John Grandberg
I tend to have market segments that I gravitate toward and others that I generally avoid. For me, that means headphones and headphone amplifiers, DACs, streamers/servers, and various other digital widgets are always on the menu. On turntables and their associated errata (phono stages, cartridges, tonearms) I take a pass. I enjoy reading about active speaker systems, but these days I am somewhat ambivalent about traditional passive speakers and dedicated amplifiers – I may give those a quick skim but usually don’t have the same level of interest in most cases. I can make exceptions, and those usually involve innovative or otherwise unique products (in any category) that capture my attention.
That would be the case here with my review of the T+A Solitaire T wireless headphones (US$1,600). Despite my unending love of headphones, I am not necessarily the target market for noise-canceling designs like this. I don’t travel all that often, and when I do I prefer in-ear monitors rather than larger on-ear or over-ear designs. Since the bulk of my listening is done at home in my dedicated system, wireless headphones, in general, don’t factor into my day-to-day life.
And yet the Solitaire T – currently the world’s most expensive noise-canceling Bluetooth headphone – does seem like something worth evaluating, even if merely to catch up on the current state-of-the-art in a category I don’t explore often enough. After spending months with the Solitaire T I’m rather glad I gave it a try, as it turns out to be much more versatile than I anticipated.
What you are reading here is a “second opinion” piece. The Solitaire T has already been given the Darko video review treatment, complete with side-by-side comparisons with the (similar in scope) Mark Levinson No. 5909. His use case is fairly different from mine as he tends to take his headphones out and about more often, so definitely check out that video for his unique perspective.
The Product
The Solitaire T is the third headphone from the German firm T+A (which stands for Theory + Application). Their first two models, the Solitaire P (US$6,900) and Solitaire P-SE (US$3,900) are what I’d call “traditional” high-end designs. That means large, over-ear, open-back, wired headphones, positioned to compete with top models from the likes of Audeze, Focal, and Meze Audio. You’ll need to pair those with suitably capable amplification and will presumably be using them in a dedicated audio system for at-home listening. Meanwhile, the Solitaire T is a self-contained solution that could be described as a headphone with integrated DAC and amplification for each channel, although it can still be used in a more traditional capacity (more on that later).
The Solitaire T is rather unique in that it is positioned far above any potential competitors. Yes, there are gobs of portable Bluetooth headphones with ANC, but the vast majority of them are mass-market products selling for under $200. If we stretch our budget to the US$300-400 range for a top model from Sony or Sennheiser, we tend to get very respectable sound along with effective noise cancellation, solid battery life, and more reliable build quality. Yet we are (arguably) still playing in the mainstream consumer category rather than the audiophile world. Only more recently have we seen a few standout entries from Focal or Bowers & Wilkins which attempt to trade mass market appeal for an ostensibly superior audio experience. Mark Levinson aims to reach beyond that level with their No. 5909, and now T+A makes an even more ambitious attempt at capturing the extreme high-end of this market.
The Design
So what makes the Solitaire T different from the usual suspects, potentially making them worth that substantial price increase? Pedigree is a big part of it. T+A is rare in that it offers a full catalog of amplifiers, D/A conversion, preamplifiers, disc-based and network-based transports, speakers of various sizes, headphones (and associated amplification), cables, and even a turntable. It’s extremely rare for an audio firm to offer such a broad selection of gear across every major category, and it gives them the expertise needed to build a complex product like the Solitaire T.
Additionally, T+A has been around for over 40 years making some eye-wateringly impressive and expensive gear, and to my knowledge, they don’t typically offer “budget” components in any category. For example, in my region their least expensive dedicated amplifier sells for over US$5,000 and their smallest/most affordable stand-mount speaker is around US$2,000/pair. Pricing goes north from there. Set against that backdrop, I don’t see T+A’s market positioning of its Solitaire T as all that surprising.
Next would be the systematic approach to the design. The Solitaire T is built from the ground up to prioritize sound quality without compromising other aspects like battery life or portability. Inside each earcup, we find a Qualcomm Bluetooth chip capable of aptX HD, regular aptX, AAC, and the required SBC codec. But unlike the vast majority of noise-cancelling headphones, the Solitaire T also has dedicated audio-grade DAC and amplification hardware for each channel. When we set the headphone to “High-Quality Mode”, the Qualcomm chip acts as a Bluetooth bridge, passing that data to an ESS Labs ES9218 32-bit DAC which then spits out an analog signal to be amplified and routed to the carefully-damped 42mm driver. This signal path is similar to the recently-reviewed iFi Go Pod system only this time the design is fine-tuned for this specific headphone rather than the universal Go Pod setup.
