T + A SOLITAIRE S430 LOUDSPEAKERS REVIEW

German manufacturer T + A’s Solitaire S430 loudspeakers are plumbed into the Hifi PiG reference system for a few weeks. How does this 25K loudspeaker perform?

BUILD OF THE T + A SOLITAIRE S430 LOUDSPEAKERS

These are a medium height loudspeaker standing just under 120cms with 2 x 220mm bass drivers, 2 x 150mm mid units and a 50mm magnetostat tweeter. They are a true three-way design using a crossover that T + A calls a Fast Signal Response unit. This crossover is a distinct feature of these speakers with each band (bass, mid, and treble) having the ability to be fine-tuned via a series of switches in the back of each speaker. The complex crossover and driver complement give a sensitivity of 86dB and so I would suggest they should be paired with an amp with ample grunt to power these – our Electrocompaniet AW 800 M worked beautifully with these speakers and I’d not hesitate to recommend them as an excellent pairing.

You do get magnetic grilles but for me hiding the fronts of these beautiful-looking speakers would be something of a crime and I left them off for the duration – I don’t think I even unpacked them.

The drivers are all housed on an aluminium front plate with no screws visible and each driver has a slight wave-guide created for it by the front panel.

The cabinet itself is beautifully finished and definitely exudes an air of these being a luxury item. This luxury feel carries on through the high gloss black finish that these speakers came in  – they are available in High Gloss Macassar and Arctic Silver and in addition, the customer can choose between a black or silver aluminium baffle and a black or a silver grille – and the speaker posts that are amongst the best I’ve encountered on any speaker!

The build on these speakers is absolutely stellar and they do look like a premium product, of that there is no mistaking. They are definitely as well put together as the Audiovector R6 we have at home and better finished than the Audio Group Denmark speakers we had in recently…though the latter are a ten grand speaker and so not a fair comparison. This level of finish matters to a lot of people and whilst I’m sure there are going to be people out there who claim it is only the sound that matters then I’m afraid that (to many) this simply just is not the case for many consumers. As a bit of a departure, let’s take watches as an example. A mechanical automatic watch will keep worse time than a quartz watch and certainly worse time than your smartphone, however, people still go out and buy them. The movements matter, of course, but the level of finish on a watch is also paramount to those looking to spend large sums…and the same is true for speakers, turntables, amplifiers, handbags, motorcars…whatever. Anyway, the T + A speakers are gorgeous to look at, but how do they sound?

SOUND OF THE SOLITAIRE S430 BY T + A

For the purposes of this review, the speakers have been hooked up to our Electrocompaniet power amp which was being fed by our Vinius TVC preamplifier. The sources were a Technics 1200G with Hana Umami Red through a Music First SUT and Phono-stage, or a STACK Audio streamer through a Lampizator DAC.  The speakers were run in for a good couple of weeks or so mixing through them, and whilst this is no way to evaluate speakers, what I have found is that you do get a good feel for their make-up and the better the speaker is, the easier it becomes to accurately mix records. I suppose this latter point is down to (in part) being able to hear small nuances in a record. Anyway, I digress.

The tweeters on these are called the Mag50 magnetostat that T + A say are based on the TPM 3100 and TPM 2500 headphone drivers, which I found really interesting. Pulling from the company’s website this unit’s “internal construction consists of a WaveArray conductor – developed specifically for this application – whose conductive aluminium is etched onto a carrier film using a photo-chemical process. The slightly undulating course of the conductors is carefully calculated to prevent harmful linear modes. A Draft Control System, adopted from the Solitaire P-SE and modified for use in loudspeakers, ensures that the flow characteristics in the Mag50 are efficient, and turbulence at the magnets is minimised, so that even the tiniest negative influences are eliminated. In spite of its length of just 50 millimetres, the ten magnets – arranged in two rows – of the Mag50 constantly deliver ample drive power for impressive sound levels, while the harmful distortion normally generated by small magnetostats is eliminated before it can develop, by the deliberate modulation of the magnetic field …” T + A compare this to an electrostatic unit without having the need for a generator that is usually needed for such a driver. I get this analogy of the electrostatic headphone driver and there is a very crystalline quality to the upper frequencies. That is, the very upper frequencies are sparkly and fast with a real sense of what is going on around the instrument or sound. This leads to, for example, the guitar on 10,000 Maniacs Candy Everybody Wants to cut through the mix and appearing somewhat distinct from the rest of the mix, though not artificially so – there’s layering of the sounds in the mix which you can hear and this leads to detail and a sense of space around instruments. This effect is apparent also on Doug MacLeod’s Black Nights’ guitar, where the twang and tone of the steel string cuts through the very simple mix. On the same tune, there is a shimmering brushed cymbal sound and this too cuts through the tune rather than feeling lost and barely perceptible. I am not suggesting that the treble frequencies are pushed to the fore (they aren’t) but if you feel the need to look into a tune’s makeup, then you can and you can with ease in this frequency band. Overall, I’d say that there is a naturalness to this tweeter’s implementation that is both detailed and yet relaxed – the two don’t always go hand in hand and I have found some other speakers sound pushed here to create a sense of detail that becomes tiring after long listening sessions.

