In summary, I like the Magister. I think it’s a good addition to my small collection of headphones and I honestly find the bogwood appealing—quite unique compared to other headphones out there. Most importantly, I do like its sound quality. In my opinion, it shines with vocals, especially compared to my Beyerdynamic T1.
Background
This is my first time to review an audio product. As you’ll read below, it’s part of the deal when I purchased my Kennerton Magister. Thought I start with some background of myself to put more context to this review.
I am relatively new to high-end audio. My very first “expensive” audio gear was the Shure SE530 back in 2010—and I thought that was the pinnacle of what hi-fi sounds like. It wasn’t until 2014 that I decided I needed a headphone for use at home—since the Shure IEMs wasn’t very comfortable. Went to the store set on a buying a Shure headphones (given I’ve been happy with that brand) till I saw a promotion on Beyerdynamics. I never heard of that brand before (I know now that Beyer is a popular brand among audio enthusiasts)—and since I didn’t want the hassle of going back to the store again, I used my phone to read though some reviews and jumped on the T1. Little did I know that I needed an amp and DAC and so the expensive purchase became even more expensive! However, the T1 made me realize that the Shure was good, but wasn’t great. That said, the T1 was just too big for travel—and I doubt it would work well on planes given the background noise. And so my next purchase was also an impulse one when I saw another promotion at a different store for a CIEM. The deal felt too good to pass for me and ended up buying an Heir 10.A—again, a brand I’ve never before.
I bet you’ve probably realized by now how new I am in this space. Additionally, how I tend to buy on impulse (easily influenced by good deals)—and I guess I’ve been lucky so far as I’ve been very happy with my Beyer T1 and my Heir 10.A. I’ve read a lot more since then so I hope I am more “educated” this this regard, but nevertheless nothing beats experience.
Anyway, I was hoping I was done with my audio purchases—unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, I stumbled on a deal for Kennerton Magister. As part of that deal, however, I do have to write this review. (It would have been great if I got the unit for free, but alas, it was only a discount off the retail price).
One additional caveat to this review beyond what’s already implied above. Since I have limited equipment, I’ll be doing more of an impression and a comparison to my T1. I know it’s not really apples to apples—one being open/semi-open, the other being closed. As such, some of my comments may be a result of that difference as opposed to some unique the Magister has to offer. Nonetheless, I still hope this would be helpful for people considering buying a closed headphones—or someone who has a T1 like me. Another difference between the T1 and Magister is the price. The SRP of T1 is about 50% higher than Magister. Interestingly though, I was able to get my brand new T1 for about 750USD in Singapore, whereas beyond the “review promotion”, the Magister will set you back about 900USD. I’ve also seen the T1 go on promotion on Amazon for around the price of Magister. With this, I would argue that the price is now similar and this is an important point to consider in terms of comparing what they offer.
Kennerton Magister
I won’t bother going into much detail here of what the Magister is. I guess most of the information is already in their website (http://kennerton.com/products/magister.html). One thing I’ll highlight though is the 2000 yr-old bogwood probably being the key selling point. It definitely looks nice.
Size wise, the Magister is big—especially compared with the T1 which I thought was already pretty big.
The construction of the headphones is also very good and gives the impression of durability. Compared to the T1 though, it doesn’t feel luxurious. The T1’s bands are softer whereas the Magister’s, well, feels tougher.
The Magister is provided with a 2 meter replaceable cable. I’ve actually read others commenting how thick the wires are, so I thought I do a comparison.
The cables shown from left are (1) Heir Magnus 1, (2) Spare cable with screw in adaptor Kennerton generously provided but don’t think it is part of the standard package, (3) Magister cable—mine didn’t come with a plug adaptor, (4) T1 cable. I wouldn’t say the standard Magister cable (#3 above) is too thick especially compared with the T1. I actually think it looks and feels nice and of good quality, though probably on the stiffer side. (The Kennerton spare cable and the T1 are definitely more flexible.)
