[BJPromo]

I pulled out some of the cheap fake leather covering the foam side of the headband and placed glue on the pleather. Using a plastic hotel key card, I put the pleather back into the slot formed by a scarily cheap piece of plastic and the main headband structure. I then squeezed the headband for about 30 seconds to set everything in place. I used only a modest amount of glue because I feared the glue would run off onto a visible peace of pleather when I squeezed down.

This is only a stop gap solution. After about 6 months it came detached again, so I had to glue it a second time. Hopefully this time it holds for a bit longer.

Best of luck.

Thanks for this, these are exactly the instructions I was hoping for.

I'll try my hand at gluing the cheap, fakely stitched, flimsy, styrofoam-filled, DIY-requiring pleather-plastic headband back together on these £1k headphones. Will post some pics of the inevitable mess that follows.

 

[NCUS]

One added thought. Put the glue mostly on the edge of the pleather; the section that goes mostly into the slot. If you put too much on and it seeps to the middle of the pleather, it probably will fuse to the foam insert and make it hard.

 

[BJPromo]

I pulled out some of the cheap fake leather covering the foam side of the headband and placed glue on the pleather. Using a plastic hotel key card, I put the pleather back into the slot formed by a scarily cheap piece of plastic and the main headband structure. I then squeezed the headband for about 30 seconds to set everything in place. I used only a modest amount of glue because I feared the glue would run off onto a visible peace of pleather when I squeezed down.

This is only a stop gap solution. After about 6 months it came detached again, so I had to glue it a second time. Hopefully this time it holds for a bit longer.

Best of luck.

Thanks, these are exactly the kind of instructions I was hoping for.

I'll try my hand at gluing the cheap, fakely stitched, flimsy, styrofoam-filled, DIY-requiring pleather-plastic headband back together on these £1k headphones. Will post some pics of the inevitable mess that follows.

 

[BJPromo]

Oops sorry, double post. Meant to thank you for the extra tip, which I shall follow.

 

[martin778]

Second head band is gone, pleather let go everywhere. Impossible to glue back in as the pleather absorbs hair oils so no way to glue it back in.
Seriously fed up with the such low build quality of the 5909. Unacceptable in this price range.

 

[Covenant]

Just bought the ML 5909 after a long hiatus from Head-Fi.

A bit of background: I used to own a Burson Conductor and the original Audeze LCD-2 open headphones, which was my go-to reference sound. Then kids happened, and open-back home headphones stopped being a thing I could do for fear of waking them (and/or not being able to hear them if they called out). So for the past ~8 years I've been using Sonys and listening to music exclusively on my commute to/from work - first the WH-1000XM1 and then the XM3 when the first set fell out of a bag and broke.

While the Sony XM3s via Bluetooth playing Spotify were a big downgrade over my former rig, they sufficed for use on the bus, and were the only solution that worked for my new lifestyle.

Well, my kids are finally old enough now that being alert to them calling out at night isn't a thing I need to do anymore, but I would need closed-back headphones to prevent waking people at night. So I started researching closed-back options that I could use at home, during the commute, and at work.

For wireless headphones, I tested the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Bose QC Ultra, B&W PX8, Focal Bathys, B&O H95, and Beyer Amiron Wireless. I also tested some wired closed headphones, thinking that if they sounded good enough (and isolated sound well enough) I could pair them with a portable AMP/DAC. These included the Audeze LCD-2 Closed, Fostex TH900mk2, and Sennheiser HD820 (although I'd never use that on the commute).

My findings (briefly) were as follows.

Closed & wired headphones:
Audeze LCD-2 Closed - what the hell happened to these? They sounded waaaay different than I remember my original wooden LCD-2s sounding, albeit those were open and these are closed. The new closed model is fast and dynamic and had plenty of detail, but that luscious midrange tone that I remembered was gone.
Fostex TH900mk2 - these were very nice, with a fantastic bass response. Perhaps a touch too bassy, as it did seem to push the midrange back somewhat.
Sennheiser HD820 - this sounded a lot like I remember the HD800 sounding like, perhaps with a little more bass emphasis. For me they over-emphasised soundstage and detail over tone and timbre.

