Minimal, understated and distinctive, you'll probably either love or hate the AIAIAI TMA-1s.
We’ve been lucky enough to review some distinctive headphones recently, but none has taken our fancy aesthetically quite as much as the AIAIAI TMA-1s, which we’re looking at today.
Understated and minimal, these matt black, medium-sized phones from a design-led Danish company are light, durable and deliver great sound. Supplied with two cables (a DJ-style coiled cable and an iPhone-style straight version, complete with remote control / microphone) they could be the only headphones you ever need, covering DJing and street equally stylishly.
Unboxing and first impressions
They’re nicely packaged in a suitably stylish display box, which contains the headphones, the two cables, an instruction manual, a soft bag with a jumbo zip, and some replacement earpads. The earpads pull off easily enough should you want to switch them, but are nonetheless firmly attached otherwise.
There are actually two designs of earpad: very fine, soft synthetic-style ones, and more traditional leather. Frankly when they were on my head, I couldn’t tell any difference.
These matt black, medium-sized phones from a trendy Danish company are light, durable and deliver great sound.
The phones are similar in feel to the similarly minimal Sennheiser HD25-1 IIs
The earcups are adjusted by pulling up and down, whereby they clip into place on your chosen ratchet hole on the (one-piece) headband itself. Meanwhile, the cabling to each individual earcup is coiled and heads up into the headband, which gives a distinctive appearance – I loved it but my partner said it made me look like a Cyberman (with apologies to readers who aren’t familiar with the Dr Who TV series).
The only branding is an understated “AIAIAI”, tucked out of the way in the rubber on the underside of the headband, with the “A” letters as heart shapes. Ahhhhh.
In use
I tested these in two situations, being as they’re a design that’s obviously meant to be used both in and out of the DJ booth. Firstly, I fitted the straight, iPhone-enabled cable and used them running errands around town, plugged into my iPhone – very usual for me, as it’s where I get to audition most new music for my DJ sets.
AIAIAI TMA-1: What's in the box. Make sure you order the version with the iPhone cable if you want it, as it apparently doesn't come with all versions.
I found the 40mm drivers to be instantly engaging, with just enough isolation from the outside world for the audio to shine. The bass is deep and punchy, the mids clear and tonal, and the highs felt ever so slightly rounded off while still cutting through – I liked that, as it made the sound easy on the ear over time.
I particularly enjoyed having the little built-in remote control / microphone on the cable, which has three buttons (you need to push them through the rubber using your fingernail as they’re quite hard to activate). These are the usual play pause, volume, scrolling and call answering functions, familiar to anyone with standard iPhone headphones.
The straight cable, by the way, is rather long for an “on the body” cable, but it’s made out of a high quality, non-tangly material which meant I rarely had to untie knots in it over the week or so I was using the headphones with that cable attached.
Due to the relatively small size of the earpads, they tended to “wobble” backwards and forwards on my ears when walking, although curiously, once I got used to this it wasn’t too noticeable, and they never actually needed repositioning. I’ve worn more comfortable headphones, though; the in-ear Sonomax Eers) and bigger, more stable-on-the-ear Ultrasone DJ1s), out of those we’ve reviewed recently, spring to mind.
For my second test, of course I took them to a gig, swapping out the straight lead for the coiled one (which comes with a 1/4″ converter, that curiously won’t fit the straight cable). The cable again is high quality, and there are no kinks in the coiling as you often find with cheaper cables. Somehow they’ve managed to make it weigh very little, which is excellent as the weight of it doesn’t pull down on one side of the headphones as much as it might have had the cable been more standard. A little thing, but I liked that a lot.
There is no way of twisting the second cup out of the way for one-ear monitoring. Maybe surprisingly, I didn’t find this an issue.
There’s no issue with volume from these, even using a low-level input (I was feeding from a Vestax VCI-300 Mk I, known for its quiet headphones output). While the isolation is not as good as some bigger-cupped headphones, all you have to do is apply a bit of hand pressure on your monitoring ear to get plenty of isolation for manual beatmatching.
There is no way of twisting the second cup out of the way for one-ear monitoring. Maybe surprisingly, I didn’t find this an issue at all – they’re so light, you can just move the unneeded earcup back a bit on your head, the headphones remaining comfortable.
But this also means they don’t fold up into themselves, so they don’t go as small as some other brands when it coms to stashing them.
