Best headphones: AIAIAI TMA-2 Move Wireless review - 5 things I love, 2 I don’t
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- AIAIAI’s Modular headphones punch above the price-tag.
- Vegan leather earpads feel heavenly to use.
- Battery life is jaw-droppingly good.
If you are looking to upgrade your headphones, or are thinking about jumping into the world of wireless bluetooth pairs, then AIAIAI’s TMA-2 Move are the perfect place to start. The price tag is not astronomical and on Amazon you can pick them up for less than £200.
The bluetooth headphones are modular with professional quality line balancing punchy bass and clear highly detailed representation. Both comfortable and sturdy, they have been developed with music creators all across the world.
But find out why our tech specialist has been raving about the headphones to all who will listen to him in his review below. See what he liked and what he didn’t during his experience.
Things I loved
Love: The flexibility
One of my favourite moments so far with the AIAIAI headphones came when I realised that I would have to assemble them myself. It was a really fun way to get acquainted with them - and made it feel like I was personalising them.
But do make sure you actually really pay attention to the instructions and don’t do what I did and put one of the speakers upside down. It meant for the first half an hour or so I couldn’t work out why the sound was so quiet in one ear, before discovering my mistake.
Turns out reading comprehension is quite an important skill folks! Beyond that, it is just so easy to adjust to make them fit better on your head.
Both me and my girlfriend tried them out and it was so convenient to quickly move the earpieces up or down. It means that you should be able to get them to fit, no matter your head size.
And I really have to praise the brilliant help videos AIAIAI has produced for putting together your headphones - the box directs you to the appropriate website, so it’s very hard to miss. The clips cover each step of the process and are short, sweet and too the point.
Love: Supreme sound quality
While researching AIAIAI before the headphones arrived, it became apparent that they seem to be favourites among professionals in the music world. So my expectations were certainly raised and thankfully, the TMA-2 Move pole vaulted (in the spirit of the Olympics) straight over them.
I’ve been using AirPods for years and recently reviewed Sonos’ first foray into the world of headphones. And I have to say, the TMA-2 pair fare extremely well against both - in fact it feels like a far richer listening experience than my trusty AirPods, and near enough on par with the Sonos.
So if you are looking for a really quality pair of headphones without having to remortgage your home, the TMA-2 Move Wireless are seriously worth considering.
Love: Didn’t need noise cancelling
I’ve been an AirPods Pro owner since the early days of the pandemic - so more than four years now (wow time flies). And so I have become extremely used to using earphones/ headphones with noise cancelling, in fact it has started to turn me into a bit of a snob in that regard.
Discovering that the TMA-2 Move Wireless headphones didn’t have noise cancelling, I could almost feel my nose turning up. But despite that initial wave of snobbery, I soon found that I didn’t need noise cancelling with these headphones.
I live near a very busy road in York and so when I pop to the shop, it is the perfect way to test out if my music/ podcasts/ audiobooks are being drowned out. Having got so used to noise cancellation, I expected to have to constantly fiddle with the volume, instead I did not have that problem in the slightest.
In fact, it has made me question my listening habits - and if i should turn the noise cancelling off more often than I currently do.
Love: Battery life is next-level
I’ve been using the headphones straight out of the box for over a week now and I still haven’t had to charge them. And it’s not as if I have only used them here and there, it has been hours of use each day - popping them on while working, travelling to a meeting or when I need quiet time. It is honestly staggering.
Love: Extremely comfortable - pillows for your ears
The headphone cushions are truly sensational. AIAIAI says they are made from vegan leather and honestly, maybe we all need more of this.
My ears just feel so comfy when I’ve got the headphones on. In fact if it was not for having audio pumped into my eardrums, I often felt like I had forgotten I even had them on.
Even after using them for hours, I didn’t feel any discomfort. Perhaps experiences will vary, but they really are a super comfy pair of headphones.
Things I didn't
Don’t Turning on can be clunky
Now, this may just be a bit of a personal preference/ experience but I have found turning the headphones on/ off a bit clunky. There is a little joystick kind of button on the right-side earpad, which you use for a variety of purposes.
Not only is it the on/ off switch, it can be used to stop/ start. But I found that I could never really get used to the timing required for holding down the button.
Perhaps over time I would build that muscle memory, but it was the only real sense of friction I had when using the headphones. It is not a deal breaker, just one to be aware of.
Don’t: They don’t automatically stop playing when removed
Again this one is a bit more of a preference, but other wireless headphones/ earphones I’ve used have automatically stopped when you remove them. It means if someone suddenly needs your attention you don’t have to fumble around finding your phone/ tablet and pausing it.
But this is perhaps a case of me being spoiled by previous headphones - and you may not notice or even think about this. So this is likely a very personal quibble and it hasn’t impacted my enjoyment of using the TMA-2 Move Wireless.
Which headphones are the best you’ve ever owned? Share your experiences with our tech specialist by emailing [email protected].