[SnakeRoberts01]

To put some context to Eric's discussion re. Sennheiser vs Kennerton.

Eric's Dac/Amp is top of class. Superb tube setup!

His setup works so well with the Senns, like a lot of tube setups including my own Bottlehead crack.

It's well known in our community how this combo fights well above its weight!

The comments made by Eric can apply to ANY high end headphones. The HD series Senns are loved by many in this hobby.

I will add...my HD6XX on Bottlehead crack sound incredible. On my solidstate system, not as good. My Kennerton Thridi will not play as well on my OTL amp. But it does play at moderate volumes.

At these low volumes I think Thridi sounds better than HD6XX.

Thridi on solidstate amp is still better than HD6XX on OTL.

In summary, senns with tubes are a fantastic synergy. Planars and solidstate are fantastic also.

I personally think Kennerton Thridi is perfect. Atleast with my amp/dac and with my music selection.

Cheers

 

[rlawry]

Personally I don't really care for the sound of Sennheisers, in particular the HD800s. I heard a pair at an audiophile show, albeit if memory serves, driven by a SS amp. The tonal balance was entirely too lightweight, lean and hyperdetailed, and diffuse. Soundstage was great. Doesn't sound like live music to me. My wife plays the piano and saxophone and two of my boys played in various school bands and wind ensembles. Maybe the auditorium and gym had a warm sonic signature. I really enjoy the tonal balance in my Gjallarhorn GH50 JME Mark 2s.

 

[eric65]

It doesn't matter, you were able to read our exchanges, and that's all that matters.

That said, my older son and I just watched (again) tonight the excellent Blu-ray film Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio, and Hans Zimmer's music, with the dac and the tube amp that suits so well my two Sennheiser headphones (the HD 400 Pro for me and HD 560S for my son); I almost used the Kennerton Thror (which is not bad at all on this tube amp), but for a home cinema use, the extension in the sub-bass of the two Sennheiser headphones did wonder tonight, for this movie. And the spinning top wobbled at the end .... (happy ending).

 

[SnakeRoberts01]

Personally I don't really care for the sound of Sennheisers, in particular the HD800s. I heard a pair at an audiophile show, albeit if memory serves, driven by a SS amp. The tonal balance was entirely too lightweight, lean and hyperdetailed, and diffuse. Soundstage was great. Doesn't sound like live music to me. My wife plays the piano and saxophone and two of my boys played in various school bands and wind ensembles. Maybe the auditorium and gym had a warm sonic signature. I really enjoy the tonal balance in my Gjallarhorn GH50 JME Mark 2s.

I wasn't referring to the HD800s...I really meant HD600 series.

I should've been more specific.

The HD800 is a polarizing headphone. Many prefer the cheaper HD series.

If you have not heard the HD6XX it is warm, like the auditorium and gym

 

[Lovebox]

Headband can only be swapped out with models using the same type of headband. I brought up the issue before of wanting the old headband on the Rognir since I prefer the classic headband fit as opposed to the newer one. The classic headband for Odin/Thror are not interchangeable with newer headband models. I've confirmed this w/ Kennerton that it is not possible and after inspection, it looks like the cup holes where the yoke connects have different sizes between the 2 headbands.


They do...just email them and they'll give you a quote depends on what parts and customization you want for the headband.

Too bad, I like the old headband style, but thanks for the info

 

[veritg0]

Too bad, I like the old headband style, but thanks for the info

So do I...older headband had a slimmer profile, had vertical axis rotation which fits better (imo), build like a tank (no plastic part), last longer than new ones but at a cost of increase weight and maybe comfort (depending on the individual).

 

[John Massaria]

I was wondering something similar yesterday and wanted to send an email to kennerton today.

@John Massaria: Have you already tinkered with the rögnir (planar)? Can the headband be swapped out? Do you perhaps know whether the headband from the Thror model would also fit on the Rögnir (planar).

