T+A Solitaire P planar magnetostatic

[nogi replicant]

Yes, but kinda. TC has some very strong traits, clarity + imaging, staging, bass dynamics, but it also sounds best when you listen relatively quiet. It's one of the best hps for quiet listening imo, because you get the big sound at low volume. TC is very detail forward and V shaped. Sol P is the opposite of that. It has the same detail but it's not pushing it. It's a matter of preference.

There's a price to pay though, TC has relatively wonky tuning that you need to combat with system pairings plus you can't get it loud, not a problem for quiet listeners, but for me this was always aggravating that it starts to audibly distort relatively early on (for me). I use headphones to listen as loud as I want, something I could never do on speakers, and that's the whole point. Otherwise I would just use speakers.

Sol P is the other end of the spectrum. Im pretty sure it was made with relatively loud listening in mind and the more you push it the better it sounds. It can feel muddy and sluggish at low volumes but it comes alive when you push it a little.

So all in all, TC has better clarity, but not to a point where it would detract from Sol Ps performance. It's all down to listening habits and preference.

I have the TC and Sol P. Have had TC since when they first dropped and Sol P for nearly 2 years. If I had to only choose one it would be Sol P.

 

[Exekuhtor]

Bought a SolP to try it, was very impressed with the sound, but now i'm selling it again because it goes into a too similiar direction of the (more technically capable) Immanis.
My thoughts on its sound:
Two things really impressed me. The bass, both mid and subbass, are fantastic and best in class. It has that super punchy physicality and force that only very few planars can provide, even in the lowest subbass. It also really impressed me with its detail level, i think it surpasses the OG Susvara and the Susvara Unveiled is on par. For its tonality i wish it had a bit more warmth / less analytical sound in the midrange. The darker treble is fine, it's a nice alteration, but i wish it went into a more "old Audeze style" direction with more thickness. But: I achieved said thickness and warmth by just plugging it into my Envy with Western Electric tubes (and also some nice warm drivers). This headphone scales and shifted in tonality, so that i really liked its sound. That being said, its tonality was on the dark, relaxed, and super punchy side, with a huge soundstage. That is more or less also the direction of the Immanis, which is just the superior headphone when it comes to technicalities. The Immanis is faster, more detailed, and in its tonality brighter. I also think vocals are a bit better, but i think that's more subjective and one could even prefer vocals on the SolP compared to a Susvara, especially if you don't like a too aggressive sound. Female vocals were sometimes a bit of a letdown when plugging the SolP into my CFA3, they were sometimes too thinn (but i also have that problem with the Immanis) without any colouration in the chain. I think it really shines on a thicker and warmer sounding amp. On the Envy female vocals were sometimes "only fine", but other times truly awesome, so it also highly depends on the recording.
A weird thing is the treble, it's 90% dark and subdued, which is very fine and a nice alteration, but then there is a peak somewhere in the treble that sometimes makes the SolP sound a bit sibilant, even more compared to the Susvara Unveiled, which is in general a way brighter headphone. Of course this problem comes to the surface way more with not that great recorded music, and i would not describe the SolP as having very sharp and piercing treble in the end.
I also have to say that i don't like the comfort. It's very lightweight, but i get a hotspot from the headband. Maybe i'm an outlyer, could be.
All in all, i really liked the sound of the SolP out of my Envy, it's on another level than the previous TOTL planar which i tested right before, which was the Charybdis, but as i said, the Immanis is set in stone in my collection and the SolP is too similiar in its tonality. I want to mention one more time how impressed i was by its bass, it's probably the second best planar bass right after the 1266TC.
If someone is interested in buying my unit, message me (EU only).

 

[chrisyak]

I agree with you 110% on these headphones. They sound amazing. I think next the Immanis These are an incredible pair of headphones. I think they are a nice all-around headphone that does practically everything you can ask from it and more. Of course it's not the Immanis.It certainly does everything else really well to the point they amaze. They have just the right amount of slam + great vocals and nice mids and I really don't have a lot to complain about the headphone at all.

I often wondered why this headphone was not more popular.

I am not a fan of the recessed headphones cables that slide up on the side. And yes, they are nice. They don't protrude and they are much easier to disconnect. Not necessarily easily to remove but it does feel a little bit awkward. This is just me complaining this part. This part is probably subjective to your preferences.

