Now all you need to do is some cable management to get all those wires off the floor… 
Like the Grados BTW.
3 Likes
We need a whole separate thread on cable management. There’s a good chance that such a thread will quickly become one of the busiest thread in the Roon Community.
Since it’s a snow day (what!?!? it actually snowed in NYC/NJ) here in north Jersey perhaps I’ll get that thread started later today.
6 Likes
make it so!
1 Like
Thanks gTunes, very helpful.
1 Like
Due to decent reductions on Amazon recently I have stumped up for a pair of Bang and Olufsen Beoplay Portal headphones. Probably not ‘audiophile’ cans like some in this thread, but they tick every conceivable box for me and sound pretty good too…
- Lightweght at 282g
- Support BT 5.1 aptX HD (up to 24-bit/48kHz via BT), Xbox wireless 2.4GHz multichannel, USB-C and analogue 3.5mm jack input connections
- Active noise cancellation
- Dolby Atmos support
- Virtual boom mic arrangement
- Good for music, movies, gaming with chat, work calls, travel. A complete all-in-one headphone!
6 Likes
Lol noooo. They’re ethernet and power cables to an APC unit. It’s an office.
Yes, the Grados are great. Especially played via Roon with the binaural crossover and the convolution filter made for that model. Cheers.
1 Like
Post your photos here:-
Anyone got a pair of Mark Levinson 5909s yet?
Yes. I have one.
Hi Dean, what do you think of them and, more importantly, which other phones were on your radar prior to purchase (i’m thinking of buying a new pair in a month or two)… 
7 Likes
I like them a lot. However, like most things in this hobby it’s not perfect. When RoonARC came out, I wanted the best audio quality I could get from a bluetooth headphone. I travel a lot internationally for work and so wanted noise cancelling as well. I initially went to my local dealer to get the Focal Bathys. The Focal’s were very impressive. Details and soundstage width jumped out immediately. A very elegant design as well. Then the dealer suggested I try the B&W PX8.This was very much less detailed and less soundstage. The B&W were more punchy…fun sounding…less audiophile and more musical…toe tapping inducing. They made me want to get moving and enjoy music…for modern pop music they would lead I believe. They were also the lightest, most comfortable and discrete looking. In comparison, the Bathys made me want to follow the details and be awed by the separation of instruments and soundstage etc. I do like this quality of the Bathys, I don’t care much for modern pop music and more for jazz and classical which I think the Bathy shines with. The Focals were a $100 more than the B&W…they were also noticeably heavier then the B&W at 350g…but still comfortable enough for me. I was ready to go with the Focals, they were more audiophile sounding for sure. Then the dealer gave me the ML 5909 to try. These looked bigger as the cups stick out a bit too much I think. Surprisingly they weigh less than the Bathys at 340g…hard to tell the difference in hand. The 5909s were the best sounding in my opinion. A more refined and balanced sound. It’s hard to explain the sound. It took the sound of the Bathys to another refined level…it reminded me of when I upgraded my Chord Qutest to a Chord Hugo TT2/MScaler…same qualities but more refined…and equally great. for all genres…and sounds great with vocals/acoustic as well and jazz and classical. Put into bass enhanced mode and it handles pop music in an even more refined way than the B&Ws. Also surprising, the 5909s were more comfortable for me (vs the Bathys). Another deciding factor for me to take the 5909s was the fact that it can be used totally passively. Just like a normal wired headphone. Battery dies…no problem…plug in the included cables and it works great…without the noise cancelling feature of course. Like the Bathys, it also has a DAC built-in, though its 94kHz/24bits vs the Bathys 192kHz/24bits. So I took the 5909 home.
