Static on the other hand, plops a virtual amp down in a specific location and leaves it there. So that as you move your head, the direction the audio is coming from changes. The Waza Air have a gyroscope inside to sense your head movement. At first blush the feature is pretty cool, but the gimmick kinda wears off quickly. The headphones simply can’t simulate a sense of vertical space, so the effect is like having an amp at exactly head level. And, essentially, all that is happening is the guitar signal is panned either left or right depending on how you turn your head. It’s a neat trick, but not one that I can imagine using that often. Especially since, I’m unlikely to be moving about much if I’m playing through headphones anyway.

The other big consideration is comfort and fatigue. The Waza Air are pretty cozy and lighter than you’d expect them to be. Though, they’re hardly feather weights. They borrow a lot of engineering knowhow from V-Moda, another Roland company (along with Boss) which certainly helps. They don’t quite match up to some of the classics in the studio monitor world, like Sony’s MDR-7506, but there’s also a lot more tech crammed inside the Wazas. My one complaint after wearing them for about 30 minutes straight was that they were a tad warm and I was starting to get a little sweaty around my ears.

But, be aware that there is no way to get the sound you hear in the headphones to the outside world. There is no audio out, or ability to stream audio from the Waza Air. These are meant for quiet solo practicing and nothing else.

This is where the price point becomes a slight issue. $400 is a lot to ask for a pair of headphones designed specifically to use as a guitar amp. Sure, you can also use them as regular Bluetooth headphones, but battery life isn’t great (five hours), there’s no noise cancellation and frankly it’s overkill for just listening to tunes. These are really only going to appeal to a very select group of people. If you already have a main amp, need a second (or third) option that won’t wake the neighbors or your new born, and wireless is a priority for you, then maybe the Waza Air is worth looking into.