While I love to travel, the sound of a plane’s engine is enough to make anyone go crazy. Anyone who’s been on a bumpy flight knows the specific frequencies I’m talking about.
I usually travel with my second-generation Apple AirPods Pro, which are brilliant for everyday life. But like almost every earbud, they struggle with the low, vibrating hum of the engine that can resonate throughout the cabin. AirPods soften the blow, but they don’t erase the fatigue.
For a long time, I just white-knuckled through it and dealt with the noise. However, the first time I flew with the Sony WH-1000XM6 noise-cancelling headphones, I immediately understood why — despite their splurge-y price tag — people make the extra room in their carry-on for them.
The Features That Actually Matters On Flights
Sony’s QN3 processor is one of those technical specs I usually ignore, but its ability to “map” cabin surroundings in real-time is legitimate. Sony packed 12 microphones into these, which sounds like overkill until you’re sitting directly over a wing and are magically insulated from that signature rattling metal sound.
