First of all, I would like to give credit to the people behind AIAIAI for taking the risk in the R&D of these speakers. You never know if people are going to buy them, until they're out on the shelves, after all...
At 800 euro (retail), these speakers come to affirm AIAIAI’s already longstanding tradition to price their products well into the premium bracket. I own a couple of TMA-2s (including the most expensive ot the bunch - Wireless+ Studio) and to say that I have been left deeply unimpressed by the brand in the past, would be a massive understatement. Ordering the UNIT-4, my main concern was if they even had a chance of being worth that price premium. Now that I finally own them, I’m impressed.
This is the brand's first step out of the headphone realm and I want to be honest here - they did a (damn) fine job in presenting the UNIT-4 to the customer! Out of the box, the UNIT-4 screams business. AIAIAI adopted a clean, minimalistic (in the most Scandinavian way), even utilitarian approach towards designing these little beasts. The sturdiness of the anodized steel grille reveals the designers’ firm determination to protect everything that’s behind it. The body is made of matte plastic, and although it’s easy to deliver scratches upon its surface, the material is premium and very pleasing to the touch. A subtle white LED circle around the woofer glows softly behind the grille and while adding to the premium look, provides valuable information such as battery and volume level and state of connection.
Turning them on, the AIAIAI’s mobile companion app requested a firmware update, after which I was able to connect and pair the speakers virtually hassle-free. Apart from regular Bluetooth, AIAIAI implemented their own “low latency” radio protocol specifically designed for wireless music production and DJ-ing. It’s not the best, but it works fine. Of course, precision-wise you’ll be better off with a pair of sub-5 ms wireless receiver/transmitter sets by a reputable brand to match with any other studio monitors, but that will probably cost you a bit more than the UNIT-4 and you won’t have the convenience of not having to carry separate extra gadgets. (For those of you, who wonder how does Wireless+ compare to SkaaPro latency-wise – there’s virtually no difference and you might go ahead and take this as you want 😊)
“How do they sound?” is the most important question. The sweet spot is wide enough to enjoy a decent dynamic range, suiting various music styles. They’re not 800-euro-good, but they’re good enough! I will spare you the technicalities, but I have to say that the manufacturer’s reported 103 dB SPL is a bit on the optimistic side. To top it all off, there’s some compression at max SPL. To achieve accurate reproduction, you might want to keep the volume level in between 50% and 90%, assuming you’re using the sound interface of your Macbook. Here I have to admit that the EQ presets in the companion app are not only usable, but probably the best I’ve heard so far, hats off, AIAIAI! I still haven’t measured the frequency response of these speakers, but for studio monitors, they’re balanced and easy to listen to (very important).
The battery life is phenomenal. I played a 3-hour DJ set at max volume, and I was left with around 75% of juice. They also charge very quickly, so you’ll rarely worry about battery life. One potential drawback is the lack of USB-C charging, but either way, you’ll would at least two macbook pro 16” chargers and suitable cables to match the crazy 120 watt power bricks that come bundled with the UNIT-4. To put that into perspective, SOUNDBOKS 3's charger is capable of delivering just 46.2 watts to charge its behemoth LiFePo4 batteries from 0 to full for around 5 hours.
These speakers are also lightweight (although not as light as I hoped them to be). AIAIAI offers protective silicone bumpers and a carry case, both purchased separately, and the whole set in the carry case weighs about 8 kilograms (one speaker weighs 2.5 kgs w/ grille attached).
Overpricing aside, my overall impression of these speakers is exceedingly positive and although I’m never letting go of my KRK ROKIT 5 G4s in my studio, I’ll be glad to lug the UNIT-4 with me “wherever I may roam”.
