Review: AIAIAI Unit-4 Wireless+

10Minute Read

Music

An Unfiltered Sonic Power House.

Danish audio company AIAIAI have delivered, what they claim to be, the “world’s first professional wireless studio monitors.” The technology has been around in their headphones for a while with high praise on the circuit, and now their monitors feature AIAIAI’s wireless + technology, which reduces latency to pretty a much non existent rate. Let’s be honest, one of the most annoying things when trying to mix or produce music with bluetooth speakers or headphones is the latency. It can be done and we want to do it (if you just pick up the closest pair of headphones to get an idea down), but it’s very challenging and very frustrating. With AIAIAI’s wireless + technology, this now allows for music to be made cable free with ease, setting themselves apart from the current market. This price tag comes in fairly high for the feature set at about £700/€800, but are they worth it?

We sat down with these monitors over the last couple of weeks, and here’s what we thought.

What’s In The Box: When the box arrives, you know you’ve purchased a premium product. Inside you’ll find 2 speakers, 2 power / charging cables, the wireless + transmitter, 2 soft speaker covers and that’s it. Everything is clearly labelled as always with AIAIAI products and you have everything you need to get cracking. For those that don’t know, AIAIAI have a wonderful unboxing experience and here it’s no different. One other thing to note, there aren’t additional cables as you don’t need any.

Design: With these speakers, it’s not just about the wireless+ feature and sound, they are designed to standout without being in your face. Their minimalist look is far from dull and as they are crafted from 100% recycled plastics, the Unit 4 merges eco-consciousness with a sophisticated style. They’re easy to disassemble and repair, with sustainability in mind if a part breaks, simply swap it out with no glue or hassle, which is a tick in our box. The speakers do not feel flimsy and they have a good weight to them with have a compact 2.5kg frame.

Sound: The Unit 4 speaker delivers exceptional audio performance that enhances their sleek design. Once connected, you’ll enjoy a powerful, clear sound that fills any room or setting. Inside, a 4-inch high-excursion woofer and a 1-inch silk-dome tweeter deliver bass that is strong yet balanced, a midrange that’s precise and highs that are crisp and pure. With its full-range frequency response (50Hz to 20kHz), every note is rendered with warmth and clarity. In addition to this, bass vent and boosting EQ can provide a bass extension down to 40Hz, nice.

Connectivity & Performance: With the Unit 4’s, you have multiple output options. There’s W+ Link for ultra-low latency, Bluetooth 5.2 for everyday use, and for those who aren’t ready for the jump you can connect directly via 3.5mm mini-jack and 6.3mm balanced TRS inputs. Almost like having three speakers in one. The W+ technology provides a lot of freedom and the wireless capabilities allow you to place them anywhere without compromising performance. We managed to get these speakers connected and running in about 5 minutes tops after downloading the app, they really are plug (or not) and play. Bluetooth connectivity can often take a lifetime if you have to connect, disconnect or pair the device, but the W+ eliminates that. All you have to do for setup is, connect the wireless + transmitter to your device, turn the speakers on, make sure they’re on W+ on the back (instead of bluetooth) and then change the output setting on your device. To adjust frequency levels, you can download the app, connect your phone to the speakers via bluetooth and then adjust accordingly, a nice touch. It’s all very simple.

On the back of the speakers you can then press L or R depending on your set up, or even have them in mono if you’re just using the one. On our laptop, as soon as we connected the transmitter, it automatically set this as the output device so all we had to do was turn on the speakers for them to connect in a matter of seconds. It really is that easy and we haven’t had any connectivity issues whatsoever. When the speakers are connecting, the white LED rings in the middle flash (you can adjust the brightness on the app) and also work as a battery indicator. It’s all pretty impressive and we have to say they are great. We tested playing with a midi keyboard and Akai MPC pad alongside the Unit 4s on Ableton and our hits were pretty much in time, with minimal post quantising required. There’s no comparison when doing this alongside the bluetooth, W+ is by far superior, both in audio and latency.

Trying not to restrict the user, you can use these in a variety of ways but the main focus is definitely the wireless+ technology.

Final thoughts: With over 20 hours of battery life and ultra-low latency, the Unit 4’s stands out in the speaker world. Whether you’re in your bedroom, on the move, or jamming with friends, these speakers are your trusty sidekick for your creative endeavours. The speakers don’t produce a better sound to what’s being inputted, which is what you want from a monitor, but we found that for listening, the speakers sound great with hip-hop, jazz and dance music, with not too much emphasis on the low end, but they do pack a punch all things considered. Being able to move these around with ease in the studio is a massive plus, as you can easily adjust the imaging in a matter of seconds without having to worry about cables being too short and/or getting in the way.

We have to say these speakers are well ahead of the curve. Most people are going to like having wired monitors but we imagine there’s most likely going to a shift into this market, with small home setups and more producers making music on the move. The Unit 4’s are pretty pro and it’s not fair to just compare the wireless features with wired ones, they sound and look great as well, making them highly desirable already. You’re paying a higher price for the new technology, but these speakers are well and truly future proof.

We recommended these very highly and don’t really have a bad word to say. Looking forward to seeing what comes next from AIAIAI!

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