T+A Solitaire T Wireless Headphone

[ryanmatic]

Interesting fact:
The Solitaire T is designed by Axel Grells wife. Axel Grell is the guy behind famous headphones like the Sennheiser HD600 and HD800.
at minute 19:20

Oh man, that is fascinating. Thanks for sharing!

 

[winstonliu]

I have recently bought a pair of Solitaire T and had been 'burning in' the headphones for over 100 hours already. The soundstage opened up nicely, the mids and the trebles are all superb. But the bass is very recessed and lacking. Both in bass extension and the volume of bass relative to the rest of the frequency response. That's even after I used the Bass Boost in EQ. The overall result is the headphones sound very thin with anemic bass response.

Does anyone have the same experience ?

 

[ryanmatic]

I have recently bought a pair of Solitaire T and had been 'burning in' the headphones for over 100 hours already. The soundstage opened up nicely, the mids and the trebles are all superb. But the bass is very recessed and lacking. Both in bass extension and the volume of bass relative to the rest of the frequency response. That's even after I used the Bass Boost in EQ. The overall result is the headphones sound very thin with anemic bass response.

Does anyone have the same experience ?

That sounds odd. With stock EQ, the SolT is not a bass-focused headphone but it definitely has good extension and low end presence. I find the bass boost EQ pushes the lower frequencies over the top—I wouldn’t describe either as “thin” sounding, but certainly not when that EQ is applied.

Maybe try changing your source and seeing if that has a noticeable effect.

 

[chessking21]

I have recently bought a pair of Solitaire T and had been 'burning in' the headphones for over 100 hours already. The soundstage opened up nicely, the mids and the trebles are all superb. But the bass is very recessed and lacking. Both in bass extension and the volume of bass relative to the rest of the frequency response. That's even after I used the Bass Boost in EQ. The overall result is the headphones sound very thin with anemic bass response.

Does anyone have the same experience ?

Unfortunately, I had a similar experience with them. No matter what I did, the bass was either lacking (standard EQ), or it was enhanced with bass boost, but mids and highs suffered greatly. I wish they would update their EQ settings to allow for more customization, though it doesn't seem like it'll happen anytime soon. I ended up reverting back to my Shure 846 Gen 1 IEMs. I'm also considering Focal Bathys MG, but I can't justify the price.

 

[winstonliu]

Thanks for both your comments. I think I figured out the issue.

I have been using the Solitaire T in wireless mode by Bluetooth all along.

Then I tried switching to wired mode, the audio signal direct from my music source.

The difference in sound output and sound quality is astounding. Literally a night and day difference. When using it as a wireless headphone, the sound was thin and lacking in bass.

When using it as a wired headphone especially in the HQ mode, then everything, that is the entire audio spectrum came out in full glory. Clarity of midrange & high notes and soundstage rendition was comparable or better than my old Sennheiser HD 800S, while bass extension, dynamics, and bass slam was comparable to the Denons (old D7000 and D9200). As a wired headphone, the Solitaire T can clearly compete with the upper echelon of closed back wired headphones. As a wired headphone, I find the flat EQ best but would prefer to have more ability to fine tune in the companion app. The Bass Boost pushes the low frequencies to the front so much so the mids becomes recessed.

But used as a wireless headphone via Bluetooth, the result leaves a lot to be desired. The deficiency in the bass output makes the sound both thin and lacking presence and proper foundation. In short, it just fails to portray a realistic presentation of music in the wireless mode. Therefore I would only recommend using the Solitaire T as a wired headphone. This is very regrettable since I think many people would buy the Solitaire T for use on-the-go, just as I had originally planned to do.

[ The only reason I can fathom why it can't perform well in wireless mode is because the battery is only 1200 mAh while the Solitaire T uses Class A/B amplification. I suspect when in wireless Bluetooth mode, the Bluetooth function draws too much power away, and does not leave enough for the Class A/B amplifier for the sound output. Because the Solitaire T employs Class A/B amplifiers, it is inherently more power and current demanding than the usual Class D amplifiers used in most wireless headphones.]


[ As background, I had written as equipment reviewer for a high audio magazine many years ago. ]

 

[Marcus 12]

What do you mean by wired mode? Is that using the usb c cable? I ask because when I use the headphone in wired mode, I use the 3.5 mm cable, and the headphone is turned off, so there is no hq mode in that case. This gives better sound quality compared to usb or Bluetooth, but I don't regognize the quality loss in Bluetooth mode. I get a bit less quality when using Bluetooth and hq, but it is still excellent.

 

[winstonliu]

By wired, I mean the 3.5mm Analog Input cable. I have not tested the USB option yet.

When using the Analog input option, the headphones can function Either with Power On ( active ) Or without Power On ( passive ).

When the Power is Off, I find the sound thin and anemic. Similar to used in wireless mode.

When the Power is On, the sound is balanced and correct.

Above is my findings.

 

[aaronjensen]

By wired, I mean the 3.5mm Analog Input cable. I have not tested the USB option yet.

When using the Analog input option, the headphones can function Either with Power On ( active ) Or without Power On ( passive ).

When the Power is Off, I find the sound thin and anemic. Similar to used in wireless mode.

When the Power is On, the sound is balanced and correct.

Above is my findings.

When they are on, they are using the same battery to amplify the signal (and the same dac/amp, plus an adc) as when they are in Bluetooth. Something is odd with your setup. Aside from codec, there shouldn’t be much difference in sound between wired+on+hq and Bluetooth+hq.

If it sounds bad when passive, that’s odd too. What are you using as amp/dac?

 

[Daniel Johnston]

By wired, I mean the 3.5mm Analog Input cable. I have not tested the USB option yet.

When using the Analog input option, the headphones can function Either with Power On ( active ) Or without Power On ( passive ).

