Mark Levinson № 5909 High-Resolution Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation
Audiophiles often deny what we truly want. We hold back and go through countless reviews of a product to reassure ourselves that we are justified in purchasing our desired component. And yes, sometimes we need to check with our significant other for approval and our bank accounts; but sometimes I believe it’s just guilt that’s to blame. So, can we purchase what we desire? That is the question.
I can confess I have no rational need for more headphones, I have too many (those are my wife’s words). I can’t justify buying some of the most expensive wireless headphones on the market, but that’s just what I did. As soon as these headphones were announced I knew I desired them. This review is of the Mark Levinson № 5909 High-Resolution Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation ($999).
The Mark Levinson brand (now part of Harman International owned by Samsung Electronics) has been making gorgeous and high-quality audio components since the early ‘70s. A few years back, I wrote a review of the Mark Levinson № 5105 Turntable, and after seeing and listening to it, I decided to keep it. A marvellous tank of a machine, it’s still my everyday turntable. Stylish, elegant and high-end I’d say summarizes the Mark Levinson brand.
That experience possibly helped my decision to pre-order the № 5909 headphones. Because I desired them, I had little voices in my mind reminding me that the price tag would be steep. And I was right, the 5909 was the most expensive wireless headphone on the market, until a few months ago when two new wireless headphones were announced: the T+A 600 Solitaire-T ($1700) and the upcoming Audio-Technica ATH-WB2022 (priced at just over $3000). Is this new market for high-end wireless headphones going to last? Well, this is one reason to review the 5909s—they have set the bar (price-wise) but do they deliver the goods?
The wireless world was thrilled by the news of these headphones, not just because of the big-name company (it’s Mark Levinson’s first headphones) but also because the assumption was the build and sound quality would perhaps rival some high-end wired headphones. If this wasn’t enough as a selling point, the 5909s would offer a wired setup (USB-C to 3.5mm). So, wireless or wired, it looked like the Mark Levinson headphones were ready to make their presence known.
Along with a high-resolution wireless sound, the 5909s also are equipped with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). ANC has climbed the audiophile ladder as one of the more important qualities in the wireless headphone world, so this aspect of the 5909s would have to compete with some of the best ANC cans today, like the Sony new generation WH1000-XM5 (I also reviewed these headphones at length for Audiophilia). Suffice it to say I had pretty high expectations.
Specifications
The Mark Levinson headphones have 40mm Beryllium (strong and lightweight) coated drivers and are acoustically tuned to the Harman Curve (famous among headphone enthusiasts because it provides a desired acoustic response that achieved the highest subjective scoring in tests done some years ago). Let’s just say the Harman Curve is the more pleasing tuned speaker/drivers curve for many.
For battery life, I got almost the 34 hours (without ANC) that Levinson described on their site (30 hours with ANC). The 5909s are also easily driven, they’re 32 Ohms, with a 40kHz acoustic response. They have an LDAC codec, also compatible with AAC, and aptX with Bluetooth 5.1. But more importantly, they’re high-resolution 24-bit/96kHz.
The headphones come with a sweet and sturdy black travel storage case for travel and microfiber polish cloth, as well as an arsenal of nice-looking Mark Levinson branded cables.
1.25m USB-C to USB-C Charging Cable
1.25m USB-C to 3.5mm Proprietary Audio Cable
4m USB-C to 3.5mm Proprietary Audio Cable
3.5mm to 6.3mm Adapter
USB-C to USB-A Adapter
Airplane Adapter
The Mark Levinson Headphone App
Mark Levinson built a free app to go with the 5909s. There’s a simple equalization of the bass frequency: Neutral, Enhanced, or Attenuated. The change in sound is minimal, and the subtle bass response does its job. When I describe the sound signature of the 5909s you’ll understand why this very small change in sound is important, for now, let me just say it’s a simple straightforward app. Updates are done through the app as well.
