AIAIAI’s niche DJ headphones are too elite for a 29% off Black Friday deal, but we live
Now then. You’ve got your Black Friday headphones deals that appeal to almost anyone looking for cans – and then you’ve got your alternative, niche, user-specific deals that pique the ears of the select few who know what they’re (not) looking at.
And this particular offering – despite being one of the best Black Friday deals I’ve seen – belongs in the latter camp.
The product is the AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ XE and, provided you can see past the name (yes, it’s a bit of a mouthful) this 30% off deal is well-worth a try for this money, in my opinion.
Why? I’ll get on to that. First, let me tell you that right now and until November 28, they’re just $98 (down from $139) at pro audio and musical instrument retailer, Sweetwater, or £85 (down from £120) at Thomann in the UK (although you’ll have to pay around £10 in shipping).
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Today’s top Black Friday AIAIAI DJ headphones deal US
Today’s top Black Friday AIAIAI DJ headphones deal UK
Some details, then. As I proclaimed in a summer missive entitled I miss my Sennheiser HD 25 – but squint and these DJ on-ears could be them, it’s as if Danish firm AIAIAI has presented a fix for my ageing cheap DJ cans with the TMA-2 DJ XE.
The product they (probably) seek to emulate? The Sennheiser HD 25. These cans got passed around in music-making circles and were seen draped around the necks of the professional and everyday listener alike from their 1988 debut onward – including the subsequent Bluetooth-enabled option, the excellent Sennheiser HD 250BT, which finally came along in January 2021.
When cutting my teeth as an audio journo several years ago, Sennheiser’s cheap HD 25 on-ears were handed to me so I might at least look clued up in the audio game. I wore them everywhere. I managed to nab myself the 75th anniversary pair in 2020, while working for TechRadar’s sister publication, What Hi-Fi?
Alas, if you’re anything like me, your headphones have joined you through hell and high water over the years – and nothing lasts forever (even cold November rain). Yes, we’d all love a new pair of either the wireless HD 250BT or the HD 25, but here in the UK that is not so easy – Sennheiser’s UK website hides the HD 25 away and the 250BT are listed as “phased out”.
Enter then, Danish firm AIAIAI’s 2023-issue “headphones aimed at DJs”, which could quite easily be mistaken for my beloved HD 25 in low lighting – and that’s the setting disc jockeys tend to operate in, isn’t it?
The AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ XE headphones are an expansion of the Danish audio specialist’s TMA-2 DJ headphone line, targeted at DJs. And like my HD 25, the wired TMA-2 DJ XE on-ears don’t weigh much at 168g (the HD 25 came in at 140g, without cables).
The TMA-2 DJ XE also feature signature bio-diaphragm drivers, on-ear foam cushions covered in PU leather for “enhanced isolation and punchy sound representation” and a “modular headphone system”, which allows for interchangeable ear pads, cables and speaker units.
Could they make our way into a roundup containing only the best cheap headphones we’ve tested? It’s possible. The company’s TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ didn’t pull up any trees, but the TMA-2 Ninja Tune Edition prove there’s plenty of talent there – and at this discounted price, I think I might give the TMA-2 DJ XE a whirl, you know…
Not looking for headphones this Black Friday? Give our Black Friday earbuds deals a spin – and remember to enjoy the music.
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More US Black Friday deals
- Amazon: 50% off TVs, air fryers, AirPods & clothing
- Apple: AirPods Pro, Apple Watch 8 & iPads from $99
- Adidas: 40% off running shoes, sweatshirts & leggings
- Beauty: 51% off viral makeup, skincare & hair tools
- Best Buy: up to $800 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones
- Cheap TVs: big-screen 4K TVs from $269.99
- Christmas: 40% off decor, pajamas & trees
- Dell: save on best-selling Inspiron and XPS laptops
- DreamCloud: 40% off all mattresses
- Family pajamas: matching Christmas PJs from $12.99
- Gaming: console bundles from $289.99 at Walmart
- Lowe’s: up to $800 off major appliances
- Nectar: mattress deals starting at $359
- Nordstrom: 30% off Nike, Levi’s, Skims, Adidas & more
- Samsung: up to $2,000 of TVs, phones and appliances
- Target: 40% off furniture, TVs, clothing & appliances
- Toys: Disney, Barbie, Lego & board games from $14.99
- Walmart: Apple Watch 9, cheap TVs, air fryers & toys
More UK Black Friday deals
- Amazon: up to 65% off Echo, Apple, TVs + more
- AO: up to 40% off appliances, TVs and tech
- Argos: up to 50% off toys, tools and tech
- Boots: up to 40% off 1,000s of beauty products
- Currys: up to 40% off TVs, appliances and laptops
- eBay: up to 60% off refurbished Ninja, Dyson + Apple tech
- Ebuyer: up to 45% off laptops and PC components
- EE: up to £600 off phones, TVs and games consoles
- Emma: up to 65% off mattresses, frames and pillows
- John Lewis: up to 40% off tech, homewares and clothing
- Jessops: up to £550 off Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm
- Ninja: up to 25% off air fryers and cookware
- O2: up to £600 off iPhone, Samsung and Google
- Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and appliances
- Shark: up to £100 off vacuums
- Simba: up to 55% off mattresses
- Superdrug: 60% off beauty, fragrances and makeup
- Very: save on tech, decor, appliances and furniture
- Vodafone: six months half-price SIMs from £11.50
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Now then. You’ve got your Black Friday headphones deals that appeal to almost anyone looking for cans – and then you’ve got your alternative, niche, user-specific deals that pique the ears of the select few who know what they’re (not) looking at. And this particular offering – despite being one of the…
