[LostnAmerica]

This is the original GH50JM Mk1 Edition Interior- and what makes the GH50 so unique and so ripe for further modification....





Why the Kennerton GH50 is so awesome - it's design is ripe for the ultimate transformation - and why the Mk2 will never be a manufactured item -as an example this the back plate that has a tapper to it and inside that tapper is where I remove the cellulose foam and replace it with hard dense carpet in the center and a hard wave nylon pattern by 3M®- and then I top that off with a fiberglass fractal pattern of mesh and then I top that mesh with a resonator which is also non magnetic and that gets topped with more fiberglass fractal patterns of mesh (so two layers of 4 layers each) then that butts up against the driver rear facing magnet center and captures the back pressure sound waves and the non magnetic resonator reflects the higher frequencies back into the oval cup seen here- there are a total of four layers of four layers of separate fractal fiberglass mesh for the sound to slow down and act like a huge interior while still maintaining its exact locations. Pin point locations of the recording to be precise. I know the design is over the top obsessed and nutty looking but the proof is it works...

Wow! Incredible ingenuity and workmanship.
I say it again, this time backwards. Wow!

 

[wazzupi]

I just received the Rognir !! mids sound amazing, I have the heavy low end tuned version. The low end quantity isn't bad, I quite enjoy it. The quality is great ! These headphones are very dynamic imo vocals sound amazing I need more time to give these the best vocals I've heard in a headphone. I don't have any feeling that I'm listening to a Closed headphone and I feel these sound wider than my Final Audio D8000pros. sorry if these first impressions are all over the place.

These just don't sound like anything I've ever heard. It's like they mastered the Vocals from Audio technica's best HPs while making the music more dynamic, better quality bass and quantity. imaging(amazing imo) and soundstage(wide) is just different(in a good way). I don't know if @John Massaria can improve on these without keeping the magic ?!?!(CHALLENGE !) lol

I'd be 1000% interested in comparing these to the Meze Liric .

 

[John Massaria]

I just received the Rognir !! mids sound amazing, I have the heavy low end tuned version. The low end quantity isn't bad, I quite enjoy it. The quality is great ! These headphones are very dynamic imo vocals sound amazing I need more time to give these the best vocals I've heard in a headphone. I don't have any feeling that I'm listening to a Closed headphone and I feel these sound wider than my Final Audio D8000pros. sorry if these first impressions are all over the place.

These just don't sound like anything I've ever heard. It's like they mastered the Vocals from Audio technica's best HPs while making the music more dynamic, better quality bass and quantity. imaging(amazing imo) and soundstage(wide) is just different(in a good way). I don't know if @John Massaria can improve on these without keeping the magic ?!?!(CHALLENGE !) lol

I'd be 1000% interested in comparing these to the Meze Liric .

They are so awesome looking! lots of great luck friend- I do believe the very least for a mod is inside of the cup- applying the fractal fiberglass multilayers behind the planar driver- maybe three layers x 5 and certainly replacing the fabric on the outside with the fiberglass fractal pattern which should enhance it further in theory but I am so much delaying the mod since I am so in love with the Rognir as it is (full bodied version like yours) I may have to order another one for testing to compare- but my funds are low as of right now- I plan on it but until then I am still enjoying the Rognir very much and feel you are too as it sounds now so enjoy! maybe after new year I will have some extra $ to play...

 

[godmax]

I continue to enjoy the Rögnir very much (having normal tuning with standard perforated pads), but I really need EQ on these, otherwise I find the vocals subdued (even I understand this tuning was done on purpose to push them back to further increase the perceived soundstage depth). Gladly the EQ settings by Amir (ASR) fit also very well on mine, even that was meant for the bass heavy version with different pads. They sound so wide, clear and ethereal and the bass slam is there, when the track calls for it (but not exaggerated)

the only thing keeping these from being 10/10 is if they had the He-6se Energy(I dont know if there is a proper term for this but it's like you're feeling the power going through the headphones ?!?!) so they get a 9.9/10 XD.

I can understand what you mean even I received my HE6se v2 after the Rögnir, but still like it very much (with EQ)! But the bass slam/impact is on a different league on the Hifiman, doubt many other headphones (dynamic/planar) can rival that.

 

[Nostoi]

I just received the Rognir !! mids sound amazing, I have the heavy low end tuned version. The low end quantity isn't bad, I quite enjoy it. The quality is great ! These headphones are very dynamic imo vocals sound amazing I need more time to give these the best vocals I've heard in a headphone. I don't have any feeling that I'm listening to a Closed headphone and I feel these sound wider than my Final Audio D8000pros. sorry if these first impressions are all over the place.

