[Daniel Johnston]

FRC is just one piece but it's pretty solid on the app2.

They use an adaptive FR depending on ear canal. They are super tricky to measure. But I 100% agree the tuning is very good. Significantly better than the APP 1. Best TWS I’ve heard so far. I’ve used the B&O E8, Bose IE2, and the Sony WF 1000Xm4.

 

[Benesyed]

My beoplay EX have a very anti bright FRC
But the bright/optimized setting makes it fairly balanced and makes it very very similar to the app2

 

[Maukey]

For those interested, I've added the Solitaire T to my wireless anc headphone comparison thread. Please thank Angelom for the peer pressure he put on me to get this done.

Wireless ANC Headphone Comparison

 

[ZzBOG]

anyone tried gaming in Solitaire? On the computer, in wired mode? Something that requires positioning / audio awareness?

 

[angelom]

For those interested, I've added the Solitaire T to my wireless anc headphone comparison thread. Please thank Angelom for the peer pressure he put on me to get this done.

Wireless ANC Headphone Comparison

Maukey, Firstly, I think you must correcting the date in your thread from (01/14/2022) to 01/14/2023.

Secondly, I think is a good idea and useful copying and pasting in this thread the relevant parts of your (11) ANC Headphones Comparisons thread that mentioning the ST. The 11 headphones are: A+T Solitaire T, Focal Bathys, Mark Levinson 5909, Bowers & Wilkins PX8, Bang & Olufsen H95, Dali iO-6, Master & Dynamic MW75, Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2, Sennheiser Momentum 4, Apple AirPods Max and Sony 1000XM5.

Is interesting, by the way, for me seeing that in the last part ("My personal favourites and the ones I use the most") you're including the AirPods Pro 2.

Sound

1) Solitaire T - Let's see, how can I put this? This headphone in my opinion, is the new standard for wireless ANC headphones when it comes to sound quality. While for some it may not have the typical "fun" sound that we've become accustomed to in anc headphones, there is no headphone clearer, more revealing, more neutral (Especially in HQ mode), and with a better tonality. This is as close to audiophile perfection as I've heard in a wireless anc headphone. The highs, mids, and bass all get equal attention which is very refreshing from the typical tuning of wireless anc headphones. The thing is, I really didn't want to like this headphone. For the $1600 price tag, my plan was to try them, make the comparisons to the others, and then box them up and send them back. Well, let's just say that after a month I still have them, and they will remain in my collection. Yes, they sound that good to my ears. If you appreciate neutral, accurate, audiophile quality sound, there's no wireless anc headphone currently at this level. If I had to pick a flaw with the Solitaire T, and I'm nitpicking, it'd be the soundstage is not as wide as some of the others on this list. The Bathys, 5909, and Momentum 4 all have a bigger stage to my ears, but the Solitaire T's analytical quality is so good that it really is a nonissue for me. I have no problem hearing details or detecting space in sounds and instruments. I've heard some complain about the volume being a little low, for me, that hasn't been an issue either. Maybe I'm just too lost in the sublime sound that I don't notice LOL. The Solitaire T just sound correct no matter what I'm listening to. I should also mention that not only is the Solitaire T the new standard for wireless anc sound quality, but it's also the new standard for passive sound quality and sound consistency among all modes of listening for a wireless anc headphone. This headphone sounds amazing and consistent in all modes, including using it powered off. The only mode that sounds a little different is when using in HQ mode, and it's by no means a bad thing. Its HQ mode is what I call the super neutral mode. In HQ mode, the best way I can describe the sound is, the same signature from all the other modes, but with its accuracy and detail turned up a notch, but with a couple of dbs less bass. This is truly a remarkable headphone across the board for sound quality, and I could easily recommend this as an excellent analog wired headphone as well.

Comfort

Note: I have pretty small ears, so most headphones are comfortable for me. I'm more sensitive to pressure on top of my head. My narrow, long head helps me avoid clamping pressure. Most of these headphones are comfortable for me and I can wear them all day. I am really nitpicking just to give a ranking.