Users who find themselves listening in less critical scenarios have the option of using “Standard Mode” which retasks the Qualcomm chip to handle everything including D/A conversion and amplification. This integrated approach is how the process gets handled in the vast majority of other Bluetooth headphones. Here it does result in decreased sonic purity but also an increase in battery life. The already substantial ~35-hour rating in High-Quality Mode doubles to ~70 hours (!) in this Standard Mode, making it potentially a worthwhile trade-off depending on intended usage. Activating ANC reduces the runtime further but it’s still a very impressive showing.
T+A was heavily (and initially) focused on making sure the Solitaire T sounded excellent when used in passive mode – think “normal” headphones fed by an analog cable. Many Bluetooth headphones offer this mode of operation as a sort of backup plan, suitable only in a pinch if the batteries die. Since most designs lean heavily on their onboard DSP to fix sonic shortcomings, their passive modes tend to sound uninspiring at best and downright offensive at worst. But the Solitaire T is built around high-quality drivers expertly tuned with acoustic damping materials, so it exhibits excellent behavior no matter which way it gets used. I drove them with several beefy dedicated headphone amplifiers and they performed just as I would expect a high-grade wired headphone to perform.
Lastly, T+A also lets us run the device via USB, connected to a computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. This is also an option found on other models but again, those rivals’ dependence on an integrated Bluetooth chip for every aspect of sound reproduction limits their potential. If we think of the Solitaire T as not just a headphone but also a high-quality self-contained USB/Bluetooth DAC and headphone amplifier system, it may help make sense of the total cost involved.
Controls are handled by a combination of small buttons, sliding switches, and a touch-sensitive side panel on the right cup. As with most wireless headphones, it’s something that will likely seem foreign and inefficient until you log some hours with the device. I managed to get accustomed to it quickly enough and while I can’t say it’s the most intuitive system I’ve ever used, it certainly isn’t the worst either.
Lastly – and I realize there’s no perfect way to convey this in writing – I’d also say that from a physical standpoint, the Solitaire T “feels” very much in line with its price tag. I have plenty of experience with various generations of Sennheiser’s Momentum series headphones as well as the Sony WH-1000XM lineup and while those are all reasonably well built, they practically feel like toys next to the milled aluminum foldable frame of the Solitaire T. And despite its somewhat understated design, the T+A don’t feel out of place sitting next to much more expensive headphones in my collection. I do find my black and silver review sample more aesthetically pleasing than the solid white variation (a matter of personal preference of course), and I find it rather striking overall. It’s also reasonably lightweight, (subjectively) comfortable, and robustly built to handle the demands of a portable lifestyle.
Wired
I mentioned earlier that I primarily listen to headphones on my main home system. That’s what I’m most accustomed to doing, so that’s exactly how I started with the Solitaire T. This meant ignoring the wireless capabilities and bypassing the integrated DAC/amplification by using the bundled analog cable, driving it directly from a dedicated headphone system. While the Solitaire T seems primarily marketed as a wireless portable device, I wanted to get a baseline for what the headphone was capable of before adding the onboard electronics to the mix. Plus, the company specifically brags about its design working similarly well in any mode, so I figured I should test those claims. I rotated through a few different DACs and headphone amplifiers whilst the backbone of the system remained consistent: Equi=Core 1800 balanced power conditioner, Matrix Element S transport streaming music via Roon, and Audio Art cables all around.
The bulk of my wired listening was done via the Cayin CS-100DAC (US$3,399) in tube output mode, paired with a Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier (US$3,600). It’s an impressively capable system that deserves an equally ambitious headphone, and thankfully the Solitaire T seemed up to the challenge.
I started with some high-quality recordings – not to be confused with “audiophile demo music” which generally doesn’t appeal to me – and the Solitaire T responded with impressive insight and fluidity. From King Crimson to Kraftwerk, Aoife O’Donovan to Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, the Solitaire T fits the bill for a high-end wired headphone. The presentation was rich and lively, having more in common with the saturated tonality of the Meze Audio Elite than the exceedingly neutral Audeze LCD-5. That said, it did not go as far as something like the ZMF Atrium Closed in offering more significant levels of euphonic coloration. Music lovers listening to excellent recordings with a quality dedicated headphone rig should enjoy what the Solitaire T has to offer.
Switching to more “real world” type music, the Solitaire T also proved capable of keeping up with fast/busy technical death metal such as Beyond Creation, Obscura, Xoth, and Quo Vadis. Some headphones – including highly regarded models like the Sennheiser HD800/HD800S – do not perform very well with this sort of material, coming off as lifeless and overly analytical. Meanwhile, the T+A headphones proved artfully balanced, with just the right mixture of clarity, richness, and dynamic bombast. Overall it’s a nuanced, even-handed presentation that tastefully deviates from clinical neutrality to sound more robust and engaging.
I then swapped out gear to see how the T+A would cope with system changes and, as one might expect (but not always actually get) from a product in this price range, the Solitaire T did prove discerning enough to showcase differences in both source and amplification. I brought out a Musician Audio Aquarius R2R DAC (US$2,899) feeding a Cen.Grand 9i-806 Little Silver Fox amplifier (US$2,399), again using Roon from the same Matrix Element S (US$1,499). The result was comparatively faster, and slightly drier, with enhanced top-end sparkle and tighter but less prominent low-frequency impact. I would call it more of a reference-type sound which, depending on my mood, could at times be a welcome change from the velvety glow of the Cayin tube DAC and grunt of the Pass Labs amplifier.
The Solitaire T is a perceptive headphone that can be tuned to taste with one’s associated gear and it’s almost shocking to hear such rich, potent, yet well-balanced sound coming from a smallish portable headphone like this. But no product is perfect and I do have three minor gripes.
First, I find the compact size and on-ear design inherently less comfortable than the traditional (huge) headphones I typically use in my home system. That’s sort of a necessary evil for a “portable” headphone like this and really can’t be avoided.
Second, the soundstage presentation feels more intimate compared to my full-sized reference headphones. Again this likely comes with the territory of the smaller cups/drivers and is probably unavoidable.
Lastly, I would have liked to see higher-quality cables bundled in the package. While I do appreciate T+A giving us separate short and long versions for use in different situations, they both seem like surprisingly thin/generic solutions in an otherwise flawlessly executed package. Do I think they are bad enough to compromise sound quality? No, but there’s something to be said for including a more aesthetically pleasing and confidence-inspiring cable on a US$1,600 product.
Wireless
Having established the full potential of the Solitaire T, I switched to wireless operation to evaluate the inevitable compromise involved. Using a Google Pixel 8 smartphone and choosing High-Quality Mode on the headphone, the result was surprisingly close to what I had previously heard via a wired connection: not identical but also none too dissimilar to the magnitude of changes encountered when swapping out desktop DACs and amplifiers. Frankly, I had expected something a bit more drastic when cutting the cord.
The signature now felt a little flatter in terms of response, with low-frequency punch reigned in a little (though still tastefully north of neutral) and treble energy toned down. The latter was probably a deliberate choice, as Bluetooth audio reveals its shortcomings most obviously in that region. I went through a barrage of music ranging from Aaron Neville to Zoe Keating to Warcrab and ended up with the same opinion as before – the Solitaire T is blissfully indifferent to recording quality or genre, its universally appealing sound signature capable of satisfying listeners no matter what we might task it with.
Stepping down to Standard Mode, thus bypassing the discrete DACs/amplification and relying on the integrated Qualcomm system-on-chip to handle the entire process, things took a few steps back in terms of clarity and realism. Again not a drastic drop; and again I could still very much enjoy a wide variety of music ranging from precision orchestral works to grimy underground hip hop.
The biggest difference was a reduced sense of space, with instrument localization being vaguer and harder to pinpoint. Not the sort of thing that would matter while casually listening on the go. The other notable change was in the midbass-to-lower-midrange region where High-Quality Mode felt more cleanly delineated and thus more controlled and believable. Standard mode seemed relatively muddy in that range but only in direct comparison to High-Quality Mode and not enough to ruin the overall experience. Keep in mind: the Standard Mode is intended for use while commuting or just out and about where battery life takes priority over absolute fidelity. With enough juice on tap to listen roughly ten hours a day for an entire week in this mode, I’d call that mission accomplished.
