Products
Mark Levinson Nº 5909
Focal Bathys Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Aug 27, 2025 03:11 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Nov 06, 2025 03:52 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
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Balanced
Our Verdict
Mark Levinson Nº 5909
Focal Bathys Wireless
The Focal Bathys Wireless and the Mark Levinson Nº 5909 have very similar feature sets and are both marketed to audiophiles looking for a touch of luxury. That said, the Focal are superior overall and represent better value. Their default sound profile is less bright, with a balanced bass and mid-range, plus there's greater scope for adjustment via the graphic EQ and presets. Both headphones come with solid ANC systems and feature high-quality construction, but the Focal have a longer battery life. While both cans come with expansive codec support, the Mark Levinson just about edge the Focal in this regard, thanks to their LDAC support. Still, the Focal are available for less and offer more bang for your buck.
Variants
- Nº 5909 (Ice Pewter)
- Nº 5909 (Pearl Black)
- Nº 5909 (Radiant Red)
- Bathys (Black/Gray)
- Bathys (Dune)
Check Price
Ice Pewter
Nº 5909
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Black/Gray
Bathys
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Pearl Black
Nº 5909
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Dune
Bathys
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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
7.2
Stability
6.5
7.0
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
700 Hz
1,000 Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Treble Amount
Emphasized (3 dB)
Balanced (0 dB)
Sound Signature
Bright
Balanced
Frequency Response Consistency
8.2
7.9
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.79 dB
0.87 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.7
9.6
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.2 dB
1.9 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
0.7 dB
2.3 dB
Mid Bass
0.67 dB
1.6 dB
High Bass
0.09 dB
1.16 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.0
8.6
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.42 dB
1.93 dB
Low Mid
-0.91 dB
1.87 dB
Mid-Mid
0.47 dB
-1.27 dB
High Mid
1.74 dB
1.71 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.1
9.0
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.2 dB
2.5 dB
Low Treble
1.68 dB
1.47 dB
Mid Treble
4.12 dB
-0.88 dB
High Treble
0.82 dB
-3.45 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.5
7.5
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.43 dB
1.51 dB
Dips
1.64 dB
1.66 dB
Stereo Mismatch
6.8
8.6
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.86 dB
0.04 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
0.78 dB
1.43 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.6°
1.6°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
3.8
5.3
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
3.63 dB
3.14 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
5.08 dB
6.02 dB
PRTF Distance
2.26 dB
5.77 dB
Harmonic Distortion
8.5
9.0
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.12%
0.07%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.47%
0.28%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
112.0 dB SPL
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
102.5 dB
106.4 dB
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
No
Test Settings
Firmware
V1.5.0.8
1.5.7
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
aptX HD, 24-bit, 48kHz
aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
TP-Link BE9300 BT 5.4
EQ
Neutral
Dynamic
ANC
High
Silent
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.79 lbs
0.79 lbs
Clamping Force
1.2 lbs
1.2 lbs
Controls
8.0
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
No Controls
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Great
Good
Feedback
Great
Decent
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
Presets
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Multi function + Voice Assistant
Portability
5.7
5.7
Portability Picture
L
8.4" (21.5 cm)
7.9" (20.0 cm)
W
8.2" (20.7 cm)
7.9" (20.0 cm)
H
2.2" (5.6 cm)
2.4" (6.0 cm)
Volume
151.45 in³ (2,481.78 cm³)
140.90 in³ (2,308.90 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
8.9" (22.7 cm)
9.0" (22.8 cm)
W
8.5" (21.7 cm)
8.2" (20.9 cm)
H
2.9" (7.3 cm)
2.8" (7.1 cm)
Volume
219.42 in³ (3,595.62 cm³)
206.46 in³ (3,383.29 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
8.4
8.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-22.16 dB
-22.36 dB
Bass
-15.79 dB
-18.04 dB
Mid
-21.26 dB
-20.18 dB
Treble
-30.89 dB
-30.01 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
8.7
7.9
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-20.42 dB
-18.40 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-19.18 dB
-18.55 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-22.67 dB
-19.99 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
7.5
6.9
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
36.34 dB
39.93 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
6.4
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
562 Hz
364.41 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.82 dB
5.86 dB
HFE
7,240.77 Hz
4,763.35 Hz
Weighted THD
0.903
0.526
Gain
-0.19 dB
18.34 dB
Noise Handling
7.7
7.0
SpNR
SpNR
15.25 dB
26.83 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
7.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
8.0
7.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.9
7.9
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
18.6 hrs
29.1 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
18.6 hrs
29.1 hrs
Charge Time
1.7 hrs
2 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Standby mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
Yes
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
6.5
7.5
App Picture
App Name
Mark Levinson
Focal & Naim
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
Presets
Presets
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
6.7
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
USB-C
USB-C
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
13.12 ft (4.00 m)
4.17 ft (1.27 m)
Connector
USB-C
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.2 ms
35.5 ms
Latency - USB
37.9 ms
51.5 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
USB
USB
Bluetooth Connection
7.8
8.1
Bluetooth Version
5.1
5.1
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
372 ms
283 ms
Latency - aptX
365 ms
289 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
258 ms
263 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
52 ms
58 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 + Microphone
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
Audio Only
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
Audio Only
No
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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Black/Gray
Bathys
SEE PRICE
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Pearl Black
Nº 5909
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Dune
Bathys
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Radiant Red
Nº 5909
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Amazon.com
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Mark Levinson Nº 5909
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Mark Levinson Nº 5909 vs Focal Bathys Wireless: Main Discussion
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