AIAIAI TMA-2 (DJ Preset) Professional Headphones - modular headphone system with fully customisable, upgradeable and replaceable parts , Black

Product Information

Since hitting the scene in 2006, Danish company AIAIAI have become one of the leading names in premium audio gear. Their TMA-2 Modular Headphone System has made serious waves, with renowned artists such as Kaytranada, Bonobo and Charlotte de Witte favouring them above all others. As an AIAIAI headphone user, you’re in excellent company. At first glance, you may be tempted to write of the AIAIAI headphones as just another fashion brand. Style over substance.

Things stay clear and natural sounding, although edges may be slightly blunted and rounded off. There’s good presence, but I wouldn’t describe the MOVE Wireless as crisp sounding. Enjoyable rather than critical listening. TrebleI definitely think that the mention that this is a PLAYER monitoring can, not so much an ENGINEERING can might be a really pertinent addition. They couldn’t be more different needs – and I think the audiophile community misses this point a LOT.

The flagship feature of these headphones is its ability to switch between a Bluetooth connection and a wireless 2.4GHz connection (dubbed W+ Link), the latter promising almost no latency (16ms) and the ability to stream uncompressed audio up to 1500kbps. For reference, FLAC files encoded from CD audio (44.1kHz/16-bit) have a bitrate of 1411kbps. I have still given them a 2, because the headphones still work through wired connection but even that is a bit too much of a rating because they have been frequently going out of one ear.That said, swap the S02 for the far superior S05 units and our opinion of the TMA-2 changes instantly. Now we have a well built, versatile that sounds as good as it looks! We strongly advise DJ’s take the time to head to a local store to listen to the difference between the speaker units before making a choice. The flatter S04 and S05 units being head and shoulders above the other units offered by AIAIAI. Like the bass region, the midrange seems dialed just above neutral, which yields a balance between easy listening and detailed presentation. As the frequencies rise, the forwardness seems to recede, avoiding any sort of shoutiness or harshness to the upper midrange. Treble W+ Link latency (16ms) is also far lower than Bluetooth standards ranging from about 100ms to more than 250ms for AAC and SBC. Even aptX LL (low latency) is rated for below a maximum of 40ms. The midrange gains warmth from the lower frequencies and gradually tapers off as the frequencies rise. This gives a nice vocal presence, with plenty of weight, and avoids any unpleasant harshness. It’s a smooth sound signature with a more relaxed upper end that makes the TMA-2 MOVE Wireless easy to listen to for long periods.

If you think - like some people do - that pricing is off the mark: I would suggest that you think again. AIAIAI offer five speaker units at the time of writing. Sold in pairs, the speaker units are entire cups that easily attach to the TMA-2 headbands without the need for tools. Each speaker is specifically tuned for a specific purpose and sound characteristic. All speaker units currently use a 40mm driver with the same outer shell, with only the internal speaker diaphragm changing.Redbook CD audio (44.1kHz/16-bit) has an audio bitrate of 1,411 kbps (@16-bit), just below the 1500 kbps limit of the W+ Link. While Bluetooth supports a bandwidth range from 320-990 kbps depending on the codec used (AAC and SBC are at the bottom of this range), W+ Link supports up to 1500 kbps. If you need headphones with low latency (i. e. for playing guitar without cables) that can also be used as normal headphones for gaming, watching videos or having online meetings, then I don't think there are that many alternatives. Pros: