Zac Hall, 9to5Mac:
AirPods are a totally different product than my wireless Bose QC35s which have longer battery life and active noise cancellation not to mention superior audio quality, but AirPods were easily preferred as my travel earphones after real world testing for a few reasons.
Nice detailed overview on pros and cons (mostly pros) of flying with AirPods. I do tend to travel with noise canceling over-the-ear headphones, but Zac makes the AirPods sound like a reasonable alternative, especially if packing space is tight.
Good read.
I’ll admit that last fall I was pretty skeptical about the AirPods. Now I’m pretty exciting about getting them.
One thing, you’ll still need another headset if you want to watch in flight entertainment.
That’s what iPads are for!
I don’t think he really knows or appreciates what the difference is between active noise cancellation and blocking noise with tight fitting earbuds that don’t actively cancel out background noise.
For the amount he flies it may not be an issue but those of us who fly (in my case, flew) a lot, there’s really no substitute for active noise cancellation, especially on long trips where one wants to sleep. I’ve used Bose over the ear noise cancelling headphones as long as Bose has made them (QC-35s now) and while they’re far from perfect, they do work extremely well to block constant background noise (like engines on planes or trains). Stuffing cotton in one’s ears, or stuffing earbuds in them and cranking the volume will dim much sound, but it’s a different thing and in my experience, doesn’t allow me to sleep or rest as well as active noise cancellation.
Of course, while walking through an airport or a city, AirPods are a lot less cumbersome for listening to music or dealing with phone calls but for sitting for long stretches on a plane I find it hard to believe one would choose them over either buds or phones with active noise cancellation.
agreed. airlines are starting to do BYOD for in flight entertainment now. makes sense.
may not be the best, but convienence and “good enough” is pretty compelling.
Also, there’s a significant body of research that shows that loud, low frequency noises have a negative effect on you and make you more tired (relevant for long haul truck drivers and road warriors). Noise canceling headphones are great for that. Though I will say, I find it easier to sleep without my QC-35s (or my old Qc-15s) because the white noise of the plane makes me sleepy.
Indeed. The secret to happiness on a 13 hour flight is to make sure you’re awake for less than an hour of it. 🙂
Or listening to a whole lot of Miles Davis and Charles Mingus.
Without too much alcohol if at all possible.