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The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 are the company’s most recent pair of wireless earbuds. They are full of audio technology and have many of the same extra features as other brands in the same price range.
Not the least of these features is the digital hybrid noise-cancelling technology, which has five preset modes and can be changed by touching a sensor on the left earbud. AT says that the ATH-TWX9 can adapt to the world around you by giving you full control over ambient noise, a hear-through function, and Sidetone circuitry that “improves conversations by letting you hear your voice in the headphones when making calls on most smartphones.”
You can wear the headphones on either ear, and the 5.8 mm high-resolution drivers and compatibility with Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound, Qualcomm aptX Adaptive audio, and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio give you a spatial sound experience. AT also changes how the earbuds and the case for charging them look and feel.
The earbuds are a stealthy black and dark copper color, and the case is painted in a way that makes it look different depending on how the light hits it. There are 12 different kinds of eartips that come with the headphones (4 diameter sizes and 3 stem lengths).
With the Qi wireless charging case, they can be used for up to 18.5 hours. Without it, they can be used for six hours. Audio-Technica has also added a “unique mirror processing” deep-UV LED sterilization system that kills bacteria and viruses on the surface of the headphones.
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 specifications
| Special Feature | Fast Charging |
| Connectivity Technology | Wireless |
| Item Weight | 2.33 ounces |
| Item Dimensions | 2.32 x 4.65 x 7.48 inches |
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 review: Design and comfort
The TWX9 looks just like the Audio-top-of-the-line Technica true wireless earbuds. The TWX9 looks different from everything else A-T has made, and it has a different model number, so they must have worked hard on it. The high-end style is shown by the black finish with bronze accents and the curved charging case with five LED lights that light up in a moving left-to-right sequence.
It has features like Active Noise Cancellation, Hear-Through, Side Tone, Low Latency Mode, IPX4 water resistance, Qi wireless charging, Multipoint pairing, and Hear-Through that users of true wireless earbuds are used to. It works with Bluetooth audio codecs like Snapdragon Sound, aptX Adaptive Audio, aptX, AAC, and SBC.
It’s also one of the few earbuds that works with 360 Reality Audio that isn’t made by Sony. Like the LG TONE Free FP9 and T90, the TWX9 can be cleaned with UV light. Inside the case, there are also mirrors that help the UV sterilization work better. Even though the earbuds don’t look as small, they are made to fit comfortably in the ear canals.
The battery lasts for 6 hours per charge and 18.5 hours with the charging cable, which is enough for normal travel but might not be enough for a flight across an entire continent. You can buy this earbuds from its official website.
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 review: Sound quality
A press release from Singapore says that the new 5.8mm diaphragm drivers are made of three layers of hard and soft materials. They also have a thin stainless-steel plate for more drive, a floating voice coil for more accurate audio signals, and an edge-mounted external magnetic circuit to get a rich sound from a small driver.
This driver system is made to “minimize vibrations to ensure excellent transient characteristics while producing crisp low-frequency sounds and an extended high-frequency range for a full immersive soundscape.” As usual, we don’t pay much attention to the details when we review something.
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 review: Noise cancelling
When the ATH-hybrid TWX9 system was turned on, the noise cancellation turned on automatically. It did a good job of blocking out both low-frequency and high-frequency sounds from the outside. Voices, complex street noise, and construction noise could still be heard, but not as much.
Overall, the five ANC modes didn’t do a great job of reducing noise, but they did a good job. But the best results came when the background noise was measured and a certain change was made. This was easy to do and didn’t take long. When the mode was set to “Noise Cancelling,” there wasn’t much background noise.
In Transparency mode, there was a clear rise from one level to the next. The Quick Hear Through function also worked with a sound that could be heard, and the app was used to decide if the playback should stop or keep going at a much lower volume. You could also choose between “natural” and “strong” amplification, both of which worked well.
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 review: Battery life
If you turned on noise cancellation and turned up the volume, you could use the ATH-TWX9s for five and a half hours. In basic mode, they lasted just under six hours, and you can fully charge them twice in the case before you need an outside power source.
This gives a total runtime of about 17 hours, which doesn’t seem like much, especially since the in-ears can be used for less time if they are cleaned more often. When they are put back in the charging case, this happens automatically. The ATH-CKS50TW True Wireless in-ear headphones are also made by Audio-Technica.
These headphones, unlike the ATH-TWX9, can be used for 20 hours on a single charge. The ATH-TWX9 also don’t have a quick-charge feature, but it takes less than two hours to fully charge them. The case’s battery can be charged in three hours using the USB-C connection, which comes with a USB-C to USB-A charging cable.
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 review: Price
The only place to buy the “Japanese Black” ATH-TWX9 is on Technica’s website for $299. Inside the box is a charging case, a USB-C cable, four sets of short tips (XS, S, M, L), four sets of standard tips (XS, S, M, L), four sets of long tips (XS, S, M, L), and a manual. The high MSRP puts these earbuds in the same class as the $299 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 and the $299 Astell&Kern AK UW100.
It also makes them more expensive than popular products in the same category, like the $249 AirPods Pro 2 and the $279 Sony WF-1000XM4. If these options are too expensive for you, check out our lists of the best cheap noise-cancelling earbuds and the best cheap wireless earbuds to find something that fits your needs and budget.
Final Words
The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 is one of the few truly wireless earbuds on the market, and its design makes it stand out from the others. It has everything you could want in a high-end set of truly wireless earbuds, and they sound better than any Audio-Technica earbuds.
We like the Sennheiser MTW3 better for my daily commute because it has a little more sparkle, a better-controlled bass, and ANC that works better for commuting. But the TWX9 is better for me when we want to listen to music in which the instruments sound close and smooth and the dynamics feel analog.
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 Ratings
Pros
- Excellent sound quality
- Very comfy and secure fit
- 360 Reality Audio
Cons
- Erratic multipoint behavior
- Strange feedback response
FAQs
Is Audio Technica better than Sony?
The Sony headphones have a more premium feel to them in terms of construction, and their sound profile can be readily adjusted via the accompanying app, whereas the Audio Technica headphones do not have this capability. The Sony will also provide you with a longer duration of use from its battery.
Is Audio Technica good for audiophile?
Headphones manufactured by Audio-Technica are known for their favourable price-to-performance ratios. These are typically a more cost-effective alternative for audiophiles, particularly if you are seeking for something to wear while DJing or for usage in the studio.
Is Audio-Technica a Chinese company?
Hideo Matsushita started the company Audio-Technica in 1962 in Shinjuku, which is located in Tokyo, Japan. It was originally intended to be a maker of phonograph cartridges. The AT-1 and the AT-3 were the company’s first products and were both MM stereo phono cartridges.