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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired, Hi-Res certified hybrid in-ear with a detachable cable and a studio-style tuning pedigree, choose 1MORE Penta Driver; if you need true wireless freedom with LDAC high-resolution Bluetooth streaming and hybrid drivers in a cable-free design, choose TOZO Golden X1.
• 1MORE Penta Driver — biggest strength: A five-driver hybrid setup (one diamond-like carbon dynamic driver plus four planar units) with Hi-Res certification, a gold-plated detachable MMCX connector and an oxygen-free copper cable. Wired means no codec compression, no battery, no pairing.
• 1MORE Penta Driver — biggest trade-off: It's a wired in-ear. You're tethered to a 3.5mm jack (or a 3.5mm-to-Type-C adapter), and there's no active noise cancellation — just passive sound isolation from the sealed fit.
• TOZO Golden X1 — biggest strength: Wireless hi-res done properly, with LDAC streaming up to 24-bit/96kHz at up to 990 kbit/s, a 12mm dynamic driver paired with a balanced armature, and a claimed 12Hz–44.1kHz range.
• TOZO Golden X1 — biggest trade-off: It's Bluetooth-only — no jack at all — so everything runs through a wireless codec, and LDAC's full bitrate depends on your phone supporting it.
• Who each pick is for: 1MORE Penta Driver is for the listener who wants a cable, a DAC-friendly signal path and a secure over-ear-hook fit. TOZO Golden X1 is for the listener who wants hi-res without a wire.
The 1MORE Penta Driver is built around a genuinely unusual driver array for an in-ear at this level: a DLC dynamic driver handling the low end, supported by four planar units covering the rest of the range. The result, as the design describes it, is a full-bodied sound with an expansive soundstage and fine detail retrieval. Planar drivers are known for speed and low distortion, so stacking four of them alongside a dynamic driver is a deliberate play for clarity across the whole frequency range rather than a bass-heavy tuning with a rolled-off top.
Physically, this is a wired in-ear with 45-degree curved nozzles and pre-formed ear hooks, which is the shape language of a monitor that's meant to stay put. It ships with eight pairs of silicone and foam ear tips, so getting a proper seal — and therefore proper bass and isolation — is mostly a matter of trying tips until one locks in. The shells are lightened, and the whole thing weighs 21 grams, so long listening sessions shouldn't turn into ear fatigue. Because it seals rather than cancels, it blocks peripheral noise passively, which works well on a train or in an office but won't erase a plane cabin the way ANC does.
The cable side is where this gets interesting for anyone chasing hi-res. The gold-plated MMCX connector is detachable, which means you can swap cables — including to a balanced cable or a Bluetooth MMCX neckband if you own one — and the OFC copper conductor is wrapped in a skin-friendly TPE layer designed to cut down cable noise (that thumping you hear when a cable rubs against your shirt). You get a 3.5mm jack plus a 3.5mm-to-Type-C adapter, so phones without a headphone jack, tablets and PCs are all covered. There's a MEMS microphone and a three-button inline remote for calls and playback.
Buy it if you want a wired, Hi-Res certified hybrid in-ear with a detachable cable, a secure over-ear fit, and the flexibility to run it from a phone, a laptop or a dedicated DAC. Skip it if you want zero cables, active noise cancellation, or you mostly listen while moving around.
The TOZO Golden X1 takes the hybrid-driver idea and cuts the cord. Each earbud houses a custom balanced armature plus a 12mm dynamic driver — the classic pairing where the armature handles treble detail and the dynamic driver moves air for bass. TOZO's numbers are ambitious on both ends: bass extension down to 12Hz and treble reproduction up to 44.1kHz, a combined frequency range of 12Hz–44.1kHz. Anything below 20Hz or above 20kHz is outside human hearing, so treat those extremes as engineering headroom rather than something you'll consciously hear — but the point is that neither end of the range is being artificially clipped.
