It’s how crazy you have to be to jump into the almost monopoly of the Sony WH-1000XM4 along with the Bose QC45 and try to do something better. But samurai are like that, they do not look for easy ways and almost always achieve their goal. This is the Technics A800 , and these are awesome over-ear headphones with Hi-Res sound and top-notch noise cancellation! But can they compete with Sony and Bose?
Design
I’ll be honest, for me the design of these techs is absolutely inexpressive and not memorable. Just gray headphones of a large format, nothing more. The case is made of plastic, the headband and ear cushions are made of leatherette, the control buttons and the touch field are on the right bowl. The left bowl has no controls. The cups are foldable and weigh 300 grams, slightly more than the Sony WH at 255 grams, but less than the 440 of the Bose 45.
With convenience, everything is similar to competitors – headphones are suitable for daily use and do not cause discomfort. The buttons and their location seemed to me not very convenient, it’s hard to blindly understand whether you turn down the volume or press the power button. And the sensor on the bowl only works to activate noise reduction and ambient sound. There are proximity sensors, but they are rather slow and work in 2 seconds.
Sound
According to the sound of the headphones, there is simply a cardinal split in personality, depending on how and from what devices to listen to music. If, like me, you want to listen to your iPhone headphones first, you will get a bit of frustration. Very dull, somehow crumpled and not at all for my 300+ bucks, so you can say – mediocre. Go ahead, take realme 8 pro, which supports LDAC and listen there. This is where things get better, the sound is filled with details and the muddy bass really turns into a voluminous and detailed bottom. But what is on any smartphone is a small margin of volume, I almost always listened at maximum volume even at home, but on the street it may not be enough for maximum volume, this is a fact. Go ahead and wired to FiiO K5 Pro. Wow, just other headphones, smooth enough and at the same time tasty for listening to music, the bass turns into perfect, the detailing is at the level of the Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X , but not so dry.
In this type of use, I would not mind using the Technics A800 as a working solution for work, they are 100% suitable. But, of course, in most cases, no one will consider wireless headphones for such purposes. If we take exclusively portable use, then when choosing the right Hi-Fi player or smartphone with support for all codecs, you will get sound at Sony level, and maybe even half a bump better and 100% better than Bose.
Noise reduction
The active noise cancellation system works great and is no different from those used by competitors. In noisy places, it is very pleasant to use headphones, and they are suitable not only for listening, but also for the same games, for example, on the Nintendo Switch. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, when watching movies and playing games, the volume is impressive – the sound is very effective and will appeal to those who love high-quality sound, even TV shows look different. The ambient sound works great, no complaints.
To control the headphones, there is an application for smartphones and there really are useful points. For example, the level of noise reduction and transparency here can be finely adjusted on a scale from 0 to 100, there is an equalizer and presets, multipoint activation, headphone auto-off control, control change. You can also set the connection priority – better connection / worse sound or worse connection / better sound. And a bunch of different functions, in general, this is the case when they got tired, and did not do Schaub Bulo. Praise for the app!
Microphone
No wonder the manufacturer boasts that they managed to stuff as many as 8 microphones into the headphones, in addition to the fact that there is an excellent noise reduction, which works with the help of microphones, there is also just amazing voice transmission in both quiet and noisy environments. Among the large headphones, they are still one of the best in this parameter.
Autonomy
But our operating time is absolutely record-breaking in the world of headphones – 50 hours, and if you translate it into a standard type of use, then you will definitely not charge the headphones for 20-30 days. It’s not that good – it’s just drop dead! There is a fast charge, in 15 minutes gives 10 hours
Conclusion
Technics always riveted Hi-Fi movement and I was very afraid to get wireless headphones from them, because, well, this is not their path. As experience with the AZ40 and AZ60 showed , it was their path and they did it cool. The same can be said about the A800! The Technics EAH-A800 are great headphones, with great sound, great comfort, microphone and amazing battery life! But they are not completely omnivorous and want a smartphone with LDAC support as a source and do not behave well with your iPhone. There is also a question about the maximum volume. But the fact remains – now Sony and Bose have a serious competitor!
