German high-end hi-fi brand T+A Elektroakustik has unveiled a new pair of reference headphones, the Solitaire T. Launching in July for £1200 ($1600), the Solitaire T aim to offer reference sound passively when wired, as well as when Bluetooth and active noise-cancellation are deployed for wireless use.
True reference headphones are almost exclusively the domain of wired cans, which comes down to the historic difference in audio quality between wired and wireless playback – and this is the very gulf T+A is setting out to bridge with the Solitaire T. Here, the company is aiming to offer up not just excellent sound quality at home but anywhere you go.
The Solitaire T feature 42mm transducers, special cellulose diaphragms, and an optimised low-bass system in order to achieve excellent audio performance. In order to more closely match the headphones' wired level of performance when Bluetooth is used, the Solitaire T support the latest and greatest Bluetooth codecs, such as LDAC and aptX HD, and utilise a Qualcomm QCC 5127 chip and Esstech ES9218 Sabre DAC.
An active noise-cancelling circuit can be toggled on as you wish, too, and T+A has worked hard to retain sound quality during its activation. When the Solitaire T are used without ANC, the headphones rely on a "careful selection of damping materials [that] minimises a major part of the unwanted noise in the mid/treble range," says T+A's development director, Jörg Küpper. When the active noise suppression circuit is engaged, however, the tech works to fully eliminate all unwanted background noise, allowing your music to truly take center stage.
Like many other T+A products, the Solitaire T have high-quality aluminium housings, synthetic compound and vegan artificial leather in the chamfered ear cups, and come in a choice of black or silver colourways. The Solitaire T also feature touch-sensitive buttons.
If you're lucky enough to be attending High End Munich 2022 this week, T+A will be demoing the new Solitaire T headphones at the show, which begins today (Thursday 19th May) and goes through to Sunday.
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