The only thing I noticed over time is that (maybe due to the shape of my head), the headband sits quite hard right on the top of the head. It’s not made of forgiving material, being pretty hard rubber – so while not exactly uncomfortable, you do notice it after a while.
Conclusion
I’m a sucker for cool items that have multiple uses. Having one pair of headphones that I can use both in and out of the DJ booth is appealing to me, and I’m happy to report that the AIAIAI TMA-1s fit the bill pretty much perfectly.
The TMA-1s are pretty perfect of you're after some headphones for club and street use.
The sound quality is excellent, and they look great (as long as understated is your thing, of course. Aerial7s they ain’t!). They’re high quality and modular, and the cables are similarly practical and stylish. In short, they’re a highly desirable headphone, especially if you are someone who finds some DJ headphones a bit boxy, attention-drawing and/or generic in appearance.
If it weren’t for the curiously overlong street cable that I kept having to tuck away to stop it flapping everywhere, and the unforgiving headband that made its presence known on the top of the head after long sessions, they’d be just about perfect. As it is, they’re close enough.
Incidentally when buying, check you’re getting both cables – the Mac store lists them as an “exclusive” with the iPhone cable. Worth checking if you buy them at Amazon or elsewhere, should you want to use them with an iPhone as well as in the DJ booth.
Video
Summary
We like:
- Great styling for the minimally inclined DJ
- Excellent, smooth overall sound quality
- Quality cabling
- Modular design
We don’t like:
- Hard headband
- Street cable is too long
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Product details:
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Weight: 0.4lb (190g)
Price: US$194
Buy from: Amazon.com
What do you think?
Most desirable headphones ever, or style over substance? Do DJ headphones have to have rotatable cups, or can you get away without them? Have you tried these? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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Tags: AIAIAI, dj headphones, headphones, iPhone headphones, street headphones, TMA-1
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
i have them for nearly 2 years now and love them.. only huge bummer is the missing cable lock. what where they thinking not having a way to lock the cable to the headphones? didn’t you have the issue of the cable unplugging when moving the head a little too much?
i put some wire on the cable and the phones to fix this, but this is a) not really stable and has to be adjusted quite often and b) doesnt look that great..
[ link ]It seemed tight enough for me, I did yank it out a couple of times by mistake but that’s maybe better than breaking it?
[ link ]between pulling the cable out by accident and breaking it is a huge difference.. i just wished they had a handy solution for this problem..
[ link ]Headphone cables accidentally pulling out has never been an issue for me (I move around in the DJ booth a bunch). I find that removable cables are best suited for putting the headphones away… otherwise (when you wrap them around the headphones) the cables tend to stretch the coils in spots.
[ link ]Meh… edit button please.
What I meant was: Headphones pulling off and breaking has never been a problem for me.
[ link ]These headphones are the best I’ve tried, the first time I listened to them I was hooked on the beautiful sound they produce. A recommendation from me too!
[ link ]great review phil thanks!i see those are expencive headphones because i’m in the middle of buying new headphones for my self (i have the pioneers hdj 500s and very desapointed by them)i was thinking getting the Sennheiser HD25-1 IIs why should i chose the aiaiai over the Sennheiser’s?whats your oppinion phil?
[ link ]ps.if u have anything other to propose i’m all ears and thanks
These would be better if you want to use with your iPhone, I think the Sennheisers have a far-easier-to-tangle lead as well. They’re also an excellent choice, though.
[ link ]I spend some time trying to decide between the Senn HD-25′s and AiAiAi’s. ultimately I went for the TMA-1′s as I am currently traveling the world and have totally had enough of headphones breaking either in my bag of half way through a gig (well generally right at the start of a gig.. Arhhh) anyway I’ve had them for around 6-8 months and have not been disappointed in the slightest! i do agree on the comment that a locking cable would be nice but so far hasnt really been an issue! totally recommend these 100%
[ link ]There is a new version of the TMA-1 out now, which does have the cable lock, I found out. So if that is important to you, make sure you buy the new version (2012).
The version with the two cables is a tad more expensive, but worth it if you use the cable with mic. They used to be for the Apple stores exclusively, but I found out they’re now being sold elsewhere as well.
[ link ]Thanks for the update, on both scores.
[ link ]my tma-1 headband broke (couldn’t withstand heat and humidity), but aiaiai gave me a spare headband. hopefully, they’ll use abs plastics next time
[ link ]Hello Keian,
How did you manage to get a spare headband? Mine broke today and I don’t know what to do.