1) Sony 1000XM5 - For my ears, these are the most comfortable. Very light clamping pressure and very light on the head. Feels like pillows surrounding my ears.
2) Solitaire T - I was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable these are. I don't have big ears, so the cups hug my ears just right and they sit comfortably on my head. Bigger ears may not find these as comfortable as the cups are on the smaller side, but the cups are so soft and plush, I'd recommend you still give them a try no matter your ear size.

Features and Convenience

1) Sony 1000XM5 - These are hands down the champs of features. This is my favorite travel headphone. Tied for 4th with the Dali iO-6 and PX8/PX7 S2 for battery life. The best app, ANC, and phone call quality on the market. When on the phone, you can be standing in the middle of a construction site and the person on the other end will think you're in a library. It's app-based EQ is hands down better than all the others on this list. Speak to chat, which is the ability to start talking and have the headphones automatically pause your music and turn on transparency mode, works well in a work environment. Quick attention, which is the ability to temporarily turn on transparency mode by placing your hand over the ear cup, is very convenient. I could go on all day on the many features, but for the sake of time I won't. Most know about all the features this headphone offers, but if by chance anyone has questions, feel free to reach out. This headphone is in a league of its own when it comes to features.
2) B&W PX8/PX7 S2 - Excellent app. Love the ability to manage your bluetooth connections in the app. Makes it very easy to connect to multiple devices without digging through settings. Other headphones in this list can now do this as well, but I give B&W the credit because they were the first, I saw do it. Solid phone call quality. Tied for 4th in battery life with the Dali iO-6 and Sony 1000XM5. AptX Adaptive for Android users. There's a simple EQ in the app which is an added feature over the original PX7. However, the biggest, and honestly my favorite feature on these headphones, is the ability to keep a bluetooth connection while using them with a wire. This is so big if you use them for gaming or movies on your TV. If I get a call while gaming, I can hear the ringer and answer my phone without having to take the headphones off. LOVE THIS FEATURE. Another cool feature worth mentioning is that the app will stay connected to the headphones wether you're connected to your phone or not. This is also an underrated feature seeing as how most wireless headphones rely on app features to get the most out of them. This also gives this headphone an advantage when managing bluetooth connections. Say you're connected to your TV and Laptop; you can still manage your connections without having to be connected to your phone. Also, the PX8/PX7 S2 is currently tied for second with the AirPods Max as my favorite travel headphone. My biggest gripe is that you can't use these passively. I don't count this against it too much as headphones like the 1000XM5 and Momentum 4 can be used passively but they sound horrible. As I'm sure you can tell, this headphone has a couple of my favorite features. If it's ANC and call quality were better, they'd be ranked above the 1000XM5 for me.
3) B&O H95 - Excellent app that includes a simple EQ that saves to the headphones. Multipoint bluetooth, dials for different levels of noise cancelling and transparency, excellent call quality, and the 3rd best battery life behind the Solitaire T and Momentum 4. AptX Adaptive for Android users. Biggest flaw for me is you can't manage bluetooth connections from the app.
4) Momentum 4 - Very good ANC, transparency mode, and phone call quality. Like the PX7 S2, can manage multipoint bluetooth connections via the app. The 2nd best battery life currently on the market with 60 hrs runtime. Also has a simple EQ. App is a little sluggish when compared to others on this list. Also, unlike the PX7 S2, you have to be connected to your phone to use the app. ApX Adaptive for Android users.
5) Solitaire T - Very good ANC, call quality, and transparency mode. Battery life is the best on the market at 70 hours. Excellent size for travel and commuting. APTXHD for Android users, with LDAC promised in a future update. This also has one of my favorite PX8/PX7 S2 features in the fact that you can remain connected to your phone via bluetooth when using these with a wire. I wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention that these do have a couple of missing features that may be a deal breaker for many. First, these don't have a detailed EQ in the app. They have a couple of presets, but that's it. Also, they do not have multipoint. You can only connect to one device at a time. These also have issues with its touch controls that have been improving with firmware updates.

