Aiaiai TMA-2 Monitor Preset

FANTASTIC CANS FROM A COMPANY YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF AND PROBABLY CAN’T PRONOUNCE.

WE’VE NEVER HAD so much fun unboxing a pair of headphones as we did with this set. You see, everything the designers over at AIAIAI create is done with modularity — and future updating or part replacement — in mind. So open the package on these TMA-2 Monitor headphones and you’re greeted with six sealed pouches that look like military ration packs. There’s one each for the headband and cable and two each for the speaker units and cushions. Once you’ve opened them all up, you build our own ‘phones in just a few easy-to-follow, colourcoded steps. What you get when you’re done is a pair of beautifully minimal looking matte-black cans, with nary a hint of boasting and flourish. They’re as utilitarian as it gets. The only logo is on the underside of the headband cushioning.

At only 275g, the TMA-2s are featherweight on the head. There’s loads of cushioning on both the upper and earpieces and there’s nine holes on either side of the headband for height adjustment.

Sound quality on the monitor preset is fantastic. There’s an equal balance across the range (they don’t favour bass, mids or highs) and love to be driven hard — although be warned they do leak a little external sound if you plan on making these your regular pair for commuting with. Also, the great thing about the whole package is if you don’t particularly like the clean monitor sound, you can pick from a wide range of speaker/earpiece units with different sound signatures.

Though the supplied braided, coiled cable is delicious, if cabling is a concern, there’s a wireless edition in the pipeline, where all the techy bits are stored in the headband — so current TMA-2 owners only need to purchase that one new piece to cut the cable.