Audio-technica

ATH-TWX7 True Wireless Earbuds

£199 RRP

StereoNET was thoroughly impressed by the ATH-TWX9 flagship earbuds from Audio-Technica when we reviewed them, even giving them an Applause Award for the clean and neutral sound. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that we were eagerly awaiting the more affordable ATH-TWX7 when it was announced at the start of 2024. Fitting into the Japanese audio company’s true wireless lineup as a more affordable option, it seemingly builds on its bigger brother’s strengths and even adds more features while still keeping the price low.

UP CLOSE

Starting with the case, and it’s a teardrop-shaped design that’s very similar to that of the ATH-TWX9. This lets it sit on flat surfaces with the lid open while the earbuds are in the perfect position to be picked up out of the case. Instead of the five LED lights that indicate the case’s battery capacity, there’s now a singular long LED light that flashes green when fully charged, yellow when the battery capacity is medium and orange when it’s running low. Of course, a more specific battery percentage for the earbuds (but not the case) can be seen in Audio-Technica’s A-T Connect app, and we’ll get into this later…

The UV light sterilisation feature from the ATH-TWX9 has been removed, and while we did think it was cool, it makes a ton of sense to strip down features like this to keep the price down instead of compromising on more important stuff like sound quality or build. However, the case still charges via USB-C, which should be a standard today. Support for wireless Qi charging is also retained, which is very convenient.

Battery life is also decent, with up to 6.5 hours in the earbuds and another two charges in the case for around 20 hours with ANC turned on. I’ve never had an issue hitting at least six hours during long listening sessions, so that’s great. Another feature that’s been removed is wear detection, and it’s one that I’m divided on. While it’s not a particularly deal-breaking thing, its inclusion might help boost battery life slightly. On the other hand, I reckon most people would be fine with it removed in order to get a better price on these earbuds.

As for comfort, the ATH-TWX7 feels slightly better than the ATH-TWX9, with its smaller shell and lighter weight, despite using the same 5.8mm dynamic driver inside. The earbuds use the same form factor as the ATH-TWX9, with a stem design that has a button and touch-sensitive panels on either side.

These can all be customised via the A-T Connect app, which is fantastic. Just a few years ago, Audio-Technica’s control customisation was rather limited, so the company has taken big strides in this area. Each press, double press and triple press, as well as taps can be individually customised to control volume, media playback, track skipping, voice assistants and more. The level of customisation here is on par with Sennheiser’s, and that’s a very good thing.

The app also supports other customisation features, like choosing whether you want 16 volume steps for quick adjustments or 32 volume steps for more granular control, multipoint connectivity, and a choice between active noise cancellation, hear-through transparency, or off.

There’s also a Soundscape feature which plays noises like fire cracking, rain, white noise and such to help lull the wearer into sleep. It’s a nice thing that’s also found on earbuds meant to aid sleep, but I’m not sure it really serves a purpose on the ATH-TWX7. This is because most people won’t be wearing these to sleep thanks to their stem design, particularly if you’re a side sleeper.

Running on Bluetooth 5.1, the ATH-TWX7 supports the standard SBC and AAC codecs but will also handle Sony’s high-res LDAC codec, which can stream at up to 990kbps at 32-bits, so it should make for a higher quality listening experience as long as the source device supports LDAC as well.

THE LISTENING

The ATH-TWX7 has the same neutral sonic presentation of its bigger ATH-TWX9 brother, not least because it shares its drivers. We’re of two minds about this. While it’s a clean, refined sound that works well with a wide variety of genres, it’s also a very safe-sounding pair of true wireless earbuds. You do get a bit of a boost in the bass region, allowing for tracks like The Hills by The Weekend to shine with extra oomph and rumble in the bassline. However, because the earbuds are so neutral, they can seem lacking when it comes to more complex, high-tempo tracks that require more energy and expressiveness.

PlayingStar-crossed by Kacey Musgraves brought out her bright, emotive vocals while still being able to capture the subtle backing singers, but there was just a bit missing from the mix in the treble and upper registers. The soundstage is relatively wide with good instrument staging and accuracy, but there’s little depth, with more complex songs left feeling a bit flat, particularly in the midrange where there’s a slight dip. All of which makes for a listening experience that isn’t terribly exciting. This is a decent pair of earbuds to accompany someone through the day, but you’ll never pause in the middle of something you’re doing because you’re getting so lost in the music.

Underlining the ATH-TWX7’s practical nature, voice calls are perfectly serviceable thanks to its two MEMS beam-forming microphones on each side. Taking calls outside the home or in noisier environments like cafes didn’t pose any issue at all. As for the active noise cancellation (ANC), its performance isn’t too shabby at all. It is mostly effective at cancelling out commuting noise and low rumbles, although higher-pitched voices can still sneak in once in a while. My big quibble with ANC is that wind noise is terrible. Most other earbuds combat wind noise to some extent when ANC is turned on, but this Audio-Technica design suffers in very windy conditions, which is something to keep in mind.

THE VERDICT

As a middle-range pair of earbuds in Audio-Technica’s lineup, the ATH-TWX7 is not a bad option at all. If you can accept (or even prefer) the safer sound that the company is going for here, then it does offer neutrality and cleanness that works quite well with many genres of music. Thanks to its subtle bump in the bass region, there’s a good amount of heft and power for pop and rock songs, too. So, this is a decent-sounding offering that combines effective noise-cancelling performance and a secure fit. Some superfluous features like Snapdragon Sound, 360 Reality Audio and others have been cut, which I think is a worthwhile tradeoff to get the price lower.

For more information visit Audio-technica