Solitaire T

Headphones

The Solitaire T

From the first day the Solitaire T was developed with a single goal in mind: to blur the distinctions between audiophile, working and travel headphones by making the values and convictions which are the hallmark of every T+A product accessible in almost every situation in life.
Their transducer system is a completely new development, capable of reproducing the most subtle nuances in audiophile quality in active and passive mode alike, while the passive insulation on its own is sufficient to push the outside world into the background. When combined with active background noise suppression, which can be switched on as required, unwanted sounds disappear completely behind the music.

The pearl-blasted aluminium components are machined from solid, and are much more than a design statement: they are so robust and durable that they ensure the headphones will remain their owner’s companion for years. At the same time they emphasise in a subtle but distinctive manner the product’s close relationship with our Solitaire P reference headphones.
Like its physical design, the Solitaire T’s inputs are designed with one aspect in mind: versatility. The Solitaire T places no restrictions on its user, as they feature signal transfer via totally symmetrical passive and active analogue inputs as well as USB C and the very highest-quality wireless Bluetooth standards; the design maximises the potential of every imaginable music source.

Noise cancelation & portability

To ensure that the Solitaire T is truly versatile in use, we have taken great pains in the suppression of background noise, which is outstanding in both active and passive modes: the headphones’ passive sound insulation alone effectively blocks out a great deal of unwanted mid-range and treble noise, while an extremely accurately calibrated active suppression system effectively eliminates the bass noise which cannot be damped by passive means. To ensure that all this potential is available on journeys, we insisted on the same uncompromising standards for the wireless connections as for the wired inputs: Bluetooth to Standard 5.1 class 2 with Codecs such as aptX HD and AAC deliver the convenience of fully wireless systems with a sound quality approaching the level of wired connections to high-quality components, and even exceeding the sound quality of wired connections to inferior equipment.

Design & Materials

Like all T+A equipment the Solitaire T adheres to the tradition of our design language. This has evolved over a period of forty years, and its strength is its consistent simplicity. The carefully placed chamfers on headband and cups allow the Solitaire T to integrate effortlessly into the inimitable family of Solitaire headphones, while its new cup shape and two colours make their own entirely new contribution to the continuing development of the T+A design language. All the aluminium components are machined from solid material, and are pearl-blasted before being anodised. The ear caps are attached by means of precision-made, close-tolerance hard metal couplings, which allow both of them to rotate through 90° and fold inwards. In their case or worn round the neck, the Solitaire T ‘phones become an incredibly compact travel companion. Ear and head pads are made of the very finest anti-allergenic synthetic leather, ensuring that the Solitaire T remains comfortable at all times - even during very long flights.

Operation

We believe that headphones are among our most personal products, and for this reason we gave very high priority to the operation of the Solitaire T. The headphones are immediately simple and intuitive to use, emphasised by multi-sensory feedback. No matter whether you use button or switch - machined from solid - or the inter-active touchpad, or switch to the environment by invoking a supplementary transparency field: all the important inputs are confirmed by feedback messages, spoken by T+A’s distinctive voice. With the Solitaire T you see, feel and hear what you are doing.

Wired inputs

The Solitaire T is the most versatile product T+A has ever developed: it is both a closed audiophile headphone as well as a lightweight, portable unit. And that is why it boasts two wired inputs, which are either digital and analogue - for the purist - or combine the advantages of both worlds: the Solitaire T can be operated fully digitally via its USB C socket without any form of data compression. In purely passive mode the Solitaire T transfers signals fully symmetrically to the transducer via Pentaconn, 3.5mm or 6.3mm connectors directly. Our concept, which we name Active Analog, is based on the analogue inputs and maximises their potential by allowing them access to the volume control and active background noise suppression. All leads take the form of OFC cable with low structural sound, terminating in gold-plated contacts.

Transducer & Sound

Our guiding conviction is that music should be reproduced in as pure a form as possible. And that is why we take great trouble to eliminate all possible interference sources - no matter how minute - right at the development stage. Undamped diaphragms form just such a potential problem: seemingly insignificant coil reflections have the potential to create a serious adverse effect on the sound. We avert this problem before it can develop by means of carefully located damping at the edge of the 42mm transducer: the damping cushions coil reflections as they develop, and prevents them having any effect on the frequency response. A cellulose diaphragm is attached to the damping. Compared with other materials, this diaphragm is extremely light and stiff, giving the advantage of agility and dynamics, without breaking up prematurely into eigenmodes. The optimised low bass system in the Solitaire T produces a completely new kind of bass matching, ensuring perfect transient response, and preventing disruptions in the frequency response. One result of this development work on the analogue aspect, combined with the Solitaire T’s finely tuned acoustic design, is that the headphones require no power supply or signal processor in order to sound superb. In active as well as passive mode, every signal, every breath, every nuance is not just audible, but perceptible.
In active mode the sound quality of the transducer is fundamentally determined by the electronics employed: components of poor quality, not matched properly to each other, have an adverse effect on the sound experience. That is why we use one of the world’s highest-quality Bluetooth chips in the form of the Qualcomm QCC 5127, which forms one of the digital bridges to the outside world. Its wide range of audiophile codecs combined with low energy consumption ensure that the traveller can rely on the availability of high-quality music even on long inter-continental flights.
The digital / analogue converter section is connected to the Bluetooth chip, and operates in a comparable way to the suspension of a sports car: its task is to convert the digital signals into analogue signals, and in the final analysis its quality decides whether the available performance can actually be utilised. The Esstech ES9218 Sabre DAC which we fit converts even high-resolution formats in the highest audiophile quality. Thanks to its high performance not one bit of the signal is lost: each nuance and every centimetre of the sound stage is reproduced in all their emotional power.

