I’ve become something of a headphone collector in the past few years. I use various pairs of them to edit professional videos, DJ, and to listen to my music collection recreationally. I’ve learned that I’m a fan of the V-shaped sound profile, which creates a bass-heavy, punchy sound. Comfort, weight, and price were also taken into consideration while deciding on this set. 

The cool thing about AiAiAi headphones is all of the options that are available. When I’m shopping for electronics, I like to thoroughly research everything and then pick what I think will work best for me, and this company makes it very easy to choose exactly what you want in a pair of headphones. The modular system is nice because if a part breaks or needs to be upgraded, it can be ordered easily.

Specifically, I got a pair of TMA-2 S02-H01-E08-C05 (wired). Let’s break down each part individually, and then I’ll give some of my overall impressions. TMA-2 is their second generation of headphones which are mainly marketed to DJs and producers. S02: the drivers I chose are their bass-heavy model, which are kind of unpopular in the audiophile world. H01: I purchased the smallest, minimal headband and it has plenty of padding for this small set of headphones. E08: I picked up their most comfortable set of over-ear earcups (for my situation). The memory foam cushions covered with Alcantara, feel very plush and do not put pressure on my ears like some on-ear phones can do (e.g., HD25). C05: straight cord, 1.5m straight, black, thermoplastic (crappy) cable. 

My first impression was that the headphones are very comfortable, moderately light for this style of headphone, and the earpads do not significantly reduce background noise nearly as well as PU pleather or sheepskin pads do. They also require a signal with a lot of juice. The 40mm driver is rated at 32 Ohm but I still need a dedicated headphone amp to power these from my iPad or portable mp3 player (DAP). 

I have listened to several techno and drum n’ bass mixes so far. Everything sounds pretty good, and nothing sounds distorted or grainy. These don’t “sparkle” or kick me as much as my QKZxHBB in-ear monitors (IEM), but I guess I was expecting too much. Those are just out of this world, but are hard to wear for long periods of time. 

Other options I looked at before deciding on these were the HD25 (tried on but the clamping force/earpads felt uncomfortable), AKG K371 (weird industrial design), and Shure SRH840A (heavy).  

I already own a pair of Sony MDR-7506, which I may continue to use for DJing. If I decide to use these Aiaiai headphones, I might pick up an optional set of on-ear PU leather earpads, just to get better sound isolation and a smaller overall headphone size, so it’s easier to quickly switch up head positions with them.