Mark Levinson No. 5909 - High Resolution Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation (Red)

Product Information

ANC works very well and is on par with Sony and Bose for noise reduction and extremely good when it comes to not changing the sonic signature when engaged. Like most models, it works more effectively with lower pitched droning noises and I found that the low or adaptive settings were quite sufficient for most listening environments. No. 5909 is the name of Mark Levinson’s first ever headphones. As part of Harman Luxury Audio, they have put their name to what must be the most expensive noise-cancelling headphones on the market. And as hi-fi connoisseurs know, Mark Levinson is a brand that both excites and – not least – obligates. The headphones seem to have a small gain in the midrange (1 kHz). Music sounds very clear, but can appear a bit harsh in some cases. But while there might be a little too much energy there, it never becomes cold and distorted. With the Focal Bathys, I found it necessary to attenuate slightly at 4 kHz to make them less nasal. I don’t have that need here. And that’s a good thing, because it’s not possible with the Mark Levinson cups either. Could have been louder

They designed these headphones very well. Nothing else needs to be said. It is both very comfortable, and extremely attractive, and also isolates very, very well. That passive isolation is still really good, and the active cancelation is even better. Such is not the case here. The No. 5909 is wildly coherent in every direction. And when everything meshes just right like this, the experience feels broad and engaging. It feels interesting, and you don’t focus on one part of it like you would the HD800, for example.

Features

The mid bass is very linear and clean sounding with more than enough detail and texture; there was no bleed at all into the upper bass or lower midrange. One can use the app to engage the “bass boost” feature and while that does add more impact and emphasis to the bass in the mix, it also comes at the expense of some clarity. They live in an equally tactile travel-case, and are supplied with three cables that, thanks to their braiding and expensive-looking terminations, seem almost as upmarket as the headphones they accompany. Two lengths of 3.5mm to USB-C (1.25m and 4m) are provided, along with a USB-C to USB-C charging cable too. Features Grab a neutral amp if you want a neutral tone, or a very warm one if you are like me and want a lot of warmth for your enjoyment time. Considering all the other features in this model and for this price, I would rate the fidelity factor for its low-end as very good for the performance involved.

These headphones deliver precise and wide sound. The EQs are engineered well, and ANC is effective against most ambient noises without compromising the listening quality. A sleek design and long battery life add to the No. 5909’s high value. Cars on the road went nearly totally silent, the wind is inaudible, and my fan nearby is also inaudible. Overall, the ANC capabilities of these headphones are very, very good. Ambient Aware mode disables all of this and lets you hear what is ongoing around you without taking the headphone off. Bluetooth Sound Quality: excellent. Neutral, not bass heavy. Slightly upward tilted upper mids/lower highs. Not bright or fatiguing whatsoever. Detail retrieval is excellent. Vocals reproduced very well. Headstage I would describe as above average.Multipoint technology is available to pair the No. 5909 with two devices simultaneously, but it is a mess. Several times, the headphones crashed, producing this unbearably loud static noise, and powering off when attempting to pair them with a secondary device. When the feature did work, lag was present on my secondary device, or nothing would play at all. Mark Levinson No. 5909 review: Verdict Let me cut to the chase: These are the best-sounding noise-cancelling headphones I’ve ever reviewed. You’ll put these headphones on and want to listen to your favorite songs all over again as though you’re experiencing them for the first time. With such a high asking price, it is not unreasonable for consumers to expect great sound quality from the No. 5909 and it certainly doesn’t shy away from that ask. I did my listening using both the wireless and wired modes and while there are some differences between the two, the gap when using LDAC and aptX Adaptive was not as wide as you might expect.