The tweeters on the Solitaire S430 are developed from headphone drivers and integrate beautifully into this loudspeaker system

Mid drivers on these speakers get called a Symmetric Directivity system (SDs) that works with the tweeter discussed above. I suppose I ought to have discussed the mid and treble as whole as I believe that is how T + A conceived this SDs, but for the sake of the review process, I have split them up. The Solitaire S430s use two 15cm aluminium drivers so that the excursion of each driver is halved for the same effect (volume), which T + A says reduces overall distortion. There is also a degree of directionality built into the speakers’ mid and top system (as the name suggests) and the goal here is to reduce the effect of the room on the performance and (specifically) the sound staging of the S430s. This is interesting, though its efficacy is difficult to estimate in this already well-treated room. However, there is a definite feeling that from a spatial aspect, you are listening to a speaker that throws a convincing soundstage between the two speakers AND somewhat beyond them to the sides. I initially set these speakers up as I usually do with them pointing directly to where my ears are  – that is, the left speaker’s centre is pointed directly at my left ear and the right speaker to my right ear. I don’t know if this is how T + A meant them to be set up, but it works very well and sonically there is a kind of bubble of a stage thrown into the room. It’s kind of how I recall the earlier AudioPhysic speakers sounding with regard to sound staging – this is a very good thing, by the way! There’s also a sweetness to the mids that had me drawn to listening to less electronic music and more to the likes of Roy Harper and other more stripped-back kinds of music. However, when Harper gets going on tunes like Cherishing The Lonesome, you get to feel the electric guitars and can hear into their tone and make-up -again, this is a very good thing.

The Solitaire S430 is a true three-way design

A word about positioning. I had the speakers set up as described above and a way from both back and side walls, but once placed I didn’t feel the need to fanny about fine-tuning their positioning and the downward firing bass port is a sensible move for T + A to adopt. In a room where the speakers need to be placed close to back walls then I don’t think users are going to experience and issues. Yes, if placed in corners the bass is going to be reinforced somewhat, but that goes for all speakers in my experience and you can actually use this to your advantage in some case. Anyway, you can play with the bass tuning (and mid and top) with the switches on the back.

In the mid-band, the T + A speakers are fantastic and match any of the reference speakers we have to hand. And I do think this is perhaps something to do with how they have been voiced to appeal to a more “audiophile” audience, for which mid-band is king. In this respect T + A has played something of a blinder with these speakers, particularly with the way in which the upper-mid-band integrates seamlessly with the output of the tweeter. With vocal performances, they come across as being as natural a speaker as we have had in the house. There is an unforced and natural way in which vocal performances are put out into the room with these speakers; a sort of close your eyes and let the performance wash over you kind of ease. There’s also a feeling of uncoloured speed to the mid-band with these speakers. I don’t really know if that last statement makes sense but what I mean is that nothing hangs in the air other than the relevant effects and spatial cues of the recording space – it’s a very monitor-like feeling.

Let’s talk about the bass on the Solitaire S430s. If I’m comparing our reference speakers (the Audiovector R6 in this case) then I would suggest that the T+A lack the ultimate bass slam of the R6, but then the R6 do benefit from an isobaric bass system, which I feel adds something in the heft department that the bass-reflex system in the T + A speakers does not (quite) match. This is not to say that the T + A speakers do not go low, they do and they are very pleasing, rather, I am suggesting that the R6 have more slam and overall a more visceral quality to them. Now, this is merely an observation and me expressing my own personal preferences for the R6 in this area, others may prefer a less “in your gut” bass experience offered by the Solitaire S430s. Perhaps some will suggest that the bass on the T + A is more accurate and definitely on tracks like Pan-Pot’s Bow and its very low and bendy (almost UK garage but not quite) bass you get the feeling that the speakers are in full control and there are no hanging bass sounds – yep, they are a fast speaker across the board!

