kennerton thror Headphones

HEADPHONES

From Russia with love, but with a middle earth model name, Jez Ford finds himself in awe of the performance of these planar magnetics.

If Kennerton’s previous flagship headphones had a fault, it was that they were heavy. Very heavy. So the welcome news from this Russian company (it’s a division of Fischer Audio, based in St Petersburg) is that its new flagship model is 200 grams lighter, at just 480g. As for its model name, it’s not a misspelling. It’s a J. R. R. Tolkien reference—Thror was Tolkein’s Dwarven King under the Mountain.

THE EQUIPMENT

These are not conventional cone diaphragm headphones, but rather planar magnetic drivers—far lighter diaphragms, with conductors distributed through the surface rather than driving from a point behind. This more even driving of a lighter diaphragm is credited with lower distortion, better phase coherence, a flatter (approx 42Ω) impedance across the frequency range, and improved high-frequency resolution. Kennerton says it makes these 80mm drivers itself, using multi-layer 10μm polyimide film (of which DuPont’s Kapton is one example).

Either side of this film sit magnet systems using neodymium magnets in a symmetric push-pull configuration. Unusually these are semicircular bar magnets, which Kennerton claims creates a more uniform field, which is crucial to its planar approach, thereby reducing resonances, as well as enables smoother air-flow around the magnets than if they were rectangular parallelepipeds.

As for visual styling, it’s not hard to spot a Kennerton design. All models are uniquely styled, the headshells in particular, for which precision machine milling from a 3D CAD design is the first stage, followed by extensive labour—hand-sanding and polishing, oiling, microwaving, the application of hot bees-wax and drying first in a special chamber, then at room temperature, more grinding, waxing and polishing… you get the idea. The wood of my sample pair was a rich coffee-brown sapele mahogony, which contrasted with the darker browns of the soft lambskin leather strap-design headband. The outer shells look closed but are in fact open—an aluminium grille over gauze.

SOUND QUALITY

The Thror earcups do not carry ‘left’ and ‘right’ channel identifiers (not that I could find, anyway) but I assumed that the clicklock connectors to which the two-metre cable connects would face forwards, rather than backwards. I did try wearing the headphones the other way, but it felt very odd. That said, I found they felt slightly odd the ‘right’ way as well… at least they did until I slid the headband right forward above my forehead, which seemed to me to be the position that offered not only the best comfort but also the best sound. The first thing I listened to was the Midnight Oil Blu-ray ‘Armistice Day’. This may have been a mistake. Plugged into my big Classé, the Thrors delivered such a magical delivery that I suspect I’m never going to enjoy it quite as much again. So crisp, so clear—you could focus on either Jim Moginie’s languid and rolling guitar parts or Martin Rosney’s more staccato chops and jerks, while the bass was both weighty and edgy, and the sheer slam of Hirst’s drums locked it all together in a riveting and expansive overall image.

Listening from two headphone amps (one Musical Fidelity, one Lehmannaudio), I was able to relish the Thror’s command of nuance and detail. Judie Tzuke’s vocal on Come Hell or Waters High is always a delight, but her little touches and sibilances have never been more ear-meltingly portrayed as through the Thror’s highly detailed presentation. Another oldie given new life was Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come, the strings kept sweet, the acoustic around the slightly distant drums clearly discernible, the brass building through the track.

Bowie’s Blackstar is a good tester for pace, rhythm and timing, and the incongruous kick and snare part snapped and popped under the vocal and the swirling key pads, including again real depth to the combination of synth and electric bass. I guess that those who want ‘pushed’ bass from their headphones need not apply, as it were, but anyone familiar with the planar/electrostatic light-but-true balance will appreciate that there’s nothing missing.

CONCLUSION

The hand-crafted artisanship and the bespoke high-end drivers of the Thror go some significant way towards explaining the price; the performance speaks to the rest. They deliver their best from a good headphone output, yet still manage impressive delights with less current on hand. Classical fans will be entranced by their balance, but they pull the detail from every genre, and the longer you listen, the more they transport you with their effortless delivery. I was left feeling nothing but awe for the Thror. Jez Ford