[aphex]

After watching all video reviews that I could find and going through all 200 pages in this thread, I finally took the plunge and placed an order for a Solitaire P.
Hopefully they arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday - Just in time for a couple of weeks of vacation.
To say that I'm excited would be an understatement

 

[ThanatosVI]

After watching all video reviews that I could find and going through all 200 pages in this thread, I finally took the plunge and placed an order for a Solitaire P.
Hopefully they arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday - Just in time for a couple of weeks of vacation.
To say that I'm excited would be an understatement

You're in for a treat!

 

[austinpop]

My review of the T+A Solitaire P.

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/ta-solitaire-p-headphones-review-r1207/

 

[jlbrach]

a very fine headphone that I owned,simply mispriced...

 

[ThanatosVI]

a very fine headphone that I owned,simply mispriced...

Depends on the Region

 

[Christer]

My review of the T+A Solitaire P.

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/ta-solitaire-p-headphones-review-r1207/

Nice review again Rajiv.
I missed a T+A P second hand on sale in Sweden for around 3500 USD last year by not acting fast enough.
And actually not really willing to buy them before having auditioned them.
Having read your review I'll have to audition them in SE-Asia this coming winter where they most probably will be quite a bit cheaper than both in the US and Europe. Meanwhile I am switching between my HEK V2 and HD800 depending on recordings.
So BIS had no HD800 at the Mahler sessions you visited?
I actually connected my own old HD 650 and compared it with the other two for the first time in years having read your comments on it at those BIS sessions.But honestly, though not bad as such,not quite up there with either the HD800 or HEKV2 especially, for resolution and string sound where HEKV2 and even more so Susvaras sound closer to how strings actually sound live. Sennheiser's dynamic headphones "soften and mellow" string sound a bit imho.
Regarding that BIS Mahler session, do you have any sessions masterfile or final edit from it, and if so, how does it compare to the Channel Classics Mahler 3 you so kindly PGGB'd for me a couple of year ago?
I have been at both BIS sessions Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov symphonies. And Channel Classics Mahler 5 sessions both in the hall during actual recording "all over the place" with my cameras, both from the conductor's position and among the musicians and any good seats I chose during week long sessions in Mahler. And in the studio for playback both via headphones and 5..1 via speakers.
Back on topic and value for money as you mention it in your review, well there I have to disagree with you .
To me the pricing is unfortunately just one of way too many examples of how crazy the headphone market has become in recent years.
But I suspect I too will like the SQ of the Solitaire P.
A more reasonably priced competitor might also be the Serbian Erzetich Charybdis which sells for about half the price of the Solitaire and might be as good as it, or even better who knows?
So far the very best planar headphone , and by very best I mean the most REAL sounding with unamplifed acoustic instruments I have heard was the very expensive Susvara.
But I also have to audition both the P and the Expanse and the Stealth.


PS.
Do try to get to some other sessions too if you can.
Try contacting Jared Sacks ,or Yarung, Suryodaya was good.
Cheers CC

 

[betula]

a very fine headphone that I owned,simply mispriced...

Is the Susvara, the 1266 or even the Elite well priced? Or any of the flagships for that matter? These are all overpriced luxury products and not a reasonable purchase. Made for us, who want to squeeze out the very last bit of enjoyment from our music. Or did you mean the Soli P is incorrectly priced in the matrix of flagship headphone prices? What do you think would be the correct retail price for them and what other flagships do you think are correctly priced? Asking out of pure curiosity.

IMO the Soli P are fantastic sounding headphones and yes, perhaps T+A would sell more if the retail price was £$1000 less, but these days on the second-hand market pretty much all the mentioned flagship headphones can be found with a 40%-50% price drop if someone is a little patient.

 

[jlbrach]

Is the Susvara, the 1266 or even the Elite well priced? Or any of the flagships for that matter? These are all overpriced luxury products and not a reasonable purchase. Made for us, who want to squeeze out the very last bit of enjoyment from our music. Or did you mean the Soli P is incorrectly priced in the matrix of flagship headphone prices? What do you think would be the correct retail price for them and what other flagships do you think are correctly priced? Asking out of pure curiosity.

IMO the Soli P are fantastic sounding headphones and yes, perhaps T+A would sell more if the retail price was £$1000 less, but these days on the second-hand market pretty much all the mentioned flagship headphones can be found with a 40%-50% price drop if someone is a little patient.

at 6900 in the USA it is mispriced and most wont look at it...the TOTL seems to range from 4-6k with the exception of the wonderful Raal sr1a and CA-1a which is better than the Sol P and a third the price..my opinion of course..I speak as one who owned the P and liked it

 

[ThanatosVI]

at 6900 in the USA it is mispriced and most wont look at it...the TOTL seems to range from 4-6k with the exception of the wonderful Raal sr1a and CA-1a which is better than the Sol P and a third the price..my opinion of course..I speak as one who owned the P and liked it

I agree on that. For the US it's not priced attractively.

In the EU it's 5200 now (was 4800) while Susvara and Abyss are 7000 and 6800 respectively.

The RAALs at 3000,- and 3800,- are significantly more affordable but to be fair don't compete in fit & finish. They really went for the sound quality and the rest is quite barebones.

 

[ardbeg1975]

I agree on that. For the US it's not priced attractively.

In the EU it's 5200 now (was 4800) while Susvara and Abyss are 7000 and 6800 respectively.

The RAALs at 3000,- and 3800,- are significantly more affordable but to be fair don't compete in fit & finish. They really went for the sound quality and the rest is quite barebones.

Throwing in my unabashedly subjective price to value opinions on headphones I either own, have owned, or have heard extensively.

