The sound of silence is unusual at 37,000 feet, but not with the right pair of headphones.
I’ve tried Apple’s AirPods Pro and AirPods Max while flying across the Atlantic (and back), and I’ve rarely felt more at peace.
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Both models feature active noise cancellation (unlike the regular $179/£169 AirPods).
The goal of noise cancellation is to eliminate ambient sound.
And there’s a lot of that on a plane…
Noise cancellation uses microphones to detect background noise.
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For example, the AirPods Pro ($219/£189) are equipped with two microphones.
One of these is used to create an equivalent anti-noise that cancels out background noise before it reaches your ear.
A second microphone listens into the ear, canceling out any remaining noise.
Apple says that this noise cancellation system continuously adapts the sound signal 200 times per second.
The AirPods Pro were very impressive on board my return Virgin Atlantic flight from New York, given their small size.
You get different silicone tips for maximum fit (allowing for passive noise cancellation), and active noise cancellation really helps.
It’s very easy to block out the murmurs of conversation and tone down the endless hum of the plane and its various systems.
There’s also a Transparency mode that’s quick to activate with a long press, so you can hear important announcements or questions from flight attendants.
The AirPods Max were even better, so they should be $499 / £549.
I already wrote about its impressive sound in my AirPods Max review.
But the noise cancellation was absolutely brilliant in flight.
Importantly, the fit was very comfortable for long periods. I occasionally have trouble with over-ear headphones, especially since they can put pressure on my glasses, but the Max sits perfectly.
This secure fit meant that I could barely hear the noises around me.
And when you’re being driven to 560 mph in an Airbus A350-1000, it’s nice to feel relaxed.
It certainly helped that it was (thankfully) flying high class, thanks to the headroom available in the sleek cabin.
The reclining chairs, blankets, and wonderful noise cancellation from Apple transported me to the serenity of podcasts about murder and heavy metal music. Well, serenity for me anyway.
There’s even a strange joy in wearing AirPods and not hearing anything at all.
It made it very easy to get some work done, just removing the noise and enjoying the sound of silence.
No pair of AirPods is cheap, but good noise-cancelling headphones never are.
AirPods Max are still really only for people with a real passion for music, frequent long-distance travelers, or true fans of the gadgets.
But the AirPods Pro are much more affordable in terms of price, and they perform brilliantly in the air, on the ground, or on the London Underground or New York subway.
So if you have a journey ahead of you, consider upgrading your set of headphones. It’s worth it just for the peace.
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