Geek Review: Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7

In a world littered with cacophony, commotion and discord, few companies have stood out when it comes to providing options to block out all the noise. Then there are those who do so and more, and Japanese audio giant Audio-Technica has established itself as a go-to choice for audio connoisseurs looking to enjoy their music, as much as they appreciate the same tools needed to block noise out. 

Audio-Technica’s latest true-wireless earbuds, ATH-TWX7, inherits many of the great features of its 2023 flagship premium model, the ATH-TWX9, at a fraction of its price. Sprinkling in a few quality of life improvements, the S$269 in ear devices are what most audio junkies would consider a sound price for what you get (forgive the pun).

Fresh out the box, they come packaged with a host of accessories, including a short USB to USB-C charging cable, and three sets of earbuds in varying sizes to fit ears of all types. The case itself is reminiscent of a clam shell, which flips open like the bonnet of the car to reveal two pearls – left and right. A light bar at its lip then illuminates green, which turns to yellow and red to visually represent battery life. It’s a shame it doesn’t come with other quality of life features like a lanyard loop, or wireless charging.

Audio-Technica sent us a grey set of the ATH-TWX7 to review, but you can opt to have them in black or cream colour as well. It comes with a mini drawstring fabric pouch that’s big enough to host the earpiece case, along with its accompanying paraphernalia. A slight knock would be that the case itself is made of plastic and coated in rubber, which we foresee might not be the most durable especially in warmer and more humid environments. 

On the flipside, the great thing about this set is that it’s extremely plug-and-play. Popping them into your ears and you’ll hear a jingle, followed by a soothing voice which informs you that they’ve interacted with the Bluetooth gods, and touched base with your smartphone.

Each earpiece is fitted with a similar 5.8mm driver used in the pricier ATH-TWX9, and supports the LDAC codec. Fitting on the right size earbuds, it creates a nice seal, which allows us to get lost in the soundscapes of Tame Impala’s 2020 album, The Slow Rush, floating high above in the clouds with Borderline. It performs even better with treble-heavy tracks like Ariana Grande’s yes, and?, with the ATH-TWX7 serving as a great medium for Ariana to scratch a deep part in your consciousness when her soprano-esque voice intertwines with the enthralling snare and hi-hat combo. Critically-speaking, it might sound too woolly and compressed for audiophiles and with the bulk of the sonic mix coming from the centre, the audio can sound quite congested. This is especially evident when listening to Baltimore-based hardcore punk outfit Turnstile, and their bass-thumping head-banging single, Holiday.

The ATH-TWX7 is also great for long hours of listening, and is perfect if you’re the type to listen to albums on end, or if you unfortunately bear with long routine commutes to work. It didn’t give us any audio fatigue from extended listening, and didn’t physically weigh down on the ears.

An industry buzz phrase, active noise-cancelling (ANC) gets thrown around a lot in the audio world but we’re happy to announce that Audio-Technica delivers on this promise with these earpieces. It is very strong, and will definitely put the world on mute even in the most challenging of scenarios, from that screaming baby on the plane, and high-pitched announcements on the train, to your folks nagging at you about anything and everything while you’re riding in the backseat of the car. It’s just too bad that you can’t dial it down as these babies completely eliminate the full brunt of a 97 dB journey from Mayflower to Lentor, the loudest noise level recorded on Singapore’s trains. It also probably means you wouldn’t be able to hear if there’s a car bearing down on you at full throttle, which is equal parts impressive and frightening.

It’s also a great companion to have at the workplace because if you want to enjoy your music and still be aware of what’s going on around you, there’s the a Hear-Through audio transparency function, which allows you to tailor fit the amount of sound you want the earbuds to let in, and even at the maximum setting, it isn’t excessively amplified and actually sounds quite natural and pleasing. Naturally, anyone looking for a tight seal needs to look elsewhere.

All of this customisation can be done via the Audio-Technica app (A-T Connect), which allows you to tinker around with all of the ATH-TWX7’s physical and touch-sensor buttons, assigning them individually to over a dozen functions, including taking calls, music playback operations, and ambience control. For those that want a deeper level of personalisation, you can also control things like the equaliser, L/R balance adjustment, and the audio codec it uses in the app as well. There is also a soundscape feature, allowing users to choose from 13 relaxing and soothing sounds if they need ambient tunes to boost concentration or calm the soul.

You can also switch between two call modes on the ATH-TWX7 – a natural mode, and a noise-reduction mode that helps to remove noise in windy and noisy environments. But while it does alright in semi-noisy environments, don’t even bother trying to call someone while you’re on public transport as the microphone pick-up is abysmally soft, and conversations attempted through the earpieces aren’t as sharp, leading to frustration from both parties attempting to speak, but not being able to be heard by the other party. 

Going back-and-forth with the insane level of customisation and ways you can use the ATH-TWX7, it hasn’t placed a strain on its battery life whatsoever. Audio-Technica says that the charging case and earpieces will last you approximately 20 hours with noise-cancelling on, and it lived up to its expectation. Though on paper it doesn’t boast a very strong battery life versus its competitors, we didn’t have to charge the case at all for two weeks straight, with an average use of getting to and from work daily. Topping it off, an LED indicator located at the case’s lip turns from green to red, serving as a visual reminder of how much juice’s left in these buds. Neat!

For its price, Audio-Technica did a great job with this pair. It doesn’t come with pointlessly padded features, compared to its older sibling’s UV sterilisation, wear detection, and even a Snapdragon Sound codec. While there’s still much to be desired in its microphone department, along with its slightly bulky case,  the ATH-TWX7 is still a worthy addition for any music fan with a smartphone. It comes with great practical functions, and stands out from the rest with its extensive customisation and personalisation options.