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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-25 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• joliker USB C DAC — biggest strength: A dedicated ESS ES9028Q2M DAC plus ES9603Q amplifier with PCM 384kHz/32bit and DSD256 decoding, 522mW@32Ω from the 4.4mm balanced jack and 111mW@32Ω from 3.5mm.
• joliker USB C DAC — biggest trade-off: It makes no sound on its own. You must already own wired headphones or IEMs, and it runs on its own battery.
• XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo — biggest strength: A complete wireless over-ear package: 42 dB adaptive ANC, up to 72 hours of battery, Hi-Res Audio support, Power Bass tuning and three AI-call microphones.
• XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo — biggest trade-off: It is wireless-first, so the phone or laptop provides the audio; you are not getting a separate DAC stage or a balanced output.
• Pick the joliker USB C DAC if you already own good wired gear and want to feed it a cleaner, stronger, hi-res signal.
• Pick the XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo if you want to unbox one product, pair it and listen — with ANC and a battery that lasts days.
The joliker USB C DAC is a pocket-sized converter and amplifier, not a pair of headphones. Its whole job is to take a digital signal from your phone, tablet or computer and turn it into something your wired headphones can actually use well. The heart of it is the ESS ES9028Q2M DAC paired with an ES9603Q amplifier — a combination aimed squarely at clean, low-distortion reproduction. It decodes PCM up to 384kHz/32bit and DSD256, which is the kind of headroom hi-res files and streaming tiers are built around.
The interesting part for me is the dual output. There is a standard 3.5mm single-ended jack for everyday gear, and a 4.4mm balanced jack that pushes up to 522mW@32Ω — roughly five times the 111mW@32Ω you get from the unbalanced side. Balanced output typically means lower crosstalk and better channel separation, and that extra power matters if your headphones are hard to drive or if you want tighter bass and a wider sense of space. There is also a small OLED screen showing playback info and volume, plus dedicated hardware volume buttons, so you are not stuck nudging your phone's slider.
It is tiny — 18g, about 66×26×12mm, in red — and it plugs into iPhone 15/16 series, Android phones, tablets, Windows PCs and MacBooks, generally without drivers. It ships with a Type-C to Type-C cable and a manual, and joliker lists a 2-year warranty.
Who should buy it? Someone who already owns a decent wired IEM or headphone and feels their phone or laptop headphone jack is the weak link. Also anyone curious about hi-res audio who wants to hear what their existing gear can do when properly fed. Who should skip it? Anyone who wants wireless convenience, active noise cancelling or a single-box solution. This does none of that — and since it is battery powered, you will need to keep it charged.
The XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo is the opposite kind of product: a finished, wireless, over-ear headphone you simply wear. It uses dynamic drivers with Power Bass tuning and carries Hi-Res Audio support, so it is positioned around a punchy, bass-forward listen rather than a flat studio reference. The earcups go over the ear, and the unit weighs 263g with a Mist Blue finish — substantial enough to feel like a real over-ear, light enough to wear through a workday.
Its headline feature is 42 dB adaptive active noise cancellation. Adaptive means the cancellation adjusts to your surroundings instead of applying one fixed level, which is exactly what you want on a flight, a train or in a noisy open office. Battery life is quoted at up to 72 hours, and that figure is the reason this headphone exists for a lot of buyers: it is a charge-it-once-a-week device, not a charge-it-every-night one.
For calls, Xiaomi lists three microphones with AI processing, so you are not relying on a single mic to make your voice intelligible on a video call. Fast Pair makes the initial Bluetooth connection quick, and the box includes five items in total with a 1-year warranty. Connectivity is wireless only — there is no wired mode listed, so plan around Bluetooth.
Who should buy it? Commuters, students, remote workers and anyone who wants one pair for music, calls and noise blocking without thinking about DACs, codecs or cables. Who should skip it? Listeners who already own high-end wired headphones and want to push them further, or anyone who specifically wants a balanced 4.4mm signal path. This is a convenience-first product, and it is honest about that.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for hi-res decoding flexibility → joliker USB C DAC. PCM 384kHz/32bit and DSD256 support means it can handle high-resolution files your phone's built-in output often cannot.
• Best for driving demanding headphones → joliker USB C DAC. 522mW@32Ω balanced and 111mW@32Ω single-ended give you real headroom.
• Best for a balanced connection → joliker USB C DAC. The 4.4mm jack is the only balanced output in this comparison.
• Best for noise cancelling → XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo. 42 dB adaptive ANC is a feature the joliker simply does not have.
• Best for battery life → XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo. Up to 72 hours versus a small internal battery in the DAC that needs regular charging.
• Best for portability → joliker USB C DAC. At 18g and 66×26×12mm it disappears into a pocket; the Neo is a 263g over-ear.
• Best for plug-and-play simplicity → XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo. Pair once over Bluetooth and you are done — no cable, no driver, no source switching.
In my opinion these two are not really rivals — they solve different problems, and the right answer depends on what you already own. If you have wired headphones or IEMs sitting in a drawer and you want them to sound noticeably better, I would buy the joliker USB C DAC. The ES9028Q2M/ES9603Q pairing, the 522mW balanced output and the DSD256 support give you a genuine upgrade path for hi-res listening. If you have no wired gear and just want one pair that does everything wirelessly, I would buy the XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo and never look back. For a single do-everything purchase for most people, the Neo wins on convenience. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding.
what is hi res headphones
Hi-res headphones are headphones capable of reproducing audio at a higher resolution than standard CD quality, meaning they can resolve the extra detail in high-resolution files. The XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo is listed with Hi-Res Audio support, and the joliker USB C DAC decodes PCM 384kHz/32bit and DSD256 to feed such headphones.
what is hi res audio headphones
The term describes the same idea: a headphone built to handle high-resolution audio sources without throwing away the extra information. Hi-res audio generally refers to files or streams with higher sample rates and bit depth than CD, and the hardware needs to support that chain end to end. A DAC like the joliker handles the decoding; the headphone handles the playback.
what are hi res headphones
They are simply headphones marketed and engineered around high-resolution playback rather than plain Bluetooth streaming. The Neo qualifies through its Hi-Res Audio support, while the joliker USB C DAC plays the other role — it is the decoding and amplification stage that makes hi-res sources usable with wired headphones.
which headphones support hi res lossless
The XIAOMI Redmi Headphones Neo is the one listed here with Hi-Res Audio support out of the box. For wired headphones, hi-res lossless playback depends on the source and the DAC: the joliker USB C DAC handles PCM 384kHz/32bit and DSD256, so any wired headphone connected to it receives a hi-res-capable signal.
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See also: XIAOMI Redmi Buds 8 vs SoundPEATS Air6: Hybrid ANC Earbuds, HROEENOI USB vs Axtel One UC35: Work From Home Headphones, vinamass Kids Headphones vs ASKUBSKU USB C Headphones