The Solitaire T could also be as fashionable within the headphone world as streaming within the music one, with their Bluetooth, energetic noise cancellation and plush, sensible, transportable design giving them as many comfort factors as model ones, however T+A insists they have been at the start developed as passive designs (i.e. not digital; with out electronics). As smaller, extra reasonably priced descendants of the corporate’s high-end wired Solitaire P and P-SE, with their “sound philosophy and tuning correspond[ing] to the audiophile calls for of the massive fashions”.
Regardless of that sound-first precept, the German audio model noticed the Solitaire T’s compact, closed-back type as a chance to make them extra appropriate for journey. Therefore the wirelessness, ANC performance and, consequently, probably the most versatile product T+A says it has ever developed.
Options
The corporate would additionally let you know that the Solitaire T are totally different to many different wi-fi noise-cancelling headphones, in that with a view to nail sound high quality it has prioritised acoustic development, with all the price and complexity concerned, versus counting on digital processing corrections to compensate.
That acoustic development right here revolves round a brand new 42mm dynamic transducer made from wooden fibre plastic combination (the magnetostat design of the Solitaire P was out of the query as a result of Solitaire T’s smaller measurement), which apparently has very excessive energy dealing with and might produce sound stress ranges over 120dB – that is equal to the amount of a chainsaw and subsequently, we hope, greater than you’d ever need or want. Aiding that may be a stress chamber system with sound guides and filters that works to linearise the frequency response and facilitate clear, highly effective bass copy.
T+A Solitaire T tech specs
Inputs 2.5mm, USB-C
Bluetooth? Sure, 5.1
Codecs SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD
ANC? Sure
Battery life 35-70 hours
App? Sure
Finishes x2 (black and white)
Weight 325g
With that preliminary passive design precept in thoughts, it’s maybe not shocking that the Solitaire T can be utilized strictly passively, wired through their 2.5mm jack socket and provided audio cable, bypassing any electronics and processing. After all, this stuff are wanted to utilize wi-fi or digital connectivity and ANC, which brings us to their second mode – ‘Energetic’.
T+A has applied three processors to deal with the duties. First is a Qualcomm (QCC 5127) chip, which accepts digital audio indicators both over Bluetooth (aptX HD is supported) or through the USB-C connector or, post-analogue-to-digital-conversion, the balanced 2.5mm jack. This Qualcomm chipset additionally controls the principle microphone and one of many ANC mics involved with voice calls to make sure optimum high quality. Then there’s a CXD noise-cancelling chip by Sony (precise mannequin unspecified), which controls the Solitaire T’s 4 microphones with their suggestions loops and handles the real-time equalisation and digital-to-analogue conversion earlier than being handed to the Class A/B energy amplifiers feeding the drivers. If ANC is off, the pathway is identical however merely skips the ANC processing half.
However not all energetic modes are born equal, as T+A’s third – ‘HQ’ (Excessive High quality) – mode reveals. Designed to squeeze as a lot efficiency out of the Solitaires in energetic operation as potential, HQ mode fully bypasses the Sony chip, sending the digital indicators straight from the Qualcomm chip to a Sabre ESS DAC, which, post-conversion, routes them by means of a high-current energy amplifier. As these higher-performing energy amps require extra energy, this mode halves the Solitaire T’s battery life – albeit to a nonetheless very aggressive 35 hours. That’s proper, these puppies have a 70-hour battery life in any other case, trumping most wi-fi over-ear headphones’ endurance twice over.
You’ll be able to see the T+A’s present battery standing on a four-LED show by the facility change on the left earcup – useful – in addition to on the T+A Solitaire companion app for iOS or Android. It’s a reasonably primary app, all advised, providing sound presets and particular person equalisers, three modes of ANC (most, out of doors and workplace) to change between, and a firmware replace operate, so it’s probably for use not often by most homeowners and merely for checking updates from time to time. We’re glad we did the latter, as over the course of our 5 weeks of testing, T+A up to date the Solitaire T with Bluetooth Multipoint help, permitting a couple of system to be concurrently related to them; upped the supported information charge restrict for the USB-C enter to 24-bit/96kHz; and optimised these noise-cancelling modes.
Construct
Not a given for wi-fi headphones as of late, the Solitaire T are literally very tactile in design – as hands-on as ears-on from a usability perspective. There are sliders for energy and Bluetooth pairing, tiny buttons for switching modes and launching your system’s digital voice assistant, plus a contact management floor on the appropriate earcup for playback capabilities. These are as you’d anticipate – slide your finger up/down for quantity, throughout for observe skipping, and press as soon as for play/pause – and fairly responsive contemplating the ovular floor space of the touchpad isn’t any greater than an egg’s. We bought the perfect outcomes utilizing our proper thumb.
