T+A Solitaire T Headphone

Solitaire T Bluetooth headphones with active noise canceling and removable battery

The Solitaire T was designed from day one with one goal: to bridge the contradiction between audiophile, work and travel headphones by bringing the values and beliefs that every T+A product represents to almost every situation in life.

Its completely newly developed converter system reproduces the finest nuances in audiophile quality in both active and passive mode, while the passive insulation is already sufficient to let the outside world fade into the background. Coupled with the optionally switchable active noise suppression, background noises finally disappear behind the music.

Milled from solid, bead-blasted aluminum parts are more than a design statement: Their durability and robustness are the basis for a headphone that will become a companion for years to come. At the same time, they emphasize the relationship to the Solitaire P reference headphones in a subtle but concise way.

Like its construction, the Solitaire T's inputs are designed for one thing: versatility. From completely symmetrical passive and active analog signal transmission via USB C to the highest quality wireless Bluetooth standards, the Solitaire T does not limit its users, but rather maximizes the potential of every conceivable source.

Noise Cancellation & Portability

In order for the Solitaire T to be really versatile, T+A has put the focus on both active and passive excellent noise suppression: Its passive insulation alone blocks out a large part of the annoying midrange and high-frequency noise, while a precisely calibrated, active suppression also does not passively dampened noise in the low-frequency range is effectively eliminated. In order to use these potentials when travelling, they have made the same uncompromising demands on wireless connections that also applied to wired inputs: Bluetooth standard 5.2 with codecs such as aptX HD, AAC and LDAC offer the convenience of completely wireless systems with a sound quality that matches the level of wired connections to high-end components and even surpasses the sound quality of wired connections to low-end devices.

Design & materials

Like all T+A devices, the Solitaire T stands in the tradition of a design language that has grown over forty years and whose consistent reduction is its strength. With precisely set phases on the temples and cups, the Solitaire T fits unmistakably into the Solitaire headphone family and, with a new cup shape and two colors, makes its own contribution to the further development of the T+A design language.
All aluminum parts are milled from solid, bead blasted and anodized. The ear cups are attached to precision hard metal joints with close tolerances, allowing them to rotate and fold in 90 degrees. Carried in a suitcase or around the neck, the Solitaire T becomes an incredibly compact travel companion. Thanks to the use of the finest hypoallergenic synthetic leather in the ear and head pads, the Solitaire T sits comfortably at all times, even on the longest flights.

service

T+A thinks headphones are among their most personal products. That is why they have placed a very special focus on operating the Solitaire T. It brings together instant, intuitive understanding with multi-sensory feedback. It doesn't matter whether you use one of the buttons or switches milled from solid, use the interaction touch field or switch on the environment via an additional transparency field: All important inputs are confirmed by feedback spoken by T+A's brand voice. With the Solitaire T you can see, feel and hear what you are doing.

Wired inputs

The Solitaire T is the most versatile product that T+A has ever developed. It is both a closed, audiophile - and a light, portable headphone. That's why there are three wired inputs available, which are either digital and puristically analog or combine the advantages of both worlds: The Solitaire T can be operated completely digitally via its USB C input without any data compression. In purely passive operation, the Solitaire T transmits incoming signals fully symmetrically via Pentaconn 3.5mm or 6.3mm directly to the sound converter. The concept, called Active Analog In, takes analog inputs and maximizes their potential by giving them access to volume control and active noise cancellation. All cables are low-impact OFC cables with gold-plated contacts.

Converter & Sound

T+A believes in reproducing music as genuinely as possible. That's why they eliminate any disruptive factors as early as the development phase, no matter how small they are. The use of an undamped membrane is exactly such a disturbance: supposedly insignificant reflections from the coil potentiate to a decisively negative influence on the sound. This influence is stopped before it can occur by deliberately placed damping at the edge of the 42 mm converter: It cushions any reflections from the coil and prevents them from affecting the frequency response. A cellulose membrane connects to the cushioning. Compared to other materials, thanks to its lightness and rigidity, it has the advantage of high speed and dynamics, without breaking into its own modes early on. The optimized sub-bass system gives the Solitaire T a completely new type of bass tuning, which ensures perfect transient response and prevents dips in the frequency response. As a result of this analogue development work and finely tuned acoustics, the Solitaire T requires no power supply and active signal processing to sound great. In both active and passive mode, every impulse, every draft, every nuance is not only audible but really tangible.

In the active mode, the sound quality of the converters is fundamentally determined by the electronics used: Poor-quality components that are not optimally adjusted to each other damage the sound experience. That is why T+A engineers create one of the digital bridges to the outside world with the Qualcomm QCC 5127 chip, one of the highest quality Bluetooth chips in the world. Its large number of audiophile codecs and nevertheless low energy consumption ensure that you no longer have to do without high-quality music, even on long intercontinental flights.

The D/A converter section connects to the Bluetooth chip and works in a similar way to the chassis of a sports car: it has to convert the digital signals into analog ones and ultimately decides whether the incoming power can really be used. The Esstech ES9218 Saber DAC we installed also converts high-resolution formats in audiophile quality. Thanks to its performance, not a bit of the signal is swallowed, but every nuance and every centimeter of the soundstage is passed on in all its emotionality.

Technical specifications

acoustics

Coupling: circumaural, closed
Driver: selected, low tolerance, dynamic
Frequency response: 4 - 22,000 Hz
Distortion: <0.05% (1kHz / 94dB)
Microphones: 2 communication mics on the right, 2 noise canceling mics per side
Noise cancellation: hybrid

Bluetooth

Chipset: Qualcomm QCC 5127
Bluetooth version: 5.2, class 1
Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD

battery

The battery is replaceable! If necessary, contact the auditorium or T+A directly.

Battery technology: lithium-ion battery
Battery charging capacity: 770 mAh
Battery charging time: 2 hours
Battery life: 70 h, 35 h in HQ mode

weight

Weight: 326g