![]() It also works if the headphone’s battery is completely depleted. One is completely passively with no processing, by using them as a standard wired set of cans. The Mark Levinson No.5909 headphones can be enjoyed in a few different ways. One of the nice things about Bluetooth 5 is that it allows for backward compatibility and multiple connections to the headphones meaning that while the No.5909 may be paired wirelessly to your laptop for listening, the app is still connected to them too so ANC level and sound preferences can still be adjusted. The app also provides information such as battery level and allows for the occasional firmware update for the headphones. There is also an Awareness setting that allows a choice of either vocal or ambient sounds to pass through easier. The Neutral setting comes closest to the HARMAN target with Enhanced and Attenuated Bass settings for people who prefer more and less bass, respectively.”Īlong with a hard button on the left earcup, the app also controls the level of noise cancellation desired with High, Adaptive, and Low settings. With that in mind, the ML 5909 provides three bass settings aimed to please each of the three segments. There are two smaller listener segments who prefer the headphone with slightly more or less bass and treble. Listening experiments determined the HARMAN target is preferred by 64% of the several hundred listeners we tested. “From the outset of this project, our number one goal was to tune the ML 5909 as close as possible to the Harman Target Curve, which describes a preferred frequency response of a headphone based on our research. Sean Olive, and he described the headphone tuning thusly I had an email exchange with HARMAN’s Dr. The available iOS and Android apps allow a choice between 3 different tuning profiles (Neutral, Bass Enhanced, and Bass Attenuated) based on the HARMAN preference curve. 5909 also have been tuned by the sound wizards at HARMAN to accurately track the HARMAN sound preference curve. The headphone’s Bluetooth 5.1 system is based on the Qualcomm QCC5124 chipset and will converse with other products over LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, and AAC codecs. Both clamping force and overall weight are quite reasonable which makes the No.5909 very easy to wear for multiple hours with a surprisingly minimal amount of ear sweats.įrom a technical standpoint, the Mark Levinson No.5909 uses 40 mm, dynamic drivers, with Beryllium coated diaphragms. The leather-covered memory foam earpads completely encircled my ears, sealed well, are supremely comfortable, and can be replaced if necessary. The two-piece leather-wrapped headband with real red stitching is particularly sharp. The headphone frame is made from anodized aluminum and the earcup finish is rendered in automotive-grade metallic paint. The No.5909 looks a little more serious with high-quality plastics and metal used throughout. Very different from the streamlined, stealth appearance of your typical Sony or Bose offering. At that price point, they need to deliver a premium experience on every level. When they were originally announced, I confess to a certain level of skepticism over what they could bring to the table (besides aesthetics) that wasn’t already there. At $999.00 the Mark Levinson No.5909 land at the very top end of the spectrum. Wireless ANC headphones are a whole other busy headphone subcategory and there is a ton of action happening at the $499.00 price level and below. In the new No.5909, the company created not an esoteric audiophile corded headphone (that move might be expected given the brand) but instead an elite set of Active Noise Cancelling headphones that scream “Business Class” all over. A really fine set of headphones these days is as much of a status symbol as a premium automatic wristwatch.įor its entrance into this contentious category, HARMAN has leveraged the name and design language of its most premium brand, Mark Levinson. This is particularly true in the premium headphone segment where it seems every time I blink, a new headphone with an eye-watering list price is released. Headphones are one of those audio product categories that show no sign of contraction, streamlining, or slowing down even in the slightest.
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