The Magni pairs explosive dynamics and articulate sub-bass with a remarkably holographic soundstage for a closed-back design. Soundnews highlights its fast, full-bodied and fatigue-free character, while MajorHifi celebrates spacious separation, lush warmth and open-back-like scale. Add handcrafted wood, plush comfort and easy drivability, and this is a distinctive, immersive all-rounder.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Comfort Fit
93/100
Build Quality
92/100
Features Usability
81/100
Value for Money
94/100
Pros
Unusually expansive, holographic soundstage and precise separation for a closed-back headphone.
Fast, hard-hitting dynamics with tight, articulate sub-bass and a full-bodied midrange.
Comfortable, durable handcrafted build with quality materials, detachable cable and protective carry case.
Easy to drive from modest portable sources thanks to high sensitivity and low impedance.
Cons
Treble is gently rolled off, limiting ultimate sparkle and analytical edge.
Its bright, prominent high-mid presentation may not suit listeners who strongly dislike brighter tuning.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
Reviewers describe a richly voiced, smooth and highly engaging presentation rather than an analytical one. Its controlled, hard-hitting bass, dense midrange, relaxed treble and unusually spacious closed-back presentation are recurring strengths.
Bass
92/100
Soundnews hears plentiful, informative sub-bass with both strong impact and articulation, adding that it remains tight and fast rather than lingering. MajorHifi likewise finds the low end clean, controlled and nuanced, though it is not the dominant part of the tuning.
Midrange
92/100
The midrange is described as full-bodied, dense and thick enough to give voices and strings convincing presence. MajorHifi also calls it prominent, resonant and extremely detailed, supporting the headphone's lush, intimate character.
Treble
91/100
Reviewers find the treble clean, articulate and naturally textured, with its level deliberately kept relaxed rather than aggressive. MajorHifi hears a consistent high end that balances detail and brightness with warmth, while Soundnews praises its lifelike, fatigue-free nature.
Resolution Detail
91/100
Soundnews places its detail retrieval alongside many headphones around the $1,000 mark. MajorHifi similarly hears strong detail, presence and separation, particularly through the midrange and spacious overall organization.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
Spatial performance is one of the Magni's clearest calling cards. Soundnews reports a medium-to-large stage that can expand substantially with suitable recordings, while MajorHifi calls its immersive, holographic width and instrument separation unusually open-back-like for a closed design.
Dynamics
92/100
Soundnews characterizes the Magni as nimble, fast and hard-hitting, with convincing slam for energetic music. Its quick bass response further supports a lively, punchy sense of momentum.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Comfort Fit
93/100
Soundnews ranks the Magni among the most comfortable headphones the reviewer has used, second only to the HiFiMAN Arya in that personal comparison. This is especially notable given its substantial physical presence, though additional long-term fit commentary is limited.
Build Quality
92/100
Soundnews gives emphatic praise to the materials, construction and overall execution, saying Kennerton has these aspects covered "with flying colors." The natural-wood presentation and balanced mini-XLR cable arrangement also suggest a thoughtfully premium package.
Features Usability
81/100
The Magni is a straightforward wired headphone supplied with a two-metre OFC cable, balanced mini-XLR connectors and a 6.3 mm termination. Reviews focus far more on sound and comfort than day-to-day ownership features, controls or accessory options.
Value for Money
94/100
At $690, Soundnews calls the Magni very affordable with incredible value. MajorHifi likewise considers it a standout and formidable competitor in its price class, particularly for its spaciousness, detail and distinctive tuning.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
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Forum Mentions
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Specifications
- Driver
- Graphene-coated multilayered composite
- Driver Unit
- 50 mm
- Frequency Response
- 15-50000 Hz
- Sensitivity
- 114 dB
- Impedance
- 33 Ohm
- Maximum Input Power
- 250 mW
- Cord length
- High quality 2 meters OFC cable with 4-Pin Balanced mini-XLR connectors and Gold Plated 6.3 TRS connector
- Weight
- 440 g
- Wood
- Natural
Manufacturer's Description — Kennerton Audio Equipment
Kennerton Magni is a new level in its segment – classic design solutions with the spirit of “old school”, the best natural materials and modern high technologies make this model an outstanding one to be highly appreciated both by audiophiles and professional audio industry.
