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Kennerton Rognir Review (Closed Back Headphone)

dza

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This makes me worried that the Kennerton Magni is just as bad.

I see -10db on some of the AutoEQ presets, sounds like a waste of time to be honest.
 

Aperiodic

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Well, he gave it a passing grade, and what's another $200 to someone considering dropping that much loot on a headphone....

He says value is in the eye of the beholder (largely true) but I've seen products get "not recommended at this price" evaluations. Maybe this is a policy change. To me, if it costs almost $4K but doesn't outperform an HE-400, I'm spending my lottery winnings on the Stealth LOL
 

antdroid

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I have to say, this is a gorgeous headphone. I was sent this from Cayin to try out last week and, to me, it looks the part, but does not sound the part. I measured a stabilized wood version of the headphone as well. To me, it sounded less like it measures. I found it sounding very bright and lean, despite it potentially looking like it should be dark and maybe a tad bassy. That dip in the low mids probably plays a big role in making it sound strange. I did mess around with plugging the port on the back as well as creating an air gap which reduced the overall dip but also reducing the amount of bass significantly as well.

graph - 2021-10-23T105446.621.png


Kennerton Rognir - Tests.png


P1050296.JPG
 

DarginMahkum

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I have to say, this is a gorgeous headphone. I was sent this from Cayin to try out last week and, to me, it looks the part, but does not sound the part. I measured a stabilized wood version of the headphone as well. To me, it sounded less like it measures. I found it sounding very bright and lean, despite it potentially looking like it should be dark and maybe a tad bassy. That dip in the low mids probably plays a big role in making it sound strange. I did mess around with plugging the port on the back as well as creating an air gap which reduced the overall dip but also reducing the amount of bass significantly as well.
I don't know which version Amir measured (maybe I missed that information somewhere), but there is a bass heavy version and a bass light version. The one I heard is the bass light version and it is bright, not dark at all. But the dip around the 200 Hz is still there and suffocates and thins out the vocals.
 

antdroid

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I don't know which version Amir measured (maybe I missed that information somewhere), but there is a bass heavy version and a bass light version. The one I heard is the bass light version and it is bright, not dark at all. But the dip around the 200 Hz is still there and suffocates and thins out the vocals.
Yea the one I measured/tested was the "bass" version.
 

4min

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I don't know which version Amir measured (maybe I missed that information somewhere), but there is a bass heavy version and a bass light version. The one I heard is the bass light version and it is bright, not dark at all. But the dip around the 200 Hz is still there and suffocates and thins out the vocals.
Amir measured my headphone. It's also stabilized Karelian birch, same as what Antdroid's version is (I was actually offered these very cups when I ordered. I didn't specify anything about the tuning when I ordered, so assume it's a standard tuning.

Note that Amir measured them with custom pads: they're about 20% thicker and are made of different leather (it's green color and is softer) than the stock. All the parts including the inner side is made of this leather. These pads definitely add to comfort, but they also likely alter the sound, even though it's unclear how much that would show on measurements.

Regarding looks: this is even more subjective than you might think. Kennerton gives you a lot of space for customization. For example, my headphones used special colors for the resin they stabilize with, they used different color of leather for all leather elements, and the engraving on the cups is completely custom (even though I opted to go with their logo for this one). I could also have removed all the Kennerton engravings on the headband but decided to keep them. The headband was loosened up and padded some extra to increase comfort. So, if you're ok with the general design of the headphone, and want something special - they'll do it for free, and hopefully you'll get something you truly love the looks of, but your personal modifications would likely not suit others. I definitely like mine a little more than the LCD 3, which have been my reference point as far as looks are concerned. But they're definitely not perfect.
 

GaryH

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Note that Amir measured them with custom pads: they're about 20% thicker and are made of different leather (it's green color and is softer) than the stock. All the parts including the inner side is made of this leather. These pads definitely add to comfort, but they also likely alter the sound, even though it's unclear how much that would show on measurements.
Here we go again...yet another review invalidated by non-stock pads.
 
