This review discusses T+A’s Solitaire T Wireless Headphones. We will discuss its many features and assess its sound quality and usability to see if this high-end wireless headphone is for you.

Company History

T+A, which stands for Theory and Application, is a company of scientists. Starting in 1978 in Germany, and beginning with loudspeakers, T+A went on a mission to use engineering to improve the state of the art of high-end audio. They weren’t satisfied with merely copying old designs or manufacturing me-too products. They wanted to use science to build new designs that improved in all areas of music reproduction. They were successful in that they did not limit themselves with their designs. Their founder, Siegfried Amft, is a physicist who studied electro-acoustics and plasma physics at Leibniz University in Hannover. So, science and engineering are the driving forces behind T+A’s designs.

Based in Herford, Germany, T+A is still a family business that doesn’t merely design and mass-produce products. They carefully hand-build their products using a small-group hand assembly method that allows for higher quality control and overall better products. This makes production times longer for their products, but we have to say that we think this is worth it for the added peace of mind knowing that a group of caring individuals built the product versus a massive production line.

A Headphone For Every Occasion

We’ll be the first to admit that there’s no shortage of Bluetooth headphones on the market. They’re everywhere you look! In fact, they’ve become so popular that even some non-audio companies are jumping in just to get a piece of the action. The problem is that most of these headphones fall short when it comes to features, usability, and, most importantly, sound quality. Finding a pair of Bluetooth headphones that offers all the best features and delivers audiophile-grade sound is no easy task. That’s exactly where the T+A Solitaire T comes in, aiming to change the game.

If you’ve read our Headphone Buyers Guide,, you’ll know that certain types of headphones are better suited for specific use cases. You may want a pair of wireless in-ear headphones for on-the-go, a pair of wireless over-ear headphones with great noise canceling for at the office, and a pair of open-back, wired headphones for more critical listening at home.

With that said, you may end up purchasing multiple pairs of headphones just to have one for each specific use and spending more than you’d expect on all of them together. But what if you could have one pair that does it all instead of multiple pairs?

For many music lovers, the hassle of owning and managing multiple pairs of headphones is less appealing than finding one exceptional pair that can fill every role. Just a few years ago, this would have been a tall order, often requiring compromises in either sound quality or usability.

That’s where T+A saw an opportunity. With the Solitaire T, they set out to blur the lines between a high-end wired headphone, a premium travel companion, and a work headset, all in one. The goal was to deliver a headphone that can seamlessly adapt to any scenario without compromising on quality or performance. So, let’s take a further look at the features and technology they’ve implemented to make this a reality.

Build Quality & Comfort

These headphones feature pearl-blasted aluminum components for a quality build that feels substantial while remaining somewhat lightweight. Don’t get us wrong, these won’t be as light as some plastic headphones on the market. However, the type of high-quality components and hand-built nature do come with a little added weight. The Solitaire T comes in either black/silver or off-white/tan and features a leatherette headband and earcups. This adds to the Solitaire T’s upscale looks that showcase the high-end nature of these headphones. They also have swiveling earcups that allow for more flexibility in fit and the ability to fold up for storage. This is great as it allows the Solitaire T’s case to be as small as possible.

During our testing, we thoroughly enjoyed listening and experiencing how they fit and performed throughout our workday. The majority of our team found them extremely comfortable, making them a great choice for extended listening sessions. Some team members with larger heads did note a snug fit, which required occasional adjustments, and those with larger ears may find the earcups a bit compact. However, the secure fit can be a plus for keeping the headphones stable during use. Overall, the premium materials and thoughtful design make the Solitaire T a comfortable companion for long listening sessions.

The Solitaire T features 42mm cellulose drivers that were specially designed for these headphones. Cellulose is a stiff but lightweight material that makes for excellent driver diaphragms. In fact, many of the best passive dynamic driver headphones use cellulose drivers because of their great technical performance.

Features & Technology

One of the best parts of these headphones is the fact that they feature two separate DACs. One is a DAC built into the Qualcomm Bluetooth chip for Bluetooth uses, and the other is an ESS Sabre DAC for high-resolution options. This allows you to choose which one you want to use depending on what your priorities are during your listening session (ANC mode used standard chip only). Many people will upgrade the DAC in their headphones to an external one for a better sound. Instead of doing that, T+A essentially just squeezed that into these headphones so you can use it whenever you want! Let’s break down how these headphones can be used, discuss each DAC inside, and talk about the pros and cons of each.

