The place to discuss the Headphone brand Kennerton:
Maybe if anyone else than William from “The Headphone experience” reviews Kennertons people would engage here. I’m happy I have exchanged the HD6XX for a Magni…
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Currently listening to LSA HP2, made by Kennerton for Underwood HiFi. Equivalent to their current Gjallahorn but at about 2/3 the price.
Enjoying the heck out of it. Highly resolving, lot’s of detail. Still breaking in. Horn loaded biocellulose driver with graphene coating.
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I had the LS1 for a while. The most expensive one Underwood Hifi sell.
Very mid focussed. Build is ok. But creaky and stiff, and headband is a bit weird. They don’t sit securely like a lot of other brand.
Probably some models with high value.
Also the cable came with 6.35mm connector . I opened it up, two separate runs of coax. Thought cool, easy reterm to XLR.
Nope. The shields were touching somewhere further up the line. How very odd.
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I use the balanced cable from my HE6SE. I like the fit on this model. Thick plush leather ear pads mitigate the clamp. They just don’t move once I put them on.
Bass is becoming more apparent and there is no bleed at all, no hint of boom and they do go low. I am treble deprived and can only say these are not fatiguing but super detailed and unmuffled from low bass to the top on my range.
I am using Jot 2 and Neurochrome HP1. I would like to try them on the Black Amp that is on tour at SBAF which became my favorite SS amp when it was in my hands. Trying them now on my Adcom speaker amp. Way too sensitive…volume on my Sonnet Morpheus is 1 step up from mute. Gonna try a transformer coupled SET HP amp next.
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Would love to hear more. These are getting crazy good reviews.
Still like them?
Do we have any FR measurements of the rognir anywhere yet?
@antdroid is on the US Tour organised by Andykong. He’s third on the list so will probably receive it soon, if not already.
Wiljen has FR measurements of it in his review.
Yes… I think I get it after canjam.
@AudioFool what measurement rig do you use for over-ear headphones?
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mix of Larson Davis fixture and older AP ATS analyzer and USB adapter.
These looks gorgeous. Clearly in that endgame closed-back convo with VC, Stealth, Stellia, etc.
Can’t speak to stealth yet, but better than VC and Stellia for me.
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Yes, I can confirm that you’ll receive the Rognir after CanJam SoCal, I’ll make sure my agent will sent it out ASAP after the show.
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I was lucky enough to have the chance to try out the Rognir this week from a small tour kindly organized by @AndyTheGreatest Thank you!
Here’s a summary of my thoughts on these:
I’ve owned several closed and semi-closed back headphones at this point (Ether C Flow and CX, TH900, Aurorus Australis) so I was excited to try another.
Sound: All of my listening has been done so far in Roon with Qobuz on a Matrix X-Sabre Pro and BHA-1, briefly tested on ifi Pro iCan but ended up preferring the former. I primarily listen to a mix of classic/modern rock/metal/EDM/club music.
These have a very agreeable tonality out of the box, with strong presence in the mids and treble. To me they are slightly bass light, but I know my personal preference leans much more towards the exaggerated end for bass and settled on a +6db shelf. Technical performance is rather strong on these as well, more detailed than they Empyrean I recently demoed from the headphones.com tour, but not quite matching the level of the high end LCDs (MX4 and 4).
Vocals are a standout on these, with excellent presence and clarity. The upper mids and treble never grew harsh or sibilant and felt perfectly matched for my listening preferences. Doesn’t really have much impact in the bass but it’s decent for a planar, still miles better than DCA Ether C series and does not feel over-dampened.
The staging of these though is where it gets very interesting. My mind immediately jumped back to when I owned the TH900, they create a wide and almost ‘concert-hall’ style soundstage. I felt like I was placed further back from the music, the reverb and decay of notes creates a very engaging and enjoyable experience without feeling fatiguing. These are relatively easy to drive as well.
The one thing that really gives away that these are a closed back headphone is that instrument separation and imaging just average in my opinion when compared to other similarly priced open back flagships.
Comfort: It has a suspension style solid headband with decent padding that felt a bit stiff at first, but after an evening of listening it softened up and found that it distributes the pressure well with no hotspots. The suspension portion is pushed up to the max against the headband to fit my head though. Clamp force is just slightly lighter than my LCD-4 but more pressure on the upper half of the ear cup around my temples, not uncomfortable though even with glasses and I can move my head around and not break the seal. They don’t get hot on my head, even after 2+ hour sessions of continuous use which is really impressive for a closed back!
Accessories/Quality: The finish on the cups is fantastic, and have no complaints of the aesthetics of this headphone. The headband and yokes are solid and I’ve experienced no issue with them, my only long term concern would be the tension of the suspension band system, as I think it is elastic.
The cable that comes with this headphone is hands down the best quality stock cable I’ve come across. It includes a 6ft balanced XLR to mini-XLR and a matched 1ft long balanced XLR to 1/4" adapter. The braided cable is the most pliable and soft of any I’ve tried while also feeling soft to the touch and lightweight. Near the plug of the cable is a non-removable leather belt loop style strap as well.
The case it comes in is just a soft-shell leather carrying bag which is nice and compact. I have no issues with the quality of the bag, as each wall of it has a thin but dense layer of foam lining it so it does offer some protection. However at this price point and the nature of these headphones being made from various kinds of exotic wood, I would feel much more peace of mind shipping these if they came with a proper pelican style case that others would offer.
Final Thoughts: I feel these headphones would appeal to many people and compete well with other similarly priced flagships on the market. These are not just good ‘for a closed back’, they are an engaging and unique presentation that I found myself going back to more and more over the week. Out of all of the gear I have tried in the hobby so far, which is still rather limited compared to most members here, the only pair I place above these in terms of overall enjoyment is my LCD-4. It’s going to be on my shortlist of potential gear I would like to own long term in the future and exceeded my expectations. Thanks for reading!
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Here is my take on the Rognir
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Here’s some pics and squiggles of the Rognir in Stabilized Karelian Birch, and its the bass-heavy version apparently
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Valentin from Kennerton posted on how to identify the two versions
The neutral version has an additional silicone tube which you can see from the vent holes in the back of the cups. Reposting the images he’s provided:
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