[TheOneInYellow]

What surprised me the most is not just the upgrade of any wireless HP, but the high level of a wired closed back one, it compete easily with great ones like ZMF VC etc…therefore, it is a very good deal having two great HP all in one for the price of just one.

Now those ZMF Vérité Closed cans are extremely good, but cost much higher, so glad to hear that the T+A Solitaire T can play on a similar level to them in passive wired mode, never mind the bonus of wireless flexibility!

 

[angelom]

And they are amazing for travel. I do not remember the last time I had to charge them.

Is good that you like the ST very much. BUT, some advice about the battery. Is good that you checking the battery level sometimes, and that you don't allowing the battery going to 0%. Is a good idea that you charging again your ST when the battery is 25-30% because this will helping the battery lasting more time and having good health.

What surprised me the most is not just the upgrade of any wireless HP, but the high level of a wired closed back one, it compete easily with great ones like ZMF VC etc…therefore, it is a very good deal having two great HP all in one for the price of just one.

The ST is a very special headphone, and definitely is one headphone that comparing very favourably with others (very) expensive wired headphones. I like the sound of the ST more than my excellent (only wired) Sennheiser HD800.

--------------------

Here is other semi-review publishing today: https://buletechno.com/test-bench-ta-solitaire-t/

This semi-review is saying nothing new, really (is very short), but one thing that is saying, and that is similar than what the WHAT HI-FI? review is saying, is that the ST is a headphone with "...a competitive price with a high price-performance ratio."

This isn't the first time that a review is mentioning this, that in their opinion, the ST isn't so expensive like some people maybe thinking initially (specially when only thinking about BT headphones). This is too a comment that some people in this thread making in the past.

The ST is expensive, in my opinion, but its price is definitely very, very competitive for the different features is offering including, of course, the EXCELLENT sound quality in BOTH wired and BT modes.

 

[TheOneInYellow]

Here is other semi-review publishing today: https://buletechno.com/test-bench-ta-solitaire-t/

This semi-review is saying nothing new, really (is very short), but one thing that is saying, and that is similar than what the WHAT HI-FI? review is saying, is that the ST is a headphone with "...a competitive price with a high price-performance ratio."

This isn't the first time that a review is mentioning this, that in their opinion, the ST isn't so expensive like some people maybe thinking initially (specially when only thinking about BT headphones). This is too a comment that some people in this thread making in the past.

The ST is expensive, in my opinion, but its price is definitely very, very competitive for the different features is offering including, of course, the EXCELLENT sound quality in BOTH wired and BT modes.

Gonna be honest, as I'm reading this review, I can't help but think that it may have been written via an AI algorithm, simply due to the repetitive texts and information...

It is positive, but may also be regurgitation of other texts, opinions, and reviews from across the Web.

However, I may be wrong too.

Interestingly, is this the first time that we can see the driver naked (without the fabric grill)?!

 

[JelStIy]

Could someone please measure the dimensions of the travel case? Is there a way to pack them even smaller for a trip?

 

[newertype]

Someone please talk me out of purchasing another pair of headphones. Shall I get rid of all my high end headphones and source gear?

 

[angelom]

Could someone please measure the dimensions of the travel case?

21cm x 20cm x 6.5cm

Is there a way to pack them even smaller for a trip?

No.

 

[JelStIy]

21cm x 20cm x 6.5cm


No.

Thanks very much, that’s quite helpful!

 

[TheOneInYellow]

Someone please talk me out of purchasing another pair of headphones. Shall I get rid of all my high end headphones and source gear?

No need to get rid of anything, however, if you wish to trade in gear for something else, have a good think first and decide.

The T+A Solitaire T are not the perfect nor the ultimate, greatest headphone ever made or for every scenario or setup, but are one of the finest examples of hybrid usage and quality at its price point and above.
They are unique as the best wireless and wired headphones* of its type, and has a superb sonic quality (*not including in-ear monitors).
Yet, you need to decide for yourself if that sonic quality is what you desire, so demoing is key.

Remember, your source gear will work with the Solitaire T; indeed, the sonic qualities are enhanced in fully passive mode (especially in a full balanced setup), with much of that SQ retained in any of the wireless or USB-C modes too.

In my case, I bought my T+A Solitaire T headphones outright.
However, I did trade three headphones for a transportable powerhouse, the FiiO M17 digital desktop player, mostly to use with the Solitaire T in balanced mode.
This is my current endgame setup, but I'll always be looking at this area of hybrid headphones going forward, due to convenience and flexibility of wireless and wired usages.

