Products
Mark Levinson Nº 5909
DALI IO-12
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Jan 23, 2026 02:08 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Feb 02, 2026 08:00 PM
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Emphasized (3 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Bright
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Emphasized (3 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
Our Verdict
Mark Levinson Nº 5909
DALI IO-12
The DALI IO-12 and the Mark Levinson Nº 5909 are both premium over-ears from esteemed hi-fi manufacturers. The Mark Levinson have a brighter sound profile, while the DALI opt for a warmer sound. While listener preference will play into this, the Mark Levinson offer slightly more scope for sound tweaking with their bass contour presets (compared to the DALI's two possible EQ presets). When it comes to everyday use, the DALI offer a better build quality and a much more comfortable fit. That said, the Mark Levinson have the edge when it comes to noise isolation and deliver audio more consistently.
Variants
- Nº 5909 (Ice Pewter)
- Nº 5909 (Pearl Black)
- IO-12 (Dark Chocolate)
- IO-12 (Mocha Grey)
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Ice Pewter
Nº 5909
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Dark Chocolate
IO-12
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Pearl Black
Nº 5909
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Mocha Grey
IO-12
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Radiant Red
Nº 5909
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Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
6.9
7.0
Comfort
7.5
8.0
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Normalization Frequency
700 Hz
700 Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Emphasized (3 dB)
Treble Amount
Emphasized (3 dB)
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
Sound Signature
Bright
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
8.2
5.8
Consistency L
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Consistency R
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Std. Deviation
0.79 dB
1.40 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Raw FR L
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Raw FR R
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.7
8.5
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
RMS Deviation From Target
1.2 dB
3.6 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
0.7 dB
2.4 dB
Mid Bass
0.67 dB
4.63 dB
High Bass
0.09 dB
3.54 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.0
9.3
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
RMS Deviation From Target
1.42 dB
1.07 dB
Low Mid
-0.91 dB
0.89 dB
Mid-Mid
0.47 dB
0.49 dB
High Mid
1.74 dB
-1.12 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.1
8.4
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
RMS Deviation From Target
3.2 dB
2.96 dB
Low Treble
1.68 dB
-2.2 dB
Mid Treble
4.12 dB
-1.32 dB
High Treble
0.82 dB
-5.59 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.5
8.0
Peaks/Dips Graph
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Peaks
1.43 dB
1.09 dB
Dips
1.64 dB
1.68 dB
Stereo Mismatch
6.7
6.8
Frequency Response Mismatch
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Phase Response Mismatch
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.86 dB
0.48 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
0.78 dB
1.90 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.6°
2.3°
Group Delay
8.1
8.4
Group Delay
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Weighted Group Delay
0.8 ms
0.7 ms
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
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PRTF
3.8
5.4
PRTF
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
3.63 dB
5.77 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
5.08 dB
4.56 dB
PRTF Distance
2.26 dB
9.03 dB
Harmonic Distortion
8.5
9.3
Harmonics Levels
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
THD Ratio
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.12%
0.05%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.47%
0.16%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
112.0 dB SPL
106.7 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
102.5 dB
104.1 dB
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
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Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
No App
Test Settings
Firmware
V1.5.0.8
Unknown
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
aptX HD, 24-bit, 48kHz
aptX HD, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Neutral
Hi-Fi mode
ANC
High
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
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Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
8.0
Comfort Picture
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Weight
0.79 lbs
0.84 lbs
Clamping Force
1.2 lbs
1.3 lbs
Controls
8.0
7.7
Controls Picture
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OS Compatibility
No Controls
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Great
Good
Feedback
Great
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Bluetooth + Multi function
Portability
5.7
5.7
Portability Picture
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L
8.4" (21.5 cm)
7.9" (20.1 cm)
W
8.2" (20.7 cm)
8.2" (20.9 cm)
H
2.2" (5.6 cm)
2.3" (5.9 cm)
Volume
151.45 in³ (2,481.78 cm³)
151.40 in³ (2,481.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
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Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
8.9" (22.7 cm)
9.2" (23.4 cm)
W
8.5" (21.7 cm)
9.0" (22.9 cm)
H
2.9" (7.3 cm)
2.7" (6.9 cm)
Volume
219.42 in³ (3,595.62 cm³)
224.25 in³ (3,674.86 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.5
Build Quality Picture
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Stability
6.5
6.5
Stability Picture
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Headshots 1
Angled Picture
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Side Picture
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Headshots 2
Front Picture
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Rear Picture
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Top
Top Picture
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In The Box
In The Box Picture
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Compare High-Res
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
8.4
7.8
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-22.16 dB
-20.30 dB
Bass
-15.79 dB
-9.21 dB
Mid
-21.26 dB
-20.68 dB
Treble
-30.89 dB
-33.35 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
8.7
6.6
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-20.42 dB
-15.57 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-19.18 dB
-16.04 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-22.67 dB
-17.83 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
ANC Wind Noise
Leakage
7.5
7.6
Leakage
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
36.34 dB
36.26 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.3
7.1
Microphone Frequency Response
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Recorded Speech
LFE
562 Hz
276.97 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.82 dB
4.74 dB
HFE
7,240.77 Hz
6,834.38 Hz
Weighted THD
0.903
0.672
Gain
-0.19 dB
20.74 dB
Noise Handling
7.7
6.7
SpNR
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
SpNR
15.25 dB
31.95 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
8.0
7.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.9
9.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
18.6 hrs
35.9 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
18.6 hrs
35.9 hrs
Charge Time
1.7 hrs
2.4 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
Yes
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
6.5
0.0
App Picture
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Compare High-Res
App Name
Mark Levinson
No App
iOS
Yes
No
Android
Yes
No
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Presets
No
ANC Control
Presets
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
8.9
7.0
Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
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Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
USB-C
USB-C
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
13.12 ft (4.00 m)
N/A
Connector
USB-C
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.2 ms
32.0 ms
Latency - USB
37.9 ms
36.9 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
USB
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
7.8
7.5
Bluetooth Version
5.1
5.2
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
291.01 ft (88.70 m)
Latency - SBC
372 ms
273 ms
Latency - aptX
365 ms
265 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
258 ms
355 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
52 ms
76 ms
Latency - LDAC
246 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
AAC Support
Yes
Yes
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
Audio Only
Audio Only
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Ice Pewter
Nº 5909
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Dark Chocolate
IO-12
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Pearl Black
Nº 5909
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Mocha Grey
IO-12
SEE PRICE
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Radiant Red
Nº 5909
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Mark Levinson Nº 5909
DALI IO-12
Comments
Mark Levinson Nº 5909 vs DALI IO-12: Main Discussion
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