TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ (Low latency headphones for music creators)

The Lounge Other Gear
1

These caught my attention, mostly because I’m tired of getting my headphone cable stuck under my chair or having my neck almost snap off when moving around the studio. Wired latency is measured around 5-10ms and these are 16ms. 16ms sounds a lot on paper, but I’m curious how they sound in practice? Regardless, here is some info on these headphones:

2

I’m using a pair of the wired TMA-2 right now. They are really nice headphones. I have other phones I use for production but these have turned into my live jamming headphones. Really crisp bass, feel comfortable. Curious about the wireless ones myself, they are a bit pricey.

3

Yeah, a tad pricey for sure. Would be worth it for me if they truly feel low latent. Another con for anything wireless is remembering to keep them charged, but in this case you need to have 2 things charged - the receiver and the headphones. Though I would assume you can keep the receiver plugged in power constantly in a studio setting.

4

My experience with this modular headset
:- the faux leather padded ear pads started to fall apart after a while and I’ve barely used them
They’re held together with tape atm

Most bits seems fine though I’m reluctant to buy more pads. I mostly use my hd25’s which are lasting much longer and we’re cheaper.

1 Like
5

Well, at least they are modular - though I get your reluctance. I think my biggest concern is latency, I can deal with the rest, as I’ve had to replace the pads on my current headphones several times already.

6

I am intrigued as well. A wireless headphone in my studio would be a game changer. Plus I can keep the battery plugged in and same with the headphones when they arent in use. So theyd always be charged for a session.

7

what is the best rival of this set of phones, who’s the competition?

8

I wonder if they are still making them out of the same rubbery plastic they used to use? I had a pair of wired headphones by this company and they became incredibly sticky and gross and eventually fell apart. They look good and if the latency is not too noticeable, it sounds really cool. Just beware of the materials. Just something to consider.

2 Likes
9

One of us needs to bite the bullet for the rest of us :slight_smile: Contemplating taking one for the team

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10

Yeah, my TMA-2s have that coating, and they’re starting to get slightly sticky. My TMA-1x had the same issue, and went completely gooey, but that was a while after the headband snapped and I replaced them.

I nearly bought the wireless headband for mine, as I do like the headphones, but their isolation isn’t great, and they don’t offer a noise cancelling option, so I went elsewhere for wireless. I still enjoy my TMA-2s at home though.

I have too many pairs of headphones.

11

so where else did you go for wireless?

12

Sony WH-1000XM4. Great headphones. Even more comfortable than my TMA-2s with the Alcantara pads. They get a bit sweaty though, but that’s to be expected with sealed noise cancelling headphones.

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13

I am really considering these headsets but I am wondering how low the latency really is, I want to use it for my Elektron DAWless setup as well as for playing some guitar.

Did anyone check them out so far and can provide some feedback? Really appreciated!

14

I had TMA-2 wired headphones, and have enjoyed their comfort and sound quality, so I just bought the new receiving headband and transmitter. I’ve been using them pretty much every day for about a week. Just wanted to share my experience with folks.

First the positives:

  • Great range, sound quality, and low latency as advertised.
  • Battery life on the transmitter is excellent, have only charged it once and used it for many hours, it’s still at 3/4 battery life.
  • Don’t feel like charging or turning on the transmitter? Just plug in the cable from my previous headset.

Some quirks but not deal-breakers:

  • Now I have an extra headband laying around, I’m tempted to buy another set of ear cups. :sweat_smile:
  • The time to hold down buttons to power on and off is oddly long and doesn’t seem consistent between the headband and the transmitter.

Some downsides:

  • The receiving headband volume resets every time you power it off and back on.
  • The default volume when you turn the headset back on has noticeable hiss, so you need to turn the headset down until the hiss goes away. I had to search for this and found a support page for this on their website.
  • The power on/off buttons are hardish to press, I often have to try twice or three times on the transmitter to turn it off.

Overall, these make a big difference and great improvement for me. I love to move around when I’m making music, and setting up the transmitter with my MG10XU mixer means I have multiple sources (incl. computer) on hand. This is great for me as when I’m working on a pattern, I’ll want to walk around my room while listening. I haven’t noticed any difficulty with the latency, even when trying to play things in live.

Edit: I didn’t mention that I’m not introducing any additional computer latency. My DT/DN go directly into my mixer and taking the headphone out for the transmitter.

4 Likes
15

Thanks @n8 I also consider to buy the Wireless+ Kit for my TMA-2s in the future.

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I wonder if the company is planning to update them with the volume issue addressed , ironing out that convenience would sure be a nice way to sell more phones to musicians

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Yeah, I honestly am not sure if this is something that could be solved with a firmware update. Someone would need to do a closer inspection (aka teardown) to see whether any data is coming through the USB-C port.

Then again, I’ve worked with enough electrical engineers to know that nearly anything is possible. Even using the wireless transmission as a potential data source could enable some firmware updates. If there is no memory on the device, it would never be able to store the volume setting, but some improvements to the default volume could be had.

Really seems odd that their out-of-the-box product would have this hiss. At first I was wondering if I had the gain up too high on things. :man_shrugging:

Edit: I tested further and if I don’t turn off both the transmitter and the headset, then the volume setting is preserved. I can turn off the headband, or turn off the transmitter alone, and when they pair again, the previous volume setting remains intact.

2 Likes
18

thanks for all of your insights N8

19

Awesome, I am real interested in these.

20

Thanks a lot @n8! Really useful. I’ve been waiting for some user feedback for these headsets as I try not to send anything back if I don’t like it, especially because of a latency issue. I will use it for DAW and DAWless so using a computer the latency might be worse but that is ok.

Is it possible to leave the receiver connected to power while it is on? That would be my usual approach as I will not carry around the transmitter :slight_smile: