Kennerton Odin

The Odin (here, mk2 model) is a Russian planar magnetic headphone released by Kennerton in 2016. The latest variant is the Odin Thridi, lighter (550g) and with different diaphragm.

It was Kennerton’s flagship until the Thror arrived. At 2.5k MSRP price, it’s quite expensive, but build quality is top notch. Comfort is not optimal due to being very heavy and an average weight distribution. It is aimed to compete other high-end headphones, like the Hifiman HE-1000, ZMF Vérité or Mrspeakers Ether 2.

○ Release : 2016
○ Current status : Discontinued
○ Type : Over-ear / Open-back
○ Measured weight : 664g
○ Impedance : 35 Ohms
○ Sensitivity : 104 dB/mW
○ Average used price : $1000-1300

Sound Impression
The Odin does benefit from pad swapping. With stock pads, it’s a slightly “warm-bright” kind of tonality, with recessed upper-mids / low-treble but a noticeable peak in the mid-treble. Still enjoyable with nice midrange but not optimal. Dekoni TH900 Velour pads improve comfort (stock pads are a bit rigid) and tonal balance by adding presence and reducing the mid-treble energy.

Bass is a bit disappointing, especially for a planar. It rolls off below 50-60hz no matter how I try to get a good seal. Bass impact / slam is not that great either, the Hifiman HE-6 or Audeze LCD-4 both hit much better. Midrange is Odin’s main strength, especially with the Dekoni pads. It’s very pleasing, a bit forward with good weight in the lower-mids (without sounding bloaty) and solid upper-midrange tone (but not as accurate as HD580/600 or even Elex).

Treble is overall smooth and not emphasized, with enough energy from 5 to 10 khz and decent amount of air. I owned another Kennerton, the Vali, which significantly lacked air – hopefully the Odin is an improvement here. Staging is wider than most headphones. Bigger image than HD600, HE6, Elex, but not quite like HD800 or HE1000. Dynamics are not the best, especially for the value. The midrange is fine but the bass suffers a bit from compression.

The Odin is tough to recommend for the price and the average comfort. I like it with the pad swap, not so much in stock form. Still, it’s a good complement to brighter headphones like the HD800, HE6 or Focal Utopia. I however prefer other warm headphones such as the ZMF models.

Measurements & Resources

Stock pads vs Dekoni TH900 Velour pads graph :
http://alphatak.fr/tn/graph/Kennerton_Odin_mkII_stock_Dekoni_velours_TH900.jpg