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Post by frost15 on Nov 7, 2020 12:26:54 GMT
"Horn-type headphones are musicality, integrity of perception, overall harmony, natural sound and the ability to completely capture the listener."
Kennerton Gjallarhorn – the first in the world horn-loaded headphones!Driver:Graphene Membrane Driver Unit:50 mm Frequency Response: 10-50000 Hz Sensitivity: 116 dB Impedance: 33 Ohm Maximum Input Power: 250 mW Cord length:High quality 2 meters length detachable cable made from OFC wires is terminated with high quality gold plated 6.3 mm TRS connector Weight:406 g ( w/o cable) MSRP:1080,00€ About the "JM Edition":JM Edition is an acoustic modification of Gjallarhorn headphones, which was made by John Massaria, one of the first owners of Gjallarhorns. The main differences touched the bullhorn form and change of phase inverter. It did significantly changed the accent of the sound of the headphones without dropping any quality at all. We named the model after the author, JM Edition. You can read in depth about the modifiacion from the first hand, from the author himself.
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Post by NPAudio on Nov 7, 2020 12:38:34 GMT
Fantastic sounding headphones 👍 I followed John Massarias work when I owned them
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Post by frost15 on Nov 7, 2020 12:46:15 GMT
First impressions out of the box: They come in a very beautiful genuine leather case. The warranty is enveloped very nicely and the overall presentation is awesome. The stock cable is very high quality, yet I really missed a headphone adapter to plug them right after the unboxing process (since it's got a 6.3 mm TRS connector). The cans themselves are handcrafted and they are a sight to behold. Really unique design that catches immediately the eye. The first pleasant surprise was how comfortable they were. They weight 400gr but once on the head they feel really light. The lamb skin earpads are warm and comfortable and I could spend 2+ hours with them in the first session with no problems. Moving onto the sound: Incredibly open sound for a closed back. Unheard til this moment in closed back cans. But what really got me was the depth of these... Out of the box I could not believe my ears. The soundstage is wide and impressive but the depth is simply out of this world. They sound very clean and with a sense of accuracy that's just pinpoint perfect. Moving to the frequency response, the bass section is close to perfect for me, the mids are dense in a very special way, classical music is pure bliss with these (the only thing I'm not fond of for now is the snare drums sound, but it could very well be because of my present-day source, which is not very good). I have not paid close atention to treble for now, and I gotta burn them for at least 75+ hours before I can make a complete opinion, but for now these are very unique and impressive headphones.
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Post by frost15 on Nov 11, 2020 15:12:07 GMT
I'm updating after gettin a bit better source and 20 hours of burning (waiting for my 1Z to arrive): First, these headphones are truly unique... Their sound signature is so weird yet so good that it's kind of difficult to find the correct words to describe them. I'll just say that their sinergy with jazz music is the best I've ever come across. In general, well done classical and jazz live recordings sound just perfect with the Gjallarhorns. There is something unique about the way they cast the bass and mids. The instrument separation is phenomenal and the depth is, again, out of this world for a closed back. The instruments have real, full bodies and everything sounds how it's supposed to. I'm still adapting to their signature for metal and rock, specially when it comes to the snare drums. They sound very different to every other drum part, like pushed back and a bit muffled (wet). Truth be told, I like in your face, punchy, dry snare drums and maybe it's just a preconceived preference thing. I'll update once I've burnt them for a bit longer and have my 1Z back.
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Post by NPAudio on Nov 11, 2020 15:16:55 GMT
Looking forward to hearing your impressions of both together
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Post by frost15 on Nov 14, 2020 16:31:13 GMT
50+ hours of burning now. The more I listen to these cans the more I like them. The adaptation process was not easy for pummeling and energetic genres, but now I just can't listen to music the same way I used to. These, guys, are a really really good headphones. I'm starting to get some things written about their sound signature:
- Their combination of great depth (unreal layering), soundstage and horned design make them sound like a surround system! I realized this when I was listening to some soundtracks. They transported me to a surround cinema. Everything sounded immense, huge, and it did not lose any detail in the process, the bass is clean, big, yet not boomy. Sounds COME from all directions. And that's a thing, they create this weird illusion where THE MUSIC COMES TO YOU. It loses a bit of impact/punch, which may be weird at first, but once you get used to it you just can't look back. It's a very unique sound signature and let me tell you, very very addictive. Classical and jazz music has never sounded this good on headphones, seriously. If you like live quality classical and jazz recordings these horns will get a very emotional response from you without any doubt. There is plenty of room for every instrument to breath and you will know how big is the string instrument being played.
