AIAIAI TMA-1 Headphones

AIAIAI is a little known company that produces great headphones.  I will be going hands on with their TMA-1 on-ear studio headphones for my followers today.

You know what they say about first impressions.  Upon unboxing the TMA-1's, you'll see your headphone nestled in a tray of (what looks like) studio noise isolating panel.  In the box, you will get a detachable coiled headphone cable (1.6 m length), 1/4" screw on headphone jack, a pair of pleather covered replacement ear cups and a TMA-1 branded carrying pouch for all of this.  Like I said about first impressions, everything is matte jet black, totally sick in my humble opinion.

Build Quality - these cans are constructed of all nylon soft touch material (no metal).  They are fairly light weight in hand and will not feel heavy during listening sessions.  I am a big fan of the ear cups that seem to be made of a type of pliable foam; they are very comfortable and don't exert much force against the sides of your head.  The upper band is lined with this same foam making them very comfortable.  The cord is a heavy gauge wire unlike a lot of other headphones i've reviewed.  This cord will definitely hold up to heavy usage especially in a DJ environment like these are designed for.

Sound Quality - The TMA-1 headphones have a warm and not overly bright sound signature.  The sound stage is large, extremely life like almost like you're hearing music being performed live right in front of you.  Treble and mids are ungodly crystal clear, in perfect balance and make vocals sound accurate.  Lows are well balanced (yet a litle light), not overpowering allowing all channels of sound to hit your ears instead of drowning in bass like Beats by Dre models.  In my opinion, I think the bass could be a little more tight and a tad more heavy but of course, this is an opinion and varies by listener.

I truly like these headphones.  They are hands down, the most comfortable set of on-ear headphones i've ever worn.  I have had them on for a long time testing them as I am writing this and there is absolutely no discomfort from squeezing on any part of my head.

Retail price for this gem is $250 but they're currently going for $204.95 with free shipping on Amazon here.  

B&W P5 Headphones

Bowers & Wilkins has been a huge leader in home theater equipment for years - can they transfer that success into a pair of headphones?  Lets take a look into their P5 headphones right now.

The first thing you'll notice with these headphones is their build quality and their aesthetics.  They ooze premium quality like the interior of a BMW or Mercedes Benz.  With their leather wrapped ear pieces and the industrial looking metal on the outside of the ear pieces with Bowers & Wilkins engraved in, these are just plain sexy.  

Moving on to noise isolation, B&W boasts the fact that the P5 are closed back with sealed earpads.  With that being said, during my testing, I agree they surely do seal out almost all exterior sound.  What is mention worthy though is that there IS some sound that will leak out. I'm not saying it matters for the listener (:D) but it may be a concern for those around you, especially if you listen to these in an office environment. 

By design, the P5 headphones are pretty comfortable to wear and won't squeeze your cranium too much to the point of discomfort.  After an extended period of wear, say an hour or more, I feel they get to be a little snug on my ears.  It's not a deal squasher, but it helps to take a break from listening for a bit.  Other than that, they are very pleasant to wear not to mention the plush pad on the top band that rests on top of the listeners head.  

Sound Quality - this is what you guys truly care about, right?  The B&W P5 are more true neutral and warm but they are no slacker in the bass department.  Listening to Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, you can definitely hear the warm sound of the P5's.  They prove to be a little light on the treble at regular volume levels but the treble begins to emerge at higher volumes.  In my opinion, I prefer a warmer headphone like this versus something that is so heavy on treble that it gives you a headache.  Warm headphones allow a much more pleasant and comfortable listening experience.  

In the packaging, you will find the P5 along with a replaceable headphone cable (with no 3 button iPod controls), a 1/4" headphong plug and an uber premium carrying bag for your precious new headphones.  Retail cost is $299.99, available with free shipping on Amazon here.