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If you want over-ear hi-res listening with active noise canceling and up to 30 hours of playback, choose Philips PH805; if you need pocket-size true wireless earbuds that stay connected to three devices at once, choose Technics HiFi True.
• Philips PH805 — biggest strength: Over-ear design with Hi-Res Audio support when wired to a hi-res source, plus Active Noise Canceling and up to 30 hours of playtime.
• Philips PH805 — biggest trade-off: It's a full-size over-ear headphone (9.8 oz), so it's not the kind of thing you casually pocket, the jack is a 2.5 mm connection, and Bluetooth tops out at version 5.
• Technics HiFi True — biggest strength: True wireless earbuds with LDAC compatibility for hi-resolution sound, 3-device multipoint, beamforming call clarity, and an IPX4 sweat-resistant fit — at just 5 g per bud.
• Technics HiFi True — biggest trade-off: Battery life is shorter at roughly 12.5 hours, the frequency range tops out at 20,000 Hz, there's no headphone jack at all, and the enclosure is plastic.
• Who each is for: Philips PH805 suits home, desk and travel listeners who want big over-ear sound and long battery. Technics HiFi True suits commuters, remote workers and gym-goers who want tiny earbuds that juggle multiple devices.
The PH805 is the "sit down and listen" option here. It's an over-ear wireless headphone with Active Noise Canceling, so it's built to put a wall between you and a noisy room — a plane cabin, an open-plan office, a bus. Tap once and the noise canceling comes on. Tap again and it goes off. There's also an Awareness Mode if you want the music to keep playing while you still hear what's happening around you, which is genuinely useful at an airport gate or when someone walks up to your desk.
The hi-res story is the part worth understanding. Philips states that when you connect the PH805 by cable to a hi-res source, you get the benefit of lossless audio recorded at a higher sample rate than CDs. That's the classic hi-res headphone setup: wireless for convenience, wired for fidelity. The stated frequency range runs from 7 Hz all the way up to 40,000 Hz, which is well beyond what standard Bluetooth codecs carry — that's why the wired path matters. Rounding it out: a 2.5 mm jack, Bluetooth 5 with a 10-meter range, touch controls on the ear housing (swipe up or down for volume), a built-in mic with echo cancellation, and voice-assistant access from a button press. Charge time is about 2 hours for up to 30 hours of playtime. In the box you get an aircraft adapter, a cable, and a protective case.
Buy it if you want one pair of over-ear headphones for home listening, long-haul travel and work-from-desk sessions, and you care about being able to run them wired for lossless audio. Skip it if you want earbuds you can drop in a jeans pocket, you need to stay connected to several devices at once, or you want to wear them while sweating — nothing in the spec sheet suggests a water-resistance rating.
The Technics HiFi True (EAH-AZ40M2) is the opposite philosophy: disappear into your ears and follow you everywhere. Each bud weighs about 5 g, with four sizes of silicone earpieces (XS, S, M, L) for a snug, stable in-ear fit, and an IPX4 sweat-resistant rating. That combination is what makes them plausible for workouts, walks and commutes in a way over-ear headphones simply aren't.
The feature list is where these earbuds earn their keep. LDAC compatibility is the headline for hi-res fans — LDAC is a Bluetooth codec that carries far more data than standard Bluetooth audio, so the AZ40M2 can deliver hi-resolution sound over a wireless connection. That's a real difference from the PH805, which needs a cable to reach its hi-res potential. Then there's 3-point multipoint: the buds hold connections to three Bluetooth devices at once, so you can jump from a laptop meeting to a podcast on your phone to an incoming call without re-pairing anything. Two MEMS microphones with beamforming technology isolate your voice and cut surrounding noise on calls, which matters if you take meetings from cafés or the street.
Around that: Bluetooth 5.2 with a 10-meter range, touch controls plus voice control, and the Technics Audio Connect app for iOS and Android to tune ambient/attention modes, EQ (treble, bass), and spatial audio. The driver is a 6.35 mm dynamic driver with a stated frequency range of 5 Hz – 20,000 Hz. Battery is roughly 12.5 hours per charge with a 2-hour charge time, and the kit includes a wireless charging case (about 30 g), a cable and ear cushions. No headphone jack, though — these are wireless only.
Buy it if you bounce between devices all day, take a lot of calls, want hi-res wireless via LDAC, and need something small and sweat-resistant. Skip it if you want maximum battery life, a wired lossless option, or the isolation that only big over-ear cups give you.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for long battery life → Philips PH805 (up to 30 hours vs. roughly 12.5 hours).
• Best for hi-res over a wire → Philips PH805, which Philips says delivers the full benefit of lossless audio when connected to a hi-res source by cable, with a range extending to 40,000 Hz.
• Best for switching between devices → Technics HiFi True with 3-point multipoint; the PH805's spec sheet lists no multipoint.
• Best for calls on the move → Technics HiFi True, with dual MEMS mics and beamforming. The PH805 counters with a built-in mic and echo cancellation, so it's no slouch at the desk.
• Best for workouts and hot commutes → Technics HiFi True, with its 5 g buds, four earpiece sizes and IPX4 rating.
• Best for blocking a plane or a loud office → Philips PH805, where over-ear cups plus Active Noise Canceling give you far more physical isolation to begin with.
• Best for traveling light → Technics HiFi True, with a charging case that weighs about 30 g.
One more distinction worth spelling out, because it trips people up: the PH805's 7 Hz – 40,000 Hz range and the AZ40M2's 5 Hz – 20,000 Hz range aren't a simple "which is better" contest. The Technics figure reflects what the earbuds reproduce over Bluetooth with LDAC; the Philips figure reflects its full capability, which you only unlock with a cable. If you never plug in, you're not using the PH805's upper range at all.
If I had to pick one, I'd take the Technics HiFi True for most people. In my opinion, 3-device multipoint, LDAC hi-res over wireless, beamforming call clarity and an IPX4 fit cover more of an average day than a single pair of over-ear headphones can — and the 12.5-hour battery is still a full day of listening. That said, I'd choose the Philips PH805 without hesitation if your priority is long-haul quiet, marathon battery life, or lossless audio over a cable. They're solving different problems, and both solve theirs well.
what is hi res headphones
Hi-res headphones are headphones capable of reproducing audio at a higher resolution than standard CD quality — meaning a wider frequency range and more detail from lossless sources. Both products here qualify in different ways: the Philips PH805 when wired to a hi-res source, and the Technics HiFi True over Bluetooth via LDAC.
what is hi res audio headphones
which headphones support hi res lossless
Lossless hi-res requires a wired connection on the Philips PH805 — that's where its 7 Hz – 40,000 Hz range comes into play. The Technics HiFi True takes the wireless route with LDAC, which is a hi-resolution Bluetooth codec. For true lossless, the wired PH805 path is the one to use; for hi-res over Bluetooth, LDAC is the one to use.
Do these headphones have noise cancelling?
Yes, both do. The Philips PH805 has Active Noise Canceling you toggle with a tap, plus an Awareness Mode. The Technics HiFi True also has active noise cancellation, and you can adjust ambient and attention modes in the Technics Audio Connect app. Over-ear cups generally block more sound physically; the earbuds rely more on the electronics.
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