[BartG]

I hope Meze is next, I so want a BT/ANC take on the lirics.

I am already working on WAF for Lyrics (wireless or not)

 

[C_Lindbergh]

Given the Qualcomm QCC 5127 that are in these, they should support APTX Adaptive (great for gaming/watcing live tv/streams). But there's only mention of APTX HD and not Adaptive :/.

The compact format of the Solitarire T looks very tempting I must say, but like I said for the price I want something more future proof... :/

 

[angelom]

...And touch controls doesn't really feel premium to me, id much rather have tacticle buttons in a premium material.

With ML 5909, Bathys and now too with PX8 I see people saying, and other repeating automatically the same idea from others, that tactile buttons are better than touch buttons.

My experience with more than 40 BT (ANC) headphones / earphones is that some models touch interface isn't very good, BUT some others models with tactile buttons aren't very good either, both types frustrating in their respective manners. My personal experience with the b&o h95, with its volume dial and touch interface for play/pause and next/previous track is very, very clear the best from anything in my experience, and I'm a person that is changing volume AND tracks ALL the time. When touch interface is well implemented, like h95 (but not other b&o models), this is very desirable and just great for the user experience.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

With ML 5909, Bathys and now too with PX8 I see people saying, and other repeating automatically the same idea from others, that tactile buttons are better than touch buttons.

My experience with more than 40 BT (ANC) headphones / earphones is that some models touch interface isn't very good, BUT some others models with tactile buttons aren't very good either, both types frustrating in their respective manners. My personal experience with the b&o h95, with its volume dial and touch interface for play/pause and next/previous track is very, very clear the best from anything in my experience, and I'm a person that is changing volume AND tracks ALL the time. When touch interface is well implemented, like h95 (but not other b&o models), this is very desirable and just great for the user experience.

Yes, ofc touch interface can be really good as well.

But for me personally buttons is the best, its also way more premium if its done right in my surjective opinion. I live in Sweden so I tend to wear gloves for like 3-4 months of the year, I'm also wearing gloves at work. Which makes a touch interface very much useless. I can understand that a tiny TWS earbud uses a touch interface, but when it comes to premium cans buttons in the way to go.

I haven't used the h95, but form my experience buttons is just way better, no missclicks or glitches, and you can use the controller even when wearing gloves. The best I've tried were the old PX7 (I'm guessing the PX8 have similar buttons), they feelt very tacticle and the middle button was raised so it was easy to tell the buttons a part even with gloves.

 

[BartG]

Given the Qualcomm QCC 5127 that are in these, they should support APTX Adaptive (great for gaming/watcing live tv/streams). But there's only mention of APTX HD and not Adaptive :/.

The compact format of the Solitarire T looks very tempting I must say, but like I said for the price I want something more future proof... :/

On chip's spec they are listing adaptive as supported.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

On chip's spec they are listing adaptive as supported.

Yeah thats my point , but apparently they'll only support APTX HD!

 

[angelom]

...And also for the OEM to offer battery replacement for a fair fee for a very long time.

I speaking with German dealer some days ago and he saying (and I hoping this is true because I have same concern like you) that every part of the T model is replaceable. The price of battery replacement I don't know. And if necessary sending to T+A, is possible the price isn't cheap, but maybe they're offering fair price in this possible future transaction and don't charging exorbitant price for this.

 

[BartG]

Yeah thats my point , but apparently they'll only support APTX HD!

Got it. Maybe that's because of dual DAC implementation in headphones - there are two ESS, one per channel - implementing bt soc in 1:1 design forces TWS like setup which is exluding aptX Adaptive as per asterisk in quallcomm's spec (5127 supports Adaptive ony for stereo headset).

Maybe that's the case...

 

[rgbyhkr]

I have the impression that T+A are probably making statement that the factory sound of T model is sufficiently excellent and is enough and that no EQ is necessary, that both BT and passive modes will offering top level sound. Is strange releasing a very expensive product without all things ready, in case they planning releasing app in the (near) future.

I still think that a very good EQ is very desirable via app, even if other features in this app are very limited. The factory sound maybe excellent but people, for this type of expensive product, must having option for changing the sound, specially when you having so, so many mastering qualities in different types of music.

I was told directly by T+A there will be an app, but I have no information on when that app will be available. It is quite possible the the app will launch when the T actually ships. If the app is delayed though, that would be a surprise especially because the hardware has been delayed 3 months. I would not be surprised if the app has been ready for a while and just waiting on the hardware to ship.

 

[angelom]

I was told directly by T+A there will be an app, but I have no information on when that app will be available. It is quite possible the the app will launch when the T actually ships. If the app is delayed though, that would be a surprise especially because the hardware has been delayed 3 months. I would not be surprised if the app has been ready for a while and just waiting on the hardware to ship.

