AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ XE Headphones Review

Video Review

First Impressions / Setting up

AIAIAI is a Danish headphone company that does things a little bit differently. It has always majored on making their headphones completely modular. That means that you could assemble a completely custom pair of headphones by going to the store online and choosing the parts you want. However, to make it easier to buy headphones, the company assembles some commonly bought combinations and sells them as packs. The AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ XE is one such pack and it’s just been launched as their cheapest entry level option for DJs in the range.

That means that for $140, you’re getting a pair of headphones which are perfectly good for DJing, and compare well to other headphones in this price range that we already use here at Digital DJ Tips. At this price point, they get you into their ecosystem, so as you move forward in your DJing or music making, you can upgrade any and all parts of them when you’re ready (or as needed). You can even have “alternatives” (for instance, swapping out the drivers for a different type for production than you use for DJing).

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As with all of AIAIAI’s headphones, they come in a box where all the parts are separated in plastic bags, and you have to assemble them yourself, IKEA style. That said, it’s much easier than IKEA and indeed as you will see in the accompanying video, it took me just a few seconds to assemble this pair.

(By the way, if you’re thinking “it’s not very green to sell headphones where everything is wrapped in individual polythene bags”, AIAIAI tells us that the polythene bags are 100% recycled – however, having the parts packed in tissue paper would surely be better.)

It was a surprise to me that these headphones came with a choice of two cables, which is nice: You have a luminous yellow coiled cable which would be my preferred one for DJing out and about with, and also you have a straight cable as well.

Also a surprise to me (because you think I’d have noticed this by now having reviewed many AIAIAI headphones over the years) is that on one of the earcups the headphones cable doesn’t lock, and on the other one it does – so again you have a choice there. Maybe it’s new for this type of earcup.

If you haven’t seen any AIAIAIs before, they are very durable – they have super-simple couplings that you can’t break like some headphones where the traditional weak spot is on that joint. These are very understated with no logo, and apart from the bright cable they are just pure black – You’ll either like that or not.

So, let’s move on to what they’re like to use.

In Use

These are DJ headphones primarily. That means they’ve got a decent clamping pressure on your ears, which is important because it helps to cut out outside noise. As they are “on ear” rather than “over ear” headphones, it is your ear they push on in order to achieve this.

This is a choice that you make with DJ headphones: Some people prefer to have headphones where the earcup completely encircles the ear without pushing on it, and other people prefer this kind of design. Indeed, later we compare these to two other types of headphones that we use a lot at Digital DJ Tips, and both of those are also on-ear.

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The headband itself is basic but it does have a little bit of padding on it – and I like it. Maybe not for wearing for hours as you would with hi-fi headphones, but then they’re not designed to be used like that. More important is that overall they have a little bit of flexibility, so whether you are wearing these on both ears, on one ear, or around your neck, they are very comfortable.

Sound-wise, they are more balanced than you get with the AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ, the more professional DJ headphones from this company, with less bass. That said the bass is punchy and they certainly cut through background noise for easy beatmixing.

Again, they’re designed for DJing, so if you’re looking for headphones with a particular sound signature for long-term listening, these may not be for you – at the very least you’re going to want to research a bit more closely. For DJing, what we’re looking for is volume, isolation, and clear audio for beatmixing – the AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ XEs have all of these things.

Basically, as with other models from this company, they do the job well – but in this case, for less outlay (and less weight) – just 168g.

Conclusion

I think this is a great addition to the AIAIAI headphones range. Frankly, for DJing, you don’t need massive amounts of expenditure to get headphones that are perfectly good enough.

While these are very simple and definitely not flash (the opposite, in fact), they have all you need for DJing. They are good value, they’re lightweight, they’re durable, and they sound fine.

Let’s compare them to a couple of other similar headphones. The Sennheiser HD25 is an absolute classic, and compared to those, these are equally modular, but a little bit more durable and a little bit more “luxury”.

Compared to the Pioneer DJ HDJ-CUE1 headphones, another one that we recommend and also use ourselves, these are definitely more modular; the Pioneer headphones have got replaceable pads and cable, but you can’t replace the earcups themselves, and the hinges between the earcups and the headband are definitely a weak point on those.

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If you like the idea of modular headphones that you can repair and build on, if you like the look of these (you’re gonna need to like that luminous cable, for instance, if you’re thinking of using the coiled cable over the straight one), and if you can afford to spend $140, we can thoroughly recommend the AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ XE.