Hello everyone,
Already, to begin, a small family photo of the four planar headphones Kennerton gathered and listen last night, with left to right: the Kennerton Odin mk1 of my brother (made in sapele wood, mat varnish); my Kennerton Odin mk2 (made in Karelian birch wood); my Kennerton Thror (made in bog oak wood) and the Kennerton Odin Thridi (mk3) (made in sapele wood, glossy varnish).
As a reminder, the weight of theses headphones, without cable, is of the order of 680 g for the Odin mk1 and mk2; 590 g for the Odin Thridi (mk3) and 470 g for the Thror.
The weight reduction compared to Odin mk1 and mk2 is very sensitive on the head with the Thror and a little less with the Odin Thridi.
We did some interesting listenings, last night (Saturday night) with my brother, especially between his Odin mk1 and my Thror and also with the Odin Thridi, a little less with my Odin mk2.
Note: concerning the comparative listening of the Odin mk2 versus Thror, you can re-read my preceding post above (first listening, listened Friday night), and especially my great comparative listening published on head-fi in October 2017 concerning the prototype of Thror (called at the time "Tror", without the h).
Link:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new...m-fischer-at-ifa.732814/page-98#post-13776949
For me, in retrospect, I did not make any significant listening difference between the Thror prototype (Tror) and my Thror THR001.
We listened to a lot of different music last night (Saturday night) with my brother, with all these headphones, starting with the CDs I had listened Friday night: the Pink Floyd CD with "The Dark Side of the Moon"; Dire Straits CD "Communiqué"; a Schumann piano CD; a baroque music CD of Henry Purcel "King Arthur"; but also Mass in Si Minor by Bach (opening); a test CD of Diapason with a piece of piano (Mozart); a well recorded jazz with Stéphane Grappelli on violin and Michel Petruciani on piano: album "Flamengo", and finally, a formidable digital file brought by my brother, that of a digital recording, note by note, without any compression, with a pair of professional-grade paired microphones (Rode micro) of the Bösendorfer piano (2 m model) of my mother ; recording each notes after notes by my brother on all the octaves of the piano, first in pianissimo and especially in fortissimo: formidable test when each note recorded, one by one, without any compression, is reproduced with all its dynamics and realistic sound level attack (ie very strong > 110 dB (estimate)).
This formidable test for headphones makes it possible to judge the power capacity holding (ie the the ability to restitute, at high sound level, without distortion), a headphones and hear any distortion (and / or vibration) of the headphones's drivers.
(Nb: It was my brother who made this recording and played each note recording on my mother's Bösendorfer piano).
(Nb bis: the piano is very difficult to reproduce without distortions under such conditions, ie listening at a realistic level and located in the place of the pianist).
(Nb tierce: the Viva 2A3 amp has been replaced by the XI Audio Formula S, for this test).
So, what are the audible differences perceived by my brother (and by myself in the Nota bene) between all these headphones?
Subjectively, quantitatively speaking, the Odin mk1 and mk2 are distinguished from the Odin Thridi and Thror by an average sound level in the bass (between 40 and 160 Hz) higher, perhaps from 3 to 4 dB.
(Nb: for sub-bass, below 40 Hz, I think it's the opposite, but there are not many recordings reproducing the sub-bass under 40 Hz).
It is the same for treble (between 7 and 14 KHz) ; the perceived treble level in this frequency range is more important, especially with the Odin mk1, then the Odin mk2 and then with the Thridi and Thror.
(Nb: for my part, the level sound of treble in this band of frequency (7 - 14 Khz) is higher with the Odin mk2 than the Thror and Thridi, and even more with the Odin mk1 ; but treble is qualitatively perceived as more irregular, more granular and especially less fine and subtle with the Odin mk1 and mk2 than with the Thridi and especially the Thror ; the Thridi being situated between the Thror and the Odin mk2 for the qualitative restitution of the treble).
Concerning the "2 KHz" of the piano, according to my brother, it is better (better reproduced) with the Thridi and Thror than with the Odin mk1 and mk2 which are comparatively more hollow at this frequency.
Subjectively, qualitatively speaking, on the music of Pink Floyd and on the Mass in Si Minor of Bach, the words of my brother are the following: "the music is much more net, sharp, clean and more limpid" with the Thridi, and even more with the Thror, compared to his Odin mk1.
It is the same for the sharpness and separation of notes and desks; it is the Thror which marks the difference the most, followed further, for my brother, by the Thridi: my brother even made a subjective scale of transparency / limpidity / sharpness of the sound between these 3 headphones: if the Thror has the note 5, the Thridi has the note 3 and the Odin mk1 the note 2.
