An Introduction to Aiaiai TMA-1
When the Aiaiai TMA-1 first discovered our review desk, our first step was to determine how you can correctly articulate the identify (we’re right now beginning to agree on the best way to pronounce Phiaton). With that from the way in which, we turned our attention to your organization itself since, honestly, we’d not heard of them just before. It happens Aiaiai is a Danish business that was initially developed in the club in the top of the developing in Copenhagen back in 2005. Aiaiai TMA-1 appears to be powered by imagination and style, drawing to the skills of artists and designers who’re masters of their craft and, for that reason, reads like an organization having a great deal of adoration for what they do.
That said, ingenious advertising does not a wonderful-sounding headphone make. So, we identified ourselves keen to offer the Aiaiai TMA-1 a try out. Within this overview, we’ll take a more in-depth search on the TMA-1 and find out how they evaluate against similarly charged and situated headphones.
The Goodies, Unboxing of the Headphones
Today’s headphone market has made a certain set of targets from priced over $200. Satisfaction in possession is now an important design point, and this has was able to trickle right right down to the product packaging. Irritating, difficult-to-open clamshells are getting left inside the dust in favor of luxurious situations and ornate boxes. Aiaiai didn’t cellphone while in the Aiaiai TMA-1 packaging, but thankfully, designers didn’t get a little obsessive either. The massive box that includes the headphones is hefty gauge. Inside the black box, we found the TMA-1 nestled on a plastic-backed piece of acoustic foam with cutouts to support the headphones. Together with the base portion on the box rested inside the cover, the box could double as a show or storage case for use in your own home.
In addition to the headphones, we observed the headphone cable, a threaded 1/8-inch-to-1-inch headphone adapter, a spare pair of ear pads, a microfiber storage sack with an outsized zipper and also a user manual, which we found for being more educational than most.
Functions and design and style
The Aiaiai TMA-1 undoubtedly suit the role of a DJ headphone, as they are plainly built to be resilient and sturdy. At first glance, the omission associated with a kind of label or other branding tactic is apparent. The Aiaiai TMA-1 search exceptional enough to not need to have flashy badges or stamping in order to be simply distinguished.
The removable headphone cord, which attaches towards the reduce element from the left headphone, is strong, tangle resistant and offers a pleasing, “grippy” feeling that keeps it from sliding close to.
The headphones are fully matte black, and give the same sort of anti-skid texture which seems simultaneously rugged and trendy. Furthermore, it looks resistant to fingerprints and scrapes. We wouldn’t be at all stunned if these cups were to come out unaffected after pulling them along the sidewalk, even though we didn’t wager to check that theory.
Features
The ear pads are delicate, adaptable and very well padded. Replacing the ear cups, or any other aspect of the headphones’ innards, is a cake-walk because of the Aiaiai TMA-1’s modular design. Aiaiai claims it took this strategy to help simple and cost-conscious portion substitute, must it be important.
The 2 headphones are connected by a coiled cable sheathed in the similar materials as found around the major headphone cable. Inside just about every ear-cup is actually a 40mm driver, which can be large ample to produce major bass response. It really is really worth noting that the closed-back ear cups could be the smallest we’ve witnessed to allow for that size of driver.
The headband just isn’t particularly effectively padded. In which quite a few headphone makers opt to duplicate the materials located within the ear-pads to the inner portion with the headband, the Aiaiai TMA-1 give no cushioning.
While many headphones in this class, DJ-focused or otherwise, might be folded down or the ear-cups otherwise rotatable, the Aiaiai TMA-1 are fixed. That mentioned, they’re particularly flexible, and might be bent into rather a lot any place to fit one-ear listening if preferred. We actually worked these headphones around but they delivered to their authentic form each and every time.
The 1-inch headphone adapter is threaded to ensure it could be locked into spot in the finish in the cable. If an unwary passer-by had been to journey or strain the cable in any way, the cable will pop out from underneath the left earphone, a attribute that ought to sit properly with DJs.
A model with the Aiaiai TMA-1 is available with an microphone and controls for individuals who want to utilize them with iPhones, but that edition is only available with the Apple retailer.
Performance
We examined the AiaiaiTMA-1 with our trustworthy headphone check bench of products composed of, Marantz SR6005 A/V receiver, Pioneer turntable with Ortofon OM5E cartridge, Bellari phono pre-amp, HeadRoom micro DAC and HeadRoom micro amp.
We started out our examining by plugging the Aiaiai TMA-1 immediately into our iPhone and striking the shuffle switch. From there we went by ten different songs and allow the headphones provide our very first impact. To be flawlessly frank, it has been a very long time because a headphone has managed to detain our focus so quickly. Provided that we test lots of headphones, we generally have to unwind into the sound, making it possible for for ears to develop into accustomed to a number of the nuanced distinctions that break up unique designs and styles. The Aiaiai TMA-1 sounded amazing appropriate from the box and just as lovely within the very first ten seconds as they did twenty listening hours later.
Intensive testing
The initial test track ended up being “Remind Me” by Royksopp. With this track, the bass was remarkably punchy, and we stood a moment of concern that this characteristic can be replicated on subsequent tracks; that wasn’t the case, though. The TMA-1’s bass functionality, song right after song, was indicative from the song’s meant combine. When asked to accomplish so, the Aiaiai TMA-1 could impact a hole straight by means of your head, which really should be interesting to DJ’s who should hear a song’s tempo obviously towards outside noise. As we moved by way of much more check tracks, we located that the Aiaiai TMA-1’s bass response tracked appropriate in line with what the song was dispensing.
Midrange response was lavish, uncongested and particularly dynamic. We found vocals were filled with texture and drums, specifically the smack of a snare drum, had a remarkably practical attack with lightning quickly separation. The sound we seasoned with the Aiaiai TMA-1 was as very good, and better in some respects, as what we’ve heard with a number of essentially the most expensive studio monitors we’ve tested.
Higher frequencies, substantially to our thrill, had been just slightly laid back. We still got an abundance of sizzle and splash from cymbals, however, and transients on string instruments had been incredibly very well pronounced. Brass instruments sounded remarkably correct, too. As often, we acknowledge that taste in large frequency response varies drastically, nonetheless it just so happens the TMA-1 nailed our preference within this regard to a tee.
The Aiaiai TMA-1 really don’t supply a whole great deal with regards to passive noise isolation. This design and style stage could have taken a back-seat to sonic accuracy, which can be just fine by us. Aside from, with music at a reasonable volume, we had been enough separated in the noise about us and our music, even at wholesome volumes, didn’t bleed from your headphones ample to disturb other people.
Our only complaint, and it’s a minor one, is the headband could stand to get better padded for lengthy listening sessions. Considering that the TMA-1 are pretty light, they didn’t place a great deal of stress about the prime of our head, but just a little padding would have produced the headphones disappear on our head and enable facilitate long-term listening with excellent comfort.
Summation
Aiaiai TMA-1 are a fantastic sounding set of closed-back headphones that stay accurate to your recordings they reproduce. These cans might be marketed to DJ’s, however they have this kind of wonderful midrange and treble response we think that audiophiles having a secret really like for guttural, punchy bass will fall in enjoy with them. We appreciate the fact that the TMA-1 handle to look classy with no bunch of glitzy branding plastered throughout them. Their industrial-grade building also gets our nod for making this set of headphones difficult sufficient to take anyplace. No doubt, the Aiaiai TMA-1 are amongst the most effective $200 headphones we’ve examined currently.