Another app feature is the “Ambient Aware Mode” for situational awareness (same as other ANC cans like the already mentioned Sony). You can choose to listen to the ambient around you or shut it off completely. The 5909s also have a “four-microphone voice array with Smart Wind Adaption”. For Noise-Canceling they have three modes: High, Adaptive, and Low, which you can control through the app but also on the left ear cup (power On/Off in the left ear cup as well, while the right ear cup is for the up-down volume and pauses feature). The ANC functions on the 5909s are fantastic, I tried phone calls on busy streets and coffee shops, and they did put up a good fight against the best on the market, the Sony flagship wireless WH1000-XM-5. I had no issues with this feature throughout my listening.
In the app, an Auto-off timer for the cans is also available if you need it. There’s the ‘On-Head-Detection’ (turns them off when not on your head) that does not work at all. This feature cost me many hours of going crazy and researching in audio chat rooms trying to figure out why the connection to the 5909s would be cut off constantly. I am sure it wasn’t on my end because I had no more issues as soon as I turned off this feature on both models I tried. This is my biggest complaint about these headphones. So Mark Levinson, please let’s fix this issue.
Lastly, about the app, I do believe that here Mark Levinson could help their product more—they could make equalization a larger part of the app, and all frequencies could be managed through the app. I assume that Mark Levinson engineers don’t think they need a large equalization module, but not everyone wants a neutral Harman curve as a sound characteristic.
App cover page (iOS and Android).
Design, Build, and Feel
The № 5909s are not just beautiful, they make a statement. A turbine-like design with sleek red lines and the logo at the center makes for an elegant display. Even though the ear cups may feel somewhat plasticky to the touch, they make up for it with their colour; a sort of metallic sports car paint that is pleasing to the eyes. Levinson comments that the paint is "Automotive-grade metallic painted”, so there you go. They come in three colours, pearl black, radiant red, and ice pewter/dark gray. I was lucky to get my hands on the red (but later returned) and also the black (the ones I kept).
With a classy feel to them, no doubt, high-end looking, the 5909s are solid in the looks department, but how do they fit and feel on my head? They are very comfortable, with no acute clamping pressure. As such, they fit my ears perfectly. The leather cups isolate the sound correctly. An anodized aluminum frame makes them relatively lightweight closed-back headphones (12.55 ounces). The soft leather ear cushions (replaceable) and the premium leather headband with red stitching (again the design is salient), are very secure, at no moment do they feel they might fall. The 5909s had me listening for long periods without listening fatigue.
Gear Used
I used the Mark Levinson 5909s with two mobile phones, an iPhone XR (AAC codec) and a HUAWEI-ANE/LX3-P20 (aptX HD/Android codec) phone. For better sound tests, I connected the 5909s to several DAC/amplifiers (like the Monolith Alex Cavalli Liquid Platinum Balanced tube amp, through the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M). However, I did my attentive listening by pairing it with the iFi xDSD Gryphon Hi-Res DAC/Amp through the balanced 4.4mm input (with an adapter).
As for headphones used for comparing the Levinson 5909s: Sony WH1000-XM5, Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX, Focal Bathys (review forthcoming) and Bowers & Wilkins PX-8. Also wired headphones, the Focal Clear and Hifiman Arya. Streaming was done through Qobuz, Tidal, and Apple Music.
Sound
As with any other set of headphones, the burn-in period was done (100 hours) before my critical listening. From experience, the development of the headphones' drivers will change its constitution in this period.
The most important aspect of the review is of course, how they sound. But let me make a brief point here because the 5909s are a dual threat. You won’t just enjoy their unique wireless sound, you’ll get to experience and upgrade their sound dynamics when you pair them wired. As I mentioned earlier, the Mark Levinson headphones have a USB-C port capable of both charging the headphones and for passive-mode hi-res audio.
