Can T+A’s Solitaire T Headphones Please Everyone?
T+A Elektroakustik's Solitaire T bridges the high-end passive headphone market and active noise-cancelling wireless arena.
T+A Elektroakustik's Solitaire T sure has its work cut out. Firstly, it follows the very impressive Solitare P and P-SE reference headphones. Secondly, the Solitare T has to stand on its own as one of the Herford-based company's lauded passive headsets and has to forge ahead as a high-end active noise-cancelling wireless set.
T+A's engineers began this challenge with the passive design - at its heart, a 42mm transducer with a "special" cellulose diaphragm. This, we're told, possesses the essential characteristics of stiffness and lightness to generate an incredibly lively and dynamic performance without prematurely degenerating into eigenmodes (where all parts of an oscillating system do so at the same frequency).
With its carefully optimised low bass system, the Solitaire T promises airy trebles and clear mids with a distinctive bass which never sounds aggressive. However, to provide this sound quality away from home, the designers equipped the Solitaire T's digital circuitry with the latest Bluetooth codecs such as LDAC and aptX HD and a Qualcomm QCC 5127 chip paired with an ESS ES9218 Sabre DAC.
User experience was also at the forefront of the design, so T+A says that every interaction can be felt by the user and is linked to unambiguous feedback messages.
The headphones feature touch-sensitive buttons, a dedicated transparency field, which allows the environment to be switched on swiftly, and a sizeable touch-sensitive interaction field. Further important points are spoken feedback messages, "spoken live by the brand voice," rather than electronically-generated words.
Naturally, the Solitaire T still shares the design DNA of the Herford manufacturer. So it features a high-quality aluminium housing, top-notch synthetic compound and Vegan artificial leathers and is available in two colour schemes: white/silver and black/silver.
Design elements familiar from the Applause Award-winning Solitaire P, such as chamfered ear cups, are also seen in the Solitaire T.
Conradin Amft, T+A's COO, told StereoNET:
[Solitaire T] constitutes a product which is more than just a pair of superb closed-back audiophile headphones and more than just travel phones. They successfully bridge the supposed gulf between these two categories by creating their own standard.
The Solitaire T will be available as of July 2022 from specialist retailers at an RRP of £1,200/ €1,300.
Visit T+A Elektroakustik for more information
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. Jay heads up StereoNET as Editor for the United Kingdom and Europe regions. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in: Headphones
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