[Morphology77]

Yes.

My point is that "Harman tuning" is neither a guarantee or even a reliable indicator that two headphones are going to sound the same or similar. Take the DCA Stealth for example, it has Harman tuning, but sounds nothing like the 5909. Not even close. To be fair, it is a planar dynamic vs the electrodynamic like the 5909. I likened the 5909 to the Focal due to the beryllium driver. I find that there is a certain treble presence with the Beryllium vs the other driver materials.

I also agree that if you like harman tuning, then other headphones that are tuned similarly you should like. That's literally the point of adherence to the Harman curve I believe.

Yep, it depends that how well they actually adhere the target. In other words: are the frequency responses actually similar? If one compares high resolution measurements of Stealth and 5909 carried out by Amir at ASR, it can be seen that there are differences especially in treble area. Stealth's distortion behaviour is also much better. Naturally the driver type and size contribute in that.

And then the different materials can have some sound colour effects but these are minor compared to the above mentioned things.

 

[Daniel Johnston]

Could you elaborate a bit about the differences between the Stealth and the 5909? I realize they are in very different price categories, but was curious how they compare as I have and love the Stealth.

Sure.

The Stealth is incredibly clean. You can tell that it’s incredibly low distortion in complex musical passages. I listen to mostly classical music. Even in the most congested, complex passages the instruments are clearly defined. The 5909 do well, but the beryllium driver just can't keep up.

Sound stage is wider and deeper than 5909. The tonality of instruments is near perfect. These traits carry on to all the genres. It doesn’t have the “slam” that the dynamic drivers deliver in the 5909. The bass is clear and deep though. You’ll have to EQ up the mid bass to get near the bass levels of 5909 for music like EDM.

The biggest difference is treble. The 5909 can be tizzy or a bit much sometimes. The Stealths are pretty balanced up top. Both are detailed and revealing, the Stealth delivers details just naturally and effortlessly. The 5909 can do very well, but get a little fatiguing.

Bottom line is the 5909 are an incredible headphone, but suffer from the limitations of the very good dynamic driver. The Stealth is near perfect, but doesn’t have the visceral slam of the dynamic drivers. It’s the first time buying a headphone that I feel the price was worth it.

 

[JelStIy]

Sure.

The Stealth is incredibly clean. You can tell that it’s incredibly low distortion in complex musical passages. I listen to mostly classical music. Even in the most congested, complex passages the instruments are clearly defined. The 5909 do well, but the beryllium driver just can't keep up.

Sound stage is wider and deeper than 5909. The tonality of instruments is near perfect. These traits carry on to all the genres. It doesn’t have the “slam” that the dynamic drivers deliver in the 5909. The bass is clear and deep though. You’ll have to EQ up the mid bass to get near the bass levels of 5909 for music like EDM.

The biggest difference is treble. The 5909 can be tizzy or a bit much sometimes. The Stealths are pretty balanced up top. Both are detailed and revealing, the Stealth delivers details just naturally and effortlessly. The 5909 can do very well, but get a little fatiguing.

Bottom line is the 5909 are incredible headphones, but suffer from the limitations of the very good dynamic driver. The Stealth is near perfect, but doesn’t have the visceral slam of the dynamic drivers. It’s the first time buying a headphone that I feel the price was worth it.

Thanks, this is incredibly helpful!

 

[uncivilized]

I actually posted earlier frequency responses of the both headphones as well. From pure statistical point they will most likely sound good but it is always recommended to listen before final decision. Ear coupling due to different physiology and bass leakage are things to consider when looking FR graphs.

thank you for all the details. I've decided to order the 5909s -- hopefully I will like them. It was really this vs the Bathys to complement my MW75s (and Sonys)

 

[uncivilized]

I'll give you a different perspective. I'm someone who owns the MW75 and 5909. Sound wise, the 5909 are a step up when it comes to pure analytical, accurate sound quality with a bigger soundstage. As someone else stated, the MW75 has its own sound although the actual tone of the headphones are very close to the 5909, except with a different tuning. If you don't listen to genres like classical, soft jazz, opera, etc., the MW75 are the better headphone for modern music in my opinion. It's a much bigger, bolder, dynamic, and exciting listen. I'm actually selling my 5909 and keeping my MW75, not because I think the MW75 is better, but because as someone who will probably always own 3 or 4 wireless anc headphones, the MW75 fit better with my collection. I recently picked up the Focal Bathys, which although not quite as analytical as the 5909, is still what I categorize as a more analytical accurate headphone. It's a sound I prefer to the 5909 in both tone and musicality. It matches the 5909 in soundstage but with a more like 3D sound. It also gets louder for me on Apple devices than the 5909 which is big.

So I'm saying all of this to say it depends on what genres you listen to and what other wireless anc headphones you have in your collection, if any. If you're a modern music person, you may prefer the MW75. If you're on all iOS and Apple devices like myself, the MW75 are much louder headphones which may or may not be important to you. If you're looking for one do it all wireless anc headphone and you have a variety of tastes in music, you may prefer the 5909. It's sound signature is more versatile due to it's closer to neutral sound and bigger soundstage. It also has better comfort, call quality, and battery life. One thing I should mention, both of these headphones sound amazing when run passively (powered off). Very few ANC headphones can do this. I actually prefer the MW75's passive listening experience to the 5909 mainly because the 5909 loses a lot of bass when run passively. The MW75 doesn't which is remarkable.

