So i got the Kennerton Heartland.
Can this beautiful and lightweight planar headphone deliver the high expectations i had for it?
The looks is already in the TOTL tier, rich wood around the cups, very comfy leather pads, a weight that puts it in the "do i even have a headphone on my head now" tier (i have a pair of R70x, the only other headphone that literally feels like having nothing at all on your head)and a beautiful carrying case.
But that's all details and extra, that enrich an experience, but let's get down to business.
They advertise these headphones as having a 20micrometer thick membrane. Now, i don't delve in technical analysis because that's for brouchures, BUT it might actually be relevant this time around more than it could seem. More on that later.
To have an actual rating, you got to have a way to mark stuff. And i chose arbitrarly and absolutely because i have them to tie my review to THE benchmark i have in my possession: the Audeze LCD-5.
That to me is the apex predator of headphones, all to be measured by. If you want to contradict me, loan me a HE-1 or a 1266abyss or a susvara and i can give you my opinion. but since i don't have the chance to try them, the LCD-5 to me are the top.
So, with that in mind, i simply enjoyed music on my 5s, then went on the same track with the Heartland, to feel the differences, nuances, and thus give you a way to interpret what i write as more than self-served article and an actual useful way to gauge your interest in the Heartland.
Classical song:
"La leggenda del piave"
Let's go with something opposed to those who might want a low-end bump: classical music.
On the LCD-5 you get the most 1:1 rendering you can ask for, meaning you pay for all the sound, you get ALL the sound. Details are all there, if you can't find them they are not there.
How do the heartland scale in such a field? This headphone shows a darker image, less highs, but while i was concerned it might end up murdering this kind of audio, i was relieved. Kennerton managed to make a "weighty" sound, without sacrificing on the altar of bass the high frequencies. They are "less" the focus of interest, but they are there, not to be forgotten. Bass frequencies are exalted but in a way that doens't overextend or mud the voices or the other high pitched instruments. Male voices are clear and crips. At first i felt like details weren't all there, but only because the LCD5 shows them with no preference, while the heartland puts them there in their own interpretation. This was a big relief because i can't stand headphones with bad technical performances.
The heartland in this case show themselves as a "sidegrade" to the LCD5, the 5s winning in overall detail, the Heartland giving a different rendition that is quite warming.
"Grand Septuor de L. van Beethoven, S465 - Movement 1： Adagio – Allegro con brio"
Again a song masterfully done with the 5, becomes more warm and less analytic.
Remember how i said the thicker membrane was not some empty technical spec but actually helps with knowing the type of sound these headphones make?
Here you have a song that is 100% instrumental, lots of highs, and you can feel the difference clearly. The thicker membrane doesn't just improve bass quality and quantity, but also gives higher frequencies a different character, giving them more persistence and reverb. While listeting to classical music in a romanic church, I had the very similar feeling of music being reinforced by the thick stone walls and reverbered in a way that reminded me of the Heartland. So in this case, you will feel with classical music as you had the center sit of an orchestra in a glorious romanic church, the reverb increasing the overall warmth of the music, while being able to enjoy the whole frequency spectrum in a more comfortable and yet powerful way.
Voice-centric songs:
"Legata ad un granello di sale"
Here again the 5 shows the pitch perfect rendition with zero additions, a true perfect sound.
Heartland meanwhile gives the warmth of a blanket to the voice, without suffucating the highs. The heartland again shows a favor for the low end that stays put in its place, without sacrificing other frequencies. this kind of balancing act means you get both the bass boost but without the mudding or death of higher frequencies.
Rap:
So yeah bass-heavy songs, let's see what happens.
"Rap God"
They are already bass boosted. since they mostly rely on basses to entice the listener, they improve on it and makes it even more visceral. In this case, i find myself favoring the heartland over LCD5 sound on the grounds of the song itself presenting itself bass-favoring, so it enhances it.
"Volare MIchael Feiner Remix"
Remix of the old song "Volare", again the bass boost shows that the Heartland don't just go up with the decibels but increases the coherency, texture and details of the bass. This helps better understanding WHAT the HL actually does to the sound. It doesn't just boost bass, it helps keeping it detailed and "in check", that is not becoming a garbled overboosted mess or invade the higher frequencies. The 5 give you the more dry and pitch perfect experience, the heartland give you the more heartfelt and visceral feeling, that doesn't skimp on technicalities.
"X gon' Give it to Ya"
Yeah again, better texture and better impact of the low end for the heartland vs the LCD5, that are perfect in their pitch, but since this kind of song goes hard for the bass, heartland exceptionally helps render it in a way that is both powerful and detailed, enhancing the song intself.
Closing:
These headphones are bass-improved (saying bass-centric would be demeaning their rendition of other frequencies), and are very pleasant to listen to in various genres. If you were to aim for a "one headphone", my sincere opinion is to go for the LCD5. But, if you want a FUN headphone, that will end up very often on your ears and let you enjoy your music, not to mention being the most confortable i have ever tried, then the Heartland is for you. You want a neutral monitor? They're not it. They're FUN monitors, with improved bass presence and texture, that doesn't sacrifice higher frequencies and instead just choses to highlight the lower ones.
If you are the type that enjoys a more visceral sound, it's a 10/10. If you are more into neutral but want to enjoy a different approach, they are 9/10.
Kennerton made an incredibily light headphone, put in a wonderfully tuned drivers that are quite heavy hitting, and on top it all put beautiful wooden finish to it.
They are lightweight, sturdy and i could enjoy them even on the go.
Addendum:
I noticed an improvement in sound quality and detail after a couple weeks of use. if such changes continue, i will update the review. It seems the higher frequencies managed to be more detailed and present, contrary to when i first used the Heartland.
