WHEN IS A wireless headphone not a wireless headphone? Take a quick look at T+A's Solitaire T and you would be forgiven for thinking it is a fairly standard example of the cut-the cable breed, with aptX HD and AAC Bluetooth supported by switchable noise cancelling and an impressive 70-hour rated battery life. The reality is a little different though.
On this premium set, T+A adds an 'HQ mode' where the decoding configuration changes; the noise-canceling chip powers off and the Bluetooth signal goes through an ESS DAC for decoding and volume adjustment. This signal then heads off to different amplification stages again before passing to the drivers. Claimed battery life in this mode drops to 35 hours.
Want another option? You can switch everything off and enjoy the Solitaire T as a passive headphone via a connector that - unusually for 2022 - is analogue at both ends (and supports balanced and unbalanced signals). Use this with the power switch off and the headphone becomes genuinely passive, with the entire main board bypassed. So the idea is that you can run the Solitaire T as a 'classic' home headphone before powering it up, pairing it to your smartphone and walking out the door.
Bold and beautiful
This story is from the February 2023 edition of Home Cinema Choice.
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This story is from the February 2023 edition of Home Cinema Choice.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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