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4min

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Here we go again...yet another review invalidated by non-stock pads.
I had mentioned to Amir that installed pads were custom, and stock pads were also provided, I'm sure he had a good reason to measure these ones.
 

Zensō

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Here we go again...yet another review invalidated by non-stock pads.
Yup. In my opinion, @amirm should not bother testing headphones with anything other than stock pads. It introduces a variable that gives his critics too much ammunition to invalidate the findings.
 

GaryH

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I had mentioned to Amir that installed pads were custom, and stock pads were also provided, I'm sure he had a good reason to measure these ones.
Absolutely baffling then that this wasn't even mentioned in the review, especially considering the previous pad debacles. I suspect at least some of the wildly uneven response and total mess of the group delay measured here is down to the thicker aftermarket pads increasing the front earcup volume and so number of acoustic reflections and cancellations. I doubt the response with stock pads would be as bad.
 
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ahofer

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These Ikea/Schitt naming conventions are awful
 

DarginMahkum

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Absolutely baffling then that this wasn't even mentioned in the review, especially considering the previous pad debacles. I suspect at least some of the wildly uneven response and total mess of the group delay measured here is down to the thicker aftermarket pads increasing the front earcup volume and so number of acoustic reflections and cancellations. I doubt the response with stock pads would be as bad.
1635177192706.png

At least the frequency response is not too far off. Here it is compared to Focal Utopia. This is more like the Rögnir tuning I am used to, but the 4kHz and 200 Hz dips are still there. I tried it with other pads, too and it just worsened the dips.
 

GaryH

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View attachment 161366
At least the frequency response is not too far off. Here it is compared to Focal Utopia. This is more like the Rögnir tuning I am used to, but the 4kHz and 200 Hz dips are still there. I tried it with other pads, too and it just worsened the dips.
Reference Audio Analyzer's rig isn't industry standard so their frequency response measurements won't be accurate, and this includes relative differences between headphones, due to the rig not having the same acoustic impedance as the human ear, which will mean it interacts differently with the varying acoustic impedance of different headphones.
 
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antdroid

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Amir measured my headphone. It's also stabilized Karelian birch, same as what Antdroid's version is (I was actually offered these very cups when I ordered. I didn't specify anything about the tuning when I ordered, so assume it's a standard tuning.

Note that Amir measured them with custom pads: they're about 20% thicker and are made of different leather (it's green color and is softer) than the stock. All the parts including the inner side is made of this leather. These pads definitely add to comfort, but they also likely alter the sound, even though it's unclear how much that would show on measurements.

Regarding looks: this is even more subjective than you might think. Kennerton gives you a lot of space for customization. For example, my headphones used special colors for the resin they stabilize with, they used different color of leather for all leather elements, and the engraving on the cups is completely custom (even though I opted to go with their logo for this one). I could also have removed all the Kennerton engravings on the headband but decided to keep them. The headband was loosened up and padded some extra to increase comfort. So, if you're ok with the general design of the headphone, and want something special - they'll do it for free, and hopefully you'll get something you truly love the looks of, but your personal modifications would likely not suit others. I definitely like mine a little more than the LCD 3, which have been my reference point as far as looks are concerned. But they're definitely not perfect.
That is really cool that they will customize the wood finish and pads. They did a heck of a job on yours and the one I tested. They are up there with the best ZMF ones I've seen, which is high praise.

As for a closed-back, I think they sound alright. I enjoyed them with instrumental jazz music, but not a fan of them with vocal music. Those dips and stuff make vocals sound strange to me. Same issue I had when I owned the Verite. Over-time though, my brain acclimated to the sound difference to what I am used to (Hifiman sound), and I got over it, but on first or second listen, it's definitely colored.
 

Szore

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I have the Rognir now on review tour and I am a little dissapointed in it's sound.
 

platimn

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Why do people send randomly modded stuff to Amir? It feels impolite to me. I guess you just want him to EQ the headphones for you? Of course why Amir wouldn't put a big disclaimer on it is also a question.
 

Sal1950

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Szore

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I got these on Review Tour Tuesday, and I was shocked at how horrible they sounded. After 10 minutes of listening, I'm reaching for my Aivas.
 
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