When the Power is Off, I find the sound thin and anemic. Similar to used in wireless mode.

When the Power is On, the sound is balanced and correct.

Above is my findings.

The Sol T reflects the source in passive mode from my experience. They do need a bit of power to sound their best. They aren't the most efficient HP to drive. They sound to me very similar to rhe Focal Stellia. I run them mostly with the balanced cable.

Turning on the onboard DAC/Amp in wired mode will more reflect the sound if the Sol T onboard system. You're using the onboard amplification and the wired analog input is going through the Sol T ADC.

AptxHD, LDAC in quality optimization and HQ mode on the Sol T from my experience as well are sonically close to me to wired USB C mode.

But YMMV. The Sol T by a large margin are the best BT ANC HP in passive mode. They come very close to Focal Stellia levels. They are also by far the best sounding wireless BT HP when on HQ mode I've heard so far.

 

[winstonliu]

When they are on, they are using the same battery to amplify the signal (and the same dac/amp, plus an adc) as when they are in Bluetooth. Something is odd with your setup. Aside from codec, there shouldn’t be much difference in sound between wired+on+hq and Bluetooth+hq.

If it sounds bad when passive, that’s odd too. What are you using as amp/dac?

I can only tell what I hear.

My setup here is also the simplest and most direct. Music player direct to the headphones by Analog Input cable.

There is a marked difference in sound between having the Power on vs. with the Power off.

I would classify the sound as follows -

1. Wired with headphone Power on, the sound is outstanding, a rich and full body presentation.

2. Wired with headphone Power off, the sound is decisively inferior, lacks body, and exhibits very recessed bass.

3. Wireless using Bluetooth, the sound is very lean and vastly inferior to my B&W Px8 but better than my Bose Ultra Comfort.

 

[aaronjensen]

My setup here is also the simplest and most direct. Music player direct to the headphones by Analog Input cable.

Unless the music player has a decently powered amp, that may be your problem with passive mode. I've got mine going through a Chord Mojo 2 and it's quite good. In that case, I would expect turning it on to sound better because its internal amplifier and DAC are quite good.

3. Wireless using Bluetooth, the sound is very lean and vastly inferior to my B&W Px8 but better than my Bose Ultra Comfort.

This may be a hint too, the Px8 (in my experience) was so bass forward that mids got all but lost. The ST has very different tuning that definitely sounds thin in comparison. I can't explain why you hear such a difference between Bluetooth and Active wired unless there is EQ in the mix or you're using a very poor audio codec when connected with bluetooth.

Is it the same device/software serving the bluetooth music and the wired music?

 

[angelom]

@winstonliu

Something is wrong with some of your equipment, or possibly with your particular pair of Solitaire T.

The consensus from so many ST owners in this thread (including myself) is significantly different from what you’re describing.

One of the great aspects everybody agreeing about the ST is precisely how similarly good/excellent sounding all modes are (passive, USB-C and HQ wireless). Only wireless with ANC on is a little inferior but still very, very good.

 

[winstonliu]

Unless the music player has a decently powered amp, that may be your problem with passive mode. I've got mine going through a Chord Mojo 2 and it's quite good. In that case, I would expect turning it on to sound better because its internal amplifier and DAC are quite good.

This may be a hint too, the Px8 (in my experience) was so bass forward that mids got all but lost. The ST has very different tuning that definitely sounds thin in comparison. I can't explain why you hear such a difference between Bluetooth and Active wired unless there is EQ in the mix or you're using a very poor audio codec when connected with bluetooth.

Is it the same device/software serving the bluetooth music and the wired music?

Thanks for your comments.

Yes, you are probably right here. My music player built-in power amp is probably not up to task. Hence without the headphone Power on, there's not enough power to drive the headphones in passive mode in a proper manner.
In a wired mode with the headphone Power on, the Solitaire T outclass both Px8 and Bathy's in my opinion.

Switching between wired and wireless for me is a night and day difference. The sound via Bluetooth is just vastly inferior. But I do not have this problem with my other headphones. Could be something wrong with the Bluetooth on my Solitaire ?

As for wireless mode via Bluetooth, using the same music player but just switching between 3 headphones, the results are crystal clear : -
The Px8 easily comes out on top, being equal or better in almost every facet of sound reproduction. The Solitaire T comes in a very distant second, and the Bose Ultra Quietcomfort not that far behind in third place.
Even my wife who listens a lot but is not as picky as me said the very same thing!

 

[ryanmatic]

Glad to hear you were able to find a source pairing that you like with the SolT

I personally find it to perform extremely admirably in all combinations I’ve tried, but yeah, the step up when pairing it to a good wired source is really the value proposition it offers that outclasses most other comparable wireless headphones.

 

[winstonliu]

Unfortunately, I had a similar experience with them. No matter what I did, the bass was either lacking (standard EQ), or it was enhanced with bass boost, but mids and highs suffered greatly. I wish they would update their EQ settings to allow for more customization, though it doesn't seem like it'll happen anytime soon. I ended up reverting back to my Shure 846 Gen 1 IEMs. I'm also considering Focal Bathys MG, but I can't justify the price.

I had them 'burn in' longer. After around 160+ hours, the volume suddenly got a lot louder, dynamics improved, and the bass amount and bass slam increased, becoming much fuller and detailed so that you could delineate the bass lines much better. So my conclusion is it takes this much time to 'burn in' the Solitaire T.

I am currently using the ANC mode with Bass Boost on EQ. I find only this setting can provide the proper balance of highs, mids, and lows that is closest to live music. Many headphones with just great highs and mids but lacking in the bass frequencies these do not project the proper foundation, scale, and dynamics of live music. Those only sound like hi-fi at best.