For On The Go

The T+A Solitaire T offers impressive wireless capability powered by the Qualcomm QCC 5127 chip. This allows for completely wireless listening over Bluetooth, supporting SBC, AAC, aptX, and aptX HD codecs for high-quality streaming. While the Qualcomm chip handles Bluetooth transmission, T+A took the audio performance further by integrating an ESS ES9218 Sabre 32-bit DAC and designing multiple listening modes tailored for different scenarios.

When using Bluetooth in “Normal” or ANC (Active Noise Canceling) mode, the internal DAC built into the Qualcomm chip processes the audio. This mode works well for on-the-go listening, especially when you want to block out distractions with ANC. The Qualcomm chip delivers solid performance with strong connectivity and up to 70 hours of battery life.

For those moments when you want to experience even better audio quality, T+A’s High-Quality (HQ) Mode takes over. In this mode, the Qualcomm chip acts as a Bluetooth bridge, passing the audio signal to the ESS Sabre ES9218 DAC, which processes the music with greater detail and clarity. This mode was specifically tuned for the Solitaire T, and most of our team felt it delivered a significant improvement in sound quality, making every note feel more refined and immersive.

To further enhance performance, T+A uses Class A/B amplification instead of the more common Class D amplifiers found in many wireless headphones. Plus, volume is controlled in the analog domain. This results in a more natural and musical sound that brings out the richness in your favorite tracks.

HQ mode does reduce battery life to about 35 hours, roughly half of what you get in standard or ANC modes. However, we think the trade-off is worth it for the improvement in sound quality. The ability to easily switch between modes gives you the best of both worlds. You can enjoy longer battery life with ANC during travel or savor a more detailed listening experience with HQ mode when sound quality is the priority.

This thoughtful design gives you the flexibility to choose what matters most, depending on the situation. Whether you are enjoying a long flight or settling in for a deep listening session at home, the Solitaire T offers an exceptional experience with no compromises.

When You Are Home

One of the best features of the T+A Solitaire T is its ability to adapt to different scenarios. When you are on the go, Bluetooth is the right choice. But when you are at home and don’t need Bluetooth and want the best sound possible, T+A added a couple of modes just for that.

The DAC mode allows users to use the included USB-C cable to connect them to any USB-C compatible device to send music directly to the ESS Sabre DAC chip inside the Solitaire T. This means that you can simply connect the Solitaire T to your phone or PC and get a wired audio experience. While Bluetooth can be useful for on the go, it does limit your audio quality. So, using the wired connection when possible, especially if you’re streaming from a Hi-Res music streaming app like Qobuz, allows you to hear your music in Hi-Res without any compression. If you’ve only streamed through Bluetooth with a service like Spotify, you’ll be in for a treat when you try Qobuz or Tidal with a wired connection. We’re sure you’ll start hearing things in your favorite songs that you’ve never heard before!

If you prefer to bypass the internal DAC and skip the wireless features, you can use an analog 3.5mm connection with your favorite external DAC/amplifier. With an impedance of 64 ohms in passive mode, the Solitaire T is easy to drive, so most DAC/amps should have no trouble powering them and delivering great sound. We also found that the Solitaire T scales well with better equipment. The higher the quality of your DAC or amp, the better these headphones will perform.

Tech Tip:
If you want to learn more about external headphone amps/DACs and why you might need one, check out our article here. If you’re interested in improving your wired headphone sound, this will be a great place to start. Our headphone experts can also help you choose which one would work best for you, no matter what brand of headphones you own.

Control App

The T+A Companion app is the control center for the Solitaire T and allows you to control the headphones and their mode fully. The app can cycle through ANC, normal, or high-quality modes. Plus, you can use the built-in EQ to adjust your preferences. We wish the built-in EQ had been parametric or at least a graphic EQ to allow manual adjustment, but EQ presets are all that are offered at this time.

This is unfortunate, as we know some headphone lovers like to manually EQ their sound. We tested all EQ modes and, at the end of the day, found that the “flat” mode with no EQ mode sounded the best. We’d recommend you test these out and see if any of them are to your liking, but most of our team just kept the presets off during testing.

