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If you want a complete, self-contained pair of wireless over-ear headphones with hybrid noise cancelling and hi-res spatial audio, choose Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling; if you need a short OTG cable that unlocks hi-res lossless playback from an external DAC or headphone amp, choose TODN 5.
• Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling — biggest strength: a full wireless headphone package: hybrid ANC rated to cut up to 30dB of low-frequency noise, 40mm dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 6.0, spatial audio with head tracking, and up to 60 hours of playback.
• Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling — biggest trade-off: it is a 300 g over-ear headset with a fixed 20Hz–20,000Hz frequency range, so it is not a modular audiophile rig and it needs charging.
• TODN 5 — biggest strength: a purpose-built USB-C to USB-C OTG link for portable DACs and headphone amps, built around 4-core 99.99% OFC conductors, a tinned copper braided shield and a Hi-Res OTG chip supporting up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD.
• TODN 5 — biggest trade-off: it makes no sound on its own. It is a 12cm male-to-male cable with no drivers and no battery — plug it into a phone with no DAC and you get nothing.
• Who each is for: Ko-Star for commuters, students, gamers and remote workers who want one finished headphone; TODN 5 for listeners who already own a USB-C DAC, dongle or headphone amp and want a clean, shielded short interconnect.
This is the "one box does the job" option. The hybrid noise reduction is engineered to knock down up to 30dB of low-frequency rumble — the kind of steady drone you get from an airplane cabin, road traffic or an open-plan office. There's also a transparency mode so you can hear a barista or a colleague without pulling the headset off your ears. For anyone who flies, commutes by train or works in a noisy room, that pairing of ANC and pass-through is the core of the value here.
Inside sit 40mm dynamic drivers with a 20Hz–20,000Hz range, 32 ohm impedance, 107dB sensitivity and a quoted 30ms latency. In practice that profile points to a warm, bass-forward tuning that suits pop, hip-hop, electronic and movie soundtracks, with a low-latency game mode for shooters and a spatial audio head-tracking feature for watching video. Bluetooth 6.0 handles pairing and a stable connection, with quoted range figures of 10 meters in the bullet copy and 15 meters in the spec sheet — either way, room-to-room freedom. Dual-device connection means you can stay on a laptop call and still catch a phone ring.
TODN 5: Who It's For
The TODN 5 is not a headphone. It's the short, specialized cable that sits between a USB-C source and a portable DAC, dongle or headphone amplifier. The reason it exists is signal integrity. Four cores of 99.99% oxygen-free copper expand the conductive surface area, which the brand says sharpens high-frequency response compared with ordinary two-core cables, and the whole bundle is wrapped in a dense tinned copper braided shield to suppress EMI, RFI and crosstalk. If you've ever heard a faint hiss or a buzz underneath quiet passages when your phone is next to a laptop, that's the problem this addresses.
The technical claim that matters most for hi-res listeners is the dedicated OTG chip. TODN rates it for up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD, and cites THD+N ≤ -128dB and SNR ≥ 115dB as the level your DAC can reach through the cable. That is squarely audiophile territory, and it's the reason this cable appeals to people running lossless libraries, DSD files or high-resolution streaming into an external converter. The 12cm length is deliberate — it's a pigtail for a stacked pocket rig, not a run to your desk.
Physically, it's black, round, with an aluminum alloy shell and 24K gold-plated male-to-male Type-C plugs, and the outer jacket is cotton braided rather than thin PVC, which the brand frames as better against wear, aging and tangling. The connectors are gold-plated for low contact resistance and oxidation resistance over time. It's plug-and-play with no drivers, compatible with USB-C phones, tablets, MacBooks and other USB-C devices. Buy it if you already own a USB-C DAC or amp and want a shielded, short, lossless-rated link. Skip it if you don't — this cable has no drivers, no battery and no DAC of its own, and it will do nothing for a phone with a plain headphone jack.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for noise cancelling → Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling. Hybrid ANC quoted at up to 30dB of low-frequency reduction, plus a transparency mode. The TODN 5 has no noise cancelling of any kind.
• Best for hi-res wired playback → TODN 5. It's the only one of the two built specifically around 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD passthrough with a dedicated OTG chip.
• Best for gaming and video → Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling. A 30ms low-latency mode, spatial audio with head tracking and a built-in mic.
• Best for calls and meetings → Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling. A high-sensitivity built-in mic and dual-device connection make it a work-from-anywhere headset.
• Best for travel → it depends on your rig. Ko-Star covers the flight itself with ANC and a carrying case; TODN 5 is the 12cm cable you pack if you're bringing a DAC and wired IEMs for hotel listening.
• Best for durability of the connection → TODN 5. Cotton braided jacket, tinned copper shield, aluminum shell and 24K gold-plated plugs are aimed at long-term signal stability.
• Best as a complete purchase → Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling. One box gives you headphones, cable, case and manual. TODN 5 is one 12cm cable, nothing more.
• Best value → check both against your existing gear. If you own no DAC, Ko-Star is the sensible spend; if you already own one, TODN 5 is the cheaper way to improve what you have. Check the current price on Amazon for either before deciding.
In my opinion, most people asking this question should buy the Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling. It's a finished product: hybrid ANC, 40mm drivers, Bluetooth 6.0, spatial audio, a mic, dual-device pairing and up to 60 hours of battery, all in one purchase. It covers commuting, calls, gaming and travel without asking you to own anything else first.
I'd only point you to the TODN 5 if you're already invested in a portable DAC or headphone amp and you specifically want a short, shielded, lossless-rated OTG link for hi-res files. That's a real and worthwhile upgrade — but it's an accessory for a system you already have, not a starting point.
what is hi res headphones
Hi-res headphones are headphones capable of reproducing audio at a higher resolution than standard CD quality. In practice this comes down to the whole chain: the headphone drivers, the connection and the source. The Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling is listed as Hi-Res with a 20Hz–20,000Hz range, while the TODN 5 supports up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD when feeding a DAC.
what is hi res audio headphones
Hi-res audio headphones are headphones designed to handle high-resolution audio files without downsampling or significant loss. The TODN 5's dedicated OTG chip and 4-core OFC construction are aimed at exactly that — passing lossless high-resolution signal from a USB-C device to an external DAC or amp.
what are hi res headphones
Hi-res headphones are over-ear or in-ear models built to resolve detail beyond standard compressed streaming. The Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling uses 40mm dynamic drivers with 32 ohm impedance and 107dB sensitivity, which is an efficient, easy-to-drive spec for wireless hi-res listening on a phone or laptop.
which headphones support hi res lossless
Lossless hi-res depends on the full chain, not just the headphone. The Ko-Star Hybrid Active NoiseCancelling is the headphone here; the TODN 5 is the cable that carries lossless hi-res signal from a USB-C source into a portable DAC or headphone amplifier supporting up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD.
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