Wireless & portable headphones:
Sennheiser Momentum 4 - very nice sounding for a consumer grade headphone, a little clearer and more open sounding than my Sony XM3. But not the level of sound I was looking for to recapture the joy of my old Audeze's.
Bose QC Ultra - hugely overrated. Lacking clarity across the whole frequency spectrum, but bassy and warm which sounded Ok with some tracks, depending on genre.
B&W PX8 - Bassy and warm like the Bose, but with more detail and refinement. Not bad by any means, particularly with male vocals and guitar, but the soundstage was very small and confined, and instruments lacked a sense of space.
Focal Bathys - excellent headphone. Lots of space to the soundstage, accurate imaging, fast transient response. Mids were a tad recessed though, and vocals like in Angus and Julia Stone's Down the Way album lacked intimacy and warmth. Not being able to use the headphones in passive mode and bypassing the internal dac/amp was a drawback too.
B&O H95 - my impression of these may be premature, as the set I listened to was fresh out of the box and not broken in, but to me they sounded buttery smooth in the mids, like ridiculously smooth. I can imagine a jazz lover really enjoying these. But the rest of the frequency spectrum was badly recessed. Treble was very rolled-off and the bass was polite and controlled but not engaging. I tend to prefer a mids-focus, but these took that too far - again, on a pair without any burn-in, so YMMV.
Beyer Amiron - the pair I auditioned didn't seal properly, gaping badly away from my face near the bottom of the earcups, so they sounded very lean and sterile and lacked any warmth or bass response.

Which leads us to the Mark Levinson 5909. I loved these. They sound like I remember my original LCD-2's sounded, although perhaps a bit brighter and more detail-oriented. I can tell they really need a break-in period though, as when I first listened to my set fresh out of the box it sounded a lot hotter and harsher than I remember the audition pair sounding in the store. The look, build quality and LDAC codec support are all great too, as is the ability to run the headphone passively if I choose to go down the amp/dac route in the future.

Will post more impressions of the 5909 after they've had a proper burn in and I can spend more time with them.

 

[BJPromo]

Second head band is gone, pleather let go everywhere. Impossible to glue back in as the pleather absorbs hair oils so no way to glue it back in.
Seriously fed up with the such low build quality of the 5909. Unacceptable in this price range.

Yeah it's rather taken the sheen off them for me. Couldn't send them back as I live on a desert island and anyway bought them open box so ML wouldn't do anything for me. Had to glue both sides back together myself and did not do a very neat job, despite the best efforts of other headfiers to guide me.

I still love the fit and the sound, with some caveats.

The ANC is really janky for me, with a kind of shuffling noise between ears if I make the slightest movement (if quiet), or a kind of wobbling in the bass from one ear to the other (if louder). It got on my nerves increasingly. Even swallowing is enough to disturb the balance so in the end I switched off ANC, which is a pity as this provides the best tuning.

With ANC off the bass is really flat, so I reluctantly use the bass accentuation in the app (also very janky and usually needs rebooting of both app and headphones several times to work). The seal is good and even without ANC these provide quite good sound isolation.

In true passive mode, wired with a DAC, they are a dream. When I play them like this I pretty much forgive and forget the annoyances with the ANC.

The headband is still a joke though, since it is apparently unreplaceable - I at least haven't found any genuine parts to replace with.

I paid about US$500 for mine and can live with the flaws at this price, for the great sound and versatility in switching from BT to wired. But I'd be pissed off if I'd spent a grand on them.

 

[angelom]

Just bought the ML 5909 after a long hiatus from Head-Fi.

A bit of background: I used to own a Burson Conductor and the original Audeze LCD-2 open headphones, which was my go-to reference sound. Then kids happened, and open-back home headphones stopped being a thing I could do for fear of waking them (and/or not being able to hear them if they called out). So for the past ~8 years I've been using Sonys and listening to music exclusively on my commute to/from work - first the WH-1000XM1 and then the XM3 when the first set fell out of a bag and broke.

While the Sony XM3s via Bluetooth playing Spotify were a big downgrade over my former rig, they sufficed for use on the bus, and were the only solution that worked for my new lifestyle.

Well, my kids are finally old enough now that being alert to them calling out at night isn't a thing I need to do anymore, but I would need closed-back headphones to prevent waking people at night. So I started researching closed-back options that I could use at home, during the commute, and at work.

For wireless headphones, I tested the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Bose QC Ultra, B&W PX8, Focal Bathys, B&O H95, and Beyer Amiron Wireless. I also tested some wired closed headphones, thinking that if they sounded good enough (and isolated sound well enough) I could pair them with a portable AMP/DAC. These included the Audeze LCD-2 Closed, Fostex TH900mk2, and Sennheiser HD820 (although I'd never use that on the commute).

My findings (briefly) were as follows.

