Technics EAH-A1000 initial review: Technics’ just updated its superb EAH-A800 headphones, and I got them in advance — here’s my early verdict | Daily Reports Online
- Technics has unveiled new EAH-A1000 flagship wireless headphones
- The company’s famed Magnetic Fluid Driver is literally making the big time
- Owing to last-minute tweaks/firmware updates, my full review is incoming
Today sees a huge reveal in the world of wireless headphones. Not only because it’s been well over four years since Technics’ excellent EAH-A800 landed (promptly gaining a glowing 4.5-star review from this publication, if you’ll only click that link), but because the same ‘magnetic fluid’ magic that made the Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds soar straight to the top of our best earbuds buying guide (where they sit prettily even now) has somehow been massively upscaled.
Technics’ proprietary concoction that once facilitated more accurate motion within a tiny 10mm driver, squirrelled within an earbud, is now able to lubricate a 40mm drive unit in a headphone ear cup. And for those lucky enough to have heard what it did for earbuds (feel free to read my various odes to the EAH-AZ100 buds if you need proof of its prowess), that is huge.
Speaking of luck, I was invited to the company’s elite facility in Tokyo to talk to the team, find out more about the Technics EAH-A1000, and try them before anyone else. Oh, it’s not lost on me, don’t worry. And here are my initial thoughts…
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Greige, but make it elite level
I was not given a ‘Platinum Greige’ set to take home, but my black review sample is incredibly stylish and promotes no small sense of pride in ownership. See how it glistens against a Tokyo skyline!
At the big unveil, I ask the design team why the case, bijou and useful though it is, is not imprinted with a Technics logo? I’m directed to demure branding on the zipper and told: “Everything at Technics must either be engraved onto the metal or embroidered to the fabric of a product: we do not print.” Quite.
Everything here has been optimized for what Technics’ Group Manager Ellison Ferdinand calls “an uncompromising experience”. During a talk with the design team I’m shown countless samples of potential top-plates for the ear cup: too shiny, too textured, too yellowy through the concentric grooves of the metal. This is meticulous attention to detail, and then some.
Back to that Magnetic Fluid Driver though, and to further enhance its performance the EAH-A1000 incorporates an SST (Symmetrical Surround Technology) Edge — yes, the same tech that’s also used in Technics hi-fi flagship speakers. So, pure rigid carbon fiber diaphragm, with dome shape and cone shape ideas within it (think a dish with a slight raise in the center, rather than a regular cone), along with a redesigned acoustic control chamber, to manage airflow more precisely. The idea across the board is that by improving the drivers’ pistonic movement, these design flourishes further minimize distortion (the enemy of accuracy and clarity). The EAH-A1000 also features a new ‘Baffle Flat Structure’ to reduce “uneven surfaces around the driver, limiting unwanted reflections”.
Stamina and so on? Of course: high-resolution audio playback via LDAC and USB Audio is on the menu plus up to 45 hours of continuous playback (without ANC and LDAC deployed, of course), and multipoint connectivity to up to three devices — which is still a perk unique to Technics’ headphones and earbuds.
13 degrees doesn’t sound like a lot, but to me it makes all the difference
The arms of the headphones have been thinned and refined since the EAH-A800, and I think it’s a wise and beautiful solution. Upon slipping them over my head, they have remained supremely comfortable too (I’m around 60% through TechRadar’s rigorous testing process), which I believe is due to the 13-degree angle of the ear cups, relative to the headband. This was implemented by the female Head of Design on this particular Technics release. Apparently, over 500 people tested them prior to landing on this design, and half were women. Bravo. (Women like music too.)
This missive is not to be taken as a full review. As mentioned, I’m only part-way through testing because, as is normal when trialing products not yet officially in the public domain, the EAH-A1000 are only just now running their final software version. As such, small tweaks have recently been implemented, and it would be premature of me to offer feedback on elements within these headphones in the run-up to their release that I can’t be sure others will experience. That said, they are now official, and will be available to purchase as of tomorrow (September 30).
What I can tell you — aside from pricing, which is officially $449 / £399 / €449 (so around AU$750 as a ballpark figure) — is that so far, the sound quality is nothing short of superb. I do not write this lightly. I have toyed with the head-tracked spatial audio profile, optimized for Dolby Atmos, as well as the ANC, and while I’m impressed, watch this space for my final verdict. For now, know that the multi-function button/slider (to tweak volume and alter playback) is a better solution than controls via touch capacitive surfaces. And the circumaural distribution of sound is like that of a skilled pastry chef, creating a layered, tall, elegant croquembouche around my ears.
Essentially, they’re super svelte, super comfy and gloriously expansive. Things are looking good…
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