This is excellent news!

 

[C_Lindbergh]

I speaking with German dealer some days ago and he saying (and I hoping this is true because I have same concern like you) that every part of the T model is replaceable. The price of battery replacement I don't know. And if necessary sending to T+A, is possible the price isn't cheap, but maybe they're offering fair price in this possible future transaction and don't charging exorbitant price for this.

I hope the battery replacement is priced reasonably, the battery will degrade no matter how you treat your headphones. In my opinion each model should be given 1 battery replacement given the high price. Just like how Samsung offers 1 screen replacement for their very expensive Fold 4.

 

[WDitters]

It appears that the Solitaire T is almost ready to ship. My delivery date was updated today and set to 14 November.

 

[rgbyhkr]

For that price I want the latest Qualcomm SoC that supports LE audio/ATPX lossless/APTX voice in order to be future proof. And also for the OEM to offer battery replacement for a fair fee for a very long time.

I can see where you're coming from on this and it would be nice to check off that box. For me as an iOS user though, it's less critical since BT codec support is limited and likely will remain so in the Apple ecosystem. Related to that as a matter of convenience, almost all of my on the go wireless usage is and will likely continue to be with my phone as a source, Also, I expect a lot less from wireless performance (vs wired) because in the settings in which I use wireless, I am multitasking or am in environments noisy enough to not care about achieving highest quality listening results. Obviously, these are all subjective use cases for me, but all explain why I am ok with the BT performance not being the absolute latest and greatest on the T. I also know that there is only so much onboard electronics and amplification can achieve for any BT headphone from any manufacturer given they small space available in a portable design. What really matters to me then is having that passive mode available when I want it. I think the Bathys sound better than any other BT headphone I've heard so far, but for my desired usage they are still limited. And again the 5909 do offer passive mode but are just not my desired visual aesthetic.

It does please me however that more "audiophile" companies are getting into premium ANC-market! Focal, Mark Levingstone and now T:A! I hope Meze is next, I so want a BT/ANC take on the lirics.

Focal's CEO said the Bathys is the first in a series of higher quality BT products. I am very curious to see what they do next. Going lower priced doesn't seem like a real differentiator as the market in that direction is already so crowded, but if they go further upmarket and produce something like the Celestee or Radiance with BT and passive operation, that could be very interesting.

 

[WDitters]

I can see where you're coming from on this and it would be nice to check off that box. For me as an iOS user though, it's less critical since BT codec support is limited and likely will remain so in the Apple ecosystem. Related to that as a matter of convenience, almost all of my on the go wireless usage is and will likely continue to be with my phone as a source, Also, I expect a lot less from wireless performance (vs wired) because in the settings in which I use wireless, I am multitasking or am in environments noisy enough to not care about achieving highest quality listening results. Obviously, these are all subjective use cases for me, but all explain why I am ok with the BT performance not being the absolute latest and greatest on the T. I also know that there is only so much onboard electronics and amplification can achieve for any BT headphone from any manufacturer given they small space available in a portable design. What really matters to me then is having that passive mode available when I want it. I think the Bathys sound better than any other BT headphone I've heard so far, but for my desired usage they are still limited. And again the 5909 do offer passive mode but are just not my desired visual aesthetic.



Focal's CEO said the Bathys is the first in a series of higher quality BT products. I am very curious to see what they do next. Going lower priced doesn't seem like a real differentiator as the market in that direction is already so crowded, but if they go further upmarket and produce something like the Celestee or Radiance with BT and passive operation, that could be very interesting.

The Hifiman approach is interesting in that respect.. Take for instance the HE-R9 combination with the Bluemini R2R add-on on adapter... perhaps a direction that Focal also could take?

 

[rgbyhkr]

The Hifiman approach is interesting in that respect.. Take for instance the HE-R9 combination with the Bluemini R2R add-on on adapter... perhaps a direction that Focal also could take?

It's an interring route to take. On the one hand it allows for the BT electronics to potentially be swapped/upgraded when a newer model becomes available. Also then, the headphones are primarily designed for no compromise wired use while still giving the user the option to go wireless. The downside is that the form factor isn't prioritizing portability. That element is tough to overcome because larger driver surface area and ear cup volume play a significant role in how well any headphone can perform. I have several Focal models and I do enjoy their sound, but having seen the side by side physical characteristic difference between the Bathys vs the Celestee, Clear MG or Stellia, it is significant. Being able to rotate the ear cup 90 degrees for storage (and allow for a flatter case size) would be helpful, but their current sizes might feel too big when worn on the go. Could they figure out some compromise in between built in BT and an add on BT design where the headphones are closer in size to the higher priced wired models but are a step forward from the Bathys? That would be interesting.