(January 5, 2022) Here's a nifty CES surprise: Mark Levinson has entered the realm of personal audio. That's right, a company primarily known for its powerful amplifiers is now in the headphone game with a stunning wireless over-ear design. The exciting and fresh № 5909 is loaded to the max with features, including three different modes of Active Noise Cancellation, Smart Wind Adaptation for crystal clear phone calls, and a battery that provides 6 hours of playtime with a 15-minute charge (34 hours of battery life, total, with 30 hours available while using ANC). Each ear cup carries a 40mm Beryllium coated driver that's optimized to the HARMAN Curve, with sound quality made possible by Hi-Res Audio certified digital circuitry that's compatible with 24-bit/96kHz processing.
The № 5909 can be used as a wired headphone, thanks to the included 1.25m and 4m USB-C to 3.5mm audio cables and 3.5mm to 6.3mm and airplane audio adapters. But its high-quality wireless connectivity allows the headphones to really shine, giving owners access to Bluetooth 5.1 with LDAC, along with AAC and aptX Adaptive for streaming purity.
During an onscreen presentation, Mark Levinson gave my eyes an up close look at the № 5909's physical appointments and it certainly lives up to its near-$1K price point. A slick anodized aluminum frame stamped with the № 5909 model number and metallic painted aluminum ear cups (available in Radiant Red, Pearl Black, and Ice Pewter) anchor a seductive visual package. And fine details, like red stitching on the leather wrapped headband and laser cut metal trim, add tasteful touches of class. The entire kit is tied together by a hard-shell carrying case that provides protection and discretely stores accessory ables and airplane adaptors.
Levinson's engineers endowed the № 5909 with four beam-forming talk microphones for superior call quality, and two feed-forward and two feed-back microphones for noise cancellation duties.
Having already received a 2021 Red Dot product design award (an internationally recognized symbol of superior design attributes), the № 5909 looks to be on the road to popularity. All three color versions of the № 5909 carry an MSRP of $999 and are available for purchase now at select retailers. For more information, visit www.Marklevinson.com.
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