Overall

1) B&W PX8/PX7 S2 - For most, if you could only own one wireless ANC headphone, this would be it. Has a very natural, unique, big sound. Excellent comfort for me, excellent battery life, very good ANC and transparency, and solid call quality. Excellent for at home use or travel. If your budget allows get the PX8, if not, the PX7 S2 is a great choice and is arguably one of the best values in wireless anc headphones.
2) Sony 1000XM5 - If this headphone had the sound quality of at least the PX7 S2, it would be the holy grail of wireless ANC headphones in my opinion. Its features are unmatched, has the best ANC and call quality on the market, extremely comfortable, and has an excellent battery life. Honestly, it's sound is it's Achilles heel. Although it doesn't sound bad, it's a step below every headphone on this list with its stock EQ and tonality. Now if you EQ it, you can get it close to the level of the PX7 S2 and Momentum 4 in tuning with the only drawback being that it sounds a little more digital than those. Other than that, you have to respect what Sony has done with this headphone.
3) Solitaire T - For me, this is my pick as my favorite overall wireless anc headphone. I pick this over the PX8 for a few reasons which I consider important if you're talking about a single do it all wireless anc headphone. It has a passive mode and sounds amazing passively. This really could replace your wired headphones in many instances. It has the best battery life currently on a wireless anc headphone. It's call quality is better than the PX8. Although the PX8 is a little better with its passive isolation, the anc and transparency is comparable. I find it more comfortable than the PX8 for my ears, it's just as portable in size, and I have no problem commuting or traveling with these. However, my goal when I started this thread was to not just see headphones through my own vision and preferences, but to try and look at the headphone community as a whole. We have enough fanboys on headfi as it is, I don't aim to be one of them. Because of the $1600 price tag and the fact that these do not have multipoint, I can't in good conscience recommend these as the overall winner for most people. The PX8 is about 85% of the way there in sound quality and is a better value and more complete package overall, so I give it the number 1 spot for most.

My Personal Favorites and the ones I use the most as of 01/14/2023
1. T+A Solitaire T
2. Focal Bathys
3. Beats Studio 3
4. AirPods Pro 2

 

[Benesyed]

I'm scared to even try the solitaire because I'm sure they will sound great but I know the ear cups are too small for me. Best not know what I'll miss out on.

I ended up returning the focal clear because despite their excellent sound they were just a hair too small for me and the Sony MDR have ruined my expectations of comfort ha

 

[C_Lindbergh]

Well, I guess the ear cups are too small for most people.

But somehow they still ended up being really comfortable. Which was a huge surprise.

 

[angelom]

I'm scared to even try the solitaire because I'm sure they will sound great but I know the ear cups are too small for me. Best not know what I'll miss out on.

I ended up returning the focal clear because despite their excellent sound they were just a hair too small for me and the Sony MDR have ruined my expectations of comfort ha

Is looking like the earpads will be small for you. Maybe you aren't very unlucky at the end because of the price of the ST, and because you having already one excellent headphone, the 5909.

Well, I guess the ear cups are too small for most people.

But somehow they still ended up being really comfortable. Which was a huge surprise.

I don't think the earcups are too small "for most people" (the evidence is the number of owners in this thread that don't returning or selling their pair), but the earcups are definitely more small than average ANC headphones, so in ideal world people must trying in a shop or, if not possible, buying from (e)shop with good returns policy.

 

[xenithon]

They clearly had to find a happy medium in terms of size, portability and comfort. The two things I think help the SolT’s comfort are not having a very tight clamping force, and having decent depth despite the diameter being on the small side.

 

[Benesyed]

Is looking like the earpads will be small for you. Maybe you aren't very unlucky at the end because of the price of the ST, and because you having already one excellent headphone, the 5909.



I don't think the earcups are too small "for most people" (the evidence is the number of owners in this thread that don't returning or selling their pair), but the earcups are definitely more small than average ANC headphones, so in ideal world people must trying in a shop or, if not possible, buying from (e)shop with good returns policy.

Yeah I think they have overall very generous ear cups for Bluetooth headphones

 

[Maukey]

anyone tried gaming in Solitaire? On the computer, in wired mode? Something that requires positioning / audio awareness?