Overall, the app is simple and well laid out. It doesn’t have a ton of features or in-depth settings like some other apps have, but we found that it makes these headphones easier to use and lets you focus on your music.

And if you don’t want to fumble around with an app, we love that they’ve included physical, tactile buttons and switches on the rear of the earcups to control every mode. We find these easier to use than touch-sensitive controls, and once you learn where every button and switch is and what it does, you can make changes on the fly without messing around with swiping and tapping. We’re big fans of physical buttons on the headphones, so we were very excited to see the Solitaire T’s have them.

Performance

Inside the box are the headphones, a very sturdy and well-made case, and it comes with all of the cables you need to get going, like a USB-C and both balanced and unbalanced cables to connect to your favorite DAC/AMP if you wish. We downloaded the app and were quickly set up and ready to test them out. They even have a really well-done manual that walks you through the entire setup process to make things super easy.

The first thing we wanted to test was the noise-canceling feature, as we know many people who want to use their headphones on the go will want to know how well these stack up to the competition and how well they can block out external sounds and distractions. Plus, the noise-canceling feature can be when wired, as long as you have battery life in the headphones. Overall, we found the noise canceling to be up there with some of the best on the market and even competing with brands like Sony that are known for their impressive ANC. Have we heard better? Yes, but we would argue that the overall sound quality was worse from brands with stronger ANC. So, the Solitaire T strikes a good balance between blocking out distractions without compromising its stellar sound quality.

For most of our listening, we left it in high-quality mode to take advantage of the ESS DAC. But if you're on the go and want to maximize battery life or need to use ANC, the normal mode or ANC mode that uses the Qualcomm DAC will almost double your battery life!

The sound quality in Bluetooth mode was great and allowed us to hear that this technology is maturing in its abilities. Listening to the new album by Ebo Taylor Ebo Taylor JID002 one word came to mind with the sound, refined! The bass is super tight and never loses its grip on the music. Bass heads should look elsewhere because the bass out of the Solitaire is musically accurate and detailed. The midrange and treble followed this refined character that never seemed to lose its character, no matter the volume. The soundstage was not the widest we have heard, but for a closed-back headphone, it was good. However, the Solitaire T nailed the imaging, as we could hear great instrument placement and recorded space. This performance made us question at times whether we were really listening to a Bluetooth-connected headphone!

Moving on to the passive mode, we tested the Solitaire T using a combination of the most popular DACs/AMPs we sell. Both the Ifi Hip Dac 3 and the Chord Mojo 2 were excellent with the Solitaire T and were able to showcase what each of these devices brought to the table. Both portable DACs had no issues powering these headphones, so we have complete confidence that whatever amp you use with the Solitaire T will get you good results.

In fact, in the passive mode, we were even more impressed with the sound of the Solitaire T. All of the attributes discussed above in Bluetooth mode seemed to improve even more. This makes sense, as the wired mode will provide improved resolution and signal integrity that only a wired connection will provide. Listening to the new jazz album from Johanna Summer Cameo we were immediately impressed with the instrument separation, natural tone, and overall refinement. These are not party headphones or headphones for casual listeners; they are serious music-reproducing machines that provide a polished window into your favorite music.

Conclusion

There are many Bluetooth headphones on the market. However, it is rare to find a pair with the refinement and connection options of the Solitaire T. In Bluetooth mode, and even more so in passive mode, the sound was balanced, refined, and detailed. If you are looking for a top-performing headphone that can be used with your favorite amplifier at home and Bluetooth on the go then look at the Solitaire T. Yes, they cost more than competing headphones, but for the right music lover, they just might be the ticket.

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We must mention something about volume and these headphones. Depending on the music's overall output level in the recording, we sometimes had issues getting adequate volumes. DAC mode was the worst of the two, and it was sometimes unusable. Bluetooth mode allowed us to barely reach a satisfying volume before reaching the max setting. We are not sure if this is due to the EU regulations regarding headphone volume or an issue with the design, but there were times we could not get past this limitation. We mostly skipped using DAC mode due to this limitation and recommend using a DAC/AMP in passive mode for the best sound. This will be especially problematic for users with hearing issues as the volume most likely won’t go high enough to overcome it. This is unfortunate, as the headphones sounded excellent in both modes.