A Special 100th post
Since Kennerton has posted my custom Thror Novel on their FB page, I'm going to expand a bit on it.
Preface: I own the original Thror Bog Oak and really like the tonality of the headphones. The sound was refined, no major peaks or dips in its FR. I listened to a wide variety of music genres which I think this headphones does really well - kind of like a jack of all trades - across the board for music. Nowadays I find myself listening to more contemporary genres i.e. EDM, electronica, hip/hop, dance/pop which emphasizes a bit on the low end. While the bass extends low on the classic Thror, the sound was very neutral with tight fast bass. I enjoyed the music but was not quite emotionally involved with the experience.
With the announcement of the Thror Novel, Kennerton said they kept the same tonality of the original Thror. Since I own the original already, it would make little sense to order another unit with just the updated body styling. So I contemplated what would make a new model stand out and requested a custom tuning with my unit, still very much liking the refinement of the original sound but wanted a bit more emphasis on the lower end of the spectrum. I mentioned a bit more "Thekk-like" but not at that level of coloration in the sound. I like the Thekk for a different experience than the Thror, very energetic and fun, but I do feel a bit of fatigue after listening to it for a couple of hours.
After several weeks, Kennerton got back to me with a modified FR of the custom Thror and I was satisfied with the results. Upon receiving the headphones, I did a comparison between the classic Thror and Novel to see what was changed. I noticed the new Thror has a buttery soft leather pads same material as the Rognir while the classic has bit stiffer leather but more squishy internal foam. Wondering if the FR change was due solely to different pads, I swapped the pads of the original Thror onto the Novel but nope there was a noticeable +3-5 db throughout the bass region compare to the classic Thror depending on the pads used. Kennerton has modified the tuning/damping internally with this new unit, not just different pad materials. Its also a bit more efficient despite having the same specs to my ears. I would have to raise the volume of the original Thror by 1 notch to get the same volume level of the Novel. In conclusion, I am satisfied with the result of the new tuning as now EDM sound particularly tasteful on this model. Very musical in the bass but still a bit more refinement in the treble in comparison to the Thekk. The mids, in particular the vocals, are still upfront and crystal clear.
This project was made to build the unit around my personal musical preferences but I hope this also revive interest in the Thror line which has been a bit overshadowed by the Thekk. I may be one of the few that prefers the old headband more in looks and fitting. It has a finnicky fit and you can't share the headphones with someone else as it will need to be reconfigured each time but having the freedom of vertical axis rotation makes a difference in configuration. If you're not sharing the headphones, you just need to spend a bit of time in the beginning to get the exact fit that you want, set it, and boom it'll be a perfect fit customized to your head each time you put it on. The Thror Novel also has a wider headband despite having the same classic look. It fits a bit more comfortable and have a lesser clamp force on the head. Kennerton has done a wonderful job with this model and I would agree it still remains the top of the line in its headphones planar lineup.
Introducing the Thror Novel Version W in blue stabilized Karelian birch:
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