I have it for about 6 months and used on my trips since. I no major regrets. I say “major” because there are some things I think could be improved in any coming updated version. Namely, while I don’t mind the relatively basic accompanying app, with it’s EQ limited to Base Neutral, Enhanced or Attenuated settings, I am annoyed that the off head detection feature doesn’t work well…I keep it off rather than keep getting annoyed every time the music stop for reason while it’s still on my head. Also those cups sticking out sometimes annoy me on an airplane when I dose off, as my head rolling off in slumber to either side of the headrest shifts the headphone sooner than other headphones my Sonys for instance. Small irritations, especially considering it cost me $100 more than the Bathys. The 5909s were on discount when I got them, perhaps in response to the release of the Bathys. They are normally $200 more then the Bathys. They were released a year earlier so I suspect you can get the same discount I got if ask for it anywhere. The noise cancelling feature is nothing more than adequate on an airplane…about the same level of the Sonys a couple generations back…XM3 I believe. With the music playing this doesn’t bother me. One big ownership experience +ve surprise I have with the 5909 is how good they sound in passive mode…wired connection into my mojo2…they sound better than my HD6XX and equal/better than my DCA Aeon2 Open (shown in the picture). They don’t sound as good as my ZMF Aeolus though…for context the ZMF is 2x the price of the 5909. I could easily live with the 5909 as my only headphone to use in wired or bluetooth mode.
Bottom line…I am happy I had the chance to trial all 3. The 5909 is the top of this group I trialled and the 6 month ownership has been great. One final observation, the 5909 doesn’t go extremely loud (though my iphone keeps disagreeing with me with it’s too loud notifications). I sometimes find myself trying for more volume only to see it’s already maxed. I would put this under very minor issue…less than the headphone “on head detection” feature not functioning consistently.
Hope that helps.
7 Likes
Hi Dean,
Thanks for taking the time to give that detail, I’m sure many others will benefit from your comments. I am looking for phones for occasional home use for when my Stax cause problems for others (or external sound intrude). The passive mode sounds like it will be of particular interest to me, my local dealer stock ML so I’ll have to give them a try, unfortunately Focal isn’t quite so easy but still close enough to audition. I use the Sony MX3 on flights as they’re fine for movies (I can’t listen to music when flying for reasons unknown).
I will also be trying to Audit Audeze LCD2 & Dan Clarke Aeon but faclilties are very limited in my area.
I’ll report back eventually, in the meantime I’ve some subs to integrate.
Thanks again.
Here is my headphones setup:
- Audeze LCD-X with dedicated 3 meters Forza Audioworks Noir HPC MK2 cable
- Marantz HD-DAC1.
Regards
7 Likes
You’re welcome. If you’re not interested in the bluetooth or noise cancelling…the DCA Aeon Noire is a very well rated closed back.
3 Likes
Really like the Kanto stand
AKG K1000
They are a relatively recent acquisition, and the best headphones I’ve heard (I have heard many well regarded cans, such as Stax 007, Raal Requisite, MySpheres, Utopia, Susvara, HE1000, etc). I do love amazing midrange and female vocals, so I’m sure that has biased my opinion.
11 Likes
Just made a major software upgrade to my Smyth A16 Realiser / Sennheiser 800 setup. Smyth already had Dolby Atmos and DTSx, and have just introduced Auro 3D, which allows multi dimensional upscaling of stereo to anything up to 7.1.6 virtual speakers. The audio result is so much better than anything else I have experienced in the last few years, especially through 14 virtualised D&D 8c speakers.
I also upgraded my virtual speaker settings with the full speaker suite from 3D Sound shop - which includes PRIRs (speakers and rooms) measured with Genelecs, B&Ws, KEFs and many others. They measure each speaker response curve at 24 specific angles and distances from the listener, and then load the parameters into the Realiser. The result is very convincing, especially with classical music and good acoustic recordings - the ambience is very natural and avoids the weird surround effects you sometimes hear on Dolby Atmos.
For classical, I also occasionally listen to virtualised Quad electrostatic speakers (which are best heard in a traditional stereo setup). Overall, the Smyth Realiser is, by far, my preferred method of listening via headphones, both for music and movies. Even stereo TV sound for sports is much more real, as the crowd noise is routed to the surround channels.
Although the Smyth has become much more expensive recently, it’s still the only way that someone living in an apartment can listen to a range of simulated speakers playing immersive audio, without destroying relationships with neighbours, not to mention their wallets!
10 Likes