Audio-Technica's CES offering: chic, hi-res earbuds with LDAC streaming for less

(Image credit: Audio-Technica)

The best true wireless earbuds are wonderful things, but not all of them deliver hi-res audio streaming – and the ones that do can be pretty expensive. Enter Audio-Technica, whose new true wireless earphones promise to deliver hi-res audio without a sky-high price.

The new Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 earbuds have taken the 5.8mm drivers from the firm's flagship ATH-TWX9, which have been getting great reviews for their sound but which cost $299 / £279 (around AU$460) and have a niche, er, 70-second auto-sterilizing system. The new ATH-TWX7 are considerably more affordable, with a sticker price of £190 / €219 (we don't have the US price just yet but it'll be around the $200 mark, or AU$299). They go on sale today (January 9) having just been officially unveiled at CES 2024.

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7: key specifications

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 in black and gray colorways — They're good-looking earbuds too (Image credit: Audio-Technica)

One of the big selling points here is Sony's LDAC compatibility, which enables you to stream better than CD quality audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz to make the most of those drivers. There's also digital hybrid noise canceling with both hear-through and talk-through functions, twin micro-electromechanical beamforming microphones for clear calls, plus two call modes: natural for quieter settings and noise reduction for busier spaces. There's also a low latency mode for gaming, and both touch control and EQ customization via the Audio-Technica CONNECT app.

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Battery life is a promised 6.5 hours, rising to 20 hours via the included charging case, and the buds are rated IPX4 for water resistance – again, not bad at all for this money (a quick scan of our Final ZE8000 MK2 review reveals buds that only boast five hours alone or 15 including the case – but that figure can diminish if you're deploying what the company calls its '8K sound' profile).

In addition to removing ambient audio, the new Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 earbuds can create it: there's a feature called Soundscape that plays "relaxing sounds of nature", sounds for meditation and masking noise to help you concentrate.

You'd normally pay a lot more for a pair of LDAC buds, and as we know from the same firm's excellent, stylish and affordable ATH-SQ1TW earbuds Audio-Technica is very good at delivering excellent sound quality for a decent price. So we're keen to get our ears on these, and we'll be doing just that in the very near future.

Will they cruise straight into our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide? Stay tuned for a full review soon.

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.