How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-23 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• Cubilux HC-4 — biggest strength: a 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced output fed by a 384KHz/32-bit PCM DAC and dual RT6863 amps, plus a 3.5mm TRRS mic jack so you keep voice chat while listening in hi-res.
• Cubilux HC-4 — biggest trade-off: it's a USB dongle, not headphones. It's wired-only, PCM-only (no DSD), and you supply your own 4.4mm or 3.5mm gear.
• havit Space S1 — biggest strength: up to 100 hours of playtime, hybrid ANC rated to reduce ambient noise by up to -45dB, and LHDC hi-res audio up to 24bit/192kHz on compatible devices.
• havit Space S1 — biggest trade-off: wireless only, with no headphone jack, and LHDC doesn't work on iPhone or iPad — iOS users fall back to standard Bluetooth codecs.
• Who each pick is for: Cubilux HC-4 is for IEM owners, gamers, streamers and desktop listeners who want a clean balanced signal. havit Space S1 is for commuters, travelers, students and remote workers who want one pair of over-ear headphones to do everything untethered.
The HC-4 is a source upgrade, not a listening device. Plug it into a USB-C or USB-A port — Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS — and it becomes the DAC and amp stage for whatever headphones or IEMs you already own. The headline number is the DAC: PCM from 44.1KHz all the way to 384KHz at 32-bit. That's a genuinely wide window, and for anyone holding a library of lossless PCM files, it means the dongle isn't the bottleneck.
The part that separates it from most budget dongles is the 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced output. Balanced wiring gives better channel separation and a wider soundstage than a single-ended jack, and it pushes more power with a cleaner, noise-free signal. Cubilux pairs that with dual RT6863 amps for high-current drive, which matters if you own planars or higher-impedance IEMs that sound flat and lifeless off a phone's built-in output. The aluminum housing doubles as an EMI/RFI shield, and that's the claim I find most credible on paper — a metal body around a sensitive analog stage is exactly how you chase a "pitch-black" background.
Then there's the feature no headphone can match: a 3.5mm TRRS mic input sitting right next to the hi-res output. You get premium audio in your ears and a real microphone for chat, streaming, meetings or video calls. The LED sampler indicator is a small but genuinely useful touch — green for CD rates, blue for 88.2–96KHz hi-res, aqua for 176.4–384KHz ultra-hi-fi — so you can see at a glance whether your system is actually feeding it the good stuff.
Who should buy it: IEM and balanced-headphone owners who want a wired, bit-perfect desktop or mobile rig; gamers and streamers who refuse to choose between good sound and a working mic; anyone whose laptop or phone output is the weak link. Who should skip it: if you want wireless freedom, active noise cancelling, or you don't own a 4.4mm or 3.5mm headphone to plug in, this isn't your product. Also skip if you want DSD — the HC-4 explicitly doesn't decode it. And note that mics needing phantom power or a preamp won't work here.
The Space S1 is the opposite philosophy: one self-contained pair of over-ear headphones that handles travel, work and study without a cable. The hybrid ANC is rated to cut ambient noise by up to -45dB, which is squarely aimed at the low-frequency drone of engines, traffic and subway rumble — the stuff that actually ruins a commute or a study session. Multi-level ANC means you can dial the strength rather than living with a single on/off switch.
Battery is the marquee spec. Up to 100 hours with ANC off, up to 72 hours with ANC on, and a 5-minute charge yields up to 5 hours of listening. That's the kind of number that turns "did I charge my headphones?" into a non-question on a long trip. havit notes the 100/72 figures are measured in Bluetooth SBC mode and vary with volume, codec and ANC use, which is a fair caveat.
On sound, you get 40mm dynamic drivers with a PEEK and titanium diaphragm, tuned for rich bass and clear treble. LHDC carries up to 24bit/192kHz on compatible devices — that's the hi-res path here. Be clear on the catch: iPhone and iPad don't support LHDC, so iOS users get standard Bluetooth audio instead. Android users with LHDC-capable phones get the full benefit. There's also spatial sound for a wider presentation.
For calls, five microphones with environmental noise cancellation work to keep your voice intelligible on meetings and video chats. Comfort and control are handled with cushioned over-ear cups, Bluetooth 6.0, dual-device pairing so you can bounce between phone and laptop, app EQ, and a patented dial for volume and track skipping. It ships with a cable and manual, and carries a 2-year warranty description.
Who should buy it: commuters, frequent travelers, students and remote workers who want noise cancelling and marathon battery in one wireless package; Android users who can actually use LHDC. Who should skip it: iPhone and iPad owners who specifically want the hi-res codec, anyone who needs a wired connection — there's no headphone jack — and listeners who prefer a USB DAC plus their own high-end IEMs.
• Best for hi-res wired playback → Cubilux HC-4, with PCM up to 384KHz/32-bit through a balanced 4.4mm output.
• Best for hi-res wireless playback → havit Space S1, via LHDC up to 24bit/192kHz on compatible (non-iOS) devices.
• Best for battery life → havit Space S1, up to 100 hours ANC off / 72 hours ANC on.
• Best for noise cancelling → havit Space S1, hybrid ANC rated to reduce ambient noise by up to -45dB.
• Best for gaming, streaming and voice chat → Cubilux HC-4, thanks to the 3.5mm TRRS mic jack alongside the hi-fi output.
• Best for channel separation and soundstage → Cubilux HC-4, because balanced architecture is the entire point of the 4.4mm design.
• Best for portability and all-day wear → havit Space S1, an over-ear wireless design with cushioned cups, dual pairing and app EQ.
• Best for iPhone users → Cubilux HC-4 if you want the best audio path, since the Space S1's LHDC doesn't work on iOS.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the Cubilux HC-4 — but only if you already own a good pair of IEMs or balanced headphones. In my opinion, the combination of a 384KHz/32-bit PCM DAC, a true 4.4mm balanced output, dual RT6863 amps and a mic input is a lot of capability in a plug-and-play dongle, and it fixes the weakest link in most setups. I'd recommend the havit Space S1 instead if wireless freedom, ANC and battery life are what you actually need day to day. Two different jobs, two different answers.
what is hi res headphones
Hi-res headphones are headphones capable of reproducing audio at resolutions beyond standard CD quality — higher sampling rates and bit depths that preserve more detail from a lossless source. Both products here chase that goal differently: the Cubilux HC-4 handles PCM up to 384KHz/32-bit through a wired DAC, while the havit Space S1 supports LHDC up to 24bit/192kHz over Bluetooth.
what is hi res audio headphones
It's the same idea applied to the whole chain: the headphones, the source and the connection all need to support the higher-resolution format. A hi-res-capable headphone fed a compressed stream won't deliver hi-res results. That's why the HC-4's LED sampling indicator is useful — it shows whether your system is actually feeding it CD, hi-res or ultra-hi-fi rates.
what are hi res headphones
They're headphones designed for lossless, high-resolution playback rather than standard compressed Bluetooth audio. The key detail to check is which formats and codecs are supported. The Cubilux HC-4 supports PCM only and does not decode DSD, while the havit Space S1 relies on LHDC for its hi-res audio and falls back to standard Bluetooth on devices that don't support it.
which headphones support hi res lossless
Lossless hi-res generally means a wired path, since most wireless codecs are still lossy. The Cubilux HC-4 supports lossless PCM up to 384KHz/32-bit over USB, which is the truest lossless option of the two. The havit Space S1 is wireless-only with LHDC at up to 24bit/192kHz — excellent for Bluetooth, but not a lossless wired connection.
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See also: hi-res headphones, havit Space T1 vs BirdDance Z3, JOYROOM OE3 vs havit Space T1