Interestingly, the cable was 2 meters long. The website states it to be 3 meters… I think 2 meter is just fine though especially if you plan to carry it (for example with a portable DAP even just around the house).
It is unfortunate though that it only looks and feels that way. My cable started acting up after a few uses (and I wasn’t even disconnecting/reconnecting the cables!). The left audio breaks when I move or wobble the cable. I’m hoping this is not indicative of the overall quality/durability of Kennerton’s product—after all, even the best brands do have DOA from the to time. It does come with a 3 year warranty.
Looking at the cable more closely, it seems that the culprit is the internal plastic molding didn’t fully covered the connection. As a result, wobbling the cable caused the metal to lose contact. I took a peak further inside saw where this likely occurs… and also wondered why they didn’t solder it.
Anyway, good that they gave me a spare cable so I was able to continue listening and enjoying my headphones. And in case you’re wondering, no, they didn’t give me a spare in anticipation that the main cable would be defective—or at least I hope so! I actually asked if I could get a slimmer cable as I’ve read the default cable is way too think.
After writing to Kennerton to inquire where I could have the wires replaced, they kindly offered to send me replacements—and not one, but two. I think it was a very good gesture from them. The new cables also came in a very nice container box. I received the package in my office and got a few people complimenting the item. The cover is wood. The container itself is made of cardboard. Would have been nicer if the container were more durable to complement that of the cover. That would really encourage the reuse of the container for other stuff… but perhaps it’s just me and it was never intended to be reused.
Sound quality
The Magister requires some burn-in time before it shows its potential. In fact, I was initially disappointed when I first got it before I remembered to do some burn-in. It didn’t take a lot. Possibly 1-2 hrs listening for a week did the trick.
For the most part, I used my existing set up. TEAC UD-501 as my DAC and Schiit Valhalla 2 as my amp. One difference though is how I would listen to the Magister and T1 is the gain level. I used low gain with the Magister with its 64 ohms impedance and high for the T1 with its 600 ohms and higher power requirements. One good thing about the Magister is that it’s much easier to drive. My Fiio X3II is able to drive it well at low gain and with volume set at around 70 / 120.
After the burn-in period, I’d say that I do like the sound. In fact, there were a couple of songs that I thought sounded OK with my T1. Listening with the Magister, however, the song was quite enjoyable. I think vocals is where it really shines. One such song is Adele’s Someone Like You. With the Magister, her presence is stronger. I also think that there’s more separation between the piano and her voice with the Magister versus the T1.
Another song where I thought this is the case is Ed Sheeran’s I See Fire. His voice also exudes a stronger presence with the Magister. One aspect that I also noticed listening to this song with the Magister is the perception that I’m listening in a large room. Perhaps I am sensing a slight echo? I’m guessing this is probably because of the difference between a closed versus an open headphone. The room effect comes out pretty nicely and likely creates that feeling of the stronger presence. I won’t be surprised if a lot of this nicety is a result of the interior shape of the wood. From what I understand, it has a unique step shape and even the bottom portion have pyramid carvings. This is how they show it on their website.
In Spanish Harlem, the T1 and Magister sounded somewhat different from each other. Perhaps the echo on the vocals is enhanced a bit—but in a nice way— on the Magister. While both sounded good, I think I prefer the Magister on this.
There are, however, music where I strongly prefer the T1 over the Magister. Listening to The Magnificent Seven by Erich Kunzel Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the T1 has a more balanced feel and the much wider sound stage is simply better. The T1 makes me focus on the violin with the trumpets being less emphasized. The Magister, on the other hand, makes me hear the trumpets more and to in some instances, the violin is relegated to the background. The superiority of the sound stage of T1 is also evident in Jennifer Warnes’ Way Down Deep. Here, I felt that the drums in both T1 and Magister’s sounded good. However, there’s a shaker instrument in the intro section where in the T1, I can sense more spatial movement while it’s being shaken. With the Magister, I can sense that it’s towards the far right, but that’s about it.
