Premium Wireless Headphones With Anc That Few People Have? Mark Levinson №5909
What do you think of them?
In recent years, HiFi manufacturers have been adding wireless headphones to their range that you wouldn’t have expected a few years ago. High-end brand Mark Levinson is one of them, and this year at CES, it introduced its first headphones under №5909. They are, of course, straight with active noise cancellation.
They went on sale at the end of the summer, and now I got my hands on them at the show. However, due to limited time, this is a quick first look, not a run-of-the-mill test. Still, I think it will be of interest to some. First of all — with a price of $999, they are much more expensive than the competition.
Yes, Mark Levinson products tend always to be very expensive. So basically, this manufacturer can’t even “afford” to offer something for the “regular buck” around $350 that other brands’ premium ANCs sell for.
So different…
What does it offer? It boasts top-quality workmanship, which can only be confirmed. The head bridge is covered with genuine leather. The frame is aluminium. The earpieces are also leather — they are also interchangeable. The comfort can only be praised, as well as the smooth adjustment of the head bridge.
In the “touch” era, it’s a slight surprise that the manufacturer opted for push-button control, where on one shell, you have buttons for volume adjustment, and on the other traditional on/off and ANC mode selection. In addition, there is an app, but frankly, of the more important things, this adds the ability to fine-tune the character of the sound.
They come in three colours (black, grey and red), with black looking the most decadent and red being the choice of those who want something a little more light-hearted. The distinctive logo on the side of the shells does say you have something different from the others, but the colour accentuates it.
Unfortunately, the colourful glossy “embellishment” looks slightly out of place and unnecessarily tacky at $999, so while the manufacturer manages to differentiate itself, this one deserves a tweak. In short, it’s not that the whole thing hits you in the eyes with its exclusive appearance, especially when you add the pronouncedly ordinary plastic control buttons.
Otherwise, the whole is well made, the materials are of very high quality, and the manufacturer has taken care of the overall design. Active noise cancellation here has three modes — on, off and listening to the surroundings. The ANC here is effective, above average within the standard, but a big part is the excellent passive ambient attenuation.
However, ambient voices can still “shoot through” the ANC a bit, so don’t expect miracles with this High-End. The adaptive function, which automatically adjusts the ANC settings according to your position on the map or what you are doing, is not here.
The battery life per charge is a very good 30 hours with ANC and 34 hours without charging via USB-C. Four microphones with Smart Wind Adaption take care of calls.
What does it do, and how does it play?
Connectivity is provided by Bluetooth 5.1, and the codecs are LDAC, AAC, aptX Adaptive and SBC. The headphones also connect via cable. There’s just a USB-C connector. In the package, there are two USB-C/Jack 3.5mm audio cables for this purpose, with a length of 1.25 m and 4 m, which also serve for classic listening via “wire”.
And, of course, in addition to the hard case, there’s also a USB-C/USB-C cable that can be used both for charging and for direct connection to a smartphone via USB-C. The Hi-Res Audio logo makes it clear that the headphones can handle frequencies up to 40,000 Hz, and of course, you need to connect a cable to use them.
And the sound? The headphones are fitted with 40mm beryllium-coated dynamic transducers, and the manufacturer promises a sound typical of this iconic brand. In truth — how Mark Levinson is supposed to sound, I don’t know, but the sound is very airy, with a wide space.
You’ll be pleased with the accurate and fast bass, which is not accentuated by any attempt at a fun but forget about the dry, analytical sound. It’s musical and very pleasant. The reproduction is very clear with plenty of detail, obviously when connected by cable.
Excellent use is made of the dynamic range of the recordings. However, there is no spectacular overwhelm. Overall, nothing stands out or is muffled anywhere. The Mark Levinson delivers if you like natural and detailed sound without unnecessary fun colouration.
It’s worth noting that the headphones also play in passive mode via a cable connected to the headphone amp. Unlike others, there was little difference between passive and active modes on a quick listen.
Of the wireless models I’ve had the opportunity to hear, the Mark Levinson №5909 sounds the best. However, they can’t compete with equally expensive wired headphones. It’s not happening.
Conclusion
Overall, the high price is the biggest obstacle. That’s probably what someone who wants great-sounding premium wireless headphones with ANC, which no one has right away, will be willing to pay. Indeed, I have never seen the Mark Levinson logo on any headphones on the street or in an aeroplane.
I was very happy with the sound, but if I were to get them, the price would put me off. Although I didn’t exactly praise the button controls in the article's opening, in the end, it’s the right move as you don’t happen to make a different gesture than you wanted to.
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