New review of the ST in Czech:
https://www.hifi-voice.com/testy-a-recenze/sluchatka/4257-t-a-solitaire-t
Here is the English translation:
T+A Solitaire T
Author: Daniel Březina Category: Headphones March 3, 2023
The German company T+A started their career as loudspeaker manufacturers 45 years ago, then added electronics and relatively recently even ventured into the world of headphones - it must be said that with the Solitaire P model they made quite a solid dent in the world and are considered by many to be the best magnetostatic headphones on market. Perhaps a slight surprise then was the launch of the Solitaire T, headphones that are supposed to be affordable and yet universal in the sense that you can just as easily use them outdoors on the go, at work for communication purposes and at home for focused listening.
This is actually not a completely typical orientation of the T+A company, which focuses more on the most advanced technological solutions in the spirit of Theory and Application, as well as the fact that it fits itself into a company of scientists who have decided to "make sound".
The external appearance of the Solitaire T does not try to be extravagant, on the contrary, it is simply, cleanly and thoroughly ordinary headphones. The main supporting structure is the head bridge, which is robust and well-crafted, with just the right amount of padded leather in the points of contact with the head. The oval closed shells are relatively large, in the massive leatherette earrings with soft foam inside, there is at least enough comfortable space even for larger ears.
As these are portable headphones, there are of course controls on the earcups, relatively tiny but still acceptably controllable. There's also an analog jack for an analog input signal and a USB for a digital connection if you don't want to use the built-in Bluetooth connection. This is what makes the Solitaire T an ideal universal solution – you use Bluetooth and your phone on the go, an analogue jack at work and a USB interface at home.
All metal elements are turned from solid aluminum parts in accordance with the T+A approach and undergo a sandblasting process before anodizing to achieve a fine structure, therefore they appear very solid and trustworthy, as well as modern and valuable. The joints behind the earcups, which are used to fold the headphones into the transport position, also make a good impression. You can also see holes on each side, revealing the position of the microphones for recording calls (two on the right earcup) and for the ANC system (a pair on each ear).
The really interesting thing then lies under the surface of the beveled shells, where the strong development background of the T+A brand comes into play. At the center of all the action are custom-developed converters. The dynamic speaker with a 42 mm cellulose membrane (the transducers are carefully selected for a specific pair) has a sophisticated design including, for example, damping, suppressing unwanted distortion coming from the voice coil. The converter is said to have been optimized to work ideally both with active power supply via DSP and amplifier, as well as in purely passive mode.
The wireless Bluetooth 5.1 interface with aptX HD and AAC support is built on a Qualcomm QCC 5127 chip with ultra-low power consumption, followed by a D/A converter section with an ES9218 chip. There, the data travels directly, if the headphones are in wireless mode or connected to a computer via USB, through the classic analog connectors (Pentaconn, 3.5 mm and 6.3 mm jack at the end of the cable from classic oxygen-free copper) it passes through the Active Analog system, where volume control or active noise cancellation remains available.
The headphones with all their options offer a frequency range of 4-22,000 Hz with a total harmonic distortion below 0.05% (1 kHz / 94 dB). For a similar type of device, the overall battery life is also crucial. The Li-Ion cell here has a capacity of 1,200 mAh and will last 70 hours in normal operation and 35 in maximum sound quality mode.
We listened to Solitaire T for a week or so during normal trips, while working and concentrated in connection with the PC. For comparison, we had Focal Clear in combination with Apogee Groove or Bowers & Wilkins PI7 . The first good news is that the headphones are comfortable to wear even on a larger head, the second is that their noise cancellation works well and practically cuts you off completely thanks to a combination of physical sealing and active "anti-noise" from the environment.
Sanborn's "Medley" from the album " Another Hand " (1991 | Elektra | 7559-61088-2 ) features really carefully stripped bass lines, whether Charlie Haden's bass or BJ Baron's kick and Solitaire T give them, dare we say, the best articulation, as we've ever heard in the wireless world. They do not emphasize the fullness and weight of the bass so much, they play according to the company's sound standard with a moderate, precise, solid, but not dry bass, in which the colors and shades of the tones stand out well. It's simply fidelity without the effects. However, where there is an intense "thump" contained in the recording, the headphones also transmit it juicyly, there is no need to worry about that - the bass is rendered wonderfully realistically - very well even in ordinary wireless, and excellently in high quality mode.