Comfort
Overall, I find the Magister comfortable. That said, the T1 is definitely much more comfortable. In fact, I can see how some people might find the Magister uncomfortable, particularly with the strong clasp. It’s actually quite evident in the side-by-side photos with the T1 I’ve included above. You’ll notice that the T1 doesn’t close all the way in normal resting position—whereas the Magister is fully closed. To give you a sense of how strong the clasp is, if I were to extend the bands all the way for both the T1 and the Magister, the T1 would slip whereas the Magister would stay in place. In other words, the T1 is held in place by both the band (resting on the top of my head) as well as the light clasp on both ears. The Magister, on the other hand, can be supported entirely by the strong clasp. When wearing it, I also have to exert some effort to open it. Doesn’t bother me. But had my head been slightly bigger, I’ll have to exert even more effort and the clasp would be even stronger—and that I can imagine would not be comfortable at all.
The Magister uses leather pads, whereas the T1 has velour. Comfort wise, the T1 wins. However, I can imagine the Magister being more durable. Good thing both are easily replaceable.
Packaging
I don’t know whether a lot of people here would pay attention to this aspect: packaging. I find it a bit disappointing that it feels like Kennerton skimped on this. Comparing the outer packaging, the T1 feels more premium—especially given the street price being similar.
Looking inside, again, the T1 with its aluminum box feels and looks more luxurious than Kennerton’s. The Kennerton fabric feels a bit cheap—though the leather handle and branding somewhat compensates, but not fully. Having said that, I have to say it is more functional. The fact that it is a bag makes it usable to practical around—that is, if you would want to actually use it outside given its size. Good thing is you don’t need a large amp to drive it, unlike the T1. I probably would have preferred Kennerton providing a full leather bag—or ballistic nylon. Understandably, it would increase the cost and one could argue that any incremental cost would be better spent on improving the headphones rather than the container.
Conclusion
As shared in the summary, I liked the Magister. I think it really sounds good with vocals, especially compared to my Beyerdynamic T1. As to whether I recommend it, I guess I don’t have much comparison to other closed headphones to give a credible recommendation. Admittedly, I don’t think I would recommend this over the T1—then again, either can I recommend the T1 over this. They just sound different so much so that I plan to keep both and hope to continue enjoying both for the foreseeable future.
Background
This is my first time to review an audio product. As you’ll read below, it’s part of the deal when I purchased my Kennerton Magister. Thought I start with some background of myself to put more context to this review.
I am relatively new to high-end audio. My very first “expensive” audio gear was the Shure SE530 back in 2010—and I thought that was the pinnacle of what hi-fi sounds like. It wasn’t until 2014 that I decided I needed a headphone for use at home—since the Shure IEMs wasn’t very comfortable. Went to the store set on a buying a Shure headphones (given I’ve been happy with that brand) till I saw a promotion on Beyerdynamics. I never heard of that brand before (I know now that Beyer is a popular brand among audio enthusiasts)—and since I didn’t want the hassle of going back to the store again, I used my phone to read though some reviews and jumped on the T1. Little did I know that I needed an amp and DAC and so the expensive purchase became even more expensive! However, the T1 made me realize that the Shure was good, but wasn’t great. That said, the T1 was just too big for travel—and I doubt it would work well on planes given the background noise. And so my next purchase was also an impulse one when I saw another promotion at a different store for a CIEM. The deal felt too good to pass for me and ended up buying an Heir 10.A—again, a brand I’ve never before.
I bet you’ve probably realized by now how new I am in this space. Additionally, how I tend to buy on impulse (easily influenced by good deals)—and I guess I’ve been lucky so far as I’ve been very happy with my Beyer T1 and my Heir 10.A. I’ve read a lot more since then so I hope I am more “educated” this this regard, but nevertheless nothing beats experience.
Anyway, I was hoping I was done with my audio purchases—unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, I stumbled on a deal for Kennerton Magister. As part of that deal, however, I do have to write this review. (It would have been great if I got the unit for free, but alas, it was only a discount off the retail price).
