Technics F70N Headphones Hands-On: High-Res Audio Goodness

Hands-On
By published

Technics' latest headphones marry fantastic smarts with premium looks.

LAS VEGAS — Technics may be known for its turntables, but the tables turned at CES 2019, where its latest headphones are the life of the party. 

Credit: Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Technics added a ball-joint mechanism that connects the ear cup to the band and this means the headphones fit snug, no matter how lumpy your head may be. There are some great flourishes in the design, too. 

Credit: Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Technics laser-engraved its logo on the earcups, which offer up a premium finish. A sensor embedded into the cups automatically pauses music when you take them off, and hits play when you put the F70N's back on your ears. This is something that can be found in the Plantronics BackBeat wireless range, and it’s a feature I want to see in more headphones.

It’s not just design and ANC that caught our eye but Technics has added some much-needed hi-res audio additions, both when the headphones are used wirelessly and wired up. These come in the form of Sony’s LDAC and apt-X HD. I listened to a number of tracks on the headphones and the sound clarity was fantastic, even though a Technics representative warned me that they weren't completely tuned to perfection. 

Credit: Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The flip between noise cancellation and ambient mode worked really well and the aluminum chassis meant they were nice and lightweight. I didn’t get to try out the Siri integration, but these headphones also have 'voice assist activation.'

I can’t wait to try them out more when they are release sometime later in the year, with pricing still to be announced.

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Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is Director of Shortlist Media and Editor-In-Chief of Shortlist. He's been a technology and entertainment journalist for 15 years and was previously UK Editor In Chief at Tom's Guide, TechRadar and Digital Camera World. He's also written for the likes of T3 and Tom's Hardware. In his spare time he tries to play guitar, PlayStation and supports Chelsea.