Sound – Pads
Our Wodan is equipped with the suede 105mm ECL-01 pads. For all parts on sound (previous and next) we used these stock pads. The leather ECL-01 and 02 pads were only used in this specific chapter. The pads are selling for €78 for a set.
All of the ear cushions are hand-made from soft lambskin from a remote highland region in Northern Caucasus. According to Kennerton, the sonic difference between the ECL-01 and ECL-02 pads is that there is an increase in the mid-bass and sub-bass.
As you can clearly see in the pictures and description on Kennerton’s website the holes in the ECL-01 pads are twice as big (1 mm vs 0.5 mm). The ECL-02 pads also feel more firm and it seems they have more internal stuffing.
Removing Wodan’s pads is easy but putting another set on them is a bit more tricky. To me anyway, though multiple swaps later, I do seem to have gotten faster doing it.
Once the pads are on you then have to remember exactly how the other pads sounded, so this is not the ideal headphone for pad comparisons. The first thing I noticed when switching to the ECL-02 pads is the sub bass difference. Where it before was not very present, it now clearly has more presence and body. Bass goes quite a bit lower, with more body/impact, and improved layering. This of course is a less neutral presentation compared to what we heard before, and it has a more fun aspect to it. It’s nice to enjoy for a while, but it to me is more fatiguing.
The pads also bring more mid presence, decreasing that slight dip we heard before. This also means the vocals sound more integrated with these pads.
All-in all I prefer the ECL-01 pads. They’re more neutral, more precise and they showcase the technical strength the Wodan has. The ECL-02 pads for me do make it fun but they hide some of the technical performance with the added body and warmth. Of course you might like the ECL-02 body and warmth over the “lighter” ECL-01’s, but that’s all personal preference.
The leather ECL-01 pads, compared to the suede ECL-01 pads, sound very similar. Maybe the leather ones show a bit more pronounced depth and layering, but it’s not a huge difference. I’m sticking to the suede pads for sound, comfort and looks.
Sound – Balanced
In general I very often prefer a balanced connection, but something I don’t and this is one of these times.
In balanced mode the Wodan becomes even more spacious and extended in the mids. At the same time I feel we’re losing a some of the Wodan’s precision and dynamics in balanced mode. It to me sounds a bit more lifeless and this isn’t the engaging musical tuning I so like with the Single Ended mode.
This of course can be completely different to you, it’s just my personal opinion on going balanced with the Wodan.
Sources / Amplification
As stated before the Wodan isn’t the hardest headphone to drive. At he same time I have almost exclusively used it with a desktop amp, as it’s not the kind of headphone you tend to use on the go.
Amp-wise, any desktop amp can drive the Wodan to loud volumes. Wodan does scale up with a good amp, but it doesn’t need a high end amp to sound really good. I myself really like listening to it with the AudioValve Solaris tube amp, but this might be different to you. The Wodan is transparent enough for you to hear the impact of your amplifier’s tuning in the sound.
Kennerton does supply a 6.3 to 3.5mm adapter with the headphone, so let’s try it. For this review I did hook it up to Luxury & Precision P6 DAP I’m reviewing and I have to admit that it sounded perfectly fine. Fast, clear, good amount of body, lovely mid timbre and the overall musical and engaging sound we’ve been talking about. No issues or remarks here.
The point is that I wouldn’t worry about what you have to drive this headphone with. It will sound good anyway but will sound even better with a great amp.
Vs the Family
The DAC for this part is the Violectric V850 and the amplifier used for this comparison is the AudioValve Solaris, in single ended mode. This is compared to the Wodan with the ECL-01 pads.
The Kennerton Odin is a great sounding headphone, but it’s a heavy one. I bet a lot more people would go for Odin if it had the new headband system. The Odin sounds fuller and bigger and it extends further in all directions.
Bass is bigger and comes delivered with more impact than “neutral”. Sub bass presence here is impressive as well as the bass layering and timbre. The Odin mids are more even and the vocals are more integrated. Bass and mids are musical and smooth, yet very precise and engaging. Odin’s treble section extends further and sounds more energetic. Odin keeps impressing me after all this time
The Kennerton Thror shares the clarity of the Wodan, but it feels lighter in presence and body. This a more neutral tuning from bass to treble. Wodan to me is smoother and warmer and more musical. It’s also faster, especially the attack.
I wouldn’t say Wodan is a mix of both of these headphones, therefor it’s simply too different sounding. The Odin for me still is the best headphone in their line-up, but the Wodan is more affordable, more comfortable and still delivers a technically fairly strong and musical sound. With its smooth delivery, it’s just very easy to listen to.
Conclusion
The Kennerton Wodan is an easy to like headphone. It provides great comfort but even more important, it produces great sound.
The Wodan is clear, engaging and fast. The delivery has lovely warmth and smoothness. With its bass presence, addictive mid timbre and soft treble, it’s a very easy headphone to listen to. Wodan is musical and engaging and it’s a pleasure to listen to all day long.
Keep it coming Kennerton, you’re doing great.
