Thursday, December 23, 2010

Designing and Making the AIAIAI TMA-1 Headdhones

We thought we'd share some videos talking about the design and making of the AIAIAI TMA-1 DJ Headphones.



Wednesday, December 8, 2010

thinksound eco-friendly headphones now available in Australia

When we came across the thinksound earphones, we immediately appreciated the philosophy, the concept, and of course their design! You will fall in love with the beautifully handcrafted wooden housings, and be amazed at the naturally warm sound that wood delivers. We couldn’t help but bring them to Australia for everyone down under to enjoy!

thinksound™

Co-founders Aaron Fournier with an audio engineer background and Mike Tunney previously working as a creative director in audio, began thinksound with a simple goal: to create incredible sounding headphones with the smallest eco-footprint possible.
“Clear sound with a clear conscience is what we believe in.”

For the last several years, think sound™ engineers and designers have been perfecting their unique line of headphones. Their headphones are made with real wood, creating a more natural resonance and unparalleled acoustics with quality craftsmanship and attention to detail.

thinksound™ have also taken their environmental impact seriously, as their headphones are designed with the following features to reduce its overall environmental impact:
  • Wood is from renewable sources
  • Packaging is made from recycled materials
  • Bleach-free packaging materials
  • Smaller packaging size = less materials used
  • Elimination of plastic bubble insert
  • Cotton carrying pouch is sewn from renewable sources
  • PVC-free cables

We encourage you to browse through the range of thinksound headphones available at Noisy Motel.



Here are some comments from the reviews thinksound have been receiving:

thinksound rain 9mm headphones

"For any price, you're not going to find a set of headphones more attractive, or immediately distinctive." — Gizmodo

The same attention to detail is showcased on the outside, with PVC-Free cables and a hand-crafted wooden housing that doesn't just look good, but enhances performance, creating a sound that's "less digital and a little more natural than what you'd get from standard earbuds made of metal or plastic" (Beatweek Magazine).


thinksound ts02+mic 8mm headphones

The ts02+mic features reduced speaker diameter and housing size to provide better ergonomics, upgraded acoustics, and a wider sound-stage. "The ts02+mic fits comfortably and its high-definition driver pumps out warm sound that is as clean as the artist who made it probably intended." (Gear Diary)

“Thinksound has a solid winner on their hands with the ts02+mic ear buds. Audio enthusiasts should find these ear buds sound great with most, if not all music genres; imaging and a warm midrange really make the ts02+mic stand out.” Rated 8/10!
- Ian Bell, Digital Trends


thinksound ts01 10mm headphones

thinksound™ ts01 headphones deliver a warm, rich, booming sound. The extra large, 10mm dynamic driver offers outstanding bass that "never distorts, even at maximum volume." (PC Magazine)

"They sound great, have a good build quality and best of all, they have a limited impact on the environment." — Digital Trends

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Introducing the super cool TMA-1 DJ headphones from AIAIAI!

Here are our thoughts on the AIAIAI TMA-1 DJ Headphones:

The TMA-1 is a minimalistic matte black headphone, developed in cooperation with the world’s leading designers and preeminent DJs.

We love the look of the TMA-1’s and we’re not alone in our thoughts. Since they’re launch, they continue to receive high praise. We love the minimalistic design and the only branding you will see is the AIAIAI embossed logo on the inside of the headband.

The TMA-1’s are not just known for DJ’s… They’re great for all rock, metal, hip-hop, and electronic music listeners. The TMA-1’s shine with these styles of music!

The thing you will notice when you first listen to the TMA-1’s is their warm signature sound. The soundstage is also quite impressive for a closed headphone.
The bass is quite deep, crisp and punchy. The midrange is clear and vocals sound the way they should! The treble has been tamed subtly on purpose. This is a clever idea coming from the designers, which may take you a few attempts to appreciate, but once you do, you will love them for it.

Originally designed for club DJ’s, they isolate noise really well. They’re also perfect for your daily commute, or when you just want to escape into your own world. But beware, when you start wearing your TMA-1’s amongst friends or in your work environment, be prepared to guard them with your life. Everyone will want them!

Even though they’re designed to sit on your ears, they’re extremely comfortable. I prefer the semi-leather earpads instead of the foam earpads, for both comfort and sound. The sound is nowhere near as good with the foam earpads. They tend to become too bright and lose the bass response.

For everyday use, there’s also an optional extra straight cable, which is shorter (1.2m) and much lighter than the included coiled cable.

The TMA-1 headphone has been tested and tweaked by 28 of the world’s most skilled DJs (including Ghostly’s own Matthew Dear and Seth Troxler), designed by the inimitable Danish design-firm KiBiSi and further developed by Tartelet Records, Mannhandle and Thank You For Clapping. All of which means that the TMA-1 is one carefully considered piece of equipment.

The guys at AIAIAI talking about the motivation behind the project:

We had been doing different headphones for a while, mainly in-ears, but had an idea of doing a robust, high-quality headphone aimed mainly at DJ’s. There are of course quite a few out there, but among them we especially liked the Sennheiser HD 25. Both the look and technical aspects of it. Through friends who dj at different levels we heard same story, though, the Sennheiser would break to easily during gigs and travel. So we thought we would give a shot, and make something really sturdy. From a design point of view, we wanted to move away from the very colorful, and try to do something that alluded to the idea of the dj-headphone. You know, if you take a pair of headphones, be it Pioneer, Sennheiser or Monster and hold them in front of a bright light, the shadow they cast on a white wall looks quite similar. You can’t see the logo’s, colors and other little differences. We wanted to work with that shadow image. The robustness of the TMA-1 was also a factor when designing – the less you put on it, the less can break. In that sense, the TMA is thought of, and build as a tool.

  

    
 Buy the AIAIAI TMA-1 DJ Headphones from Noisy Motel.