Best Headphones For Airline Travel

The best headphones for travel are Bose headphones. Specifically, the Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black

I’m not sure anyone has done more research on wireless headphones as I did before a recent trip to Stockholm, Sweden. I exhaustively researched Bose headphones, Beats by Dre, and Sony headphones.

You may have different priorities, but here is what I was looking for.

Headphones that were;

(1) wireless

(2) noise-canceling

(3) comfortable

(4) looked good.

Narrowed Down to Three

I spent hours online reading reviews, talking to electronics salesmen, and watching YouTube videos to find out which were the best headphones. Specifically, the best headphones for travel.

After much deliberation, I narrowed down the choices between:

Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black

Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WH1000XM2: Over Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Case – Black

Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones – Gloss Black

When it was time to pull the trigger, I literally spent well over an hour in a Best Buy debating between the Bose headphones, and the Beats Solo3.

You may be interested in headphones that go in the ear, or on the ear, but I kinda knew I was going to go with over-ear headphones. If you don’t know, here’s the difference:

On-ear Headphones, Over-the-ear Headphones, and In-ear Headphones

On-ear headphones: rest on the outer portion of your ear.

Over-the-ear: headphones cover up your entire ear.

In-ear headphones: earbuds are inserted into your ear.

Wireless

All of the three headphones were wireless. These days you really should not have wires connecting your headphones.

Noise canceling

By far the most important thing to me.

Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black

Bose headphones have the best noise-canceling function hands down. With these on, you cannot hear any outside noise. You will be so happy if you are seated next to a crying 3-year old for a 5-hour flight. I know because I had to sit next to a crying 3-year old during a five-hour flight from Washington D.C. to Brussels, Belgium. I literally could not hear the child and slept most of the flight.

Also, with the Bose headphones, you can’t even hear the airplane noise. I met a girl coming back to the States who said she was afraid of flying. She said the only way she could get through flights is with noise-canceling headphones that blocked out the airplane noise. If you don’t like flying, you will love the noise-canceling function of Bose headphones.

All the specs of the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones can be found at Bose.com, but canceling out noise from a crying 3-year old next to you is all you need to know.

Beats by Dre Beats Solo3

What about the great looking Beats?

I’m so glad I did not buy the Beats by Dre because they are not noise canceling and the sound quality is not great. In fairness, they don’t advertise that they are noise-canceling. In fact, the Beats by Dre are on-ear headphones, and not over-ear.

Sony MDR 1000X

The Sony headphones had good noise canceling and a super cool function. The function is when you touch the outside of the headphones, the noise canceling goes off. This could come in handy when listening for airport and pilot announcements, however, you will not miss important announcements with the Bose headphones.

Price

The Bose headphones were the most expensive of the headphones I was looking at, but this really is a case of “you get what you pay for.”

Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black – $329.00
Beats by Dre Beats Solo3 – $199.00
Sony MDR 1000X – 1000X – $299.00

Obviously, you can use these headphones when you fly, but you can also use them when you’re home relaxing. I know for me, I’ll be using these headphones for a long time.

With that said, the Bose headphones were a bit more than I wanted to spend, but looking back, these headphones are the best purchase I’ve made all year.

Comfort

If you are concerned with comfort, the Bose headphones are the best. While they are headphones, you will have no problem wearing them while using a travel pillow and sleeping against the window and side of a plane. In addition to the noise-canceling function, comfort was also very important to me.

The Bose QuietComfort headphones are light, sturdy, and not too big. You will forget that they are on your head.

In contrast, the Beats Solo3 and The Sony MDR 1000x were heavier and a bit clunkier. Also, the Beats by Dre felt tight on my head and not as sturdy.

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t that concerned with sound quality because I had planned on listening to audiobooks and podcasts in addition to music. But if you’ve never heard music in good headphones, you’re in for a treat. When the Best Buy salesman hooked up the Bose headphones to my iPhone, I couldn’t believe how clear the words to songs were.

If you are traveling, without a doubt, Bose Headphones, the Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black are the best.

Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black