Susan Graham's singing, carrying Berlioz's "Méditation" from the cantata "La Mort de Cléopâtre" (performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker | conducted by Sir Simon Rattle | 2008 | EMI | 50999 2 16224 0 3 ) was carried cleanly, naturally, at the same time in fact generally restrained, simple effects and technicality. It's safe to say that this is true hi-fi for the road, faithful, clear, but smooth and disciplined. The entire midrange sounds open, navigating even a more complex recording is not a problem, and you can feel a clear overview, comparable to higher class desktop headphone systems. It's hard to believe that T+A managed to cram all this into inconspicuous little headphones. And again, obviously, in high quality mode you get a bit more specific, clearer and detailed speech.
You don't even have to worry about the headphones slipping into even a hint of tinnyness when playing cymbals. By contrast, the twang in the Bee Gees' "Spirits (Having Flown)" (" Spirits Having Flown " | 1994 | recorded 1979 | Polygram | 827 335-2 ) sounded clean, with the necessary dose of direct, core energy, but without aggression or fatigue . The highs do not assert themselves "by force", but float to the surface with ease, peeking at the headphone high-end. In terms of volume, they are just right, the Solitaire T do not resort to the popular emphasis of the ends of the band.
If the Solitaire T have any limit, it is found mainly in the pure wireless mode, where you can feel something like a limit of volume or emphasis on compositions such as Beethoven's "Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op. 55" (probably better known as "Eroica"), where the strength of the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell ("Symphonies No. 3 & No. 8" | 1991 | recorded 1957 | SONY | SBK 46 328 ) is evident, but the music somehow does not stir exactly the way you would ideally like. Even here, however, control is elegant, variety seamless and dynamic contrasts readily apparent. And, of course, it is always enough to wake up the headphones, for example, in analog mode, where this limit is not noticeable.
For the concept (and indeed the price), it's hard to imagine a reproduction offering more information without overemphasizing it. Von Weber's "Concerto for Clarinet Or. 1 in F minor, Op. 73" with Sharon Kam as principal soloist (" Clarinet Concertos " | 1996 | Telarc | 2564 69718-6 ) was excellently readable, no matter what passage, with any layered instruments - you still have all the lines in mind. In addition, Solitaire T consistently respect the record, for better or for worse. This is an advantage, because it is really good, but we have also tried quite ordinary, old or simply musically interesting, but sonically lousy, and the headphones will serve them to you as they are. This is due to their excellent discipline, which rightfully ranks them in the world of premium hi-fi and at the very top of the wireless world.
The closed concept to a certain extent defines the possibilities of the width of the recording space, and so the Solitaire T offers a rather more compact scene in Sofia Gubaidulina's octet "Hommage á TS Eliot" (" Offertorium " | 1989 | Deutsche Grammophon | 00289 479 1518 ). However, the sense of right-left orientation in the recording is excellent, the headphones play really precisely and cleanly, so the result is a non-technical, organic and yet very informative presentation with clearly grounded and separated instruments.
Metheny's "James" (" Offramp " | 1984 | recorded 1982 | ECM | 817 138-2 ) of course sounded very pleasant and cultured, everything has its place and the sound is clearly conceived for those who want an unhurried, unartificial but on the contrary, a maximally realistic reproduction. The energy of all the instruments is directed and controlled, but there is no sense of forcedness or pronounced effort, so the music flows with a natural ease and is a joy to listen to.
The T+A brand has a powerful technological background and you can tell by the quality of their products. Although the Solitaire T are manufactured in China because of the price, the company's standard does not change with them either - they have a premium level of materials and their processing, and above all they remain faithful to the "tee" level of reproduction, where we dare to say that in the wireless world you can hardly get more faithful, accurate, more realistic sound than right here. Add to that solid wearing comfort, thanks to which your ears or head won't hurt even after an hour of wearing it, mix together a practical application and, last but not least, the possibility of operation in multiple modes, where you can find your way both minimalistic with the phone, qualitatively higher with by direct connection to a computer or perhaps in a classic desktop system with a dedicated headphone amplifier. In all its guises, the Solitaire T offers exemplary quality and organic authenticity, insight and control. The T+A Solitaire T are the benchmark of wireless headphones and excellent "wired" headphones, which together mean an excellent price-performance ratio for anyone who wants their music at a high level, always and everywhere.