I see. I listen to mostly modern music. That's probably why I like the MW75s so much? I also run Android. I've gone ahead and ordered the 5909s instead of the Bathys (my other silent pick that I didn't mention earlier). I've seen quite a number of posts on ANC issues with Bathys; not sure how accurate those reported issues are and that it *may* not have the same punch as the 5909s.

A couple of things and perhaps the first one is a dumb question:
1) what do you mean that the sound is different but the tone is similar?
2) can you please elaborate on what "run passively" means? Do you mean just wearing the headphones and not turning on ANC (but the headphones are actually "ON"). Or are you referring to the headphones really "OFF"?

 

[polymathic]

2) can you please elaborate on what "run passively" means? Do you mean just wearing the headphones and not turning on ANC (but the headphones are actually "ON"). Or are you referring to the headphones really "OFF"?

It refers to the headphones being actually off, and no internal DSP taking place. It would work with a dead battery. The ML 5909 can be run wired entirely passively with everything off, or passively with the option of toggling between ANC modes.

 

[Maukey]

I see. I listen to mostly modern music. That's probably why I like the MW75s so much? I also run Android. I've gone ahead and ordered the 5909s instead of the Bathys (my other silent pick that I didn't mention earlier). I've seen quite a number of posts on ANC issues with Bathys; not sure how accurate those reported issues are and that it *may* not have the same punch as the 5909s.

A couple of things and perhaps the first one is a dumb question:
1) what do you mean that the sound is different but the tone is similar?
2) can you please elaborate on what "run passively" means? Do you mean just wearing the headphones and not turning on ANC (but the headphones are actually "ON"). Or are you referring to the headphones really "OFF"?

1) First let me say I'm not an expert in audiophile wording, so I may not be using the correct wording. I describe tone as the way something sounds. So for example, Bose headphones use to all have this unrealistic metallic sounding treble. It was the same for all their headphones. Probably due to similarities in the drivers. The same holds true for the 5909 and MW75 to my ears and their use of a similar beryllium-coated driver. There's this certain tone or sound to certain aspects of their frequency response. Is that making since? So to my ears, when I first heard the MW75 after owning the 5909 for months, I thought wow, the treble sounds very similar in character although the MW75's is a little more pronounced and uneven compared to the 5909. Hope that explains it.

2) Passively means with a wire, powered off.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

I have to say early impressions, these are easily the best sounding bluetooth headphones I've ever had the chance to listen to. I'd say they are probably at the level (when connected to good source via passive mode and with EQ) as headphones in the $600-800 range. Tomorrow I'll have a proper test using these throughout the entire day, from commuting, to in the office, etc.

But I think I can confidently say I will be likely passing my XM5's to a family member. I'll just need to find a good pear of wireless buds to use in the gym. I would definitely not want to use the 5909s in the gym as they don't have as strong of a clamp as other wireless headphones to make sure they stay secure while moving around a lot.

 

[Benesyed]

I have to say early impressions, these are easily the best sounding bluetooth headphones I've ever had the chance to listen to. I'd say they are probably at the level (when connected to good source via passive mode and with EQ) as headphones in the $600-800 range. Tomorrow I'll have a proper test using these throughout the entire day, from commuting, to in the office, etc.

But I think I can confidently say I will be likely passing my XM5's to a family member. I'll just need to find a good pear of wireless buds to use in the gym. I would definitely not want to use the 5909s in the gym as they don't have as strong of a clamp as other wireless headphones to make sure they stay secure while moving around a lot.

PI7s are pretty good at the gym with comply tips as are BO EXs (the stem ones). The latter have a pretty good IP rating (IP57 i believe). The comply tips are key to keep them in place though.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

Hey guys. I'm having an issue with these cans, a pretty big one at that. There seems to be static playing in the background (like white noise) during phone calls that is making it hard for the person I'm speaking to hear me.

Is this normal? Or is this likely a defect with the headphones I have?

 

[polymathic]

Hey guys. I'm having an issue with these cans, a pretty big one at that. There seems to be static playing in the background (like white noise) during phone calls that is making it hard for the person I'm speaking to hear me.

Is this normal? Or is this likely a defect with the headphones I have?

Definitely defective. Call quality on these for recipients is top notch, some of the very best I've tried.

 

[TheOnetoWin]

Definitely defective. Call quality on these for recipients is top notch, some of the very best I've tried.

Ah Okay. I'll reach out to crutchfield now then to see if they can send me over a replacement. Although my friend said that the call quality he heard is similar to this video (check the 9:30 mark). So I'm not sure if it's an actual issue with the headphone or if it's more so my friend who doesn't like how it sounds.

Edit: I'm going to do some testing with other people, but I'm hoping this isn't a defect. I think it may just be the ANC that is making that noise (or causing it since it's not as good as the XM5's).

 

[hudhawk]

One more question that I can’t seem to find the answer to: will the 5909’s DAC work when connected to the iphone via the CCK? Or does it draw too much power?

 

[polymathic]

One more question that I can’t seem to find the answer to: will the 5909’s DAC work when connected to the iphone via the CCK? Or does it draw too much power?

It draws too much power. You will need a dongle DAC.

 

[David67]

Just received mine today. Can anyone please tell me how long it takes to fully charge.