Closed & wired headphones:
Audeze LCD-2 Closed - what the hell happened to these? They sounded waaaay different than I remember my original wooden LCD-2s sounding, albeit those were open and these are closed. The new closed model is fast and dynamic and had plenty of detail, but that luscious midrange tone that I remembered was gone.
Fostex TH900mk2 - these were very nice, with a fantastic bass response. Perhaps a touch too bassy, as it did seem to push the midrange back somewhat.
Sennheiser HD820 - this sounded a lot like I remember the HD800 sounding like, perhaps with a little more bass emphasis. For me they over-emphasised soundstage and detail over tone and timbre.

Wireless & portable headphones:
Sennheiser Momentum 4 - very nice sounding for a consumer grade headphone, a little clearer and more open sounding than my Sony XM3. But not the level of sound I was looking for to recapture the joy of my old Audeze's.
Bose QC Ultra - hugely overrated. Lacking clarity across the whole frequency spectrum, but bassy and warm which sounded Ok with some tracks, depending on genre.
B&W PX8 - Bassy and warm like the Bose, but with more detail and refinement. Not bad by any means, particularly with male vocals and guitar, but the soundstage was very small and confined, and instruments lacked a sense of space.
Focal Bathys - excellent headphone. Lots of space to the soundstage, accurate imaging, fast transient response. Mids were a tad recessed though, and vocals like in Angus and Julia Stone's Down the Way album lacked intimacy and warmth. Not being able to use the headphones in passive mode and bypassing the internal dac/amp was a drawback too.
B&O H95 - my impression of these may be premature, as the set I listened to was fresh out of the box and not broken in, but to me they sounded buttery smooth in the mids, like ridiculously smooth. I can imagine a jazz lover really enjoying these. But the rest of the frequency spectrum was badly recessed. Treble was very rolled-off and the bass was polite and controlled but not engaging. I tend to prefer a mids-focus, but these took that too far - again, on a pair without any burn-in, so YMMV.
Beyer Amiron - the pair I auditioned didn't seal properly, gaping badly away from my face near the bottom of the earcups, so they sounded very lean and sterile and lacked any warmth or bass response.

Which leads us to the Mark Levinson 5909. I loved these. They sound like I remember my original LCD-2's sounded, although perhaps a bit brighter and more detail-oriented. I can tell they really need a break-in period though, as when I first listened to my set fresh out of the box it sounded a lot hotter and harsher than I remember the audition pair sounding in the store. The look, build quality and LDAC codec support are all great too, as is the ability to run the headphone passively if I choose to go down the amp/dac route in the future.

Will post more impressions of the 5909 after they've had a proper burn in and I can spend more time with them.

I don't know if you have return window with your 5909, but 2 ANC headphones that you really must researching are: the 7 months old Dali iO-12 (1300 USD / 1000 EUR) and the 1.5 years old T+A Solitaire T (1700 USD / 1390 EUR). Of all the headphones you mention, the only ones that I don't know personally (owning, not only testing in shop) are the LCD-2, HD820 (but still I own the HD800) and the Amiron.

Both the iO-12 and the Solitaire T (ST) you can using fully passively too. The ST is the only headphone of all (premium) BT/ANC headphines that really truly is offering excellent sound quality both in BT and in fully passive mode (you need researching the special tech that T+A using in the ST). This is a headphone that the engineers designing first as a very good wired-only (fully passive) headphone and then they adding the BT and ANC features, and the BT mode is have two types, one ("High Quality" mode) that is unique in the world of BT/ANC headphones (no gimmicks or BS marketing). And, of all the premium ANC headphones, that don't having top ANC performance like Bose, Sony or Apple, the ST have clearly the best ANC that is, in fact, very similar of the excellent ANC of the Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen (that I also own). The ST's ANC mode, by the way, isn't boosting the bass so strongly (!) at all like when you activating ANC mode in the 5909.

But, after reading your post, I think maybe the iO-12 will be more your preference, because is have many sonic attributes, including impressive soundstage for a closed back headphone and the sound is more similar to the 5909, BUT the passive mode will not giving you so good sound quality (isn't bad like in many BT headphones in passive mode, and is sufficiently good, actually, but best sound is very clearly and definitely in active mode), and the treble is very detailed but never becoming offensive like the 5909's treble is can be sometimes.

But, if mids are so important for you, like they are for me, the ST is have a more realistic midrange (and more realistic sub-bass too) in my opinion ---both in BT and passive modes---, and the treble is never offensive, either, like is can be with 5909 sometimes, but still having excellent detail. Several people (not me) in the ST thread report using the ST mainly passively (you also having a balanced 4.4mm cable in addition to the standard single ended 3.5mm cable, by the way). The headphone is also foldable and having a very more small travel case than both 5909 and iO-12.