One additional caveat to this review beyond what’s already implied above. Since I have limited equipment, I’ll be doing more of an impression and a comparison to my T1. I know it’s not really apples to apples—one being open/semi-open, the other being closed. As such, some of my comments may be a result of that difference as opposed to some unique the Magister has to offer. Nonetheless, I still hope this would be helpful for people considering buying a closed headphones—or someone who has a T1 like me. Another difference between the T1 and Magister is the price. The SRP of T1 is about 50% higher than Magister. Interestingly though, I was able to get my brand new T1 for about 750USD in Singapore, whereas beyond the “review promotion”, the Magister will set you back about 900USD. I’ve also seen the T1 go on promotion on Amazon for around the price of Magister. With this, I would argue that the price is now similar and this is an important point to consider in terms of comparing what they offer.
Kennerton Magister
I won’t bother going into much detail here of what the Magister is. I guess most of the information is already in their website (http://kennerton.com/products/magister.html). One thing I’ll highlight though is the 2000 yr-old bogwood probably being the key selling point. It definitely looks nice.
Size wise, the Magister is big—especially compared with the T1 which I thought was already pretty big.
The construction of the headphones is also very good and gives the impression of durability. Compared to the T1 though, it doesn’t feel luxurious. The T1’s bands are softer whereas the Magister’s, well, feels tougher.
The Magister is provided with a 2 meter replaceable cable. I’ve actually read others commenting how thick the wires are, so I thought I do a comparison.
The cables shown from left are (1) Heir Magnus 1, (2) Spare cable with screw in adaptor Kennerton generously provided but don’t think it is part of the standard package, (3) Magister cable—mine didn’t come with a plug adaptor, (4) T1 cable. I wouldn’t say the standard Magister cable (#3 above) is too thick especially compared with the T1. I actually think it looks and feels nice and of good quality, though probably on the stiffer side. (The Kennerton spare cable and the T1 are definitely more flexible.)
Interestingly, the cable was 2 meters long. The website states it to be 3 meters… I think 2 meter is just fine though especially if you plan to carry it (for example with a portable DAP even just around the house).
It is unfortunate though that it only looks and feels that way. My cable started acting up after a few uses (and I wasn’t even disconnecting/reconnecting the cables!). The left audio breaks when I move or wobble the cable. I’m hoping this is not indicative of the overall quality/durability of Kennerton’s product—after all, even the best brands do have DOA from the to time. It does come with a 3 year warranty.
Looking at the cable more closely, it seems that the culprit is the internal plastic molding didn’t fully covered the connection. As a result, wobbling the cable caused the metal to lose contact. I took a peak further inside saw where this likely occurs… and also wondered why they didn’t solder it.
Anyway, good that they gave me a spare cable so I was able to continue listening and enjoying my headphones. And in case you’re wondering, no, they didn’t give me a spare in anticipation that the main cable would be defective—or at least I hope so! I actually asked if I could get a slimmer cable as I’ve read the default cable is way too think.
After writing to Kennerton to inquire where I could have the wires replaced, they kindly offered to send me replacements—and not one, but two. I think it was a very good gesture from them. The new cables also came in a very nice container box. I received the package in my office and got a few people complimenting the item. The cover is wood. The container itself is made of cardboard. Would have been nicer if the container were more durable to complement that of the cover. That would really encourage the reuse of the container for other stuff… but perhaps it’s just me and it was never intended to be reused.
Sound quality
The Magister requires some burn-in time before it shows its potential. In fact, I was initially disappointed when I first got it before I remembered to do some burn-in. It didn’t take a lot. Possibly 1-2 hrs listening for a week did the trick.
For the most part, I used my existing set up. TEAC UD-501 as my DAC and Schiit Valhalla 2 as my amp. One difference though is how I would listen to the Magister and T1 is the gain level. I used low gain with the Magister with its 64 ohms impedance and high for the T1 with its 600 ohms and higher power requirements. One good thing about the Magister is that it’s much easier to drive. My Fiio X3II is able to drive it well at low gain and with volume set at around 70 / 120.
