[polymathic]

Cool, mqa in the internal dac?

Sorry, there was a typo. I meant to say NO MQA on internal DAC.

 

[Schwejk]

Hi,
I have a spare dragonfly red here as well and was wondering if its better then just using the ml with wired usb with its own dac?
Thanks in advance for any info,
Greetings, Anouk,

Dragonfly RED sounds more agressive and detailed than the internal DAC (to me, but it is a subtle difference). But I had a feeling these headphones can do even better so I have bought a Chord Mojo 2 (using them wired at work) and with the Mojo's EQ these really shine...

 

[JelStIy]

Any info out there on how much it would cost to replace the battery on these once it dies?

 

[polymathic]

New comparison review with the Bathys: https://majorhifi.com/mark-levinson-no-5909-vs-focal-bathys-comparison-review/

 

[JelStIy]

Any info out there on how much it would cost to replace the battery on these once it dies?

To answer my own question, I reached out to Crutchfield (one of the US distributors) with this question and here’s the response I got (which I found a bit shocking, to be honest):

“I reached out to the Harman Kardon group which Mark Levinson products are part of. The No. 5909 headphone battery is not replaceable, by the user, or by Mark Levinson. Under the 2 year warranty, Mark Levinson will replace the entire headphone. A copy of your receipt/invoice will be needed."

 

[Benesyed]

To answer my own question, I reached out to Crutchfield (one of the US distributors) with this question and here’s the response I got (which I found a bit shocking, to be honest):

“I reached out to the Harman Kardon group which Mark Levinson products are part of. The No. 5909 headphone battery is not replaceable, by the user, or by Mark Levinson. Under the 2 year warranty, Mark Levinson will replace the entire headphone. A copy of your receipt/invoice will be needed."

That's a shame. Thankfully they work in passive mode but still!

 

[TheOnetoWin]

To answer my own question, I reached out to Crutchfield (one of the US distributors) with this question and here’s the response I got (which I found a bit shocking, to be honest):

“I reached out to the Harman Kardon group which Mark Levinson products are part of. The No. 5909 headphone battery is not replaceable, by the user, or by Mark Levinson. Under the 2 year warranty, Mark Levinson will replace the entire headphone. A copy of your receipt/invoice will be needed."

What in the actual hell??? Yeah, I think I may have to begrudgingly return these cans, even if I prefer them over the Bathys. That is ridiculous, especially since the battery is going to go bad after the 2 Year Warranty expires.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

That's a shame. Thankfully they work in passive mode but still!

I find that inexcusable tbh, especially given how much they cost. I'm very disappointed to find this out, but I appreciate @JelStIy for getting that information to share with the rest of the community. This is something buyers need to know IMO.

 

[JelStIy]

I find that inexcusable tbh, especially given how much they cost. I'm very disappointed to find this out, but I appreciate @JelStIy for getting that information to share with the rest of the community. This is something buyers need to know IMO.

I wonder why it can't be replaced -- presumably you'd break the headphones if you tried? Perhaps they had to tuck it away to make sure that the electronics doesn't interfere with the acoustics -- part of the reason why the ML works well without DSP? Unlike the Bathys, which seems to have a reasonably accessible battery but which doesn't work without power/DSP. Bathys's battery is higher capacity too (1060 mAh vs 750 mAh).

 

[polymathic]

What in the actual hell??? Yeah, I think I may have to begrudgingly return these cans, even if I prefer them over the Bathys. That is ridiculous, especially since the battery is going to go bad after the 2 Year Warranty expires.

It is unfortunate, but I don't think it's a total deal breaker. I have four years old Sony XM3s and battery is fine, with about 12% degradation. Most lithium ion batteries plateau at about 20% degradation. Even if after 6 years, if the degradation is 33%, that's still 20 hrs of play time. My guess is that new BT technology 6 years from now will be a bigger factor in changing headphones than battery degradation.

 

[David67]

Just read here that the battery is irreplaceable. Oh man, that really sucks. My own fault I guess for not initially enquiring. May consider selling mine as I've had them three weeks. Damn, they sound good though.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

Just read here that the battery is irreplaceable. Oh man, that really sucks. My own fault I guess for not initially enquiring. May consider selling mine as I've had them three weeks. Damn, they sound good though.

Yeah man, I'm in the same boat. I just ordered the Bathys and will likely return the 5909s (I was going to A/B test them to see which one I preferred). If it makes you feel better, I didn't know either. At the bare minimum I thought the warranty for these would be at minimum 3 years.

You can't return them from the store you bought them from, especially with many stores offering extended Black Friday return periods?

 

[TheOnetoWin]

It is unfortunate, but I don't think it's a total deal breaker. I have four years old Sony XM3s and battery is fine, with about 12% degradation. Most lithium ion batteries plateau at about 20% degradation. Even if after 6 years, if the degradation is 33%, that's still 20 hrs of play time. My guess is that new BT technology 6 years from now will be a bigger factor in changing headphones than battery degradation.

Yes, you're right, but I think it's more so the principle, especially given how much these cost. For $1,000 I'd expect at bare minimum a 3 year warranty, and even that is being generous.

 

[David67]

Yeah man, I'm in the same boat. I just ordered the Bathys and will likely return the 5909s (I was going to A/B test them to see which one I preferred). If it makes you feel better, I didn't know either. At the bare minimum I thought the warranty for these would be at minimum 3 years.

You can't return them from the store you bought them from, especially with many stores offering extended Black Friday return periods?

Maybe although the 14 day return window closed a week ago.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

Maybe although the 14 day return window closed a week ago.

Damn I'd still ask, worse case scenario they no.