 

[Covenant]

I don't know if you have return window with your 5909, but 2 ANC headphones that you really must researching are: the 7 months old Dali iO-12 (1300 USD / 1000 EUR) and the 1.5 years old T+A Solitaire T (1700 USD / 1390 EUR). Of all the headphones you mention, the only ones that I don't know personally (owning, not only testing in shop) are the LCD-2, HD820 (but still I own the HD800) and the Amiron.

Both the iO-12 and the Solitaire T (ST) you can using fully passively too. The ST is the only headphone of all (premium) BT/ANC headphines that really truly is offering excellent sound quality both in BT and in fully passive mode (you need researching the special tech that T+A using in the ST). This is a headphone that the engineers designing first as a very good wired-only (fully passive) headphone and then they adding the BT and ANC features, and the BT mode is have two types, one ("High Quality" mode) that is unique in the world of BT/ANC headphones (no gimmicks or BS marketing). And, of all the premium ANC headphones, that don't having top ANC performance like Bose, Sony or Apple, the ST have clearly the best ANC that is, in fact, very similar of the excellent ANC of the Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen (that I also own). The ST's ANC mode, by the way, isn't boosting the bass so strongly (!) at all like when you activating ANC mode in the 5909.

But, after reading your post, I think maybe the iO-12 will be more your preference, because is have many sonic attributes, including impressive soundstage for a closed back headphone and the sound is more similar to the 5909, BUT the passive mode will not giving you so good sound quality (isn't bad like in many BT headphones in passive mode, and is sufficiently good, actually, but best sound is very clearly and definitely in active mode), and the treble is very detailed but never becoming offensive like the 5909's treble is can be sometimes.

But, if mids are so important for you, like they are for me, the ST is have a more realistic midrange (and more realistic sub-bass too) in my opinion ---both in BT and passive modes---, and the treble is never offensive, either, like is can be with 5909 sometimes, but still having excellent detail. Several people (not me) in the ST thread report using the ST mainly passively (you also having a balanced 4.4mm cable in addition to the standard single ended 3.5mm cable, by the way). The headphone is also foldable and having a very more small travel case than both 5909 and iO-12.

Hi Angelom, thank you for your feedback and impressions!

I do have a 21-day return window on my ML5909 (sans a restocking fee), but I doubt I'll be doing that. I auditioned the 5909 in store before buying, and I like the way they sound just connected via Bluetooth and running Spotify. I've signed up for trials of Tidal and Amazon Music Unlimited to see if I can push Bluetooth performance even further with lossless music, but to be honest, Spotify on very high quality (320kbps mp3) sounds pretty good already.

I didn't get to audition the Solitare or Dali, since there's only one store in Sydney that has them and its a fair distance away, but there are reasons I'd prefer the 5909 over them anyway.

Firstly, the 5909 is the only one that supports LDAC, which is the best Bluetooth codec available on my Pixel 8. The Solitaire and Dali would be limited to aptX HD in comparison.
Next is price. I bought the 5909 for $1400 AUD, which is already very expensive for a Bluetooth headphone. The Dali is a $400 premium over that, while the Solitaire is close to double the price at $1200 more. I could get a good portable amp/dac like an Audioquest Cobalt with the difference between the 5909 and the Dali, and while I haven't listened to them, I would imagine that a $400 amp/dac powering a 5909 in cabled passive mode would probably sound better than the Dali via Bluetooth over aptX HD.
Third is the look, design, and form factor. The Dali are much bigger headphones, and their travel case is likewise much bigger. I doubt I could fit the Dali's case in my backpack along with the other stuff I normally carry to-from work, while that's no issue with the 5909. The Solitaire is nice and compact, but they look... too generic for my tastes. If I didn't know the brand and their pedigree, I'd assume they were a cheap knockoff of the Sony XM4. The luxurious look of the Red Mark Levinson's is more my taste with a premium audiophile product.

 

[XTF1]

I could get a good portable amp/dac

If only the 5909 app had a setting to temporarily stop the charging, or only start charging when the battery reaches 10-20%, you could avoid the portable DAC/Amp: the 5909 “USB” mode is excellent. I use it all the time connected to my PC (with or without ANC) and can’t hear a difference with passive mode & a good DAC/Amp. I would do the same connected to my phone, but the 5909 always assumes it’s a charger, and empty my phone battery to selfishly keep itself at 100% charge…
Mentioned before, but still the most stupid miss from ML !!!