Note: Due to specific nature of every piece of wood each pair of wood cups can not correspond precisely to the photo on the website.
Summer 2019 new model, the Kennerton Magni, mid-range model, is a result of our efforts to raise the sound level of mid-budget dynamic headphones to a new level. It was a difficult path, which began with the development of the “heart” of these headphones – the dynamics.
HIGH PERFORMING GRAPHENE MEMBRANES
It all started with the development of a new high-tech material called “Graphene”.
Graphene – if to explain in simple terms, is a two-dimensional sheet of carbon that is only one atom thick. Its physical properties are truly unique:
- It is 300 times stronger than steel
- It has no internal resistance
- It is incredibly light
As currently the production of pure graphene membrane is very hard and time-consuming and can cost a fortune, we decided to create a hybrid of mylar and powdered graphene applied by thermal method. Thus, we were able to significantly improve the characteristics of the classic dynamic driver, such as the strength of the membrane, its rigidity and the absorption of parasitic resonances. This high-tech membrane required the corresponding uncompromising “engine”. Therefore, we have equipped the speaker with an ultra-light aluminum voice coil (CCAW), covered with a very thin layer of copper to increase its conductivity. And the coil is set in action by a powerful magnet made of NdFeB alloy, which in size and power of the magnetic field is exceeding 3-4 times the magnets of similar speakers from competitors. All these engineering solutions gave the speaker a high dynamic range, stunning detailing of sound, very low distortion, and brought the sound quality of the speaker close to the representatives of the planar-magnetic technology.
Over the past year we have created several promising headphone prototypes based on these developments, and one of them was even released for one of our partners projects. But it was only through long research and experimentation that we were able to get the concept of sound, which we have been pursuing for a long time and which fits most fully into the framework of Kennerton products.
Our new driver is a compression type system, i.e., its membrane has an extremely soft suspension and additionally relies on the elasticity of the air volume of the acoustic chamber, represented by the earphone cup.
This is done in order to lower the resonant frequency of the dynamics, and accordingly the depth of reproduced low frequencies. This feature makes the speaker extremely responsive to any slightest change in acoustic design, its volume and filling. In addition, the membrane “warms up” (it enters the nominal mode of operation, gets rid of internal stresses, gets softer in places of suspension bending) for quite a long time – at least 72 hours of work according to the results of our tests. And for a complete “warm-up” it usually takes up to a week of the total time the headphones should work. All this made our engineers work very hard, but everyone who could listen to the headphones sound finally was amazed by the great result.
We were able to achieve high compatibility both with hi-end systems and with low-end devices, while maintaining a consistently high level of sound, limited by the capabilities of the source, rather than the headphones themselves.
For Kennerton Magni, we use a steel headband with a minimum of moving parts, which means maximum reliability. Headphone cups made of precious wood are not only beautiful and just pleasant to touch, but also bring warm and natural notes to the sound of the headphones, eliminating the intrusive “plastic” overtones of competitors’ models. Lightweight design, self-adapting to the user’s head and genuine leather ear cushions provide the highest comfort for long-time listening.
Ear cushions are hand-made from soft lambskin from a remote highland region in Northern Caucasus.
All spares are genuine Kennerton products and match the quality and craftsmanship that embodies Kennerton.
LAMBSKIN LEATHER CUSHIONS
Soft ear cushions for maximum comfort.
The design places driver at optimum distance from ear, improves soundstage/imaging, and musical coherence.
The kit includes a comfortable eco-leather case for a safe storing and carrying the headphones.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Kennerton Audio Equipment Magni
- Audio 46 — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Audio essence — online and in-store — Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland (website)
- Audio Magic - EU — online and in-store — Wola, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
- Audio Sanctuary — in-store — London, England, United Kingdom (website)
- CASQUES HEADPHONES — in-store — Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France (website)
- Igloo Audio — online and in-store — Royal Tunbridge Wells, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Knox Audio — in-store — New South Wales, Australia (website)
- MD Sound — online and in-store — Weyersfeld, Bayern, Germany (website)
- Patefon — online and in-store — Basmanny District, Moscow, Russia (website)
- Unilet Sound & Vision — online and in-store — London, England, United Kingdom (website)