AMPSANDSOUND KENZIE REVIEW
INTRO
Thanks to Justin of AMPSANDSOUND for sending me this amplifier for review as well as always being super kind and willing to answer all my questions.
The Kenzie is a little but serious amplifier made by AMPSANDSOUND that is the company’s first foray into the headphone world. The company first began making speaker amplifiers where it added a headphone amplifier output to one of it’s amplifiers. Later on they decided to answer the call for a dedicated headphone amplifier and now we are here with the Kenzie. It’s bigger brother, the Mogwai, came full circle being made with the intentions of offering more power for other headphones that the Kenzie is not ideal for but also the ability to power loudspeakers.
In another review I covered the Mogwai which is an amplifier I purchased because while in my stable next to the Audio GD-HE-9 I found it more to my liking. The Kenzie amplifier aims at more specialty and less versatility. As of recently I have had quite a penchant for high impedance and low impedance dynamic headphones. I wanted to hear how the Kenzie handled those loads and what this little guy is able to bring out of my music. I am very pleased to be able to share my honest opinion of the unit with you.
Do note that no tube rolling has been done during the Kenzie’s time here so all impressions are from stock tubes.
SPECS
Input impedance is 10K ohm with alps pot, .5v for full power
Input Sensitivity 520mV peek for full power out.
32ohm power: 200mWatts RMS @ 1khz, 20.5VRMS
Frequency bandwidth 20hz -3db to 12khz -3db full power
Frequency bandwidth 20hz -3db to 18khz -3db @ 160mw output
Noise on 32ohm tapp @ 500uV
600ohm power: 250mWatts RMS @ 1khz, 12.5VRMS
Frequency bandwidth 20hz -1db to 18khz -3db full power
Noise on 600ohm tapp @ 1.4mV
BUILD/DESIGN
Finish and looks
The Kenzie is a no frills, simple wood and fire amplifier. It is not nearly as flashy and impressive looking as my Auris HA2 SE but the build is solid and the while I think a glossy finish makes wood look more sophisticated it doesn’t go with all designs and personally speaking in this case I think it looks just fine.
Volume control
The Kenzie pot is smooth as butter with excellent resistance to ease of turn ratio. The pot is located in front of the amplifier while the inputs and outputs are in the back. I had no issues dialing in my ideal volume.
Impedances
600ohms output: This is where the Kenzie shines. A 300ohm output seems more logical but the 600ohm output worked beautifully with my HD650 and ZMF headphones. To spoil the review right here is fine to me as I am not sure you are here to read me carry about. Plugging my Atticus in revealed some of the best midrange tonality and realism I have heard under 2K easily. It opens the mids up like a uncaged bird with new wings.
32ohms output: Nothing to snuff at. Judging the Kenzie from using this output doesn’t really reveal what it is best at. It kept composure but sometimes I felt there to be a slight lack of dynamics and openness relatively speaking. For example I actually sometimes prefer the Mogwai with it’s 32ohm output, especially with planars due to it’s more powerful nature.
Tubes
YouSupplied Tubes:
Input tube: 12SL7 or equivalent
Output tubes: 1626 or VT-137
The options and variety of the chosen type of tubes for this amplifier are somewhat limited. I am of the believe that other tubes can alter the sound but if you purchase a Kenzie I wouldn’t have high hopes of doing a whole lot of tube rolling.
Noise
The 600ohms output’s wonderful sound comes with a small price, some slight hum when no music is playing. This is less loud than my Auris when using it’s high impedance output but still audible.
Power/Drive
Luckily there are a ton of headphones out there that the Kenzie can drive very well but with my HD6XX I am just a tad higher on the pot than I am used to, though there is plenty of headroom. Also I would stay away from hard to power planars like a T50RP Mod or HE500. Sure those headphones will sound good tonally with enough volume but they will also sound a bit compressed and flat in dynamics. My Odin is efficient but would like a little more power to allow it to open up. The Atticus and Eikon have no issues whatsoever, nor will your Utopia and Elear. I do believe LCD2, X, or 3 would do fine.
SOUND
The more amps I come across the more I have come to terms with the fact that in order to get the ideal sound you want you have to be selective of each component and know what meshes. That is obvious but in the case of the Kenzie, had I not had a high impedance headphone to test it with, I feel I would have deemed it good, great even, but not anything special compared to what I have on my desk now.
The Kenzie is a beautiful sounding amplifier. During my testing I found the Atticus to pair best with it so that is where most of the impressions below come from. Some pairings were not punchy, some were not; some pairings were amazing and some decent; yet none were a failure unless they called for lots of power. Even then tonally the Kenzie could never be to blame, sans a dismissable tendency to highlight the upper midrange of my HD650.