(Nb: for my part I would have put on this scale the note 1,5 to the Odin mk2, a little less clear and limpid than the Odin mk1, even if more dense in the tone).
(NB: the more qualitative the recording, the more complex it is, the clearer the difference between transparency / limpidity / sharpness and acuity (separation of the notes and the desks) becomes apparent between these four headphones, the first place coming to the Thror which really widens the gap compared to his younger brother, the Thridi, followed by the Odin mk1 then the Odin mk2 in last).
Another qualitative criterion found with my brother and me, the treble, although less intense in level, is much fine, more subtle and smooth (the opposite of granular) with the Thror versus the Odin mk1 (and the Odin mk2); for me it is very clear (obvious) for listening to the violin, found much more fine and subtle with the Thror than with the Odin mk1 and 2 which "scrap" in relative comparison (all proportion kept) ; the finesse and subtlety of treble of the Thridi being intermediate between that of the Thror and the Odin mk1.
Another qualitative criterion noted, that of the bass of the Thror and the Thridi (and not the sub-bass under 40 Hz that could not be appreciated at fair value with the music listened); even if quantitatively speaking, bass of the Thror (and Thridi) are less intense and less emphasized than with the Odin mk1 and especially mk2 ; bass are on the other hand (qualitatively speaking) cleaner, drier, more legible and equally impactful with the Thror versus Odin mk1 and mk2 ; the strike is also less heavy, faster and dry with the Thror.
Another qualitative criterion, that of the soundstage: it is further away (greater distance with the performers) with the headphones Thridi and especially the Thror compared to Odin mk1 and mk2 where the soundstage is in front of you, close and intimate, but also much less precise and a little confused (all proportion kept); the accuracy of the soundstage, the separation of the notes and desks, their sharpness are much better with the Thror versus Odin mk1 and mk2.
Airing and feeling of air and space between instruments is well better with the Thror and Thridi versus the Odin mk1 and mk2.
Finally, the last subjective qualitative criterion, that of the distortion perceived by pushing the headphones in their retrenchment for the "power capacity holding", with notes of piano in attack (fortissimo) recorded at realistic level (> 110 dB estimate) (that of the piano Bösendorfer from my mother) without any compression for recording with a microphone of professional quality (NB: see my preamble) ; well, the headphones that "cash" most without flinching and without distortion, is the Thror, followed (further) by the Thridi, then the Odin mk2 and the Odin mk1 in last.
Distortion of the headphones perceived in the ear by my brother, for a precise frequency (ie piano note given).
(Nb : my brother who made the recording of the piano, note by note)
(Nb bis : for listening, my brother used these terms : there it does not move for the note played (ie It is to say that it is restored without distortion) or there it moves, or move a lot ...).
This test is quite unforgiving. The headphones wich "moving" the least at these levels of realistic listening of a concert piano (peak level > 110 dB), being the Thror and by far (hardly a shudder on one or two notes in the treble of the piano).
(Nb: I think the driver's carbon frame of the Thror helps to put up with and absorb in real baton blows (ie the percussions of the hammers in a piano) in this ultimate power capacity holding and headphones distortion test, at very high SPL levels though very brief, not recommended for hearing).
To conclude, my brother preferred the Thror quite clearly compared to the other three headphones, concerning all these audio criteria : the transparency / limpidity / sharpness (separation of the notes and desks), cleanliness / distortion / power capacity holding, of the headphones, not to mention the much lower weight of the Thror compared to the other three headphones.
For him, the Odin Thridi did not make enough difference compared to his Odin mk1: what he gains in sharpness, clarity, sharpness, aeration, he loses it concerning the sound level of the bass (a little less present in the frequency range 40 - 160 Hz than it Odin mk1) and even the treble (above 7 KHz), less emphasized than with its Odin mk1, even if treble of the Odin mk1 is also less incisive, less fine and subtle than thats of the Thridi (and even better the Thror).
On the other hand, with the Thror, the differences are important enough to make him want to buy (possibly one day) the Thror (when if he found the budget) to be a complementary headphones to his Odin mk1, and not to replace it, in particular to appreciate all the qualities of the Thror (transparency / limpidity / sharpness / separation of the notes and desks / aeration / fineness and subtlety / cleanliness / power capacity holding / distortion, in particular for listening to very well recorded or complex works, to appreciate at their fair value all these small or larger differences found between these two headphones.
Post scriptum : A big thanks to Milan
, on the HCFR forum who has just made an excellent summary (in French
) of my laborious report (in bad English) above.
Link to this summary (in French) :
http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post179555132.html#p179555132
