My impressions of this gear are starting to take shape. The Kennerton are very nice headphones, not radically different from my ZMF Omni Blackwood in overall signature. That is to say, these extract a very nice amount of detail, but are surprisingly smooth and not at all bright or brittle-sounding. They are also extremely efficient, and work quite well on my Onkyo DP-X1 portable DAP. This was a most pleasant surprise, as I tend to listen in different parts of the house via this or another DAP, and it is wonderful to get such excellent sound from a DAP in my pocket!
The overall sig is smooth, balanced, with very tight and well-defined bass and a more polite treble than I was expecting. For some reason, I thought these would sound a bit hotter and brighter than they do, so this is closer to my preferences than I would have thought. Again, the Omni comes to mind due to its overall smoothness and musicality across a the spectrum and also across musical genres. I still prefer my Omnis, though, as the Omni's midrange is a bit more lush and juicy, and with more overall detail in the bass and continuing up into the treble. I continue to enjoy the fine balance of detail and lack of fatigue that the Omni has achieved, and that seems to be so difficult to find (at least, to my ears!). The Omnis need much more power, however, so the DAP listening experience is less compelling without an outboard amp.
Comparing to my Fostex TH-X00, the sound is more neutral and balanced, particularly with the Fostex's more V-shaped, "fun" signature. The Vali's treble is smoother and is far from harsh, where the X00 can sometimes be a bit sharp to my ears, although it is still very enjoyable overall. Different categories and prices of headphones, to be sure, and they do sound quite different. The X00 sometimes sounds more detailed than the Vali due to its hotter treble, and with good recordings this is fine. If the music is bright, though, the X00 only calls attention to this. The Vali does not shy away from such material.
I listened to Seal's first album start to finish with both the Vali and my newly-acquired HE-6 (modded), and while I am still getting used to these, they are a world apart. The bass of the Hifiman is spectacular, but not only in quantity. I have heard textures among the different types of basses played by a variety of artists now, textures, which no other headohones have revealed to me before. I'm not qualified to give grandiose impressions of the HE-6 yet, but with a great amp, these are spectacular, and the fine detail cues are present in every part of the spectrum. Going back to the Vali, the finest details are a bit more rolled off, but the experience is still very pleasant and engaging. Other music that has been a part of this back and forth includes Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Rush (24/96 FLAC for all of these), Chick Corea, Toy Matinee, Norah Jones, and others. Amplifiers used are the Schiit Mjolnir (first gen) and Cayin IHA-6. The Cayin is a particularly nice mesh with the Vali, since the Cayin is extremely detailed, and has a bit more brilliance than my Mjolnir, which makes it blend nicely with the slightly darker Vali.
The build quality of the Vali is high-quality, and there is a bit of a steam-punk vibe about the industrial looking metal parts combined with the wood cups. This is a pretty heavy headphone, and the pads could be a bit softer, but it is not an uncomfortable combination overall.
This is my first time reviewing gear, so please forgive the wandering commentary through this. I'll try to tighten up my writing and opinions and add my thoughts on the Cayin gear later.
