Yamaha TW-E7B

The Yamaha TW-E7B looks like a flagship but performs like a mid-tier pair at best. Sound, comfort, and ANC all rank in the bottom third of our database, and call quality is one of the worst we've tested. At $170, it's hard to recommend over Sony, Technics, or even cheaper options like the Nothing Buds 2.

Battery life is the only thing that feels okay here, sitting right around the middle of the pack. Build quality is mediocre, ANC is underwhelming, and sound quality falls behind most of what we've tested. The mic situation is grim, one of the worst we've seen for calls. Connectivity is also a weak spot, which is strange for earbuds that support Bluetooth 5.2 and AptX Adaptive. On paper it should be stable. In practice, it lags behind most competitors.

Stacked against the Sony WF-1000XM6, the Yamaha gets smoked in ANC, sound, and comfort. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is another league entirely for audio quality. Even the Nothing Buds 2, which costs less, delivers a more complete package. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation both crush the TW-E7B on calls and connectivity. Yamaha made a flagship-priced product that competes like a budget pair.

At $170, these are a tough sell. You can get better sound, better ANC, and far better call quality for less money from plenty of other brands. The Yamaha name carries some weight in audio, but the TW-E7B doesn't back it up. Unless you find these heavily discounted, the value just isn't there.

Yamaha's TW-E7B is a weird one. The spec sheet reads like a flagship, with Advanced ANC, Listening Optimizer, and that Yamaha True Sound tuning. But our database says it lands in the bottom third for sound, comfort, and ANC. That's a rough combo for earbuds at this level.

The price is all over the place too. One US listing at $170, one Mexican listing at 3,768 MXN. For that kind of money, you'd expect it to hang with Sony and Technics. It doesn't.

Skip these if you take calls on your earbuds, period. The mic performance is a dealbreaker. Also skip if you want strong ANC for commuting or flying, because these fall well short of Sony and Bose. And if you care about getting the best sound for your money, the Technics EAH-AZ100 or even the Nothing Buds 2 will serve you better.

If you're a Yamaha loyalist who mostly listens to music in quiet rooms and never takes calls, you might find something to like here. The sound tuning has character, and the IPX5 rating is nice for workouts. But for everyone else, there are simply better options at this price. The TW-E7B feels like a swing and a miss from a brand that should know better.