Closed up to 150€ Headphone (and music !) reccomendation

[Confispect]

Nice.

[Strontium Wizzard]

Got them on right now, listening to some atmosphere. They come with two types of pleather pads, for some reason, and the clamp is good (V3 ?) Waiting for them to open up a bit, but so far they sound decent

[IDvsEGO]

Originally Posted by Strontium Wizzard

Got them on right now, listening to some atmosphere. They come with two types of pleather pads, for some reason, and the clamp is good (V3 ?) Waiting for them to open up a bit, but so far they sound decent

as in slug? good stuff.

[razorblader]

Originally Posted by Strontium Wizzard

Got them on right now, listening to some atmosphere. They come with two types of pleather pads, for some reason, and the clamp is good (V3 ?) Waiting for them to open up a bit, but so far they sound decent

Same here, the clamping force is fine on mine and the second pair of pads have a black coating like the Sony MDR-V6 pads, they sound pretty ok as well, less dark and less bassy but not horrible like some have described the foam pads that used to come with the TMA-1.

Give them some time, mine have opened up after some settle-in time (drivers and brain perception) and sound seriously great now. The phones stay on my head as well when moving about so all is good.

[Urne]

Sweet, feel free to post some impressions on how they are if you got the time! I'm glad to hear the clamp isn't an issue to you but what exactly did you mean by "( V3?)". If you a referring to a version number, where did you find this? Could be interesting to see which version I got when I bought my pair back in May here.

[razorblader]

Originally Posted by Urne

I'm glad to hear the clamp isn't an issue to you but what exactly did you mean by "( V3?)".

I think SW was guessing/suggesting there might be a v3 of the TMA-1 already, the first batch which came with the foam pads as backups and having the low clamping force issue , the second batch having the plastic coated foam pads as backups but still having an issue with low clamping force for a lot of people and his and my TMA-1 purchased recently which don't seem to have this issue any more or maybe we just have big, fat heads.

There is no 'official' version number to be found on the TMA-1 afaik.

[Strontium Wizzard]

razorblader, you got it in one ^^ As for impressions, I'll probably write a review at some point, but I'll have to buy some more CDs, because even 1080p youtube audio doesn't compare to flac. Anyway, so far, so good

[Lan]

Didn't know Klangfarbes previous store was so lovely. Now I wish I had been there earlier.
When I checked the TMA-1's there, I felt like they would drop off my head if I moved too much but I guess that's just my narrow head. But otherwise I really loved the sound although I didn't get to listen to my own music with them.

Anyways I believe I have to stick to my ue200 for the time being. (Wallet needs to rest after getting me a Zune HD^^)

Looking forward to your impressions.

[Jack4L]

I recently got a replacement headband from AiAiAi for my TMA-1 and I can tell you there is quite a bit of difference with this one and my old one. The newer one has a much stronger clamping force, the curve on the headband is much tighter and the coating is a bit different. The original feels very soft and the new one feels like it doesn't even have a coating.

[Lan]

Well I guess that's good news for those who were/are worried about clamping.
Can you tell a difference in the coating between the earcups and your new headband? Or is it almost unnoticable?

[Jack4L]

Yeah you can notice the difference but pretty much only when feeling the materials. Took a pic of the difference in clamping, still havn't removed the old headband because its still looks okay, but the coating has started to peel which is why I got the replacement headband. Not sure how I'm gonna feel about the extra clamping

One thing that might change, is the fact that I dont have the rubber under 'padding' on my new headband. I did try placing it underneath, without using the tape exposed and it didn't make a difference to the clamping, but who knows when its finally stuck with the adhesive if it then forces them open by a bit.

[Disguise]

@Jack4L, where did you buy the new headband? Can't find it on the website of AiAiAi...

[dfkt]

Also, do you have to rip out the soft inner part of the headband to get the cable in, then glue it together again?

[Jack4L]

I got the headband sent in under warranty because my headband started showing signs of the rubberized coating peeling. I pretty much just contacted them about the problem and they offered to send it in. I'm pretty sure it was so easy since I bought the TMA-1 almost day one, from their website so they probably knew from my e-mail who I was and what model/make my TMA's were. Was some of the best customer service I've ever run in to, and I'm not just saying that because I got a free spare part, they were very talkative and friendly in a genuine way- not just in a rehearsed overly sensitive and politically correct manor.

Currently AiAiAi doesn't sell spare parts for the TMA-1. Although the rep I wrote to did mention they have considered the idea of selling more replaceable parts, for repair and customization.

As for installation, yeah you need to remove the rubber under part of the headband, the wire is just hidden underneath that. Its not too difficult to remove, its just held by some sticky adhesive tape. Its not a permanent fixture. They sent me a new rubber inner part with the new headband (That has the adhesive readily applied) so don't have to worry about being gentle and saving the old part

[razorblader]

Nice, thanks for sharing your experience with their customer service.

Originally Posted by Lan

Didn't know Klangfarbes previous store was so lovely. Now I wish I had been there earlier.

The old store was just great, I sure miss it. The new one has the charm of a (albeit nice) supermarket.

[Lan]

Thanks for the picture Jack4l. I always wanted them to be like that when not in use.
Kinda like the AKG K81/518.
Do you know wether the clamping is comparable to them now?