What we do like is that clear mode – which, for the uninitiated, permits sound in so you may hear bulletins or have a dialog with out taking the headphones off – is activated in the course of time you’re press-holding the touchpad’s small round textured floor. Contemplating you’re solely ever more likely to need to use transparency mode for lower than a minute, in our minds it’s significantly better than having to show it on after which off once more.
The T+A’s inevitable principal problem was to make a pair of travel-friendly, and subsequently compact, headphones that look their worth. It’s a tough process – in spite of everything, how can an on a regular basis system of such on a regular basis proportions look £1200 / $1600 / AU$2160 with out being smothered in diamonds? – and their perceived worth does certainly fall quick. That most likely isn’t helped by their seemingly minimalist aesthetic, however appear and feel carefully and also you’ll realise they’re extra luxurious than first meets the attention. Anybody accustomed to T+A’s hi-fi merchandise will recognise the references to the corporate’s design language within the brushed aluminium body and silver bands across the earcups, too.
Importantly, they’re notably light-weight, weighing in at solely 325g. And that aids consolation tremendously. We wore them on a long-haul flight for 5 to 6 hours straight with out ever feeling the necessity to break from their firm. The earpads are cushioning whereas the scarf is padded sufficient to hold the headphones’ undemanding weight with out burdening the highest of your head. We must always be aware, nonetheless, that one member of the What Hello-Fi? evaluation group felt the again of the earcups carry barely away from their head when strolling as a result of narrowness of the earpad cushions, so when you’ve got a head that’s on the broader facet we advocate you attempt on the Solitaire T earlier than shopping for in case you can.
Sound
No such verification is required within the sound division, nonetheless; we will’t think about anybody not being impressed by the T+A’s efficiency, wired or wi-fi (they’re remarkably shut in high quality). Listening in HQ mode might even elicit an audible “wow” as a result of unprecedented quantity of element, house and refinement it is ready to obtain by means of a wi-fi implementation.
What strikes us first in regards to the Solitaire T is how squeaky clear and natural-sounding they’re. These are headphones that don’t want to impart any character or color in your music; they need to inform it as it’s, and it makes for hear that we will’t describe as the rest however pure. Already we all know they bridge the hole between wired and wi-fi efficiency as we all know it.
Tonally they sit on the lean facet of impartial and may gain advantage from a dose of sweetness of their dealing with of upper frequencies. They aren’t overly forgiving of poor recordings. You’ll need to keep in mind too that in case you’re listening to them passively (i.e. wired), it’s best to companion them with a good-quality DAC/headphone amp, versus connecting straight right into a telephone or laptop computer the place you gained’t reap half of the headphones’ advantages.
Play Lightning Mud’s Wrecked from the Vancouver band’s new must-listen Nostalgia Killer album, and the opening constructing bassline hints on the Solitaire T’s dynamic expression from the off, just for it to be confirmed a minute or so later when the observe’s synthesizer solo sizzles and soars to disclose dynamic subtlety on faucet, in addition to a soundstage with spectacular scale.
It’s as tangible a soundstage as we’ve heard by means of wi-fi headphones, too, with every factor of the observe’s jangling instrumentation positioned exactly on it, and with house round it aiding coherency. Amber Webber’s chilling vocal is fittingly entrance and centre, coming by means of clear as day and full of emotion.
Whereas the observe’s tempo is about by that bass guitar line, which bounces by means of the Solitaire T with pleasing agility and definition, the observe is usually anchored by plunging, deep chords, and it’s shocking how shapely they sound by means of the T+A. By means of the Mark Levinson No.5909, they sound fatter and extra droney; much less explicitly drawn. The American rivals do reply with a much bigger, extra spacious presentation, however the Solitaire T are a degree above with regards to element and organisation.
We undergo our repertoire of take a look at tracks willingly, taking part in every little thing from Nas to Nils Frahm, and the Solitaire’s transparency, purity and precision performs ball with each style. They is likely to be a bit on the analytical facet – like left-brain folks, in accordance with science – however they’ll nonetheless observe a rhythm confidently and have an excellent time when it’s demanded of them.
There’s a notable, albeit not huge, degradation in sound high quality switching from HQ mode to Energetic (which, of the 4 methods of listening, is understandably the least favoured), so we usually advocate you don’t except you want the sound-isolating extremities of ANC or have gone on vacation to a desert island with out your charger. Whereas the energetic noise-cancellation is respectable and really helpful for noisy environments on planes and trains and the like, the design bodily blocks out an excellent quantity of exterior noise, and 35 hours of battery life continues to be sensible.
Verdict
True to its Solitaire identify, the T+A are gems, alone in a territory of wi-fi efficiency high quality that no different pair we’ve heard can occupy.
They value a whole lot greater than most individuals would ever dream of paying for headphones, wired or wi-fi, however for many who prioritise comfort and sound high quality equally, and have the funds to spend large, the T+A Solitaire T nail that stability with out compromise and are probably the most convincing wired/wi-fi hybrids we’ve come throughout. For now, they’re in a league of their very own.
SCORES
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