Certainly, on the kind of music I found myself down to using these speakers, the bass performance was never something I thought was lacking in any way. However, switching the styles a little to Dusty Kid and the track The Woodpecker you get the hats centre stage and all the rest of the mid/high sounds at the beginning of the track, but you also feel a good deal of the heft of the track when the acid line and kick come in at bang on a minute. This isn’t nightclub bass, but it is tight and controlled and certainly fills the room. Some will really like this somewhat less in-your-face quality and some will find it a little more tame than they are used to. I put myself in the latter group, but then regular readers will be well of where I stand on this. Actually, with all that said, I’d certainly not whine about having these on the system and banging out the techno. Again, I’d say there is a monitor(esque) feel to the bass on the Solitaires.

The cabinet is tapered like the bow of a boat

And you can push these speakers to volumes you’d not want to for long periods without them throwing a fit and getting all confused. The crossover and bass work very well together with the last third of the Woodpecker track I mentioned banging along like a good-un. Speed and control are to the fore and there is a certain degree of refinement at play, but the Solitaires can bang the tunes out too. Actually, this track sounds pretty awesome through these speakers and my preference for the R6s becomes only a marginal preference….though it is still there.

What is better about these speakers than the R6 is a sense of accuracy throughout the listening experience and again I would perhaps describe them as being more akin to a monitor loudspeaker than the R6 are. I’d be happy to use these in a studio environment for mixing techno down and would prefer them in that scenario to the R6 reference.

Around the back of each of the speakers on the backplate are three switches with each switch having three positions. The bass, mid, and treble are thus tuneable to your own taste and these certainly do have an effect on the sonic characteristics of the speakers. I think this too is a very sensible feature for T + A to include. To an extent, this feature allows the Solitaires to become all things to all people and personally I really enjoyed playing with this. I also suppose that different people, and specifically the tinkerers amongst us, will love playing with these and will perhaps have favoured positions for different genres/tunes. It also gives a degree of tunability with regards setting the speakers up with regards to how your room sounds. Clever move!!!

The Solitarie s430 in a home environemnt

NIGGLES

I genuinely don’t think I can find fault with these speakers other than me expressing a preference for our R6’s isobaric bass system…but I’m going to try anyway.

Price is going to be an issue, but the fit and finish is certainly quite luxurious.

The Solitaire are 86dB sensitive and so will definitely need an amplifier that has some grunt to it.

CONCLUSION

I REALLY enjoyed my time with these speakers, both when running them in whilst mixing on a set of 1210s and whilst putting them through their paces in our reference system.

The speakers are beautifully finished and technically they are excellent, with a good deal of thought having gone into each aspect of their make-up.

I loved the way the crossover seamlessly integrates the drivers and yet allows instruments to stand alone in the mix. I also really liked that there is a degree of tunability of each of the frequency ranges with the switches on the back of the speakers.

Soundstaging is excellent and not overblown – akin to how I remember the best AudioPhysics of yore.

The speakers are easy to position too and so will find favour in many homes.

I am awarding these our highest award and I am doing this because they are a seriously good-sounding speaker that is finished really beautifully. If you can afford them, have a bit of space, and the associated amplifier and other kit then I urge you to give these speakers a listen. You will not be disappointed!

AT A GLANCE

Build and Features:

Fabulous build quality and great-looking

Relatively compact

Well-thought-out design features including a downward firing bass port that eases placement issues to a degree

Switches on the back panel allow a degree of tuning to taste and room

Sound Quality:

In many ways, these speakers have a monitor-like quality

Excellent but not over-exaggerated sound-staging that I thought reminiscent of what I remember the early AudioPhysic speakers to be like

Don’t have quite the bass slam of our Audiovector R6 but that is not to say they are bass-light in any way

An etched quality to the sounds within the mix that allows the listener to separate the mix if they want to

Relaxed and easy to get on with but also detailed and exciting when called for

Value For Money:

Certainly not what would be described as a budget loudspeaker but their build and sound quality are commensurate with (and in some cases well beyond) other speakers costing this amount

We Loved:

An easy and relaxing speaker to listen to with the right kind of music but also a speaker that has the ability to play rock and techno with ease

Great styling and build quality

We Didn’t Love So Much:

The cabs are a bit of a fingerprint magnet

Quite expensive but in fairness no more expensive than similarly (and lesser) specified and finished speakers

Bass slam is not as good as our reference speakers

You need a beefy amp to get the best out of them

Elevator Pitch Review: The T + A Solitaire S430 25K (euro) loudspeaker is fairly compact, has a downward-firing bass port, and tuning switches to allow use in a wide variety of homes. Its finish is excellent and sonically it performs amongst the best at this price, though you will need a gruntsome amplifier to get the best out of them.

Price:

Germany: EUR 25,000 inc. 19% VAT

UK: GBP 23,500 inc. 20% VAT

USA: USD 29,900

Stuart Smith

SUPPLIED BY T + A