- Now for fast and aggresive music listeners... Give these horns time (and follow the 72+ hours burn-in recommendation). They may sound really weird at first, but then you will be impressed and... addicted. Other headphones will start to sound flat in comparison, and I mean REALLY FLAT. This may not be such a bad thing for most black & thrash metal or hard rock, but you will soon realize that without the horns death metal suddenly is not being played in a real catacombs. Atmospheric black will lose its windy coldness, and do not get me started on how these work with prog metal... Also the horns make rock from bands such as U2 shine in all of its glory
- They are unforgiving of poor recordings. If the music was poorly recorded you will notice... Creating such a space between every instrument has these "cons"...
Can't wait to pair them with my 1Z and hopefully I'll be able to complete the recommended burn-in time before "the glorious marriage".
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Post by frost15 on Nov 14, 2020 23:07:49 GMT
Ok, I gotta say something happened at aprox 60 hrs of burn-in. I don't know if I'm imagining things but I'd swear sound tightened and reached a new level of transparency and precision. Right now I'm being completely blown away while listening to Textures "Stream of Consciousness". The bass is crystal clear and tight, and the snare drums finally started to claim some protagonism. Absolutely stellar sounding headphones right now. The best I've ever heard!
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Post by NPAudio on Nov 14, 2020 23:50:34 GMT
Nice one, they are really spectacular sounding headphones. Mine where stock pre JM edition
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Post by frost15 on Nov 19, 2020 23:36:31 GMT
Well, two weeks have passed since I got these fabulous cans and before posting a full review (I want to burn my 1Z a bit longer first) I'd like to share some thoughts and recommendations: 1 - If you get these make sure you bend the metal band just like in John Massaria's first review. You will save a lot of time because even though these are very comfortable cans, finding the right spot can be hard, and the right spot is very important for their sound to shine. Ever since I bent the metal band like Massaria I got everything set up fast and easy. Also the bass presence is improved. 2 - If you buy these directly from Kennerton ask them to replace the stock cable for one that you can actually use. Don't get me wrong, the stock cable is really nice but most DAP users will rather have a 3.5mm or 4.4mm cable than a 6.3mm one. 3 - Don't judge them fast. These are unique headphones and they do need a bit of burn-in before reaching their best sound. Their sound signature may sound very weird (fun) at first, but once you have listened to them for a couple of days you will posibly start to rethink things. According to this review the mids are very uneven, and that could be the cause they sound the way they do. That would explain why I was not fond of the snare drums sound at first. But after many listening hours I just find it different and unique. 4 - Soundtracks and classical music are the most benefited genres of their sound signature. As I stated before their depth and immersive soundstage is unheard of in closed cans. Star Wars: Episode III soundtrack brought my friend to shed a tear with the horns. It's like being in the cinema again, music surrounds you in a very cinematic way, but this time you hear every detail, you feel every instrument, music completely captivates you. Immersive is the best word to describe their performance with OST and classical music. 5 - The impact problem... This may be a deal breaker for some people but their excellent soundstage and depth comes at the cost of impact. Music that is meant to attack and punch you in the face will do so but in a very different manner. If you do not get accustomed to this you will have a hard time with the horns. Take Napalm Death's music for example, their concentrated pummeling sound is suddenly wider and deeper, it's not on your face, you are witnessing it from the second row of the biggest local club. Now take Wormed's music on the other hand. Their space infused death metal is still aggresive and fast, but it's not an alien in your face. Now it sounds like played from a wormhole. 6 - These are not for bassheads. Bass is accurate, tight, elegant and perfectly distributed along the stage, but it doesn't boom or make you jump. For me this is great, since I love bass just in the right amount, but for those who like really heavy bass these will not appeal to you. And I think that's all I will say for now. I'll update with a full review someday.
