The last 3 digits.
T+A Solitaire P planar magnetostatic
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brams
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Mine is 3xx (with xx close to the middle of the range) and was purchased used so I'm at least the second, but could be the 3rd user (based on who I purchased the unit from and the price I paid).
Definitely supports your suspicion that they really do not sell many of these at all!
Definitely supports your suspicion that they really do not sell many of these at all!
jlbrach
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I am told they sell quite a few in europe by a few people who would know..they are really really good but the price keeps people from giving them a try IMHO..if they were priced as the lcd-5 I think they would be very popular here...
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Is it really the price? I am not sure about that. It is rather lack of advertisement and hype - which are the main factors that drive people to give out their money. I am still yet to see a review of any Ps by a well known reviewer like Resolve or Currawong. No HeadFi events or contribution from T+A. It is not the price, it is the hype that is lacking. Otherwise there will always be people ready to invest to the "best HP" if their interests are tickled enough.
Maybe T+A is also not ready to produce that fast.
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I have a solitaire P on the way to me now and I'm very looking forward to it! dealer friend did me a solid and got me a set well below retail. Will update on the serial number here once I get it.
ThanatosVI
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Agree. Especially since it (still) is one of the cheaper flagships in europe, compared to Audeze Abyss Hifiman.
Furthermore the discount dealers can give is usually higher than on Audeze cans (but nowhere near as good as on Hifiman cans)
So even after the price increase it might still be cheaper than Audeze over here if you ask for an offer
brams
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Some these market price differences could be exchange and tariff driven.
Can't speak to the situation in Europe, but in Noth America the P is priced quite a bit higher than other flagships and T+A have used traditional mainstream media channels like Stereophile for their reviews. They appear to be targetting the upper end audiophile crowd which has been the market for their non-headphone gear instead of the headphone crowd. This is why in T+A's eyes a short cable for the P makes no sense and a smooth, easy listening signature is favored over one that might be more neutral, but brighter and ultimately more fatiguing for long term listening.
The headphone specific market certainly tends to be a bit more fickle with users more likely to "buy only to try" then jump onto the next new thing. If the performance to price ratio is not perceived to be high dealers must contend with a lot of returns and/or end up competing with their own product on the used market. I am always amazed to see how quickly items get purchased and resold in the headphone market.
Unfortunately, in the North American headphone market although the P performs at a high level it is simply not price competitive with other flagship offerings. Given this, keeping the price high and marketing it mostly to a high end audio, largely price insensitive, low returns segment of the market makes perfect sense.
Perhaps T+A intends to target the P-SE more at the headphone market in N/A where I do think it's priced more appropriately given its close perfirmance to the P. If this is the case then I agree that marketing through the established headphone "hype train" channels would lead to more success.
Can't speak to the situation in Europe, but in Noth America the P is priced quite a bit higher than other flagships and T+A have used traditional mainstream media channels like Stereophile for their reviews. They appear to be targetting the upper end audiophile crowd which has been the market for their non-headphone gear instead of the headphone crowd. This is why in T+A's eyes a short cable for the P makes no sense and a smooth, easy listening signature is favored over one that might be more neutral, but brighter and ultimately more fatiguing for long term listening.
The headphone specific market certainly tends to be a bit more fickle with users more likely to "buy only to try" then jump onto the next new thing. If the performance to price ratio is not perceived to be high dealers must contend with a lot of returns and/or end up competing with their own product on the used market. I am always amazed to see how quickly items get purchased and resold in the headphone market.
Unfortunately, in the North American headphone market although the P performs at a high level it is simply not price competitive with other flagship offerings. Given this, keeping the price high and marketing it mostly to a high end audio, largely price insensitive, low returns segment of the market makes perfect sense.
Perhaps T+A intends to target the P-SE more at the headphone market in N/A where I do think it's priced more appropriately given its close perfirmance to the P. If this is the case then I agree that marketing through the established headphone "hype train" channels would lead to more success.
That also makes sense that they don't want to target people that move from hype to hype. But their policy hasn't changed also with P-SE. They don't have any more aggressive marketing around P-SE, either.
There's nothing in the market right now that tickles my attention. A repurchase of P could have happened with an updated headband but... After trying the DCA Stealth, especially comfort wise, it is not easy to go back to anything else. I am just waiting for DCA to apply their AMTS technology to an open back.
I am writing as I am listening to Mahavishnu Orchestra on Stealth and HA200.
By the way, HA200 and Stealth pairing is exceptionally good. The kind of lean mids of HA200 and perfect HT mids of Stealth complement each other very well. HA200 has a tight grip on bass that suits again super detailed and squeaky clean bass of Stealth.
brams
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Yep, the Stealth is a great sounding closed back and likely to be my next headphone. Like the Utopia it tends to put the detail in your face while the P reveals it to you gently. It's a bit hard to drive though so I'm waiting for the release of the right DAP (likely something from Cayin or Questyle) before taking the plunge.
I'm still pleasantly surprised at how well the Questyle drives the P.
Currently I'm using the P with a custom tube desktop amp that uses silver wires in the secondary. The silver wire opens up the upper mids beautifully. With the right combination of tubes it almost completely eliminates the response dip in the P in that area, but keeps enough of it to retain a bit of that smooth, slightly warm signature.
I'm still pleasantly surprised at how well the Questyle drives the P.
Currently I'm using the P with a custom tube desktop amp that uses silver wires in the secondary. The silver wire opens up the upper mids beautifully. With the right combination of tubes it almost completely eliminates the response dip in the P in that area, but keeps enough of it to retain a bit of that smooth, slightly warm signature.
The new FiiO M17 is the perfect DAP for Stealth. Several Stealth owners here bought the M17 exactly for that pairing.
jlbrach
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both stereophile and the absolute sound longtime audiophile staples reviewed it a short while ago and gave it high marks..resolve would spend 2/3s of the review telling us about his EQ settings!
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There was a knock out spectacular review in Forbes in January of 2021. The review was so positive and, it is such a major magazine, that it influenced me to go through the agonizing process of buying these through a US dealer. I am happy with them but they are like a subtle and sophisticated wine...an acquired taste.
Ragnar-BY
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brams
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I'm trying to recall a time when Stereophile or the Absolute Sound did not give high marks to a product they reviewed. Its been a while. While I think it is laudable that they find positives in every product they review that is really only telling half the story.
I'm not familiar with Resolve's reviews but recommended EQ settings at least suggest the areas in which the headphone under test deviates from an accepted standard and therefore provides a context for objective comparison. Given that headphone preferences are so subjective, any review that does not discuss perceived deviations from a target (whether or not one actually agrees with the fidelity of that target) are largely useless.
In my opinion Tyll set the standard for headphone reviews that has rarely been equaled. For what it's worth, Paul Rigby's Youtube review on The Audiophile Man channel for the P almost exactly mirrors my initial impressions posted very early in this thread when I first auditioned the unit. Setup, long term use, ear break in, etc. have mellowed my impressions since then.
I'm not familiar with Resolve's reviews but recommended EQ settings at least suggest the areas in which the headphone under test deviates from an accepted standard and therefore provides a context for objective comparison. Given that headphone preferences are so subjective, any review that does not discuss perceived deviations from a target (whether or not one actually agrees with the fidelity of that target) are largely useless.
In my opinion Tyll set the standard for headphone reviews that has rarely been equaled. For what it's worth, Paul Rigby's Youtube review on The Audiophile Man channel for the P almost exactly mirrors my initial impressions posted very early in this thread when I first auditioned the unit. Setup, long term use, ear break in, etc. have mellowed my impressions since then.
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