Noise canceling can be applied to any listening mode – including wired (as long as you still have battery life available). It does a reasonably good job at dulling the intrusion of external sounds and can make listening tolerable in moderately noisy environments where the alternative would be cranking the volume to unhealthy levels. I would put this aspect in the same general class as implementations from Sennheiser or Sony meaning reasonably good if not class-leading. If ANC is your absolute top priority, you may have to stick with Bose despite the sonic compromises involved.
I didn’t spend much time using the lesser Bluetooth connections. The Google Pixel 8 has aptX HD which I find to be an excellent codec, and most other Android devices are similarly equipped. Samsung and Apple users – stuck with standard aptX and AAC modes respectively – will have to decide how much those limitations might matter. I would say that likely depends on one’s ratio of critical to casual listening along with one’s willingness to use the headphones in wired mode when possible.
USB
As if traditional wired playback and Bluetooth capabilities were not enough, the Solitaire T has one more use case that I find surprisingly compelling. Remember how the design encompasses a dedicated DAC and amplifier for each channel? We can tap into that DAC functionality by feeding it with a USB signal, just as we would with any other stand-alone D/A converter. That means connecting the headphones via USB cable to any laptop, tablet, smartphone, or music server, for PCM support up to 24-bit/96kHz. The benefits of this mode are that it takes advantage of the integrated electronics (which are designed just for this specific application), thus eliminating the need for external DAC and amplification gear whilst freeing the headphone from any sonic degradation caused by lossy Bluetooth transmission.
I used the Solitaire T with my various general-purpose computing devices including Windows-based desktops and a Microsoft Surface Pro 8, with everything working as expected. More interesting to me was the fact that it also paired marvelously with every audiophile music server or streaming playback device I have in the house. At the moment that would be Linux-based models from Stack Audio, Euphony, and Matrix Audio, along with the Eversolo DMP-A6 running its customized version of Android 11. Critical listening showed these high-quality transports made for superior results compared to a standard PC, and I loved the simplicity of setting up a dedicated audio station using just a single box paired with the Solitaire T. The one caveat is the bundled USB cable is fairly short, but the market is overflowing with affordable alternatives in any length you might need.
In most of these cases, volume adjustment was handled via the touch controls on the headphone itself. I’ve already mentioned how that takes some getting used to but is fairly workable once you get the hang of it. The exception was the Eversolo streamer which uses its multi-function knob for volume adjustments. All things being equal I did prefer that method yet found myself being drawn to the Matrix Element S streamer as painting the most impressive sonic pictures with the Solitaire T. For a bedroom or office system, this combo – small in stature yet huge in musical satisfaction – would make for an ideal Simpli-fi setup.
Complaints? Just one – the ongoing issue with the majority of Android devices that resample all outgoing signals to 48kHz. The standard Roon app confirms it by showing us a green light, indicating (with specific details if we tap it) that the signal is no longer bit-perfect. This means listening on the go with the Pixel 8 via USB output involves a soupçon of sonic compromise.
How significant is this? I can’t say, because I can’t find a way around it. Unfortunately, the traditional method of using the USB Audio Player Pro app – which bypasses Android’s resampling and spits out a native signal – doesn’t seem to play well with the Solitaire T. The more recent option of using Roon’s ARC mobile app with its “beta” USB driver option doesn’t work either.
Note: I can only confirm this behavior with Pixel devices (specifically the 7, 8, and 8 Pro). Other Android phones may not give the same result. And I know some DAPs (Fiio, Cayin, Shanling) use custom-modified versions of Android to sidestep its resampling.
Conclusion
The T+A Solitaire T reminds me of a Porsche 911 Carrera, which is currently the base model 911. German engineering from a pedigreed designer. Unique looks. Exceptionally well-balanced. Expensive, but also significantly more affordable than its more ambitious siblings. Quirky? Yes, but only in ways that won’t be deal-breakers for the majority.
With both the Porsche car and the T+A headphone, we can find competing models that do this or that better – faster 0-60 or 1/4 mile times, superior bass extension, larger and more convincing soundstage, etc. – but when listening to the Solitaire T or driving the 911 Carrera, the vast majority of people won’t be focused on any of those things – they’ll be too impressed with the overall experience.
Further information: T+A