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Post by frost15 on Nov 21, 2020 12:10:37 GMT
To help others with the metal bending I've decided to upload two pictures of how my Gjallarhorns look right now. I guess the final picture will depend on each person's head shape, but that should get you an approximate idea. The clam should be strong enough to keep them in place even if you gently move your head, but not to the point of makin you feel annoying presure. The bend should be done not exactly where the gap starts, but a bit above that. Then you should play with small bendings until you find what works for you. It took me 2 testing hours until I got the perfect clamp, so be patient. You will posibly have to do this only once! Also, after bending the metal band you may have it touching the band below (the one with Kennerton's logo) when you put them in your head. That's normal and should actually help to relieve some pressure from the ears zone. Right now I can wear these for many hours! Attachments:
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Post by NPAudio on Nov 21, 2020 12:16:22 GMT
To help others with the metal bending I've decided to upload two pictures of how my Gjallarhorns look right now. I guess the final picture will depend on each person's head shape, but that should get you an approximate idea. The clam should be strong enough to keep them in place even if you gently move your head, but not to the point of makin you feel annoying presure. Also, after bending the metal band you may have touching the band below (the one with Kennerton's logo) when you put them in your head. That's normal and should actually help to relieve some pressure from the ears zone. Right now I can wear these for many hours! Nice, do you have a before pic. I considered bending mine when I had them as they where pretty slack. Thought I must have pin head 😂
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Post by frost15 on Nov 21, 2020 12:26:01 GMT
To help others with the metal bending I've decided to upload two pictures of how my Gjallarhorns look right now. I guess the final picture will depend on each person's head shape, but that should get you an approximate idea. The clam should be strong enough to keep them in place even if you gently move your head, but not to the point of makin you feel annoying presure. Also, after bending the metal band you may have touching the band below (the one with Kennerton's logo) when you put them in your head. That's normal and should actually help to relieve some pressure from the ears zone. Right now I can wear these for many hours! Nice, do you have a before pic. I considered bending mine when I had them as they where pretty slack. Thought I must have pin head 😂 I got this from google images. I have a kind of rectangular face myself haha. And those are mine. Just for easy comparison Attachments:
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Post by NPAudio on Nov 21, 2020 17:02:44 GMT
Excellent that looks like they would be a much better fit/ seal.
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Post by frost15 on Nov 21, 2020 23:26:35 GMT
Excellent that looks like they would be a much better fit/ seal. It's not just about the fit/seal, which is amazingly comfortable now, but the sound with this particular clamp shines enormously. Kennerton states that due to the nature of the bullhorn shape a correct fit is a must for the intended sound, and this clamp brings that to the table fast and easy. I'll tell you a personal experience I had today just to show you how good the Gjallarhorn "JM edition" are: My friend, who is a semi-pro musician and spends a lot of time composing and playing music tested the horns "JM Edition" today. He was very skeptical about high end headphones but as soon as he started listening to various types of music he was completely blown away. I had not ever seen him that way... He literally said these cans are the best thing he's ever experienced in the headphones realm, really unique in the best posible way. Not surprisingly the thing that impressed him the most was how soundtracks sounded on the horns. As I said in my pre-review soundtracks are absolutely incredible with these cans, completely unbeatable. Star Wars soundtrack made him go nuts. In his words, "it was like hearing it in a big theater".
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Post by frost15 on Nov 25, 2020 12:38:31 GMT
Finally I posted a full review in head-fi. Since John Massaria posted everything there I wanted to pay homage to his dedication by having my review and opinion in the same page. NPAudio Do you think that we will have a reviews department here someday? I know it takes work and time so don't feel pressure or anything please, it's just out of curiosity.
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