We spent a week with the Mark Levinson No5909 headphones to see what they were really like. We know Mark Levinson really well from their glory days in two-channel audio, so how do their new headphones stack up against the competition? At $1,599 for a pair of bluetooth headphones, the Mark Levinson No5909s are quite a premium product - the majority of wireless ANC headphones are in the $500-$600 realm. So we were really interested to see - are they really worth it?
Unboxing
As you'd expect for a premium end headphone, the packaging on the No5909s is amazing. The box feel solid and sturdy, and as soon as you pick it up you know you have something special in your hands. There's a beautifully designed box clasp - you definitely want to hang onto this box even after you've taken the headphones out as the box is a thing of beauty!
Upon opening the case, you'll discover a very generous number of cables and adaptors. The No5909 comes with a 3m USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable, a shorter 1.25m USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable, and a 1.25m USB-C to USB-C charging cable that can also be used as a digital audio cable. All three cables are braided and have a great tangle-free design, proudly sporting the Mark Levinson logo on the USB-C connectors. The package also includes three adapters: a USB-A to USB-C adapter for devices with larger USB ports, a 3.5mm to 1/4-inch headphone adapter and a two-prong airplane adapter for older aircraft models.
Functions
The controls on the headphones are straightforward and efficient. The left earcup houses a power/pairing button and an active noise cancellation (ANC) mode button, while the right earcup features a triple-combo multifunction/plus/minus button set. These buttons allow for easy control of various functions such as play/pause, skipping tracks, adjusting the volume, answering/ending phone calls, activating your phone's voice assistant, and adjusting the ANC. The headphones use Bluetooth 5.1 and have an excellent wireless range and stability.
Phone Calls
Our test on the phone call quality was excellent, with clear, crisp communication on both ends of the call. It's equipped with four beam-steering microphones that also have a cool bit of tech called Wind Adaption technology, which filtered out all the external background noise to ensure that your voice comes across with clarity and precision.
Sound Test
As with most headphones, the Mark Levinson No5909 took a little bit of running in. We found that after about 50 hours of use was when the No5909s were playing at their best. The sound was precise, detailed and very well balanced across the frequency spectrum. One thing that is excellent on these is the bass response - super tight, extremely quick and never sounding muddy. When listening to "Crush" by Yuna, the opening notes of the deep bass notes came across with impressive agility and depth that you can almost feel.
Wireless headphones do often lack a bit of detail compared to their wired counterparts, sounding compressed and thin compared to wired headphones. Even though bluetooth technology has come a long long way, from a sonic perspective, there's nothing that beats a good ol' fashioned cable.
Having said that, the Mark Levinson No5909 do an incredible job, almost sounding as good as wired headphone plus a suitable headphone DAC for the same money.
Battery
According to Mark Levinson, the No. 5909 headphones can last up to 34 hours on a single charge when ANC is turned off, and up to 30 hours with it on. Moreover, if you find yourself running low on battery, a quick 15-minute charge will provide you with an additional six hours of playback time, which is impressive for wireless headphones.
The Mark Levinson App
Install this app if you have these headphones! They give you so much control over the headphone's performance, including ANC adjustment and bass control.
Summary
Yes, the Mark Levinson No5909 do cost a pretty penny. But for the convenience of wireless, the build quality, the accessories and the sound performance, these headphones are worth it - if you can afford them.