BASS
The sub bass of the Kenzie has good extension. For EDM and such the Kenzie has enough reach and presence in the sub bass for one as my self with a health appetite for low frequencies to settle. I often listen to a lot of the less mainstream artists like MNDSN or Eric Lau. On Eric Lau’s ‘Rhythm King’ I find the bass kicks to have excellent focus that cuts through the sub bass sustain notes even more than my Mogwai and Auris. It has a natural but quicker decay than either of them sounding a little more dry yet not solid state dry. Still and so it rumbles and growls just slightly less than either of them. It has less heft and bang than the beefier sounding Mogwai and is a little less hard and dense than the Auris. I previously said in another review that the Mogwai is tight and focused but the Kenzie reveals otherwise sounding a little more precise and defined but a little less heavy and thick. The Mogwai is a little less focused and could stand to be just a little tighter like the Kenzie. The bass is linear to my ears without any accentuations to speak of; it sounds neutral without any of the baggage that usually comes with that term. If you are looking for elevated bass I don’t think the Kenzie is the one and may even call it a hair below my personal ideal amount. On the Kenzie’s 600ohms jack I find the Atticus to sound more controlled and punchy than it does on most other amps I have tried with it. Also it is exceptionally responsive.
MIDRANGE
Straight up…the ‘King’ of mids for me so far in its price bracket. That is with the following in mind: Trafomatic Head 2(now outside of its price bracket at over 3K), the SPL Phonitors, stock Mogwai, Apex Sangaku, my Upgraded Mogwai (better mids than stock], Auris HA2 SE, iFi Pro iCan, Cayin iHA-6, Wolf Ear Makoyi, Audio GD-HE9 and other lower tiered gear. Now I can’t make that statement without disclaimers. Firstly, that is with the high impedance output where I hear a distinct openness for vocals that I have only really heard before on one other amp: the Audio-GD HE-9. The Audio GD had this aspect under its belt with even more transparency and a much blacker background but it was not combined with the proper amount of tone density needed to make it sound as realistic as the Kenzie does. Swapping from the SPL Phonitor E and I hear the same amount of clarity if not just a little less than the SPL, similar ‘hear through factor’, a very similar tonality and resolution, but more depth, body, resonance, and organics. The Kenzie does not sound overly thick, warm or syrupy in the midrange but full, resounding, and open. The Mogwai (upgraded caps) has a little more sweetness to it in the lower mids with the stock tubes but is less clean cut with it’s edges; more round and just as clear but not as open and vivid.
Listening to Livingston Taylor “Isn’t she lovely” I hear good dynamic range and the guitars have resounding tangibility. His voice is more believable on the Kenzie than my other amps. Hand percussion sounds bold and resolute with tangible and solid leading edges.
Now using my HD650, I find that I sometimes prefer the heavier and denser timbre of my Mogwai. I personally like to throw some meat on the HD650’s bones which is why I love it so much with tube amplifiers and in this case the Mogwai. I can also swap tubes and reel in a bit of its tendency to sound a little shouty to me at times with the Mogwai. However, the 650 still sounds more open and expressive on the Kenzie, and while it has a little less body, it is sounds deeper and better projected. I am sensitive to the HD650s upper midrange though so at times it is a bit much for me even on other amps so I listen with the Senns at a lower volume because the Kenzie can lightly highlight this aspect.
The lower midrange sounds flat to my ears without any extra warmth. The middle midrange is spot on and the upper midrange or higher end of the middle midrange is just barely accentuated.
TREBLE
I find the Mogwai and Kenzie very similar in treble performance. The Kenzie has excellent resolution just as the Kenzie does but I feel the Mogwai is a bit more raw and resolving up top than the Kenzie. I can hear the echo trails of cymbals better on the Mogwai over the Kenzie just slightly. The textures of the Kenzie are not smooth or dull and provide decent bite even compared to some solid state amps. The balance is pretty even without any hard spots in the lower treble. Extension seems a very small bit better than the Mogwai which leaves me with no real complaints. I find the SPL Phonitor to have just a little better extension than the Kenzie. The upper treble has more presence on the SPL Phonitor E that sounds a little more neutral and evenly balanced to my ears but not by much at all.
PERFORMANCE
The Kenzie is a less punchy and snappy sounding amplifier than my Auris HA2 SE that drives rhythm a bit better regardless of impedance due to its harder bass and excellent dynamics but with a high impedance headphone the Kenzie is not far behind and sounds more open with better depth to its images. I still feel the Auris is a better all arounder because it can do some planars decently and regardless of the pairing it exhibits these traits whereas the Kenzie is a little more finicky with the headphone you plug into it. But the right headphone into the Kenzie sounds like you are unlocking the paid for version of your favorite song instead of listening to Spotify it is also more resolving than the Auris.
