Headphones — Mark Levinson № 5909

The № 5909 is the first headphone from Mark Levinson, established in 1972 and today owned by Harman. It is a wireless over-ear model with adaptive active noise cancellation, designed by the same engineers who work on Mark Levinson's amplifiers, turntables and streaming players. Its tuning follows the Harman curve, the target response developed through Harman's research into listener preferences.

Key specs that matter

It uses 40 mm beryllium-coated dynamic drivers with a frequency response of 10 Hz to 40 kHz. Bluetooth 5.1 supports LDAC, aptX Adaptive and AAC, and the digital circuitry processes 24-bit/96 kHz. It is certified for Hi-Res Audio. Battery life is up to 34 hours, or 30 hours with noise cancelling on, and a 15-minute charge gives up to 6 hours. The headphone weighs about 338 g. Impedance is 32 ohms and sensitivity 97 dB at 1 mW. The 750 mAh battery charges fully in 100 minutes over USB-C, and the same port carries audio for wired listening. Materials include an anodised aluminium frame, a leather headband, replaceable leather ear cushions and automotive-grade metallic painted ear cups.

Engineering and use context

A beryllium coating on the diaphragm stiffens it without adding much mass, which pushes cone break-up higher in frequency and supports the response to 40 kHz. The Harman target curve was derived from blind listening tests in which listeners preferred a particular balance for headphones, and Mark Levinson tuned the № 5909 to the curve that scored highest in these tests. Adaptive active noise cancellation offers three modes, high, adaptive and off, and the adaptive mode adjusts to the surrounding noise. An Ambient Aware mode lets the wearer hear the room and talk without removing the headphones. Four beam-steering microphones with Smart Wind Adaption handle calls, reducing wind noise outdoors. The Mark Levinson Headphones app for iPhone and Android adjusts listening settings. The headphone can also be used with a cable, and cables and adapters are supplied with a hard-shell carrying case. Colours include black and Ice Pewter. Its Australian price was AUD 1,599,.

Pairing

The № 5909 connects to phones and portable players by Bluetooth, with LDAC for high-resolution streaming from Android devices. The supplied cables allow wired use on aircraft entertainment systems and headphone amplifiers.

Alternatives

Mark Levinson makes no other headphone, and the № 5909 is its first and only one.