Climbing the Kennerton Ladder - Review Kennerton Wodan

Kennerton fan boy here for another look at a Kennerton planar, this time it's the Wodan. I've collected some listening notes and also compared it to the Underwoods HiFi LSA HP-1 (also made by Kennerton).

[@ZeejLifts]

Hey, I know this video is 2 years old, but the information is still very relevant and I loved hearing about the headphones, this was a great review to watch. Your style of video is amazing and it's informative while being very straight to the point, thanks for your videos! I saw a guy on reddit selling a bunch of Kennertons because he had some medical problems and so I became curious and have heard nothing but legendary things about these. My current setup is an HD800s and a Fiio K9 Pro ESS, I love the wide sound stage and how immersive the detail sounds. The clear mids and sharp but not overly powerful but still beautiful treble (I tuned and EQ'ed them), with bass that has just enough impact to be passable in my opinion. I honestly do love my setup and think I could check out of audiophile land. But of course here I am on a review leaving a comment , I watched your review for the 800s and loved hearing your opinion on them, and also completely agreed with it so I wanted to see how you like these compared to the Wodan's and some of the other higher up Kennerton's since they're around the same price range (the lower end ones) and if they would be worth checking out if I can get my hands on a set of them with a return policy if I don't find them to be worth it.

[@SineCraftAudio]

Thanks for the kind words. Any of the Kennerton planars should be a pretty big departure from the HD800S. Whether you dig that alternative presentation is another question. I personally really like the Kennerton sound and think that the HP-1 in particular offers good value per dollar. They are not nearly as neutral as Sennheiser but that's not really the point.

[@SineCraftAudio]

Wanted to mention that Underwood is running a special on the HP-1 for $1,299 - I don't think it is on the website so you may need to email William.

[@arielext]

*Walter

[@עידןתמיר-ה3ס]

Hey, what's the difference between the wodan version 2020 and 2022?

[@theodorthiele]

Hey - I really appreciate your reviews. I noticed the Kennerton Wodan mentioned in a reddit comment a few days ago and have ben kinda obsessed with figuring out as much as possible about their headphones as possible. There isn't much info available, but I found your channel, and then discovered the LSA versions as well. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the LSA HP-1 (with ECL-02 pads I guess for my taste) compared to the LCD-2C that I can see that you have also reviewed. I currently own the LCD-2Cs, but have been considering whether there's something more out there for me, maybe especially something lighter / more comfy, now that I'm working from home. I really enjoy the bass of the Audezes (a lot), but I'm wondering how much I'm missing out on in terms of details. From your description, I'm guessing the different Kennerton planars are in another league when it comes to details, and honestly, from your and other people's reviews, they sound like the perfect headphone, or at least the perfect headphone to me - with the mix of dynamics, details, extension, and very importantly to me at least, non-fatiguing and musical sound (I put my headphones on to chill and listen to some music while gaming, etc, not for analytical listening, BUT I do want my headphones to pull my focus back to the music when I'm maybe not focusing, exactly as you describe the Auteurs lacking on, and I find the Audezes do that in certain bassy passages, or with certian voices). So my main concern, is whether I'd be satisfied with the bass or the LSAs, and whether they have that "WoW"-factor that really gets you engaged, with some attack, weight, oomph, or whatever you wanna call it. I'd love to hear any thoughts you may have on the LSA-HP1 vs LCD-2C :)

[@SineCraftAudio]

Excellent question and thanks for the background info. I've not heard the LCD-2C for awhile now do I'm going from memory. The HP-1 are more balanced in their presentation. More detail and better imaging. The LCD-2C have awesome bass and you might miss that weight but I would argue that they are a little bloated and you sacrifice some nuance in the bass. The 2C always felt a bit too laid back for me with the mids and highs a bit recessed. The HP-1 have that perfect balance of detail, space, and musicality for my personal taste. Comfort is ok, not great but they are lighter than the 2C.

[@theodorthiele]

Thanks so much for the fast response - it certainly sounds very tempting. I'm certainly open to a more balanced sound, I just want something that is fun, engaging, and not fatiguing in any way, while providing as much detail as possible. I wish I could try them out somewhere - it's still a lot of money, even if, compared to the "real" Kennertons they are a bargain.

[@SineCraftAudio]

@@theodorthiele if you happen to live in the NY area Audio 46 is the first US dealer and has some (theek not HP-1) in stock. I think Underwood hifi has a 30 day return policy if you are not satisfied (but be sure to double check).

[@theodorthiele]

@@SineCraftAudio Thanks for the info - I'm in Denmark, so that's quite far from NY ;) Amazing that their price is including shipping, but it does not look like they have a 30-day trial time according to their terms page. Which is fair given their business model ;)

[@theodorthiele]

Hello again, wanted to ask another question since I'm really feeling close here, but not quite there. In your Auteur video you had a brilliant description of how some headphones (but not the Auteur) can really pull your attention back to the music if you're for some reason not focusing, listening while working, etc - which hit very close to home for me. As mentioned, I rarely "just" listen to music, but that doesn't mean I don't want to focus on it - but I kinda want the headphone to remind me of focusing by just sounding .. impressive I guess. Would you say that the LSAs have that quality? I remember trying the original Aeon Flow open, and while I was impressed with the detail and frequency profile, it just sounded too subtle / soft to me. There was barely any attack/impact when e.g. a string was strung. I don't think I necessarily want overly emphasized bass, I just want impressive bass / sound if that makes sense ;) But I haven't heard enough headphones to get closer to a description than that sadly. Sorry for bothering you again ;)

[@alank46]

Fellow Kennerton fanboy here ... very nice review ... fyi, periodically the Kennertons offer up to 25% discounts, and make their phones great values, imo

[@עידןתמיר-ה3ס]

What is the difference between the colors of the kennerton woddan?

[@SineCraftAudio]

I don't believe that the wood choices make a significant difference in presentation. I imagine that woods that are very hard vs. ones that are light, open grain, and more pores may sound slightly different but it will be incredibly subtle.

[@עידןתמיר-ה3ס]

How are they vali compared to wodan?

[@SineCraftAudio]

I have not tried the vali but I think they are dynamic driver headphones where the wodan are planar so the signature would likely be pretty different.

[@עידןתמיר-ה3ס]

@@SineCraftAudio 👍

[@עידןתמיר-ה3ס]

wodan or rognir?

[@SineCraftAudio]

I personally prefer the signature of the Wodan but it comes down to personal taste. The Rognir is probably more technically capable but a bit too aggressive for my taste.

[@עידןתמיר-ה3ס]

@@SineCraftAudio How is the kennerton vali compared to the wodan?

[@עידןתמיר-ה3ס]

@@SineCraftAudio xlr cable effect on sq?

[@wesspangler]

Curious how the Kennerton sound compares to ZMF? House sounds of each? Thanks for your time!

[@SineCraftAudio]

Great question. I think they share some similar characteristics in that both brands tend to have a slightly warmer / natural tone (as compared to say Beyerdynamics or Focal). I guess if I had to say broadly (and it really does come down to each model) the Kennertons I've heard have more energy in the mids than ZMF, and the ZMFs I've heard might have bolder bass, wider staging, and slightly more definition in the high end. But really, like I said it comes down to each model. Are you looking at anything specific?