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

Product Information

The choice between the E04 over-ear pads and the E10 on-ear pads has an enormous impact on the sound. Straight to the point, the larger E04 pads are far superior. 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. There’s certainly a technical difference in the audio quality between streaming via Bluetooth or 2.4GHz, but this depends entirely on the source material. A ‘normal’ quality stream via Spotify won’t sound all too different between modes as the source is already compressed, but a FLAC file will (in theory) exhibit better dynamics as they won’t be ‘crushed’ by the compression process of streaming via Bluetooth. While this is more than is necessary for most end-user media consumption, content creators will appreciate the closer to real-time performance.

In fact, there’s very little on the market to directly compare them to thanks to their unique feature set, but if all you’re after is an all-round excellent pair of Bluetooth headphones, Sony’s flagship cans are the better buy. Design I also greatly appreciate the practical and elegant design and implementation inherent to AIAIAI’s products. Included with my test headphones is a pair of the E10 fabric on-ear ear pads so I can test both comfort and sound differences between the XE and standard model. REPREVE® is one of the leading, most trusted, branded performance fiber made from recycled material (including plastic bottles). The material is ultra soft to touch while having the ability to prevent excessive warmth making them the perfect choice… The midrange extends from the bass smoothly, with a warmth and solidity built on the more prominent low-end. Voices especially seem to benefit from this tuning, and both male and female vocals have a good presence and heft.This can be mitigated by turning the source device volume up to the maximum (or the highest level that does not cause audible distortion) and reducing the headphone volume – thus improving signal-to-noise and reducing the hiss. Still, it is never truly inaudible in silent sections within or between songs. Even with the basic AAC Bluetooth connection, the sound quality is very good. Frequency response graph of the AIAIAI TMA-2 MOVE Wireless vs the Studio Wireless+ as measured on a miniDSP EARS measurement fixture. Bass There’s no active noise-cancelling present in these cans, and the passive isolation is quite minimal due to the Alcantara ear cups not creating as strong a seal as pleather or other materials would in its place. This latter point, as we’ve touched on, reduces the overall presence of bass frequencies as the space enclosed by the cups isn’t acting as efficiently as its own passive bass driver. This same phenomenon is typically how in-ear headphones are able to create immense bass from such tiny drivers. Battery life and connectivity Unfortunately, the lossless nature of the W+ Link tech is somewhat sullied by a high noise floor, meaning that the connection produces a static hiss even when nothing is plugged into it. This can be somewhat remedied with volume tweaks to both the headphones and media source, but those who like to listen loud will have to deal with the noise.

With that said, two of the components in the box are unique to this TMA-2 configuration: the H10 headband and the X01 transmitter. You’ll need both of these for the Studio Wireless+ flagship feature (2.4GHz transmission; more on this later) to function. You can buy both of these components as a pair, but they’re not sold separately. While some hard-core electronica listeners may yearn for a bit more sub-bass foundation, the low end stays tight and controlled and deftly avoids any sense of muddiness or distortion. The TMA-2 MOVE Wireless are far from thin sounding and do a great job delivering a fun and powerful sound, without being unnaturally bass-boosted. Midrange Precision-grown diaphragm from bio-cellulose making it stiffer, lighter and stronger than regular PET speaker units, and allowing the sound-producing diaphragm to vibrate without the levels of distortion found in other speakers. Each of these qualities results in more accurate and detailed sound from the speaker with the ability to retain clarity of sound at high volumes.” – AIAIAI 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. Treble Finally, there is a potential deal-breaker for those who are hoping the improved data transmission of the W+ Link offers the listener a truly substantial upgrade over Bluetooth. There is a noticeable noise floor, resulting in a constant low-level hiss, using the W+ Link that is not present when listening via Bluetooth.

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If memory serves me, the first time I came across AIAIAI gear was circa 2010 when I spotted Ross "HudMo" Birchard sporting some of the earliest generation TMAs. Instantly, I thought to myself, "R.I.P. HD25 mk2...". Another perk produced by the W+ Link tech is that you can transform devices that only have an analog audio output into wireless media sources. Whether this be instruments, amplifiers or other hi-fi and AV kit, these headphones can bring them into the modern age. It's not often that you come across a for-profit business that simultaneously leads its industry in both technological innovation and poverty reduction. But, seems to me, that's what Freddy and the rest of the crew at Danish firm AIAIAI are all about.

This is a fun-sounding pair of headphones, providing plenty of low-end punch and high-end presence, but not as an entirely v-shaped signature that ignores the midrange. I’m not expecting audiophile, hyper-critical headphones when dealing with portable Bluetooth sets, and with that in mind, the TMA-2 MOVE Wireless do not disappoint. The bass is tuned with a mid-bass focus that doesn’t overwhelm the other higher frequencies, ensuring a decent amount of detail in the presentation. Overall, the sound is neutral with decent separation, with subdued extremes in the sub-bass and upper treble range. This doesn’t make for as exciting a listen as Sony’s flagship headphones, but can be good for those seeking a more clinical monitoring of their audio. You can always swap out the drivers if you’d prefer a different profile.The low latency (specifically, 16ms) of the 2.4GHz connection is one of the key advantages of this medium, and here the Studio Wireless+ performs magnificently. Testing out both Ableton Live and Adobe Premiere Pro for audio and video editing respectively, we noticed no discernible lag between the playhead and the audio landing in our ears. The same cannot be said for using these programs with Bluetooth. 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. AIAIAI describes the S05MKII as “detailed sound (midrange focus)” and combined with the Alcantara pads, the Studio Wireless+ are on the warm side of truly neutral sounding, with fairly rolled-off high-treble and sub-bass.