The first thing you notice is that the volume is in a way subdued. At first, you might experience their sound as a little flat, on the quiet side. But after you continue to listen for long periods, you get a feel for what’s in store. A fantastic articulation of sound. Throughout my listening experience, the 5909s got better and better.
I connected the 5909 wireless via AAC, AptX HD, and L2HC (similar to LDAC, a Huawei-proprietary HD audio codec). The sound was controlled, which audiophiles would consider neutral. However, I’d describe it as crisp and detailed, with a flow of neutrality followed at each frequency. I had no issues with the connectivity whatsoever. I took them out and the ANC helped the sound stay where it needed to be, in my ears. Having the sound signature of the 5909s with ANC is truly something. But it is a different style of listening experience. Are there more fun headphones out there with a low-end bass that have you jumping? Yes. You won’t be head-banging to any tune with the 5909s because that’s not what I believe these cans are for. You savour the experience, and your attention is there for the sound dynamics of the recording.
I also compared the 5909s to other wireless over-the-ear headphones, for their noise-cancelling features, like the Sony WH1000-XM5 and the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX. The Sony is still the best out of the three but not by much over the 5909s which is an accomplishment on its own.
The newest and best competitors of the Levinson’s today are the Focal Bathys ($799) and the Bowers and Wilkins PX-8 ($699). I won’t go into a deep comparison but the 5909s deliver such a unique sound that comparing them is a must to understand their sound signature. I will say that the Bathys have an audiophile signature for sure, they’re fantastic, and the PX-8 is a lot of fun, but perhaps would not be audiophile-sounding enough for most audiophiles as their bass frequency is pleasing to the ears but overburden the mids a little.
I then connected them, and this was a game changer for me. My listening experience with the Mark Levinson 5909 headphones was that of high-end wired headphones like the Hifiman Arya or the Focal Clear. Yes, with a different sound signature, but the high-end response and audiophile sound I am accustomed to with very expensive wired headphones was present. What surprised me was the detail and silk-like mids-wired headphones present like the Arya and Focal Clear. The 5909s didn’t beat the Focal Clear soundstage or the Arya’s full and crisp sound, but it doesn’t need to, it has the advantage of being in the same ballpark, plus they’re wireless and noise-cancelling.
When I noticed the signature sound of the 5909s was controlled or I’d even say reserved, (with no punchy bass or buzzing highs), I wanted a small ensemble that would help melodies flow with no instruments taking center stage. Anouar Brahem’s “Improbable Day” is a solitary flow of a melody, a mystery, played wonderfully by the Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana. I took the same attitude with “Praeludium”, Anja Lechner and Francois Couturier’s intriguing cello and piano. Determined to get the most out of the 5909s, I tested them with a musical genre that has a complex and treble frequency texture, the bluegrass sound. With vocals, pedal steel, and resonator guitars as well as violin, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant’s masterpiece Killing the Blues was paralyzingly good. Another album that made the cut with the 5909s was Johnny Griffin’s Live at Ronnie Scott’s from 2008; a marvellous session filled with dynamic and competing sounds coming from all over, featuring Roy Hargrove, Billy Cobham, bassist Reggie Johnson, and pianist David Newton.
Conclusion
I had a lot of fun testing these headphones—I don’t remember using headphones for this amount of time without needing to go to another set of cans. I never got tired of them. The idea that an object like an audio component can serve just as the desired object, without having to convince yourself to justify it rationally, I believe is a good thing. What I desired turned out to be the best-sounding wireless active-noise cancelling headphones I’ve listened to. I was lucky, I guess.
What complaints do I have? Very few. The $999 price is an easy target, of course, you can buy great-sounding wired headphones for the same price. But remember these are wireless cans, with the formidable neutral-sounding, audiophile-grade faithful to the Harman curve headphones. The app needs work, but I love the subtlety of the bass equalization.
Who are these cans for? People with a thousand dollars who know what they want in an audio component, focus on sound and attention to detail and perhaps don’t fear what they desire.
Further information: Mark Levinson
