The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 is one of the heavy-hitters for wireless earbuds and it competes with Apple AirPods and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Smart Earbuds. Audio-Technica gets most of the elements right on this pair of sound cans but there are a couple of slip-ups.

It has Bluetooth 5.1 on board, which could have been 5.3. There is support for SBC, AAC and LDAC. The TWX9, the more expensive model, has aptX lossless instead of LDAC. There is active noise cancellation with passthrough. There are 5.8mm high-resolution drivers that you can compare with the flagship ATH-TWX9. Having IPX 4 is good enough for splashes and sweat.

The weight of each bud is 4.7g and is well spread out with its stem design. The material used on the box is satisfying, offering a “grippy” feel. It comes with wireless charging (approximately three hours with USB cable and five hours if you charge wirelessly).

The design of the box reminds me of foot massagers you find in airports. If not anything, it’s quite different from what other companies are offering.

The companion app comes with a custom equaliser, ambience control and firmware updates.

On the earbuds, there is a metal stem with plastic patches. The ear tips are easy to replace and these sit in the ear canal without causing any pain. There are touch controls on the side as well as a button on the stem, something you usually don’t get to see.

The box even comes with a carry case, something I have not seen in any other wireless earbuds. It’s made with recycled fabric. Plus, Audio-Technica throws in plenty of ear tips in the box to ensure you get a snug fit. Once again, the choice of ear tips is far higher than what is being offered by rival companies.

Battery life: I got around 6.4 hours with active noise cancellation on but it drops a little to around 5.7 hours with LDAC. Of course, you will get a lot more when the case is factored in.

Range and microphones

Let’s talk about range. Bluetooth 5.1 has a decent range and stability. You will get a stable connection, that is, music streaming won’t be hampered even if you are around 37-38 feet away from your phone. Even beyond that, the connection doesn’t disappear completely.

If you are wondering whether the touch controls work well when you are exercising, drop the fear with these earbuds. It’s a stable pair of earbuds and you can use the touch controls or use the button on the buds.

The microphones too deserve a mention. The built-in MEMS microphones, combined with beamforming technology, ensure the speaker’s voice is heard loud and clear, even in windy environments. Users can choose between two call modes — Natural Mode for quieter settings or Noise-Reduction Mode for bustling environments. There is also a mute button to silence the microphone during calls. The overall voice quality is far better than what most companies are offering. I would still say that AirPods offer better quality because of machine-learning technology. But Audio-Technica rocks.

The sound experience

The app experience for the buds is straightforward. Under ambience control, you can find some big-hitting features: Noise cancellation on, off and hear-through. It’s uncomplicated.
The ANC on these buds works well. The use of digital hybrid noise cancelling technology eliminates unwanted noises like the hum of the air conditioner, fans and aeroplane engine. The easily accessible hear-through and talk-through functions allow quick adjusting to prioritise conversations or hear external announcements.

The five-band manual EQ (besides the presets) allows the user to play around with the sound output. It’s cool that the app shows what each of the presets is meant to do, like treble enhance or V-shaped.

There are some unique adjustment controls, for example, Volume Adjustment Level, from 16 steps to 32 steps and so on. You can adjust left-right sound balance as well as how you want the mics to process noise during phone calls.

The overall sound quality is without too much colour, that is, a clean sound. Be it highlighting Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding’s contrasting vocal styles on Milton + esperanza or Jack White’s incredibly satisfying rock record No Name. There is that extra bit of detail in low to mid-treble. It’s far more neutral-sounding device than most you will find at this price range. At the same time, there is enough flexibility in the app to tweak the sound.

There is LDAC on these buds. LDAC is capable of Hi-Res streaming at up to 24-bit/96kHz, in addition to the standard AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs.

Should you buy it?

Audio-Technica definitely worked closely with a design team to come up with something unique and they have won my heart by keeping both touch and button controls on the buds. A couple of things could have been done differently — the LED lights on the buds blink right on the face of a person sitting across you. I mean, people will notice.

In terms of sound, it goes toe to toe with Sony WF-1000XM5. But the company should have gone with the latest Bluetooth to ensure future-proofing.

On the Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7, most people will enjoy the sound quality, design, excellent fit and exceptional sound quality.

At a glance

Device: Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7

Price: MOP ₹19,990 (₹34,485 is MRP); will be available on Amazon early next week

High notes

• Secure fit

• App offers EQ and several personalisation settings

• LDAC support
• Good ANC and design

Muffled notes

• Bluetooth 5.1 is not the latest tech

• Bright LED on the earbuds

• Expensive