REVIEW & AWARDS

T+A Solitaire T Review - Read More

"The T+A Solitaire has the best balance of any wireless ANC Bluetooth headphone at the time of writing this article. This is perhaps the first time I could truly forget that I was listening with a Bluetooth headphone. Why am I not giving this a Major HiFi Gold? The price and the sound stage. Why not a silver? The price. While this may be the most impressive wireless headphone I’ve reviewed, I have to admit that its hard to be okay with it going for twice as much as the Focal Bathys (which happens to beat out the Solitaire T in terms of sound stage). A price drop of a few hundred dollars would make the T+A Solitaire the best wireless headphone of the year. Honestly, I still think it is, and hope the future holds more wireless balances like the Solitaire T’s at more affordable prices." - Major HiFi

T+A Solitaire T review - Read More

"True to its Solitaire name, the T+A are gems, alone in a territory of wireless performance quality that no other pair we’ve heard can occupy.

They cost hundreds more than most people would ever dream of paying for headphones, wired or wireless, but for those who prioritise convenience and sound quality equally, and have the budget to spend big, the T+A Solitaire T nail that balance without compromise and are the most convincing wired/wireless hybrids we’ve come across. For now, they’re in a league of their own." - What Hi-Fi?

Second opinion: T+A Solitaire T review - Read More

"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." - John Grandberg

T+A Solitaire Wireless Bluetooth Headphones Reviewed - Read More

"Thank God that there is a high-end market for wireless headphones. I travel too much to have to drag around wired headphones with fancy DAC-dongles and extra cables. The T+A Solitaire headphones deliver a very high-end audio system in a self-contained package. They are comfortable. They are built like they should have a Maybach logo on the ear cup. They have a few odd quirks, like the lack of physical buttons for volume control, but none of that is enough to exclude them. If you are going to make a purchase in this ever-changing world of high-end Bluetooth, over-the-ear headphones, you need to make the effort to find a pair of T+A Solitaires, click them into High Quality Mode, and put on a dozen or so of your favorite jams. You will be glad that you did. " - Jerry Del Colliano

T+A Solitaire T wireless headphones - Read More

"Judging the ‘worth’ of the T+A as a value proposition comes down to how many configurations you see yourself using. I’m willing to stick my neck out and say that, treated strictly as a passive, wired headphone, the T+A will keep Focal’s Celestee honest. Given that the Celestee is a significant chunk of the total cost of the T+A, that’s no mean feat. Both are closed-back designs that give enough of a feeling of space and three-dimensionality to their performance to make them viable for home use. The idea that the Solitaire T can mix it with the Focal – headphones I like very much – is deeply impressive."

T+A Solitaire T headphones review - Read More

"When you remember that you can power on the Solitaire T and listen to music on the move, wire-free, the scope of what T+A has built here becomes clear. Yes, in specific areas, the very best wireless and wired designs score points over it, and there’s no getting around the fact it isn’t 'cheap' – but the Solitaire T is a unique and formidable all-rounder. Highly recommended. " - Ed Selley

T+A Solitaire T Review - Read More

"If you listen to a choir from any opera by Verdi or Puccini, or a large orchestra, the sound is comparable to a very high-quality standmount speaker that plays powerfully and full-bodied; one that gives the impression of listening to a grown-up floorstanding speaker when your eyes are closed. Since the bass range of the T+A, for all its power, does not sound bloated or even unclean and blurry, as could be heard with Porcupine Tree, for example, the lower mids – voices and acoustic instruments – also remain beautifully identifiable in the soundstage and are not acoustically drowned out" - Michael Lang

T+A Solitaire T - Read More

"As passive headphones, with the added balanced signal path, these are headphones deserving of a proper headphone amplifier solution if you have it anyway. The portable flexibility offered by these headphones is just another value point in my view. The USB-C digital solution in the right company is the icing on the cake in respect of clean digital signal paths and all around, these headphones are well worth a listen if this is near your budget and they are worth the stretch." - Simon Wilce