The wireless part is the real story for hi-res listeners. LDAC decoding streams 24-bit/96kHz audio over Bluetooth at up to 990 kbit/s — roughly three times the data rate of standard SBC — which is what makes genuinely high-resolution wireless playback possible rather than approximate. The X1 also carries JAS (Japan Audio Association) Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification, which is an actual third-party standard for wireless hi-res rather than a marketing phrase. On top of that, TOZO's OrigX Pro processing spans that 12Hz–44.1kHz range.
Because there's no jack at all, this is a phone-first product. It's also the pick if you want a self-contained setup: no dongle, no adapter, no cable to snag on a door handle. The trade-off is inherent to the format — you're dependent on Bluetooth, you're dependent on your source device supporting LDAC to get the full bitrate, and there's no wired fallback if a battery runs dry.
Buy it if you want hi-res audio without a cable, you stream from a phone that supports LDAC, and you want hybrid-driver sound in a fully wireless package. Skip it if you need a wired connection, want a detachable-cable ecosystem, or your phone doesn't support LDAC and you'd be paying for a codec you can't use.
• Best for true hi-res flexibility → 1MORE Penta Driver. Wired with an MMCX detachable cable; no codec compression and no dependency on your phone's Bluetooth stack.
• Best for wireless hi-res → TOZO Golden X1. LDAC at up to 24-bit/96kHz and 990 kbit/s, plus JAS Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification.
• Best driver count and complexity → 1MORE Penta Driver. Five drivers per side: one DLC dynamic plus four planar units.
• Best bass extension on paper → TOZO Golden X1. A 12mm dynamic driver rated down to 12Hz, below the audible limit.
• Best treble handling claim → TOZO Golden X1. Balanced armature driver reproducing up to 44.1kHz.
• Best for calls and on-the-go control → 1MORE Penta Driver. MEMS microphone plus a three-button wired remote with media control.
• Best fit system → 1MORE Penta Driver. Eight pairs of silicone and foam tips, 45-degree nozzles and pre-formed ear hooks.
• Least fuss overall → TOZO Golden X1. No jack, no adapter, no cable — just pair and play.
• Best for a dedicated DAC or dongle setup → 1MORE Penta Driver. The 16-ohm impedance and 3.5mm/Type-C path suit external sources.
If I had to pick one, I'd take the 1MORE Penta Driver. My reasoning is simple: for a hi-res-focused listener, the wired path removes the biggest variable in the chain. There's no codec negotiation, no bitrate ceiling tied to your phone, and the detachable MMCX cable means the headphone can outlive a worn cable or move to a balanced source later. Add five drivers, a 20Hz–40kHz certified range and a fit system built around eight tip options, and it's the more future-proof choice in my opinion. I'd only point you to the TOZO Golden X1 if wireless is non-negotiable — in which case it's the better answer, because LDAC, hybrid drivers and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification are exactly what you want when there's no cable to fall back on. Before deciding, check the current price on Amazon for both, since that's the one variable this comparison can't speak to.
FAQ
what is hi res headphones
what is hi res audio headphones
It means the same thing as hi-res headphones: the hardware can handle high-resolution audio files and streams, which carry more detail than compressed formats. What matters in practice is whether the whole chain supports it — with the TOZO Golden X1, that means LDAC at up to 24-bit/96kHz; with the 1MORE Penta Driver, it means a wired connection with no Bluetooth compression at all.
which headphones support hi res lossless
True lossless usually requires a wired path, which points to the 1MORE Penta Driver — its MMCX detachable cable and OFC conductor carry an uncompressed signal. The TOZO Golden X1 is the wireless option: LDAC is a high-bitrate codec at up to 990 kbit/s, but it's still a Bluetooth codec rather than a bit-perfect lossless connection.
what are hi res headphones good for
They're for listeners who want more detail and a wider frequency range from high-resolution music sources. The 1MORE Penta Driver suits critical listening from a phone, PC or DAC thanks to its five-driver setup and passive isolation; the TOZO Golden X1 suits wireless listening where LDAC and hybrid dynamic-plus-armature drivers do the work.
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