T+A Solitaire CWT Loudspeakers, Synergistic PowerCell Power Conditioner, Aurender N10 Server, Critical Mass Systems Platform

No less a personage than Jim Austin suggested that I check out all the new products in the T+A Elektroakustik room, presented by retailer Lone Star Audio. Given that every single T+A product was brand new and pressed into service just 48 hours earlier, and that exhibitors are prohibited from running systems at break-in volumes (if at all) at night, the fact that my brief listening session left such a positive impression makes me eager to hear how everything will sound after it settles in.

Regardless of the lack of break-in, the system did an extremely fine job of capturing bass. The top was rather lively and silvery on Stevie Ray Vaughan's woefully overplayed albeit unquestionably well-recorded "Tin Pan Alley," but the midrange was spot on. Far more significant, the T+A system virtually brought me to tears on music I know and love: Cecilia Bartoli's recording of Vivaldi's aria, "Sei mai senti spirarti sul volto" from an opera that you have undoubtedly never heard, Catone in Utica. Bartoli was very closely miked on this recording, which we streamed from Tidal in 24/96, with her every subtle inflection and intention magnified. By the time she had finished the 10-minute aria, I felt I had heard everything that can be heard from this recording, and felt from it everything that can felt. What a wonderful experience.

Heard: T+A M 40 hybrid monoblocks ($59,000/pair) with a dual triode input stage and solid-state output stage, here tied together and run in parallel to enable bi-amping of the T+A Solitaire CWT 1000-40 carbon fiber loudspeakers ($73,500/pair). These, too, are hybrids of a sort that combine an electrostatic top with a line-array midrange and four 8" cross-firing woofers per speaker side. Also heard: T+A SDV 3100 HV DAC with preamp ($37,500), which upsamples to DSD 1024 and PCM 768, and includes a built-in streamer/server that is on its way to becoming a Roon endpoint; T+A PDT 3100 HV transport ($22,500) with separate CD and SACD lasers and power supplies; Synergistic Power Cell 12 UEF SE ($6500); Aurender N10 server/streamer ($8000); and CMS Filters isolation platform ($3000). Here's hoping that I can review one of the T+A products before long.

COMMENTS
Josh Hill's picture

One of the more impressive systems I heard, although I though the dynamic midrange couldn't quite keep up with that amazing tweeter!

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