T+A Solitaire T Wireless Headphone Review - Read More

"The Solitaire T is different to any other wireless headphone I remember testing. It's genuinely capable of being both a passive home headphone and travel companion in a way that nothing else has really managed to combine. It's not cheap but, like an over ear Range Rover, it really is a can for all occasions." - Ed Selley

T+A Solitaire T vs. Mark Levinson No. 5909 Comparison Review - Read More

"The Mark Levinson No. 5909 and the T+A Solitaire T both put the majority of their stock into excellent balances that break from traditional wireless EQ’s. What I hear about the Harman Curve seems to be true, as I do think the No. 5909 has a little more of universal appeal. However, I’m left with the impression that it sounds a little straight forward, and doesn’t impart much unique character to listens. Plenty of people will love this, so if you’re some one who is into super clean mix-engineer-intended headphones, the Mark Levinson No. 5909 is likely for you. While I would generally identify with that very crowd, there’s a livelier and more creative quality to what I heard with the T+A Solitaire T that still left it with a clean and highly articulate balance. So, yes, I personally preferred my time with the Solitaire T, especially with High Quality mode engaged. With the $600 price gap between these two headphones, however, I find the Mark Levinson to hold better value – but if you’re looking for the best, regardless of price, I would gently push you to check out the Solitaire T."  Major HiFi

T+A’s New Solitaire T Headphones Offer Great Passive And Wireless Performance With ANC - Read More

"T+A’s Solitaire T headphones are something of a triumph. Their no-nonsense styling is more BMW than Daimler, but the comfort levels are excellent. The sound quality is impeccable, whether analog, digital or wireless modes. The ANC function works faultlessly, thanks to that Sony CXD technology, while the Bluetooth is ably handled with Qualcomm’s high-end chipset. Adding a separate Esstech ES9218 Sabre DAC results in excellent high-resolution sound when used in HQ mode. For anyone who can’t decide whether to buy a great pair of wired headphones or a wireless version, the Solitaire T means they no longer have to choose. This pair of headphones offers the best of both worlds. They function as a superb pair of passive headphones while offering excellent wired or wireless digital performance, with the option of switching on ANC to eliminate unwanted sounds. Highly Recommended." - Mark Sparrow

Fidelity 2/2024 

 "Alles wird gut

Klang oder Usability? Fokus oder Vielfalt der Möglichkeiten? High End oder tragbar? T+A baut einen Kopfhörer, der auf all diese Fragen eine verblüffende Antwort gibt: T+A Solitaire T. Dass der Solitaire T etwas mehr als die Konkurrenz kostet, lässt sich angesichts des betriebenen Aufwandes und der gebotenen Qualität leicht verschmerzen. Zumal wir uns finanziell in einem Bereich bewegen, in dem andere nicht nicht einmal ein Stromkabel finden."

Stereoplay 4/2023 - Read More

"Das Beste zweier Welten

Dürfte ich für den Rest meines Lebens nur noch einen Kopfhörer nutzen, der T+A Solitaire T wäre meine erste Wahl. Und im Vertrauen: Zurückblicken würde ich keinen Moment."

Hi-Fi Choice 3/2023 

"A can for all seasons

This isn´t simply a pricey wireless noise-cancelling headphone, but is instead three different headphones in one elegant package. Not everyone will need such a thing, but it is uniquely flexible and allows you to enjoy the benefits of a very capable passive home headphone that can be powered on, paired up and used in spaces that passive rivals will fear to tread. It isn´t cheap, but the Solitaire T does potentially offer exceptional value for money."

LowBeats 12/2022 - Read More

"Der Rundum-Glücklich-Kopfhörer

Der T+A Solitaire T verbindet das Beste aus zwei Welten. Er ist nicht nur ein hervorragender High-End Passivkopfhörer, sondern auch ein Überflieger unter den mobilen Bluetooth-Bügelkopfhörern und in beiden Anwendungsszenarien absolut kompromisslos. Was will man mehr?"

Stereo 1/2023 - Read More

"New doors opened
Compact, but great-sounding headphones that convince with neutrality, fine details, a clean, deep bass and high level reserves via cable at the home stereo system as well as wirelessly and on the go. The workmanship is very good, the price high, but reasonable."

Musical Head 11/2022 - Read More

"Sound Talent
And in view of the diverse acoustic application possibilities, the small ear speaker naturally also receives my explicit recommendation."

Darko.Audio 9/2023 - Read More

"The world’s most expensive active noise cancelling headphones?

Flying under this commentator’s Munich High-End radar in May 2022 was German manufacturer T+A whose Solitaire T could be used as an ANC headphone wirelessly via Bluetooth (or wired via USB) and as an all-analogue passive headphone with no battery power required."

Stereo 4/2024 

"Kabellos und geräuschlos

Klangqualität: gut, sehr neutral, transparent und räumlich. Besonders gute Durchhörbarkeit und Tiefenstaffelung. Nur minimal schlechter mit aktiviertem ANC."

SPECIFICATIONS