These just don't sound like anything I've ever heard. It's like they mastered the Vocals from Audio technica's best HPs while making the music more dynamic, better quality bass and quantity. imaging(amazing imo) and soundstage(wide) is just different(in a good way). I don't know if @John Massaria can improve on these without keeping the magic ?!?!(CHALLENGE !) lol

I'd be 1000% interested in comparing these to the Meze Liric .

Congrats, sir. Beautiful pair. Totally agree that Kennerton have done something extraordinary in providing a sense of openness. Indeed, wider than many open backs I've tired.

On the Liric comparison, I have those coming tomorrow so can give impressions.

 

[rlawry]

Regarding bass: I haven't heard any of the Rognir models so I don't know its bass signature and it may well be fine, but what is it with modern headphones and their bass tuning? I find most headphones entirely too bass oriented to the point that the sound is overwhelmed with bass weight. The bass quality (weight, dynamics, speed, pitch definition, and extension) may be good but tuned toward too much bass. Back in the day almost all headphones had too little bass and sounded tinny and unnatural, but now we usually have the opposite. I was reminded of this a couple of months ago at a wedding reception featuring a deejay and a sound system that had absolutely overwhelming bass where almost everything sounded the same and became fatiguing after a short while. And we have all heard the prototypical 1985 Honda Civic containing a sound system whose amp has more power than the engine and a subwoofer that thumps along at exactly the same frequency and pitch no matter what the bass note is. In physics this is known as a Helmholtz Resonator and you can calculate the bass frequency if you know the driver characteristics and the volume of the space holding the subwoofer.

So are we merely being conditioned to this type of sound through being constantly barraged with this type of sound? I remember attending a Peter and the Rabbit concert with my kids in a park here in town that was completely unamplified. It featured a great acoustic band and you could hear the string bass and bass drum underpinning the music but it was the antithesis of overamplified music complete with overwhelming bass. I am sure many in the crowd wondered what was wrong with the sound, particularly the natural bass.

When I pondered which tuning I wanted with my Gjallarhorn MH50s I saw frequency curves of the two models: the regular GH50 and the GH50 JM Edition. The curves showed a +4 dB bass shelf below 200 Hz or so for the regular GH50. So I took a gamble knowing how most modern headphones sound, like my 1More Triple-Driver Over-Ears headphones with way too much bass, and I ordered the JM Edition. And I am glad I did as I could not imagine needing more bass than these. Recently John Massaria performed his mods on my JMEs and there is more bass but not overwhelming.

Anyway, that is my rant on bass. Hope I didn't offend anyone. Thanks.

 

[wazzupi]

when the track calls for it the vocals are placed where they were intended(heavy metal vocals sound a bit distant but when I’m listening to hip hop or Japanese singers in this case they sound like they’re right in front of you) these sound like audio technica clarity vocals but with the singers natural/unique voice(I find the vocals can sound thin or the grit of the vocalist is removed when it comes to audio technica hps) vocals are so dynamic, I’ve never heard before in any other hp.

Bass: in response to post above this headphone doesn’t force bass even with the heavy bass tuning, but when the track calls for it it’s there and Is slightly less impact than my he6se. But the quality of the bass is the same or better(I need more time) it lacks quantity of bass that you find in these hps u are mentioning depending on the track.

My current headphones are he6se, rognir, philphone (audio technica barebone + fostex drivers in a fully open format) these have nearly the impact of the he6se but with way more texture and quantity bass etc they will most likely take the place of my he6se and as much as I’d regret selling the he6se modded they do only 1 thing reallly really good in comparison to my other headphones and I don’t think it’s worth it over the philphone and rognir.

 

[John Massaria]

Regarding bass: I haven't heard any of the Rognir models so I don't know its bass signature and it may well be fine, but what is it with modern headphones and their bass tuning? I find most headphones entirely too bass oriented to the point that the sound is overwhelmed with bass weight. The bass quality (weight, dynamics, speed, pitch definition, and extension) may be good but tuned toward too much bass. Back in the day almost all headphones had too little bass and sounded tinny and unnatural, but now we usually have the opposite. I was reminded of this a couple of months ago at a wedding reception featuring a deejay and a sound system that had absolutely overwhelming bass where almost everything sounded the same and became fatiguing after a short while. And we have all heard the prototypical 1985 Honda Civic containing a sound system whose amp has more power than the engine and a subwoofer that thumps along at exactly the same frequency and pitch no matter what the bass note is. In physics this is known as a Helmholtz Resonator and you can calculate the bass frequency if you know the driver characteristics and the volume of the space holding the subwoofer.