It will be much appreciated if you could give me some advice.
Derick.
[ link ]As in everything we dj´s do it´s also about the look.
This headphones may perform as a Porsche but hey look like an old Volvo.
My Pioneer 2000 broke (for the eight time) so I got a pair of Numark Red wave (sounds like shit), and moved the drivers and the spiral cord from the Pioneer to the Numark.
[ link ]Now I got headphones that both look and sound good
As I say, you’ll either like or hate them. I think they look fantastic.
[ link ]good review, i’m still torn between these and the new xones.
i’d also like to know more about the new TMA-1 Studios…
any chance you’ll be able to review those?
[ link ]Can you do a review of some vmoda lp crossfades please vs these!?!?! after hearing your review im kind of torn between the two because you say these dont have the greatest isolation and the vmodas look like they may offer better isolation
[ link ]We’re waiting for some review samples, Jon – watch this space.
[ link ]Thanks for this review. I’ve been patiently reading 100s of headphone reviews and was just about to settle on the Senn HD-25s. Now, i think i’ll wait just a tad bit longer and look into these headphones a little more.
[ link ]I LOVE these buds. I dont use them for anything other than djing. Theyre loud but not painful. The bass is deep enough and the highs are nice and clear. The main thing I love about them is how durable they are. They feel like they were made for World War II pilots. The rubberized feel to them is awesome yet they are nice and light enough for mobile gigs. If you need new headphones, buy these. Their worth every penny. (And they look cool as hell!)
[ link ]I’ve had a pair of these for while now, and I really do think they are excellent… they still look brand new even though I’ve took them to college everyday for a year and used them tons.. the matt black rubber still looks fingerprint free… I do wish they had slightly bigger cups or at least a second set of bigger pads for those with bigger ears or prefering more isolation , as the on ear style takes a little getting used to… compared to the sennhiesers which look kind of similar (but i hated), these are way better designed and no cable twisting issues.
[ link ]I use them as studio monitoring headphones too, as I cant afford 2 pairs of quality cans, and they do a great job, even though there is possibly some eq curve at the top end as Phil says, it doesn’t stop you from knowing the sound is there its so well done, and just makes it easier to hear more detail without sounding shrill. The best thing is that they are so detailed when playing quietly its unbelievable… sometimes I’m working on something for hours and think the bass is losing impact, but really Ive turned the volume right down for some reason and forgot to readjust it up again… ear fatigue is no longer an issue since getting them…
I’ve had some pretty good headphones in the past, but these are my favourites by a long way….
the little details like lining the inside of the driver area with sound deadening material, and using silicone washers in screw mountings to prevent vibrations appearing in the months after you’ve bought them…
I like innovators, and these AIAIAI guys have obviously put some serious thought into these from a dj perspective…
and what’s wrong with looking like a Cyberman?
I just purchased the tma-1′s and have some mixed feelings about them. I use the westone um3x iems as well as the sennheiser hd 25-1 IIs. The tma-1 are very well thought out in design and are built like a tank. However, they seem very bassy with not as much mid range and treble. In my opinion, the sennheiser hd25-1 IIs seem to have far more clarity and balanced sound but might not be as durable. Thoughts and opinions?
[ link ]i ended up purchasing these headphone in early July. I fell in love with them instantly. But the headband snapped in half on Sep. 1
Apparently, this is a widespread problem because i’m on the waiting list for the replacement. Although i’m really digging these headphones, AIAIAI needs to do better with something so simple if they’re going to continue getting my business. Those Ultrasones are looking really nice right about now…
[ link ]TMA-1s: still solid. Had ours since 2011. Still rocking. Got Senn HD25s too but TMAs always win out when we gig. Look fab amd sound ace. Senns are now our back up.
[ link ]I just would like to mention, that I already know 3 djs whose TMAs broke in half!
[ link ]And I have heard there has been many more complaints. Last weekend I put on my TMA’s when I was about to play, not making any crazy or violent movement, I just put them on, and they broke in the middle. Just as it has happened to other dj friends. However I know some people who have them for longer, so maybe there is a new series that is not as stable as the old ones. However, mine are usesless now.
I have had 2 pairs of TMA-1 both have had the headband snap within a few months of purchase. The customer service for replacement was good at first but 7 weeks later they are not relpying to my email and still no replacement.
You have been warned!!!
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