After the burn-in period, I’d say that I do like the sound. In fact, there were a couple of songs that I thought sounded OK with my T1. Listening with the Magister, however, the song was quite enjoyable. I think vocals is where it really shines. One such song is Adele’s Someone Like You. With the Magister, her presence is stronger. I also think that there’s more separation between the piano and her voice with the Magister versus the T1.
Another song where I thought this is the case is Ed Sheeran’s I See Fire. His voice also exudes a stronger presence with the Magister. One aspect that I also noticed listening to this song with the Magister is the perception that I’m listening in a large room. Perhaps I am sensing a slight echo? I’m guessing this is probably because of the difference between a closed versus an open headphone. The room effect comes out pretty nicely and likely creates that feeling of the stronger presence. I won’t be surprised if a lot of this nicety is a result of the interior shape of the wood. From what I understand, it has a unique step shape and even the bottom portion have pyramid carvings. This is how they show it on their website.
In Spanish Harlem, the T1 and Magister sounded somewhat different from each other. Perhaps the echo on the vocals is enhanced a bit—but in a nice way— on the Magister. While both sounded good, I think I prefer the Magister on this.
There are, however, music where I strongly prefer the T1 over the Magister. Listening to The Magnificent Seven by Erich Kunzel Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the T1 has a more balanced feel and the much wider sound stage is simply better. The T1 makes me focus on the violin with the trumpets being less emphasized. The Magister, on the other hand, makes me hear the trumpets more and to in some instances, the violin is relegated to the background. The superiority of the sound stage of T1 is also evident in Jennifer Warnes’ Way Down Deep. Here, I felt that the drums in both T1 and Magister’s sounded good. However, there’s a shaker instrument in the intro section where in the T1, I can sense more spatial movement while it’s being shaken. With the Magister, I can sense that it’s towards the far right, but that’s about it.
Comfort
Overall, I find the Magister comfortable. That said, the T1 is definitely much more comfortable. In fact, I can see how some people might find the Magister uncomfortable, particularly with the strong clasp. It’s actually quite evident in the side-by-side photos with the T1 I’ve included above. You’ll notice that the T1 doesn’t close all the way in normal resting position—whereas the Magister is fully closed. To give you a sense of how strong the clasp is, if I were to extend the bands all the way for both the T1 and the Magister, the T1 would slip whereas the Magister would stay in place. In other words, the T1 is held in place by both the band (resting on the top of my head) as well as the light clasp on both ears. The Magister, on the other hand, can be supported entirely by the strong clasp. When wearing it, I also have to exert some effort to open it. Doesn’t bother me. But had my head been slightly bigger, I’ll have to exert even more effort and the clasp would be even stronger—and that I can imagine would not be comfortable at all.
The Magister uses leather pads, whereas the T1 has velour. Comfort wise, the T1 wins. However, I can imagine the Magister being more durable. Good thing both are easily replaceable.
Packaging
I don’t know whether a lot of people here would pay attention to this aspect: packaging. I find it a bit disappointing that it feels like Kennerton skimped on this. Comparing the outer packaging, the T1 feels more premium—especially given the street price being similar.
Looking inside, again, the T1 with its aluminum box feels and looks more luxurious than Kennerton’s. The Kennerton fabric feels a bit cheap—though the leather handle and branding somewhat compensates, but not fully. Having said that, I have to say it is more functional. The fact that it is a bag makes it usable to practical around—that is, if you would want to actually use it outside given its size. Good thing is you don’t need a large amp to drive it, unlike the T1. I probably would have preferred Kennerton providing a full leather bag—or ballistic nylon. Understandably, it would increase the cost and one could argue that any incremental cost would be better spent on improving the headphones rather than the container.
Conclusion
As shared in the summary, I liked the Magister. I think it really sounds good with vocals, especially compared to my Beyerdynamic T1. As to whether I recommend it, I guess I don’t have much comparison to other closed headphones to give a credible recommendation. Admittedly, I don’t think I would recommend this over the T1—then again, either can I recommend the T1 over this. They just sound different so much so that I plan to keep both and hope to continue enjoying both for the foreseeable future.
