Sound Summary
Headphones targeted at live performers have an unspoken tendency to veer towards flabby, dark bass and a boosted treble or presence for the universally loved V-shaped signature. Going this route especially makes sense in loud environments, where the ‘exciting’ bands in the frequency response compensate for the extraneous roar of the crowd. This is where the AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ caught me off-guard.
The TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ has an ‘analytical’ base, balancing dynamic slam and impact from a taut, pulsating sub-bass response and a syrupy midrange. Brass and string sections are energetic, vibrant and well-positioned amidst the lateral stage. The stability and rigidity of the bio-cellulose diaphragms provide a distortion-free sound.
Bass
The TMA-2 Wireless+’s bass response is sub-bass dominant relative to mid-bass depth and slam. The former, however, remains relatively level and composed compared to the looser and relaxed PRAT of consumer-friendly headphones.
There’s no semblance of boominess, boxiness or congestion amidst busy tracks. Sub-bass depth is excellent, exhibiting competent micro-detailing and textural contrast between voicings and instruments. The prominence of the sub-bass region can sometimes exacerbate the perception of a hollow bass response, with a nullified mid-bass punch on softer, reverb-heavy recordings accentuating a hazier bass section.
Mids
The TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ proves to be an outlier once again, with a class-leading midrange response boasting fast transients, clean layering and a natural proclivity for reproducing life-like voicings. Timbral performance is the highlight of the midrange, with even-harmonic and odd-harmonic instruments portrayed with life-like realism. The soft reverb emanating from the pluck of a guitar string to the signature sonority of a guzheng is done justice on the TMA-2 Studio Wireless+.
Female vocalists such as Natalia Lafourcade are done justice, with a vocal-forward positioning on the TMA-2 Studio Wireless+. The ‘nasal-like’ timbre of her voice, alongside her pitch-perfect mastery, highlights the headphones’ ability to imitate and emulate live performances.
Treble
The treble region is especially important in detecting unwanted artefacts in a studio environment. The TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ extended treble (under its neutrality) allows for the identification of most artefacts and micro-details embedded within even the most complex of tracks. Sudden peaks are smoothened without overtly masking details, with enough warmth to nullify sibilance. Over 2 weeks, I have not noticed any off-putting moments of discomfort. Expect a faux-bright signature sans the ear-grating sibilance.
Black Metal, a genre infamous for its unabating speed and maximalist orchestration, is presented fairly clearly on the TMA-2 Studio Wireless+. The signature cymbal shimmer and gritty guitar lines crack and pop with verve and gusto. Having said that, like most dynamic-driver headphones that inhabit this price point, it doesn’t quite have the transient response time that planar-driver headphones are known for.
Soundstaging and Imaging
For a closed-back headphone, the TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ exhibits good lateral stage width, with deep headroom that extends fairly far from the ears as a reference point. Tracks exhibit good Z-axis height and layering between voicings and instruments, with only the occasional ‘haziness’ between them. Subjectively, this raises the immersion factor tremendously.
Identification of voicings and instruments, both even and odd-harmonic, is fairly effortless thanks to the headphones’ base neutrality. Every sonic cue is big, bold and distinct from one another. Generally, there’s no convergence or melding of voicings and instruments. However, the technical performance of the bio-cellulose driver starts to collapse under the weight of sonically speedy and complex tracks. Gobs of kickdrums and howling vocals (in Black Metal) begin to expose the limitations of the driver’s ability to distinguish between them.
Conclusive Remarks
AIAIAI is a serious company with serious design and engineering chops. As an avid audiophile, I have to prioritise sound quality as the primary criterion in this review, with design and comfort second. These headphones tick all those boxes, and then some.
The TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ provides listeners with many ways to listen to their favourite music, wirelessly or wired. And don’t let the damage get in the way of you having a good time. Repair it yourself, or order replacement parts from the AIAIAI online store.
All these pros amalgamate into a headphone that impresses on almost every level. Did I mention that it sounds great?
I think the audiophile world has been sleeping on this hidden gem.