Here is the major flaw of these headphones..

The headphone is designed for somebody that has a thin normal or even narrow shaped head. I have a bit of a wide head and to be honest it has really great padding on it and it is lightweight. I like the ear pads on it as well and overall I do find it to be a really nice comfortable headphone but for a person with a wider head. The thing is actually a Chinese torture device. I have never felt a headphone feel so uncomfortable on my head that I had to move it practically every 15 minutes because the little plastic pieces that are on the side dig into your skull. There is no way to alleviate this other than bending the hell out of them. Even that it does not help. They need to have some suspension on them because the headrest rests on your head and the little plastic parts which are designed to stop the headphone from getting pushed too far digs right into your skull painfully. I attempted to cover the side of the headphone with one of those headphone covers but the plastic still digs into your skull. I also thought if I could make the band wider because it is too narrow then maybe it wouldn't rest on the side of my head. But unfortunately it is a very rigid plastic that does not allow for you to bend it to your skull. Of course you can try and stretch it and I did but it's pretty rigid and I felt like I was going to break it if I pushed it anymore. I don't think you can actually do this just because of the design. For people who have never owned a pair, maybe you're familiar with the sennheiser HD 800 s, which has those sliding mechanism for the actual earphones. It is very easy to adjust but unfortunately the width is not.. I think they actually tried to copy the system from the HD 800 S. However, the little plastic pieces on the side which were designed to stop from the ear pads pushing too far up. Just dig into your head.

For the price of these headphones, this is a real design flaw and these headphones should be a lot more popular Because they are awesome sounding headphones and to be honest, even with the uncomfortable headpiece they should sell a lot more. It's unfortunate that they don't. The company could come out with a second version and fix the comfort issues. They would have a hit headphone on their hands as it is definitely one of the best planar headphones made.

I have these headphones and I probably should do a proper review on them because they are spectacular.

 

[Exekuhtor]

Interesting, i had no problem with the sides, only with the very top in the middle of the headband...
Yeah, the cable is no 3.5mm or ZMF connector, which i think one of those should be standard, but it's not terrible. They detach easily from the headphone, easier than 3.5mm, which can be a plus in certain situations.
I think it's a (way) rarer headphone than the typical Hifiman stuff etc. I never really have seen it on sale or even get recommended very often. I also don't see it that much on the used market.
Yeah, a bit of a shame, the sound really is top tier and its technicalities only gets beaten by the very, very few outlyers that is the Immanis & the hyper expensive (estat system) stuff above it.

 

[jonchard]

I agree with you 110% on these headphones. They sound amazing. I think next the Immanis These are an incredible pair of headphones. I think they are a nice all-around headphone that does practically everything you can ask from it and more. Of course it's not the Immanis.It certainly does everything else really well to the point they amaze. They have just the right amount of slam + great vocals and nice mids and I really don't have a lot to complain about the headphone at all.

I often wondered why this headphone was not more popular.

I am not a fan of the recessed headphones cables that slide up on the side. And yes, they are nice. They don't protrude and they are much easier to disconnect. Not necessarily easily to remove but it does feel a little bit awkward. This is just me complaining this part. This part is probably subjective to your preferences.

Here is the major flaw of these headphones..

The headphone is designed for somebody that has a thin normal or even narrow shaped head. I have a bit of a wide head and to be honest it has really great padding on it and it is lightweight. I like the ear pads on it as well and overall I do find it to be a really nice comfortable headphone but for a person with a wider head. The thing is actually a Chinese torture device. I have never felt a headphone feel so uncomfortable on my head that I had to move it practically every 15 minutes because the little plastic pieces that are on the side dig into your skull. There is no way to alleviate this other than bending the hell out of them. Even that it does not help. They need to have some suspension on them because the headrest rests on your head and the little plastic parts which are designed to stop the headphone from getting pushed too far digs right into your skull painfully. I attempted to cover the side of the headphone with one of those headphone covers but the plastic still digs into your skull. I also thought if I could make the band wider because it is too narrow then maybe it wouldn't rest on the side of my head. But unfortunately it is a very rigid plastic that does not allow for you to bend it to your skull. Of course you can try and stretch it and I did but it's pretty rigid and I felt like I was going to break it if I pushed it anymore. I don't think you can actually do this just because of the design. For people who have never owned a pair, maybe you're familiar with the sennheiser HD 800 s, which has those sliding mechanism for the actual earphones. It is very easy to adjust but unfortunately the width is not.. I think they actually tried to copy the system from the HD 800 S. However, the little plastic pieces on the side which were designed to stop from the ear pads pushing too far up. Just dig into your head.

