair of headphones, but the specs are so well-rounded that we daresay the Technics EAH-A800 will prove popular among commuters and those that work from a variety of locations and need to join video calls in noisy environments.
And, if they sound as good as Technics promises, they'll be a hit with the audiophile crowd, too.