Examples of use can be as simple as:

• Wireless to your phone via Bluetooth
• USB-C DAC mode; without a dongle, use the ESS Sabre ES9218 DAC with Class A amps on board the Solitaire T connected to your device via USB OTG
• Single-ended or balanced cable to a balanced amplifier or DAC/amp

So, yes, if looking at the first two examples, you could just use the Solitaire T as is with your device of choice (phone, tablet, laptop/computer, etc), and be satisfied.
However, I would advise that the full potential of the headphones is unlocked in passive mode, so having a single-ended or balanced setup can be very nice too, though you will need to find the right synergy of equipment as you would with any headphone. Many digital audio players would be a great place to look, though lots of desktop solutions exist too.

Remember, your mileage may vary!

 

[Frabera]

Could someone please measure the dimensions of the travel case? Is there a way to pack them even smaller for a trip?

Yes you can pack it much smaller by purchasing a case compatible with the Sony XM4, many are available on Amazon, I am planning myself to buy one.

 

[Frabera]

I use my T in SE no difference with the Balanced mode with my Shanling M9 Plus, the combo is absolutely GREAT the T make it slightly better than with my ZMF VC owned since over 3 years.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

I'm still have many use cases for tws earbuds, like traning or whenever you wanna travel light.

But other than that the Solitaire T's has taken over as my main headphones, I don't really need anything else.

I'd still be very interested in a pair of high quality open back wireless headphones tho! But so far OEM's seems rather uninterested in that segment.

Until then I'll keep rocking my T's

 

[zikarus]

To you owners: is it possible to drive the T via cable bit-perfectly direct from a phones USB using Roon / Roon Arc?
Or is it limited to the Android 48khz that way?

 

[TheOneInYellow]

To you owners: is it possible to drive the T via cable bit-perfectly direct from a phones USB using Roon / Roon Arc?
Or is it limited to the Android 48khz that way?

That wholly depends on the specific Android device you are using, and/or optimised Android audio app you choose.

For most Android devices, one app that can bypass Android's internal resampling audio engine is USB Audio Player Pro (henceforth UAPP).
This has support for multiple audio streaming services, home network, and UPnP/DLNA support.
Sadly, no ROON support currently.
UAPP is widely popular and will bypass Android audio engine, provided you use the app for music playback and adjust any settings (many, including settings for bit-perfect mode!).
You can add MQA decoding, external EQ, and other add-on's as you require too.

Otherwise, you may need specialist Android devices that have in-built apps or heavily modified operating systems to bypass Android's default audio engine.
FiiO, iBasso, Cayin, and many more, allow this, though only a few allow near full Android experience (FiiO on latest digital audio players, for example).

In regards to T+A Solitaire T into your device via USB-C OTG cable, I'm not actually sure.
My understanding is that music is first run through typical Android audio engine first, then that data is sent out to a DAC. If using USB-C OTG mode, then an external DAC will take over (such as Solitaire T's ESS Sabre ES9218 chip).
If you are not using a specialist Android device, then you may need to use something like USB Audio Player PRO to make sure default Android audio engine is bypassed (so only using UAPP audio engine), and this data signal can then go to a DAC, whether internal, or external via USB-C OTG.

As far as I am aware, the Roon app for Android does not bypass default Android audio engine except on specialist Android devices.

Hope this helps!

 

[Frabera]

What about IOS device ?

 

[zikarus]

That wholly depends on the specific Android device you are using, and/or optimised Android audio app you choose.

For most Android devices, one app that can bypass Android's internal resampling audio engine is USB Audio Player Pro (henceforth UAPP).
This has support for multiple audio streaming services, home network, and UPnP/DLNA support.
Sadly, no ROON support currently.
UAPP is widely popular and will bypass Android audio engine, provided you use the app for music playback and adjust any settings (many, including settings for bit-perfect mode!).
You can add MQA decoding, external EQ, and other add-on's as you require too.

Otherwise, you may need specialist Android devices that have in-built apps or heavily modified operating systems to bypass Android's default audio engine.
FiiO, iBasso, Cayin, and many more, allow this, though only a few allow near full Android experience (FiiO on latest digital audio players, for example).

In regards to T+A Solitaire T into your device via USB-C OTG cable, I'm not actually sure.
My understanding is that music is first run through typical Android audio engine first, then that data is sent out to a DAC. If using USB-C OTG mode, then an external DAC will take over (such as Solitaire T's ESS Sabre ES9218 chip).
If you are not using a specialist Android device, then you may need to use something like USB Audio Player PRO to make sure default Android audio engine is bypassed (so only using UAPP audio engine), and this data signal can then go to a DAC, whether internal, or external via USB-C OTG.

As far as I am aware, the Roon app for Android does not bypass default Android audio engine except on specialist Android devices.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for your answer. Helps.
It is complicated as each device may function or not, be it declared Roon ready or not.

My Hiby R6PII does not work bit perfect with Roon, my iBasso DX 320 does, both not Roon ready...

The T when used wired with the built in DAC could have been working regardless of the Android device used for playback I had hoped, assuming that the T would be the decisive aka Android device in this scenario...