The Micro-Dynamics are pretty good on the Kenzie but the way the midrange blooms, swells, and drops in volume makes it’s Macro-dynamics take precedence as one of it’s notable attributes. I found my Atticus, and HD650 to sound more dynamic in the mids on the Kenzie than my Auris, Mogwai, and the SPL Phonitor but the Odin and Meze to sound more expressive on the others over the Kenzie. Do note though that the Kenzie still had better hear through factor with them and still was decently charismatic with the Meze Classics as there is no sense of compression with the Kenzie.
Soundstage on the Kenzie is actually smaller than my tweaked Mogwai, mostly in width but depth seems to go to the Kenzie but just a hair. The Mogwai(with upgraded caps) soundstage is more even, with less height while the Kenzie has better separation since it sounds less wet and also has slightly better height. I prefer the soundstage of my upgraded Mogwai overall though. I feel my Auris is just a bit better at layering and making the images sound emboldened in their positions but the soundstage sizes between the two (Kenzie and Auris HA2SE) are similar. All on it’s own I feel the Kenzie is pretty good with staging that is naturally holographic.
Attacks and decay are fairly good having me wishing to re-evaluate my Mogwai which (again) is comparatively slower in decay and less sharp with attacks. The decay and tone density of the Mogwai give it a thicker, more lush, and full sound. The Mogwai sounds more round and smooth in the bass and midrange attacks.
Piano keys wallop with good timbre and body but have slightly less physicality to them than the Mogwai or Auris does but not by much. Tone Density is actually a little more on the Auris and Mogwai so they sound just ever slightly more visceral than the Kenzie. Specifically in the bass where the Auris HA2 SE sounds harder and the Mogwai heavier. While just slightly less dense the Kenzie never sounds thin to my ears, especially compared to solid state amps.
Resolution is pretty good on the Kenzie. Small details are something I find it to pull out better than Auris HA2 SE by just a bit. Given they are the same price almost I would have to say that the Kenzie has slightly better sound quality.
PAIRINGS
ZMF ATTICUS – The best I have heard it so far. Sure the Auris HA2 SE gives it more drive and a sense of nuance but it doesn’t make it sound as open and still the Kenzie is punchy making my Atticus sound crisp and defined. It is a very engaging pairing as well and is able to reveal how lively and potent the Atticus can be on the right amp.
SENNHEISER HD650 (MODDED) – While it plays a little less gently with the upper midrange of the HD650 it still sounds really good with it. It gives it good punch, an expressive sound, and highlights its strengths; taking it to new heights.
KENNERTON ODIN – This pairing has good tonality but is not really as dynamic as I am used to hearing it on my Mogwai. My Mogwai opens the Odin up more and gives it better body. Also on my Mogwai the Odin sounds really natural and just as clear as the Kenzie. I find the Odin easy to get it to sound loud with a lot of room on the pot left on the Kenzie at just 11 o’clock on the dial for those songs I want to turn up but it sounds compressed compared to the others on my desk.
MEZE 99 CLASSICS – While I find it a good pairing, I don’t feel the Classics reveal what the Kenzie can do, or vice a versa. It is natural and the drivers don’t sound like they lose focus but it is only average at making the Classics sound intense and I feel like the Mogwai and Auris make it snap a little harder
FOSTEX T50RP – My mod has a bit extra in the presence region and the Kenzie is not powerful enough to cut it. Sorry it’s just not.
It is possible that there may be some better sounding headphone amplifier at 1700 for my favorite closed back – The Atticus – but I haven’t heard it. The Kenzie has very good tonality and realism from pleasant tube distortion and is a little more clean cut when handling transients than some of the other tube amps I have heard around it’s price. I think it works well for high impedance headphones and does above average for low impedance headphones as well.
To put it this way may help understand the Kenzie. When I try low impedance headphones on the Kenzie it is not that I do not think they do not work well, in fact I find the Kenzie to be competitive with any amplifier around its price unless you need lots of power. But the way it opened up my 6XX and especially my Atticus was special in synergy. Upon first plugging my Atticus in the Kenzie I wanted to get rid of my Mogwai so I could have one but I prefer my planars on the Mogwai and to a lesser extent the Auris and since hardly any amplifier does it all then synergy is the name of the game. It’s obvious that I like the amplifier. It is tough for me to critique it’s sound quality and I have already been recommending it. If you are building a rig around anything like a Senn, Beyer, ZMF Dynamic, and even some low impedance dynamics I think the Kenzie is worth considering for sure.
Originally posted here at earphiles.org