 

[angelom]

Hi Angelom, thank you for your feedback and impressions!

I do have a 21-day return window on my ML5909 (sans a restocking fee), but I doubt I'll be doing that. I auditioned the 5909 in store before buying, and I like the way they sound just connected via Bluetooth and running Spotify. I've signed up for trials of Tidal and Amazon Music Unlimited to see if I can push Bluetooth performance even further with lossless music, but to be honest, Spotify on very high quality (320kbps mp3) sounds pretty good already.

I didn't get to audition the Solitare or Dali, since there's only one store in Sydney that has them and its a fair distance away, but there are reasons I'd prefer the 5909 over them anyway.

Firstly, the 5909 is the only one that supports LDAC, which is the best Bluetooth codec available on my Pixel 8. The Solitaire and Dali would be limited to aptX HD in comparison.
Next is price. I bought the 5909 for $1400 AUD, which is already very expensive for a Bluetooth headphone. The Dali is a $400 premium over that, while the Solitaire is close to double the price at $1200 more. I could get a good portable amp/dac like an Audioquest Cobalt with the difference between the 5909 and the Dali, and while I haven't listened to them, I would imagine that a $400 amp/dac powering a 5909 in cabled passive mode would probably sound better than the Dali via Bluetooth over aptX HD.
Third is the look, design, and form factor. The Dali are much bigger headphones, and their travel case is likewise much bigger. I doubt I could fit the Dali's case in my backpack along with the other stuff I normally carry to-from work, while that's no issue with the 5909.

I understand your reasons, so for you is very apparent that you're making the right decision. I still think, by the way, that the 5909 is a great sounding headphone, one of my top 3 ANC headphones (after the ST and the iO-12 in that order).

The Solitaire is nice and compact, but they look... too generic for my tastes. If I didn't know the brand and their pedigree, I'd assume they were a cheap knockoff of the Sony XM4. The luxurious look of the Red Mark Levinson's is more my taste with a premium audiophile product.

This is interesting. I owing the 5909 for 9 months (then selling when I buying the Solitaire T) and I remember saying very early in this thread that I don't like the design and that is looking cheap (with extra bling I don't like [I have the black version]) like a $50 headphone, but that the good thing about that is that nobody want stealing this expensive headphone.

I personally prefer the more discreet and minimalist design and look of the Solitaire T which, by the way, is have very good construction quality.

 

[XTF1]

I don't like the design and that is looking cheap (with extra bling I don't like [I have the black version]) like a $50 headphone

My subjective opinion—I have the red 5909: they look stunning !!!

But hey, it’s entirely subjective…

 

[NCUS]

The build quality of the 5909 is bad, potentially due to the brand outsourcing production to a contract manufacturer to build at a set implied margin. The headband has fake stitching to hide the fact it simply is glued in place. The glue on mine failed twice.

 

[Covenant]

Despite my initial enthusiasm for these headphones, I'm sad to say the ML5909 has been returned to the store now.

The main reason was their very poor ANC. They just couldn't cope with the engine rumble on a bus or train, and the commute is about 90% of my listening time. Their detail-focused sound was also a double-edged sword: good recordings sounded amazing, but mediocre recordings had all their flaws highlighted. I know this is par for the course with hi-fi, but I found myself no longer enjoying some of my favourite songs.

I've exchanged them for the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 (007 edition). While these are more in the "high-end consumer" bracket rather than being true hi-fi, they sound good regardless of what I throw at them, their ANC is much better than the ML5909, and their small soundstage helps music sound more engaging when listening in noisy environments.

 

[BJPromo]

Despite my initial enthusiasm for these headphones, I'm sad to say the ML5909 has been returned to the store now.

The main reason was their very poor ANC. They just couldn't cope with the engine rumble on a bus or train, and the commute is about 90% of my listening time. Their detail-focused sound was also a double-edged sword: good recordings sounded amazing, but mediocre recordings had all their flaws highlighted. I know this is par for the course with hi-fi, but I found myself no longer enjoying some of my favourite songs.

I've exchanged them for the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 (007 edition). While these are more in the "high-end consumer" bracket rather than being true hi-fi, they sound good regardless of what I throw at them, their ANC is much better than the ML5909, and their small soundstage helps music sound more engaging when listening in noisy environments.

Well at least you realised in time to return them. And before the headband fell apart like a pair of Camden Market Nikes.