Kennerton Rognir Dynamic Review

Kennerton seems to be rocking the little minds of audiophiles looking pluck the next great headphone out of obscurity. Their GH 50, in particular, has been noticed by audio enthusiasts for its skill, given the price point. But perhaps less has been said about the company’s flagship model, the Rognir Dynamic. What can you expect from the Rognir in terms of sound performance and personality?

In the Box

• Rognir Dynamic
• 2 meter OFC cable with 4-Pin Balanced mini-XLR connectors and Gold Plated 6.3 TRS connector
• Fabric Pouch
• Leatherette case

Look and Feel

I don’t know one audiophile who isn’t a sucker for a wooden headphone. They look classy, feel delightful to touch, and just have the cool retro quality of yesteryear, when buying an album was the highlight of the day.  And such is the case with the Rognir Dynamic, with each cup carved from a solid piece of wood and finished in a semi-glossy wax coating. The memory foam lambskin ear pads are particularly soft, and the headphone (with suspension headband) rests almost loosely on the head. So, even after hours of listening, I didn’t experience any fatigue or discomfort. No complaints here.

Design

The Rognir Dynamic employs 50mm drivers with graphene-coated diaphragms, similar to the design of Kennerton’s popular GH 50. The purpose behind using graphene is to minimize distortion and resonance, while maintaining a high level of sensitivity.  I must admit that this unique design seems to have the intended effect and offers a distinctive quality to the sound. But more about this below.

Sound Impressions:

Soundstage

The soundstage has the spaciousness you’d expect from a headphone in this echelon. The fantastic separation adds to the multidimensional feel of the imaging. Left to right imaging has impressive scale, and placement along the vertical axis feels highly accurate. Although you will get a sense of depth, placement from the rear seems to fall more on the stereo field, rather truly behind the head. But all in all, the soundstage feels immersive and vivid.

Lows

The low-end is satiating yet contained. The bass presence does justice to pop and hip-hop tracks but stops short of being too indulgent. Because of the great transient response on these cans, the sound feels punchy and fast.

It’s a very clean profile, and the bass frequencies stay in their lane, never bleeding into the higher frequencies or becoming too present in the mix. Great detail in this range too. String instruments have texture but also feel fluid in their note progressions. And double basses maintain a natural timbre avoiding any bloat or saturation. 

Mids

You’ll hear a relatively even balance in the mids, with the upper midrange sounding a touch more prominent. But the lower mids are also given plenty of attention, giving tracks with broad instrumentation a full-bodied and all-encompassing profile. And again, when snares come in, you really feel the tightness and speed of the Rognir. The separation is fantastic, making guitar strums and busy mixes well delineated. It’s an altogether clean yet cohesive sound, that has energy, but maintains control.

It should also be noted, that there is a slightly dulled or dampened quality to the sound, which resembles that of the GH 40 in some ways. And it’s one of the elements that gives the Rognir its unique personality.

Highs

The highs have great extension, yet feel smooth at table peaks, so strings and trumpets in this range are natural, yet reasonably forgiving on the ears. The smoothness and easy flow of the sound also gives strings and vocals a very melodic and expressive character. But again, there’s enough transparency to reveal all the textures and subtleties in the tonality of instrument.

Summary

Although the sound signature doesn’t scream out at you with dynamic vibrancy and sparkle, it does have significant energy simply because of its speed and tightness. It is also a highly detailed listen, and in terms of analytical skill, it is well worth the price tag. Some may prefer the more lively and luminous sound of the GH 50. But if you already own a few pairs of cans and are looking for a something distinct in sound quality, the Rognir’s somewhat dry, yet cohesive sound signature is worthy of attention.

You can buy the Kennerton Rognir Dynamic at Audio 46.

Specifications