So are we merely being conditioned to this type of sound through being constantly barraged with this type of sound? I remember attending a Peter and the Rabbit concert with my kids in a park here in town that was completely unamplified. It featured a great acoustic band and you could hear the string bass and bass drum underpinning the music but it was the antithesis of overamplified music complete with overwhelming bass. I am sure many in the crowd wondered what was wrong with the sound, particularly the natural bass.

When I pondered which tuning I wanted with my Gjallarhorn MH50s I saw frequency curves of the two models: the regular GH50 and the GH50 JM Edition. The curves showed a +4 dB bass shelf below 200 Hz or so for the regular GH50. So I took a gamble knowing how most modern headphones sound, like my 1More Triple-Driver Over-Ears headphones with way too much bass, and I ordered the JM Edition. And I am glad I did as I could not imagine needing more bass than these. Recently John Massaria performed his mods on my JMEs and there is more bass but not overwhelming.

Anyway, that is my rant on bass. Hope I didn't offend anyone. Thanks.

That’s why on mk2 mod you can change the bass port by stuffing it with a tiny bit of fabric if u want less bass - you can tune it more

 

[paradoxper]

I just received the Rognir !! mids sound amazing, I have the heavy low end tuned version. The low end quantity isn't bad, I quite enjoy it. The quality is great ! These headphones are very dynamic imo vocals sound amazing I need more time to give these the best vocals I've heard in a headphone. I don't have any feeling that I'm listening to a Closed headphone and I feel these sound wider than my Final Audio D8000pros. sorry if these first impressions are all over the place.

These just don't sound like anything I've ever heard. It's like they mastered the Vocals from Audio technica's best HPs while making the music more dynamic, better quality bass and quantity. imaging(amazing imo) and soundstage(wide) is just different(in a good way). I don't know if @John Massaria can improve on these without keeping the magic ?!?!(CHALLENGE !) lol

I'd be 1000% interested in comparing these to the Meze Liric .

Congrats. beautiful pair. Rognir is truly a tour de force.

 

[wazzupi]

does anyone have the measurement graph included with their Rognir ? I'd like to compare to mine

 

[wazzupi]

Am I losing my mind or something, like what have I been listening to all this time ?!?! The vocals on this headphone are ****ing insane excuse my language... just so natural, but clear. I feel like many headphones have been cheating getting the "clarity and detail" from that region just removing any nuance that's imo suppose to be there. instrument separation is incredible too, I feel now like drums were too forward on my d8000pros and im getting a better image of the band infront of me(im listening to Gojira world to come/flying whales). When I am able to, I will get my hands on a Meze liric and if they sound anything like this will be my portable HPs and the Rognir will be my Endgame home rig. PS I haven't had an fatigue listening to these extensively. Very comfortable for 8+ hours.

 

[wazzupi]

Lisa - Gurenge (from the first take) her vocals are so dynamic and beautiful. I'm getting goose bumps and emotional all over again as if I'm listening to this song for the first time.

 

[Nostoi]

Am I losing my mind or something, like what have I been listening to all this time ?!?! The vocals on this headphone are ****ing insane excuse my language... just so natural, but clear. I feel like many headphones have been cheating getting the "clarity and detail" from that region just removing any nuance that's imo suppose to be there. instrument separation is incredible too, I feel now like drums were too forward on my d8000pros and im getting a better image of the band infront of me(im listening to Gojira world to come/flying whales). When I am able to, I will get my hands on a Meze liric and if they sound anything like this will be my portable HPs and the Rognir will be my Endgame home rig. PS I haven't had an fatigue listening to these extensively. Very comfortable for 8+ hours.

Some early Liric vs Rognir impressions here - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mez...-array-headphone.960638/page-14#post-16666624

In short, definitely not Rognir tier, but kind of Rognir-on-the-go....ish.

 

[duranxv]

Ok, I'm convinced. I'm going to take a chance with Rognir

@VKazanzhi - Who should I reach out to about tuning choice/design? Also, I think you're still offering that refund guarantee you mentioned earlier in the thread? Any issues shipping to the USA lately?

 

[wazzupi]

Ok, I'm convinced. I'm going to take a chance with Rognir

@VKazanzhi - Who should I reach out to about tuning choice/design? Also, I think you're still offering that refund guarantee you mentioned earlier in the thread? Any issues shipping to the USA lately?

Mine was shipped express via fedex took 3 days from Russia to Miami Florida shipped Monday received Wednesday.