When it comes to high end headphones, there’s a few contenders to look out for. Dan Clark, Hifiman, and Focal are big hitters in this range. One brand that flies under the radar is Kennerton, a Russian brand specializing in audiophile listening. Today I had the pleasure of listening to the Kennerton Heartland Planar Magnetic headphones, which has a lot to offer with its features, aesthetics, and sound.
As always, we start with the aesthetics. The best way I can describe the look of these is “deceivingly comfortable”. I was a bit hesitant going in with these, and I anticipated not liking the feel based on how large they are. They looked bulky and like they would weigh heavily on my head, but once I held them, a lot of my fears were dissuaded. While the bulkiness rings true, the weight was extremely light and soft to the touch. The over-ear feel was quite comfortable and it was easy to wear them even with glasses pressing against the lambskin leather cushions. The large ear cups were not bothersome and I found myself able to use these for a long extended period of time.
In terms of functionality, these were easy to drive. At 43 Ω of resistance, you don’t need a lot of power to get these going. Still, I elected to use the iFi xDSD Gryphon as an additional piece of equipment with this setup. The Heartland comes with a 2 meter cable that has a 6.35mm jack. I had to supply an additional adapter to go to 3.5mm, but this larger jack ensures any studio setup is fully accessible out of the box.
Now onto the listening! The soundstage on the Heartland is wide, and it makes listening immersive almost immediately. The frequencies pan out in the stereo field very well, and expand outwards to give the range good depth. There isn’t too much height on these, which makes the profile more relaxed than other headphones in this price range. Still, the dynamics of these headphones makes for an interesting listen every time, and the treble leaning signature captures detail with stunning clarity. The open-back design doesn’t allow for much noise isolation, but with the sound quality that comes out of the headphones, it’s not something that takes you out of the moment.
This headphone doesn’t overwhelm with the low end. As a matter of fact, it’s very subdued and very much in the background of a lot of tracks. It doesn’t drive and rattle your ears if you listen to some strong 808s, but instead gives you a warm foundation for the rest of the track to build upon. For someone looking for a powerful and impactful low end, the Heartland might disappoint; however, there is exceptional clarity and detail that comes out of this range that not many other headphones have. Listening to ROSALÍA’s “MOTOMAMÍ+” album, I was glad the tuned 808s and other low post-production effects had a rich sound that never got muddy or washed out.
The mid-range was the highlight of these headphones. The level of detail and precision coming from this range makes the price tag make sense. I was very appreciative of how the mid-range got a good feature with detail and color, and the sound reproduction was natural sounding across the board. The textures and layers were all distinct and had their own moment to shine, making my favorite tracks take on a whole new sound that I got to fall in love with. This range sits at the front of the signature, and the dynamic sound really comes out in the crisp snares and smooth vocals. Listening to the Beatles was a pleasure with these, as it felt like I was in the room with the instruments in the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The high frequencies come in as a wonderful balance to the rich low end. Like the low end, it’s not an overly powerful tone; instead, it’s more relaxed and calm. It doesn’t jump out in a shrill way, nor does it ever get to a piercing quality. It’s airy and bright, still giving plenty of color to the track. The high instruments are given plenty of space to dissipate naturally and they don’t get cut off in an odd way. Listening to some operatic pieces made this quality shine, and acoustic guitar showed how the instruments could transition into the treble range and still have great clarity.
At $3470, the Kennerton Heartland headphones are a big purchase. The level of detail coming from the planar magnetic drivers is impressive, and the lightweight fit and feel make it ideal for long listening sessions. This headphone was made for the relaxed listener in mind, staying calm in its frequency response but still giving the quality and clarity audiophiles are looking for. While the price tag may be high, the sound you get out of them shows that they will be worth every penny.
The Kennerton Heartland is available at Audio46.
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