The Rognir and gh50 and Magni I believe use all same headband- the Thor - I would not know for sure ask Kennerton by email I usually talk with Ivan when I have requests or questions he’s great

 

[Mhog55]

OK, here's a brief comparison. I did one a while back, don't know that this'll be much better, but I'll give it a crack. First, a few pics of what I'm working with:



Setup is Tidal --> Bifrost 2 --> Lokius (disabled for this) --> Magnius XLR low-gain.

GH40 clamp is nice, seal is excellent. Very comfortable.
Listening to "Money," again, and immediately the difference between these and the Rognirs is obvious. The jangly steel guitar I noted a minute ago has lost a decent amount of its jangliness. Kind of to be expected given the difference in price. Clarity is nice, soundstage is shockingly wide for closed-back cans. Sax solo has good timbre, but not great, I suppose - some of the grindy vibraty sound of the reed against the mouthpiece is lost.

Tonal balance is very nice. Vocals are present, guitars have good presence as well, bass is clean but not as huge as I remember from the first time I tried these out. I don't think there's much of a vertical stage... everything is on a (very wide for closed-backs) fairly flat horizontal plane.

Treble is impressive. I really like how the cymbal sounds. Good and metallic without getting overly bright or piercing. Very realistic. Instrument separation is very good.

Switching to the HP-2.

Immediate thought is that the clamp is a lot lighter. I wouldn't headbang in them. I've never done the arm-bending that people recommend on these because the seal seems to be perfectly fine, they're definitely lighter on the ol' noggin.

Back to "Money," bass is a bit less present but the soundstage is nicely wide as it was with the GH40. Hard to say if one is wider... if one is, my nod goes to the GH40, but it's not a big difference.

Tonal balance seems off in comparison. Might be the whole brain burn-in/I just swapped these effect, but I like the tonal balance of the GH40 better. That said, the reed-against-the-mouthpiece stuff seems more timbre-y/vibrant/whatever you want to call it. Think that might be from the bigger drivers, hell if I know. Steel strings are a bit janglier, which I like, but the cymbal seems recessed. If you know the song, you know there's a constant tish-tish-tish on the cymbal for most of it, and that isn't coming out like it was with the GH40s.

I'm not gonna try to say what I hear is the Gospel truth, or one is better than the other, but there's my very brief comparison of these two horn-loaded headphones playing Pink Floyd's "Money." Hope this is reasonably interesting to someone.

Did you find the upper mids of the GH40 to be a little less bright and splashy, than that of the LSA? I found the HP-2 and HP-3 a bit bright, and mildly fatiguing in upper mids and lower treble. Hoping these areas are a little smoother on the GH40.

 

[DeweyCH]

Did you find the upper mids of the GH40 to be a little less bright and splashy, than that of the LSA? I found the HP-2 and HP-3 a bit bright, and mildly fatiguing in upper mids and lower treble. Hoping these areas are a little smoother on the GH40.

Maybe a touch, but not by much

 

[Lickumms]

I had sent a message to Kennerton asking about the difference between the Dynamic and Planar versions of the Rognir. I also asked what the LSA headphones are based on and for a comparison between the Rognir and THror. and this is what they said:

Thank you for your letter and for your interest in products of our company. My name is Kirill Sobolev and on behalf of Kennerton Audio Equipment team, sending our best regards and wish you a good day!

Of course, since Rognir Dynamic is a dynamic model and more budget-friendly, it is certainly inferior to Rognir (Planar). But It's hard to say if the difference is big or significant, cause it’s just different (because of the different technology used). Yes, graphene coating of the driver and other unique planar Rognir engineering solutions gave the model a high dynamic range, huge soundstage, stunning detailing of sound, very low distortion, and brought the sound quality to the highest level possible (for the dynamic driver). And a lot of people, who had an ability to listen to it, do agree with this statement, and even put this model on a pair with «planars», saying «…it’s just like a High-End speaker system right in front of you!» But. Still, these are dynamic headphones, and no matter how amazing they are (and that's exactly what we think), they just can't compete with top-end flagship isodynamic model. Isodynamic drivers gives you that sense of crystal clearness in sound, detailing of sound, the highest resolution, just that feeling, that dynamic driver is just unable to produce. But but at the same time we believe that it rather depends on sound preferences. Many people prefer dynamic driver sound «because of it’s naturalness», and not at all because of affordability. However, putting aside subjective points of view, speaking about objective parameters, Rognir (planar) is a top-end headphone model that will certainly provide you with a highest level sound journey that will definitely expand and improve your listening skills.

