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

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Some details, then. As I proclaimed in a summer missive entitled I miss my Sennheiser HD 25 –but squint and these DJ on-ears could be them, it's as if Danish firm AIAIAI has presented a fix for my ageing cheap DJ cans with the TMA-2 DJ XE. When cutting my teeth as an audio journo several years ago, Sennheiser's cheap HD 25 on-ears were handed to me so I might at least lookclued up in the audio game. I wore them everywhere. I managed to nab myself the 75th anniversary pairin 2020, while working for TechRadar's sister publication, What Hi-Fi? While the suppressed highs and lows make for a less exciting listen than something like Sony’s WH-1000XM4, the overall balance feels more neutral and makes for a more clinical profile with decent (but not exceptional) separation. The sound clarity won’t match audiophile-grade cans or dedicated studio monitors, but it’s a step above much of the wireless headphone competition. The modular design allows users to upgrade and swap out individual components if they so desire – upgrading the speaker drivers, swapping the ear cup material, or even converting them from over-ears to on-ears. This also means that the company can release different versions of the TMA-2 and share certain components between them (as they have done).

The larger over-ear pads are more expensive but excel in comfort, offering better sound isolation than on-ear variants. Aimed more for longer listening sessions, these cups are available in either PU Leather or Alcantara. Producers will especially enjoy the Alcantara over ears which instantly turns the TMA-2’s into the most comfortable headphone we have ever tested. While Bluetooth 5.0 is the industry standard, supporting only basic AAC and SBC codecs feels like a bit of a miss in today’s high-tech market. While this is more than is necessary for most end-user media consumption, content creators will appreciate the closer to real-time performance. The H10 headband is bulkier than other TMA-2 offerings, likely due to it housing the wireless tech and the larger battery needed to power it. We also found it rather stiff around our (admittedly large) head which, combined with its size, made for a clamping sensation that was fatiguing after a short while. Since the X01 transmitter accepts only an analog line-level input, the TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ have the potential to become the ultimate pair of TV viewing headphones and are suitable for any device with a headphone output but no Bluetooth support. Plain and simple looks disguise their clever and elegant design. W+ Link limitations

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A massive 80-hour battery life is possible if connected via Bluetooth, but this diminishes to just 16 hours on the 2.4GHz band. This, coupled with the 30-hour battery life of the wireless transmitter, means you’ll be charging two devices every few days if you use the latter technology.

AIAIAI offer four choices of ear cups made with memory foam that clip neatly onto any speaker unit via four ball joints. The on-ear pads will feel very familiar to anybody that has worn Sennheiser HD-25’s headphones before. Available in either PU leather or microfibre, these pads are comfortable and offer decent isolation. While I don’t consider the tuning to be truly neutral, they are reasonably balanced and clear. Most at home with modern pop or electronic music, the design partnership with a DJ and EDM musician, may be inferred from the sound signature of the Studio Wireless+. Although, there is less sub-bass than I would expect from a solely EDM-focused tuning. In contrast, the E08 Alcantara ear cups were incredibly soft and comfortable, allowing our ears to breathe and providing adequate cushioning. Those with small to medium-sized heads will likely find the headphones rather comfortable overall (albeit a touch heavy) but be warned, fellow bigheads, as you will feel the crush.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. While only the basic AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs are supported, this is adequate for us iPhone users, as AAC is the highest quality supported Bluetooth format. To be fair, sound quality differences between the wired and wireless connections are fairly minimal and both work great, especially for use on the go. The wired connection seems to provide a touch more low-end punch and high-end sparkle, but it’s nothing dramatic.

Short coiled wires protrude from the inside of the band to plug into the ear cups, and I appreciate the right wire has a discrete yellow indicator to signify the side. The plastic band pushes firmly through the cups and has nine size adjustment points per side, providing plenty of fit options. The ear pads are plush and comfortable. 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.

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. Note that there is no environmental or active noise cancellation (ENC or ANC) and the Alcantara pads allow a certain amount of external sound to penetrate, so the Studio Wireless+ aren’t trying to compete in the travel or commuting wireless headphone category.