For the price of these headphones, this is a real design flaw and these headphones should be a lot more popular Because they are awesome sounding headphones and to be honest, even with the uncomfortable headpiece they should sell a lot more. It's unfortunate that they don't. The company could come out with a second version and fix the comfort issues. They would have a hit headphone on their hands as it is definitely one of the best planar headphones made.

I have these headphones and I probably should do a proper review on them because they are spectacular.

I also had the issue with the headband digging into the side of my head. They were painful to wear for me, instant migraine. Even if i liked the sound (which i didnt) i would have been desperate to find ways to make them comfortable. That headband is nothing but cheaping out on a £5000 headphone.

 

[chrisyak]

I also had the issue with the headband digging into the side of my head. They were painful to wear for me, instant migraine. Even if i liked the sound (which i didnt) i would have been desperate to find ways to make them comfortable. That headband is nothing but cheaping out on a £5000 headphone.

I wouldn't say cheaping out. I would call it bad design and engineering. I would also call it bad QA. I had a chance to talk with T+A and had no problem sharing my exact feelings with them.

 

[krude]

Even though I don't have any comfort issues thankfully I agree that the headband is the weakest link and it would definitely benefit from a suspension style. If I were TA I would at least engineer some form of wrap or suspension strap, it cant be difficult or expensive for them and I guarantee every owner would buy this (like ZMF comfort strap) ... btw I struggle with ZMF comfort putting pressure on my temples

I recently started using Sol P for gaming. It's easy enough to drive to work from most hp amps, like from my Marantz home cinema amp.

 

[alvin sawdust]

The headband is the main issue for me. After wearing for half an hour I have to move it slightly to make it bearable for the next 30 mins or so.
Would love it if someone offered an alternative headband/cradle. Besides this it's a fabulous headphone.

 

[xenithon]

I also used to got a painful patch at the top of my head. Now I use This Geekria headband cushion which works a treat. The fabric cover is permanently on the headband, allowing the SolP to rest in the cutout of the box, and the cushion I put on whenever I use the headphone (easy on and off with the Velcro).

 

[krude]

I also used to got a painful patch at the top of my head. Now I use This Geekria headband cushion which works a treat. The fabric cover is permanently on the headband, allowing the SolP to rest in the cutout of the box, and the cushion I put on whenever I use the headphone (easy on and off with the Velcro).

Thanks for sharing. Just ordered. Let's see if it makes it even more comfortable for me

 

[HA-1]

The headband is the main issue for me.

On the contrary, I've never had issues with the headband of the Solitaire P. This is because I have a 'thin normal / narrow shaped' head as described above - Head-Fi.org .

 

[alvin sawdust]

I also used to got a painful patch at the top of my head. Now I use This Geekria headband cushion which works a treat. The fabric cover is permanently on the headband, allowing the SolP to rest in the cutout of the box, and the cushion I put on whenever I use the headphone (easy on and off with the Velcro).

Ordered also

 

[chrisyak]

Ordered also

I tried these. This did not help the plastic from digging into my skull but it did help from the pain on the top of the head.

 

[alvin sawdust]

I tried these. This did not help the plastic from digging into my skull but it did help from the pain on the top of the head.

I only suffer with pain on top of my head so hopefully this is the ticket.

 

[tholt]

I sympathize with those who have larger heads and the black plastic side pieces gouge their sides. I'm fortunate in that I don't have a large head and the Sol P fits me perfectly; can wear it for hours in pure comfort. However, I can totally see how those side pieces could dig into a head, and that would be painful and annoying indeed.

I agree, the headband design is the weakest link on this headphone. Thankfully for me at least, I feel lucky in that the headphone fits me very well. Nothing impedes with my complete enjoyment of them