"What headphones are the LSAs based...?"
We make LSA headphones based on our models of previous generations, with slightly changes in sound tuning, cups construction, according to LSA brand preferences. All of that makes them unique and independent headphones. Models, that your LSA headphones are based on:
HP-1 - Wodan v.1
HP-2 Ultra - Gjallarhorn GH50
HP-Dimond - Wodan v.2

"How do the Rognir and LSAs compare to the Thror?"
Rognir vs. Thror. Due to the fact that Rognir is closed-back and Thror is open-back, these are completely different modes with completely different sound signature. So it's also hard to say which one is superior, cause it also rather depends on sound preferences. Since we made Rognir as a wholesome alternative to open-back, both models will provide you with an unprecedented listening experience, but in different field. In short, Thror is more "airy" and Rognir is more "bassy". We believe that Thror is and end-game model (that's why it's our main flagship), so If you're keen in highest sound quality, prefer "open" sound and have no problem with family members, struggling with leaking sounds, then Thror is your option. Rognir has no problems with leaking sound, due to the closed back construction, so it's a great choice for all those, who are interested in highest quality playback, "open" sound and do not want to bother relatives. So, yes, both models are great, and, in fact, often ordered in pairs, serving different purposes - pleasant listening and "not disturbing" pleasant listening. The different look should also be mentioned, since owning something that's pleasant to look at (only for you) is also important. Summing it up, both models will certainly provide you with a highest sound experience, so make a choice, according to your esthetic preferences and the purposes, your headset will serve.

 

[Lickumms]

Has anyone here been able to do a comparison between the Wodan, Thekk, and the Thror? I'm looking at maybe getting one of there higer end open back headphones. I would love to head some comparisons. I currently own the HP-1 and HP-Diamond both of which are based on the Wodan. They both sound similar but the HP-Daimond is a little better in most regards to the HP-1. I also own the HP-2 which is one of the most bizarre headphones I have ever listened to and even after owning them for nearly 6 months I don't know if I like them but have not sold them because they are so unique. I also own the Dynamic Rognir, which I am loving right now, and the Gjallarhorn GH 40.

 

[Lickumms]

Also, have to say the new Vali in Neoteric Baltic Sea is super pretty.

https://kennerton.org/shop/vali-neoteric-baltic-sea/

 

[LostnAmerica]

Has anyone here been able to do a comparison between the Wodan, Thekk, and the Thror? I'm looking at maybe getting one of there higer end open back headphones. I would love to head some comparisons. I currently own the HP-1 and HP-Diamond both of which are based on the Wodan. They both sound similar but the HP-Daimond is a little better in most regards to the HP-1. I also own the HP-2 which is one of the most bizarre headphones I have ever listened to and even after owning them for nearly 6 months I don't know if I like them but have not sold them because they are so unique. I also own the Dynamic Rognir, which I am loving right now, and the Gjallarhorn GH 40.

Wow- You have my "dream" collection, I currently have the HP-2 and only listen to them so no comparisons here. Pretty happy so far. I am looking at the GH50 &/or GH40, and checking for any similarities and/or differences are. And basically the cost of the GH50 is actually worth the $ difference... Thanks!

Cheers

 

[levap]

Has anyone here been able to do a comparison between the Wodan, Thekk, and the Thror?

My humble opinion on Kennerton headphones. In short - I would go for Thror )

 

[tonedeafmelomaniac]

I also own the Dynamic Rognir, which I am loving right now, and the Gjallarhorn GH 40.

Could you briefly compare them?