Aiaiai Tracks USB-C

Anyone familiar with Aiaiai’s earphones will probably rub their eyes in disbelief when they see the Tracks, as they are a complete break from the previous TMA range, which was positioned more in the studio, DJ and hi-fi sector with its modular design (all drivers, earpieces and cables are compatible and interchangeable) and circumaural design.

The Tracks, on the other hand, are lightweight on-ears with a slim metal headband and airy Walkman design. Be careful not to rush into a purchase, however, as there is a USB-C and a mini-jack version. And that makes a huge difference in everyday use, depending on the devices you have.

I did the test with the USB-C version on my MacBook Pro, but for use in my private hi-fi ecosystem I would definitely prefer the mini-jack, as it offers far more connection possibilities.

Track assembly

It seems that Aiaiai didn’t want to miss out on the surprising egg-carton effect, so there’s a bit of assembly involved in setting up the tracks. First of all, you need to choose one of the three colours (black, charcoal, canary) of the small plastic buttons supplied to connect the speaker pod to the bracket. All you have to do is clip the pair of buttons onto the back of the headphones, then insert the button into the rail at the top of the headband and pull it down to your ear.

Once this is done, the headphones are ready for use, as the 1.40 metre cable is (unfortunately) permanently attached to the speaker pods. I would have preferred to see an interchangeable cable here, especially as this would have made it easy to switch from mini-jack to USB-C without having to buy a second pair of headphones. But with the street price of the tracks, that was probably out of the question.

Accordingly, the small media control and microphone unit is permanently integrated into the wiring harness leading to the right-hand receiver. The Y junction underneath, which turns the stereo lead into two mono leads, is the only place where you can tell which side is left or right. Or just remember that the media controls are on the right. On the plus side, the ear pads are interchangeable.

If you take them off, you have a clear view of the impressive 40 millimetre transducers, with an impedance of 32 ohms, a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and a maximum sound pressure level of a mighty 112 dB. In fact, I was able to play the tracks right up to my personal pain threshold (and beyond, although I did use hearing protection) without any problems. Handling

The linchpin of the Tracks is literally the filigree aluminium headband. It holds the two speaker pods to the ears and the headphones to the head via the aforementioned plastic buttons. The whole system weighs just 66 grams (not including the cable) and can be worn for hours without attracting attention.

The soft, springy fit comes naturally from the headband, which can be stretched very far outwards. If you take a more robust approach, the aluminium headband will permanently change shape. This has both advantages and disadvantages: On the plus side, the headphones can be bent to fit very large or small heads.

On the downside, it can also be bent by unintentional mechanical impact, such as getting caught on the cable, sitting on it or a dog’s jaws chewing on it, and then having to be painstakingly bent back into shape. It is good to see that nothing is breaking, as is often the case with plastic, but only time will tell how the mount will stand up to long-term use in a gym bag or school rucksack. In any case, it can’t be folded like the Koss Porta Pro (see review).

The media control and microphone unit on the right cable harness is inconspicuous in terms of weight, size and appearance. It was only when making a phone call that moving the unit slightly towards the mouth with the right hand proved advantageous for the other party in terms of sound. Voice quality on the receiver side is in the solid middle range – not outstanding, but not bad either. The control functions (accept call, hang up, volume up/down, track forward/back) were reliable, especially as the small membrane keys have a clearly perceptible click point.

Sound

I have to add a little cliffhanger at this point in order to sum up the sound of the tracks with a short ‘wow’ after a brief artistic pause. In fact, that is exactly what I exclaimed immediately after enjoying the first few minutes of music through these headphones. I’m not afraid to say that these are the best sounding on-ear headphones I’ve ever heard in my career as a reviewer (at this price point, mind you).

The ‘wow’ factor is largely down to the wide frequency response, which jumps from bass to treble – the music is literally right in front of you, or rather between your ears, in all its full-spectrum glory. If you’ve been using headphones that are rather low on treble and mid-range, you’ll be blown away. There is also a slight emphasis on the high mids in the 3.6kHz range, giving tracks an extra boost of presence. All of this is delivered with outstanding agility and clarity.

In the area of transient imaging, the Tracks even rival my reference Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (review), revealing the shortest impulses in music and speech with extreme precision – great! The tracks conjure up a beautifully wide and cleanly resolved stereo stage that gives the music a wonderful plasticity. It’s a pleasure to listen to music with these tracks, especially as the powerful treble is flanked by a solid bass foundation, resulting in a very harmonious, decidedly modern sound.

For lovers of a more discreet, soft and cosy sound (such as the aforementioned Koss Porta Pro), this may be too much. In order to enjoy the full sound, however, you need to pay attention to the positioning on the ear, as I noticed during testing that the sound changed significantly with just a few millimetres of offset on the ear cup. The best position was when the centre of the speakers was just above the opening of the ear canal.

Conclusion

Respect: Aiaiai have hit the nail on the head with the Tracks USB-C in terms of looks, sound and price. They sound really brilliant, and I mean that literally, because the slight emphasis in the high-mid range makes the sound really sparkle and shine. They look great too, and you can wear them all the time because they sit almost imperceptibly on your ears. And all this at a price you really can’t complain about.

With that in mind, I’m going to put aside my two main criticisms, namely the fixed cable and the mechanical construction, which I don’t think should be able to withstand any strain, and give them a well-deserved A grade.