INTRODUCTION
I've always believed that owning a very good headset is always a good thing since you can use it to watch your favorite movies, play your favorite games and listen to your favorite tunes without intruding on the privacy of all those around you. Luckily most people i know feel exactly the same and so a friend of mine has been looking to purchase an good headset for the past year or so but the catch is that aside the fact that he wants superior audio quality and clarity he also wants it to be small, light, comfortable and to feature excellent noise insulation. So you can all understand that the entire specifications/features combo he is looking for is not something easy to come by especially in the sub USD250/250Euros category. At least that was the case until the exact moment he saw me testing the TMA-1 Studio headset by AIAIAI roughly two weeks ago and decided to spend a couple of hours with them as well.
AIAIAI is an audio design company dedicated to developing high quality audio products for everyday use. AIAIAI’s modern, minimalist headphones and earphones deliver clear, amplified sound. Headquartered in Copenhagen, AIAIAI is proud to contribute to Denmark’s worldwide reputation as leader in acoustic and electro- acoustic design and engineering. Informed by a heritage of Scandinavian design, AIAIAI strives to create high quality, accessible audio products that deliver value far beyond trend-driven aesthetics. AIAIAI boasts a world-renowned network of industrial designers, audio technicians and DJs as part of its unique and highly collaborative development process. Exploratory and experimental, the process enables AIAIAI to develop new products on the leading edge, independent of current market trends.
As some of you may recall we had the chance to test the TMA-1 DJ Headphones with mic from AIAIAI a little over a month ago with quite impressive results especially for their size and weight. Actually the TMA-1 DJ Headphones with mic is the best set I’ve used in the past 2 years or so when it comes to audio quality, clarity and comfort and i think that alone speaks for itself. However the DJ edition has a tiny flaw (if you can call it a flaw since most headphones share it as well) and that's its limited noise insulation which basically allows audio to leak on the outside (at very high levels) and sometimes unwanted sounds from the outside to reach your ears. Well for more demanding users (obviously professionals) AIAIAI has the TMA-1 Studio edition available which is basically the same as the DJ version just with larger cushions/earpads that envelop your ears and tweaked drivers which now provide a flatter and more neutral sound especially suited for mixing. The real question is whether or not AIAIAI produced the perfect headphones and for that well just read on to find out.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS
AIAIAI packs the TMA-1 Studio Headphones with Mic in the same all-black box as the DJ version and so once again we see a large product image at the front right next to the AIAIAI logo.
At the right side of the box we see the contents of the bundle both in English and French.
A picture taken from the side of the headphones is placed at the left side of the box.
Moving at the rear of the box we see a large product image, a few words about the product and its main features explained in depth.
The front of the box opens up like a book to reveal the TMA-1 Studio Headphones through a clear plastic, the specifications table (again in English and French), a frequency response curve chart and a large picture showcasing the various parts of each earcup. We also found another typo like we did with the DJ version and so this time over the Studio version has a sensitivity of 105dB (+-3dB) and not 103dB as specified on the specifications page.
The bundle is very rich (again) and contains the TMA-1 Studio Headphones, user's manual, two protein leather interchangeable cushions/pads, how to swap the cushions manual, 1.5m detachable coiled cable, 1.5m cable with the 3 button microphone, 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter (mounted at the end of the coiled cable) and a carrying pouch.
THE TMA-1 STUDIO HEADPHONES WITH MIC
We placed the Studio edition right next to the DJ edition so people can see the difference regarding the size of their ear cushions/pads. That aside both headphones look great thanks to their matte black rubber coating and the no-joints/hinges design which naturally should increase their durability.
AIAIAI is not very fond of placing logos and designs on their headsets and we actually like that (especially since we are talking about professional grade headphones).
Just like with the DJ version the cable port is placed on the base of the left earcup and thanks to its design it allows the user to lock it in place to prevent pulling it out accidentally.
By default the TMA-1 Studio Headphones with Mic wear the PU foam cushions/pads over the 40mm drivers. To remove the cushions just pull them out, yes it's that easy.
The protein leather cushions are actually a tad larger but the PU foam ones are slightly more comfortable due to the space in their interior.
As expected the headband of the TMA-1 Studio is adjustable and so from the second hole and up to the last one down you can extend it up to 38mm on each side.
The L/R markings are placed on the interior of the headband.
Exactly like the DJ version although we all like the AIAIAI cut out logo on the interior of the headband there's very little padding present.
Both the 3.5mm connectors and the 6.3mm adapter are gold plated to offer increased corrosion resistance.
The TMA-1 Studio with Mic features an in-line 3 button Omni-directional microphone to answer/mute/end calls when used with an iPhone.
CONCLUSION
Much like the DJ version we took our time testing the TMA-1 Studio Headphones with mic mainly because we allowed for the drivers to burn for a total of two days prior to us actually using them (we didn't do the same with the DJ version but since we are talking about a more professional oriented solution we felt we had to in order to be 100% accurate with our results). As usual to test the Studio edition we used my two Yamaha A/V amplifiers (RX-V650/RX-V463), the Logitech Squeezebox Touch, two android smartphones (LG Optimus 2X/Huawei Honor), an iPhone4 and finally the Creative Labs Titanium HD audio card placed in our primary system. This is where things get interesting since although both the DJ and Studio versions are basically the same the tweaks AIAIAI made to the drivers did change things a bit and so although the Studio version offers the same amazing audio quality, clarity (crisp/dynamic midrange response and very accurate highs) and quite deep bass in the end i just didn't like them as much as i did the DJ edition, at least not with some of the songs i used them with and with some Blu-ray movies. If i had to describe the why I’d say that they seemed less colorful than the DJ version in some occasions but judging by what AIAIAI says i guess this may be more suitable for studio professionals who want/need a more neutral sound. However the differences i am talking about can only be detected when using both headphones so they are not really that great and at the end of the day the Studio edition is quite a bit more comfortable than the DJ one something which should appeal especially to professionals.
AIAIAI is amongst the very few manufacturers of high-end professional grade headphones that don't ask from the consumer to give most of his paycheck for one of their solutions. So at this exact moment in time the TMA-1 Studio Headphones with Mic retail for USD258.70 inside the USA (Purchase Directly from Amazon) and at 245Euros inside the EU (Purchase Directly from Amazon). Also if you care not about the in-line microphone the standalone versions go for around USD30/30Euros less so do keep that in mind when deciding. So is the TMA-1 Studio with Mic headphones perfect across the board? Probably not (since i don't really believe in perfection) but they feature very good build quality, feel great thanks to the rubberized black matte paint, produce extremely accurate audio with superior clarity, are very comfortable and provide excellent noise insulation thanks to the large/thick cushions (although the headband could use some more padding) so what more is there for anyone to ask? So kudos to AIAIAI and their TMA-1 Studio with Mic Headphones for winning our Platinum award and we hope that they will continue to design and manufacture equally great solutions in the future.
PROS
- Build Quality (Extremely Durable)
- Size/Weight
- Crisp/Accurate Mids/Highs
- Deep/Rich Bass
- Plenty Of Volume
- Excellent Passive Noise Isolation
- Omni-Directional In-Line 3 Button Microphone
- Coiled And Straight 1.5m Cables
- 3.5mm To 6.3mm Gold Plated Adapter
- Gold Plated Plugs
- Price (Compared To The Competition)
CONS
- Headband Padding
- Not As Colorful As the DJ Version (Personal Opinion)