I've tried single player gaming on both my Xbox Series X and PS5. Playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 single player, the positioning is excellent. Despite the stage being on the intimate side with these headphones, the separation of sounds and positional accuracy is excellent.

Maukey, Firstly, I think you must correcting the date in your thread from (01/14/2022) to 01/14/2023.

Secondly, I think is a good idea and useful copying and pasting in this thread the relevant parts of your (11) ANC Headphones Comparisons thread that mentioning the ST. The 11 headphones are: A+T Solitaire T, Focal Bathys, Mark Levinson 5909, Bowers & Wilkins PX8, Bang & Olufsen H95, Dali iO-6, Master & Dynamic MW75, Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2, Sennheiser Momentum 4, Apple AirPods Max and Sony 1000XM5.

Is interesting, by the way, for me seeing that in the last part ("My personal favourites and the ones I use the most") you're including the AirPods Pro 2.

Thanks, Angelom for the feedback. I've made the correction. Also, thanks for supporting my comparison thread and sharing it here. As far as the AirPods Pro 2, yes, it's one of my favorite headsets to use. Couldn't be without them. The sound quality is excellent. The AirPods Pro 2 really don't get the recognition they deserve for how good they sound. I've sold my AirPods Max because of the AirPods Pro 2. They do everything the AirPods Max does, and in some ways they do it better.

 

[TheOneInYellow]

I thank you @Maukey for the wonderful comparisons of ANC cans and your journey (and I also thank @angelom for kicking you into updating your awesome thread)!

You basically hit all of my thoughts, and though the T+A Solitaire T are clearly not perfect, in terms of sonics, they are truly remarkable.
If T+A ever change their mind regarding multipoint...that would elevate their apparent value further!

Cheers for the Sunday evening read

 

[angelom]

Six interesting aspects about A+T as a company and its ST product that making this company very bold ("bold" is the best adjective I finding, "brave" is other word that is similar but not the same):

1. No multipoint. In today's super connected world, no multipoint??!!!! Wow! This isn't only bold but (very) risky. Some people maybe saying this is stupid decision by A+T.

2. Made in China. A headphone with this price (1300€ / £1200 / $1600 USD) surely must be made in Germany / Europe / USA!

3. ALL other premium ANC headphones have leather headbands and earpads. Leather isn't only more durable but better for not making ears (so soon) hot and/or sweating (1000€ ML 5909, 900€ B&O H95, 800€ Bathys, 700€ B&W PX8 all have leather headbands and earpads). Not the ST. Wow.

This is the only aspect that really worrying me, personally, before buying the ST because ALL not leather earpads headphones I trying before are really terrible for me. A very positive surprise when I see that the ST's earpads are fine for me after using several hours. Why not a problem only this time? I don't know, maybe a different type of artificial leather is my only conclusion.

4. No fancy or stylish marketing using people that looking very cool and/or pretty (exotic) models and/or business looking people for advertising this headphone. I love that A+T not doing this.

5. No fancy travel case and/or cables like in H95 or ML 5909. (But the reality is that the ST travel case is more practical than the other two cases.)

6. No paid reviews, or very, very few. Very few reviews in the 2 months this headphone is in the market.

Bold? Stupid? Over confident? Naive? I choosing principally the word bold...and maybe a little naive too.

 

[newworld666]

No LDAC for an high end BT Headphone that makes a No Go for many => that's the only real missing feature...though it is compensated a bit by a balanced cable connection which is an uncommon very interesting feature ...

 

[angelom]

I think that multipoint is a more big problem for people than LDAC. And A+T saying that LDAC will becoming available after licensing is complete. Multipoint will never be available in this headphone (maybe in Solitaire T 2nd Gen?).

For me, a very more important problem before buying this headphone, than not having LDAC or no multipoint (we only know about NO multipoint after release, by the way), is the artificial leather and not real leather, like I saying in page 2 of this thread.

The tonal balance is so good of this headphone that even this YT video is sounding very good. Fripp's guitar is impressive, specially in the last 2 minutes where even Hendrix (if he is alive now) definitely saying "WOW!!":

EDIT: Correction of video link.