Technics EAH-AZ80 vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Which Earbuds?

These two premium noise-cancelling earbuds were direct rivals in their day, and both remain strong buys now that their successors have arrived. Sony's WF-1000XM4 set the class benchmark in 2021; Technics's EAH-AZ80 answered in 2023 with a feature-laden alternative that the reviews measured squarely against the Sony. Both offer active noise cancelling, LDAC, memory-foam tips and deep companion apps, but they make different trade-offs. This comparison draws on the complete published tests of both models; Truthful Reviews has not bench-tested either pair itself.

Fit and Comfort

Comfort is the clearest divide. The WF-1000XM4 are bulky: their case shrank 40% from the previous generation, but the earpieces themselves are large, protrude from the ear and, as the tests agree, simply will not suit smaller ears — with only three tip sizes to help. The EAH-AZ80 take the opposite approach: a shaped protuberance fills the ear comfortably, the hold is excellent even without stabilising fins, and Technics supplies no fewer than seven pairs of tips for a near-universal fit. Both use polyurethane foam tips and carry an IPX4 splash rating, but for anyone unsure of their ear size the Technics is the safer bet.

Sound Quality

Both are reference-class, and the choice is one of character. The XM4 deliver Sony's mature tuning: warm and rounded, with powerful yet controlled bass, soft slightly rolled-off upper mids, a gently recessed treble lifted by a 10 kHz sparkle, and a soundstage wide and deep for the category — close, the tests found, to the technical level of Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 2. The AZ80 are flatteringly energetic and dynamic, with ample, well-defined bass once cancelling is engaged and a lively presentation, though their upper mids carry a slightly tiring edge that can be tamed by lowering the 3.15 kHz equaliser band, and their soundstage is a touch more frontal, lacking the XM4's depth while spreading wide. Both stream over LDAC. In short, the Sony is the warmer, deeper listen; the Technics the more energetic and vivid one.

Noise Cancelling

Here the older Sony keeps a narrow lead. Both attenuate low frequencies superbly — engine drone, ventilation and train rumble all but vanish — but the AZ80's own test placed it a step behind the WF-1000XM4 in the mids and treble, roughly 200 Hz to 2 kHz, and the XM4 remain unusually good at suppressing sudden sounds such as keystrokes. The AZ80 also apply a pressure sensation on activation that some listeners dislike, though they handle wind well. Both rank among the better isolators of their era; on the finer detail, the Sony is marginally ahead.

Calls

Neither is a class leader, and the tests are even-handed. The XM4 turned Sony's previously poor hands-free performance into something genuinely usable, aided by bone-conduction pickup, and rank among the good performers of their time. The AZ80's JustMyVoice system makes the voice clearer but imposes heavy sibilance, and switching it off restores a natural tone at the cost of disabling noise reduction entirely — an awkward either/or. On calls the Sony is the slightly more dependable, artefact-free choice.

Connectivity and Features

This is the Technics's territory. The AZ80 run Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC and LDAC, and — rare at any price — multipoint to three devices simultaneously, available from launch. The XM4 launched on Bluetooth 5.2 with the same codec trio but no multipoint at all; the feature arrived only through a firmware update well over a year later. Latency is high on both, with the AZ80 measured around 530 ms in standard mode and dropping to roughly 160 ms in a dedicated low-latency mode. Both pairs use wear detection, wireless Qi charging and exhaustive companion apps for equalisation and fine control. If you routinely juggle a phone and a laptop, the three-device Technics is the more modern connector.

Battery Life

The Sony edges it on the buds. The WF-1000XM4 were measured at around 9 h 15 with cancelling on the AAC codec and up to 13 h 45 without, dropping to about 5 h 47 on the more demanding LDAC codec, for roughly 36 hours all told with the case. The AZ80 managed a solid 7 h 15 to 9 h depending on whether cancelling is engaged, with a little under three further charges from the case. Both are comfortably all-day performers; the XM4 last a touch longer between charges.

Which Should You Buy?

Choose the Sony WF-1000XM4 if sound and silence lead: a warm, deep, reference-class tuning, marginally the better noise cancelling — particularly in the mids and on sudden sounds — dependable call quality and slightly longer battery, accepting bulky buds that smaller ears may reject and multipoint that was a late addition. Choose the Technics EAH-AZ80 if fit and features matter more: a near-universal seven-tip fit with an excellent hold, three-device multipoint from day one, an energetic lively sound and superb build, accepting noise cancelling a step behind the Sony in the mids and a fiddlier calling compromise. Both are accomplished premium earbuds now likely found at a discount beneath their successors; the Sony is the sonic benchmark, the Technics the more comfortable, better-connected all-rounder.