Hifiman Susvara is a $6000 headphone which should be retailing at $5000 and the used market price of ~$3750 is probably about right.
T+A Solitaire P is a $6900 headphone which should be retailing at about $4500-$5000 and the used market price should be ~$3500.
Abyss AB1266 Phi TC is a $6000+ headphone which should be retailing at $4500-5000 and the used market price should be ~$3750 (and thus used market is about right).
ZMF Caldera is a steal at its price point (new or used)
SR1a is the best bang for the buck of the lot (particularly on the used market) even factoring in the cost of a TI-1b/c to power it off a traditional headamp.

 

[Christer]

Is the Susvara, the 1266 or even the Elite well priced? Or any of the flagships for that matter? These are all overpriced luxury products and not a reasonable purchase. Made for us, who want to squeeze out the very last bit of enjoyment from our music. Or did you mean the Soli P is incorrectly priced in the matrix of flagship headphone prices? What do you think would be the correct retail price for them and what other flagships do you think are correctly priced? Asking out of pure curiosity.

IMO the Soli P are fantastic sounding headphones and yes, perhaps T+A would sell more if the retail price was £$1000 less, but these days on the second-hand market pretty much all the mentioned flagship headphones can be found with a 40%-50% price drop if someone is a little patient.

I'd add to that, the very interesting news from HIFIMan recently selling several of their planars at much lower prices.
Not having auditioned many of the more recent imho often ridiculously high priced headphones from others I have to say that for those admittedly VERY few of us here who judge the SQ of a headphone by how close it sounds to how unamplified acoustic instruments tend to sound live and from all the spanking I tend to get on these forum threads for having such weird taste as wanting HIGH FIDELITY not just "Bang for the Buck",my take is that HIFIMan's HEKV2 is currently possibly one of the most reasonably priced High End headphones on the market. I have not yet heard the new Stealth magnet version which I think can be bought in some parts of SE-Asia for around 1500-1600 USD new.
If those Stealth Magnets bring it close enough to Susvara for me and my wallet, I may possibly sell my original HEKV2 this coming winter.
Cheers CC

 

[betula]

I'd add to that, the very interesting news from HIFIMan recently selling several of their planars at much lower prices.
Not having auditioned many of the more recent imho often ridiculously high priced headphones from others I have to say that for those admittedly VERY few of us here who judge the SQ of a headphone by how close it sounds to how unamplified acoustic instruments tend to sound live and from all the spanking I tend to get on these forum threads for having such weird taste as wanting HIGH FIDELITY not just "Bang for the Buck",my take is that HIFIMan's HEKV2 is currently possibly one of the most reasonably priced High End headphones on the market. I have not yet heard the new Stealth magnet version which I think can be bought in some parts of SE-Asia for around 1500-1600 USD new.
If those Stealth Magnets bring it close enough to Susvara for me and my wallet, I may possibly sell my original HEKV2 this coming winter.
Cheers CC

I agree, this big HiFiMan price cut was an interesting and welcomed move. Makes all the Arya and HEK versions (god knows how many are out there at this point) very competitive. I briefly owned the first Arya (and old HEXV2) and auditioned the HEKV2 and SE. While they are good headphones, they are not quite for my personal taste. Many people like them though and with the new prices they are definitely undercutting the competition when it comes to performance for price.
This £1000-£1500-£1800 range is perhaps the sweet spot for many enthusiasts. There are really good headphones for that money, but basically none of them is perfect. When you reach flagship headphones that is a great step towards that 'subjective perfection', but you pay exponentially for it. Some people cannot even hear the improvements, so it is not worth it for them. Those who can appreciate the finest sound reproduction will have to pay that premium price. Sometimes I tell myself that with that premium price I invest in the future of the company I like, so they can keep researching and developing. That is probably part of the premium price anyway...

On another note, I think hardly anyone buys the Soli P or other flagships at full retail price. Most retailers can give a little discount if you ask them nicely. And then there are excellent second-hand deals too.

 

[jlbrach]

I agree on that. For the US it's not priced attractively.

In the EU it's 5200 now (was 4800) while Susvara and Abyss are 7000 and 6800 respectively.

The RAALs at 3000,- and 3800,- are significantly more affordable but to be fair don't compete in fit & finish. They really went for the sound quality and the rest is quite barebones.

actually the CA-1a is 2000 dollars and 2500 with the adapter...I agree that the P is more substantial but soundwise for me the Raal wins easily...again my opinion...

 

[Roasty]

the Ca1a at usd1.5k (b stock runs) are even more appealing.

although to me, the SolP does offer a more refined presentation and cleaner more detailed bass. there is better separation and airiness than the Raal, and it also sounds more "expansive" and provides a better sense of the room/venue and its confines.

SolP imo is one of the all time greats. agree, at USA retail price the appeal is not as good as other totl hps, but they can be easily gotten for much less from Europe. it still features heavily for my listening and has the most headtime too.

Some thoughts from owning them:
- might benefit from a v2, changing up the headband shape and also strengthening the slider mechanism (heavy cups causing occasional droop)
- at the price, would be nice to include both sets of pads in the box.
- sounds a lot better with a good silver cable. opens up the top end and makes voices sing.
- maybe a 3rd pad variant with less perforations than the ultra wide pads for a more in between sound
- technically better than my Utopia 22 but at the same time somewhat less engaging. I use the SolP end of day when I just need to recline and relax.
- system dependent; have read various accounts of lack of bass/sub bass, but thankfully I have not encountered this with my wa33, speaker amp pre/power combos, or ferrum stack. occasionally outclasses the abyss in low end.

 

[ThanatosVI]

actually the CA-1a is 2000 dollars and 2500 with the adapter...I agree that the P is more substantial but soundwise for me the Raal wins easily...again my opinion...

All prices mentioned are the current EU prices with Interface