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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 no-fuss wired headphone you can plug straight into a home stereo and forget about charging, choose JVC HARX900; if you need a pocketable Bluetooth/USB DAC-amp that upgrades the headphones you already own, choose HiBy W4.
• JVC HARX900 — biggest strength: Full-size over-ear design with a 50mm dynamic driver, a wide 7 Hz–26 kHz frequency range, and an 11.48ft pure copper cord with a gold-plated 6.35mm plug. It's a self-contained headphone.
• JVC HARX900 — biggest trade-off: Wired only. No Bluetooth, no battery, no built-in noise control, and the 6.35mm jack means you'll likely need an adapter for phones and laptops.
• HiBy W4 — biggest strength: A Bluetooth 5.4 and USB DAC-amp with dual CS43198 DACs, LDAC and aptX Lossless support, up to DSD512/PCM 768kHz playback, 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs, and up to 475mW of output power.
• HiBy W4 — biggest trade-off: It has no drivers of its own. It's a device that sits between your source and your existing headphones, so it does nothing for you unless you already own a pair you like.
• Who each is for: JVC HARX900 suits someone who wants one simple wired headphone for a desk, receiver or hi-fi setup. HiBy W4 suits someone who wants to make their current wired headphones wireless, louder and more capable across phones, laptops and players.
The HARX900 is a classic full-size, over-ear headphone, and its whole identity comes from a handful of design choices. A 50mm neodymium dynamic driver sits at the center, and JVC pairs it with two structural touches: a ring port structure aimed at dynamic sound, and acoustic lenses that tune direct and indirect sound by subtly offsetting the holes in each lens. The rated frequency range runs from 7 Hz to 26 kHz, which is a wide spread on paper.
The physical package tells you how JVC expects it to be used. The enclosure is metal in black, and the head pad uses a pressure-dispersion mesh, a design intended to keep long listening sessions comfortable. The cable is the giveaway: an 11.48ft pure copper cord terminating in a gold-plated 6.35mm plug. That's a cable length and connector aimed at a listening chair, a desk or a home receiver rather than a commute. It weighs 1.4 pounds, so it's meant to be worn in place, not carried around.
Buy the HARX900 if you want a single, uncomplicated wired headphone that lives next to your stereo, audio interface or desktop setup and never needs charging. It also makes sense if you specifically want a big over-ear fit with a long cord and a full-size plug. Skip it if you need wireless freedom, active noise cancellation (there is none), or if you mostly listen from a phone or laptop with a small 3.5mm jack — you'd be dealing with an adapter every time. And skip it if you already own headphones you love; this is a complete product, not an upgrade path.
The HiBy W4 is a different category of product entirely. It's a compact Bluetooth headphone amplifier and USB DAC built around a QCC5181 chipset, an AC7923B, dual CS43198 DACs and dual SGM8262 amplifiers. It switches between Bluetooth and UAC USB DAC modes, so it can serve as the wireless receiver for your phone or as a wired DAC when connected to a computer, tablet or digital audio player. Setup is meant to be plug-and-play across all of those.
The wireless side is where it earns its keep for most people. Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC, aptX Lossless, aptX HD and Snapdragon Sound support means high-resolution codecs are on the table, and NFC gives you one-touch pairing. There's also an external microphone input with cVc noise cancellation for calls. On the wired side it handles up to DSD512 and PCM 768kHz/32-bit, and it works with both UAC 1.0 and UAC 2.0 for broad compatibility.
The practical details matter here. A 2-inch touchscreen shows album artwork and track info during Bluetooth playback, and you get 3 gain levels, adjustable channel balance, 4 digital filters and multiple EQ presets. Outputs are 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced, with up to 475mW of power — enough to drive a wide range of headphones. There's a volume lock, a status light that keeps showing the current sampling rate even with the screen off, and a 15-level volume limit that can be expanded to 30 in developer mode. A physical charging lock switch lets you choose between battery-powered and host-powered operation, and Power Follow Mode lets it work as an in-car DAC. An aluminum alloy rear clip attaches it to clothing, pockets or backpacks.
Buy the W4 if you already own wired headphones you like and want to make them wireless, give them more headroom, or run them from a laptop or phone with better conversion. It's also a strong fit if you want EQ, filters, gain control and balanced output in something that clips to your pocket. Skip it if you don't own a pair of wired headphones, if you want an all-in-one listening device, or if you'd rather not deal with a companion app-style device with a touchscreen and settings menus.
• Best for a complete, ready-to-listen setup → JVC HARX900. It includes the drivers, the cable and the earpads. Nothing else is required.
• Best for upgrading headphones you already own → HiBy W4. It adds Bluetooth, high-res codecs, EQ and balanced output to whatever you plug in.
• Best for home stereo or desktop use → JVC HARX900. The 11.48ft cord and 6.35mm gold-plated plug are built for a stationary setup.
• Best for phone, tablet or laptop listening → HiBy W4. Bluetooth 5.4, NFC pairing and USB DAC mode cover the devices people actually carry.
• Best for wireless convenience → HiBy W4. The HARX900 has no wireless technology at all; its connectivity is wired.
• Best for power-hungry headphones → HiBy W4. Up to 475mW from the 4.4mm balanced output, versus a headphone that simply plugs into whatever you own.
• Best for zero maintenance → JVC HARX900. No battery, no charging, no firmware, no menus — just a cord.
• Best for sound tweaking → HiBy W4. 3 gain levels, 4 digital filters, channel balance and EQ presets give you far more control.
• Best for voice calls → HiBy W4. External mic input with cVc noise cancellation; the HARX900 has no microphone at all.
In my opinion, these two products answer different questions, so the honest recommendation splits cleanly. If I wanted one pair of headphones to plug into a receiver or desk amp and never think about again, I'd buy the JVC HARX900 — the 50mm driver, the wide 7 Hz–26 kHz range, the metal enclosure and the long pure copper cord make it a sensible, self-sufficient wired headphone for a fixed setup.
If I already owned wired headphones and wanted them to sound better and travel with me, I'd buy the HiBy W4 without hesitating. Dual CS43198 DACs, LDAC and aptX Lossless, DSD512 support, a 4.4mm balanced output and up to 475mW are a genuinely different level of flexibility than any single headphone can offer. For most people reading a "which is better" comparison in 2026, the W4 is the more versatile purchase — but only if you have headphones to feed it.
No. It's a wired headphone only, with an 11.48ft pure copper cord and a gold-plated 6.35mm plug. There's no Bluetooth, NFC or battery. If you need wireless, the HiBy W4 is the one that adds it.
No. The W4 is a Bluetooth headphone amplifier and USB DAC, not a headphone. It ships with a back clip, a Type-C to Type-C cable and a USB-A to C adapter. You supply the headphones, and it drives them through either the 3.5mm or 4.4mm output.
It offers up to 475mW of output power and a 4.4mm balanced output, plus 3 gain levels, so it can handle a wide range of headphones. Very hard-to-drive models may still want more, but for typical portable and over-ear headphones it has plenty of headroom.
They aren't competing for the same job, so value depends on what you already own. If you have no headphones, the HARX900 is the complete solution; if you have headphones you like, the W4 adds wireless, high-res decoding and EQ for less than buying a second pair. Check the current price on Amazon for both before deciding — the totals will look very different depending on which path you're on.
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