AirPods on an Airplane, sadly not good

[Chupa Chupa]

The point of headphones on a plane is to hear your music\video\etc not the crying baby two rows away, but hey, seems there's a lot of "apple can do no bad" defending going on in here tonight.

Preface: you can look around MR for my various posts, even rants, about what Apple is doing wrong. I'm no sycophant and especially no TC fan.

Your comment here is 100% unfair. Airpods are not advertised or market as either noise canceling or in-ear canal type buds. Also every professional AirPod review I've come across mentions they are the type of bud that lets external noise in. This isn't a bad thing for reason mentioned elsewhere in this thread.

If you cut a cake with a paring knife and the slice becomes a crumbled mess the knife doesn't necessarily suck, but you 100% used the wrong knife. My point: ANY buds designed to not seal in the ear canal or have active noise canceling are poor choices for noisy locations just as a paring knife is not intended to cut cake.

I was not drawn to the AirPods when announced but decided to try them anyway when released. For what they are advertised to be they are truly best in class and I think will be the standard competitors will base their future products on. Looking forward to firmware updates improving functionality and excited about what AirPods 2.0 will bring-- maybe even a noise canceling option. In the mean time these AirPods are totally enjoyable.

 

[AppleRobert]

The volume with the Airpods is not their limitation, each and every Android smartphone I have paired to them plays music much louder with even not having to crank some of them. Enough to eliminate some background noise but they are not noise cancelling, passive or active.

As a test, just take the Airpods to BB or a cellular store and pair them with an Android and you will easily notice a volume difference.

Maybe the limitation is utilizing Bluetooth over IOS somewhat? Again, android smartphones play music with the Airpods louder so I am not sure where the issue is to tell the truth.

 

[Fusion79]

If you are a frequent air traveler, NC technology is a must. There is a reason there are those Bose kiosks in just about every airport. I have the Bose QC 20 buds and I love them for travel. My Airpods will be my every day just messing around buds but when I need NC I will use the Bose. Apple does not market these as NC so not sure why anybody would have the impression they would be good for that purpose.

 

[AppleRobert]

If you are a frequent air traveler, NC technology is a must. There is a reason there are those Bose kiosks in just about every airport. I have the Bose QC 20 buds and I love them for travel. My Airpods will be my every day just messing around buds but when I need NC I will use the Bose. Apple does not market these as NC so not sure why anybody would have the impression they would be good for that purpose.

Their hope was to utilize volume loudness at least to somewhat eliminate background noise. Cannot be done from my experience for the music I listen to using an iPhone with the Airpods. The maximum volume loudness is the same for all iPhones/iPod touchs I have tried at an Apple Store.

 

[BillGates1969]

My 2p worth.

Like others have said it's about the right headphones for the right job. The AirPods are not (and not marketed as such) as a one size fits all.

When I travel on a plane I use my Bose AE2 Wireless (with or without the world connection), as although they are not NC, they block out enough sound to hear perfectly what I need to. I haven't had the chance to use the AirPods on a plane yet and I doubt I will attempt it.

I use my AirPods at the Gym, walking the dogs and (when the weather gets hotter), probably doing the garden. Whilst cooking the other day I used the Bose as I was listening to an Audio book and they blocked out the cooking noises better than the AirPods. The airpods aren't perfect, but to me the design of the case etc is beautiful and I am happy with them.

Just my opinion though - Thank god we all disagree or this would be a boring forum and we would all have exactly the same products

 

[chriscrowlee]

Preface: you can look around MR for my various posts, even rants, about what Apple is doing wrong. I'm no sycophant and especially no TC fan.

Your comment here is 100% unfair. Airpods are not advertised or market as either noise canceling or in-ear canal type buds. Also every professional AirPod review I've come across mentions they are the type of bud that lets external noise in. This isn't a bad thing for reason mentioned elsewhere in this thread.

If you cut a cake with a paring knife and the slice becomes a crumbled mess the knife doesn't necessarily suck, but you 100% used the wrong knife. My point: ANY buds designed to not seal in the ear canal or have active noise canceling are poor choices for noisy locations just as a paring knife is not intended to cut cake.

I was not drawn to the AirPods when announced but decided to try them anyway when released. For what they are advertised to be they are truly best in class and I think will be the standard competitors will base their future products on. Looking forward to firmware updates improving functionality and excited about what AirPods 2.0 will bring-- maybe even a noise canceling option. In the mean time these AirPods are totally enjoyable.

Don't get me wrong they absolutely are the best option for Bluetooth currently available, I was just pointing out the airplane issue I experienced. I hadn't realized how dramatic it would be.
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I have both the QC35's for noise cancellation and the Aipods for walking/exercising etc. I don't think there is the perfect headphones for both environments. Like others have said, you don't want severe noise isolation when you are running/walking in public for safety reasons. When I fly, I love the noise cancellation of the QC35's and also have the added benefit of hooking into the onboard entertainment systems.

Yeah I suppose I'm just going to double fist. I've used the simple but fantastic $30 sennheiser c300 noise isolating earbuds for years. They create a seal in my ears which lessens but not eliminates noise in my ears, and also create fantastic bass and sound. I didn't expect the AirPods to do this but then again I expected a bit more volume capability so they could at least compete with volume over the noise of airplane engines and crying babies. I can honestly say I've owned every iPhone since the 3G and never even tried on the EarPods so I didn't have a benchmark. My comparison have always been silicon tipped earbuds which are infinitely better sound and noise isolation. I don't need noise cancellation, I'm just shocked how many people use the earbuds that come with iPhone. I can't imagine missing so much of the music quality because of background noise. I get it when you need to hear stuff like on a bike or walking near traffic but the whole point of headphones on a plane is to escape from the noises around you.

 

[ascNYC]

I used my Airpods on several flights over the last week of owning them. I will say I am disappointed, as much as I love the product. The Airpods are nowhere near loud enough to be a viable option for airline use. Obviously different aircraft and position in the cabin will alter this a bit, I have to say I'm disappointed.

Thought I'd share. The earbuds are great for some environments, but awful for air travel and train travel etc... any ambient noise is a huge distraction.

Agree with the thread-starter. I used my AirPods this weekend on a flt (RJ-145) and could barely here the movie I was watching. The sound is nowhere near loud enough (even with adjusting the volume (to max) of the movie when I add it to iTunes and cranking the volume all the way up on the iPad/iPhone. You can't compare these to wired EarPods as those are much louder in my experience (however still not great for airplane use). As others have mentioned it's about using the right tools for the job. I too am a freq air traveler (150+ flts per year ) and typically use my Bose QC20 headphones which do an awesome job at cancelling jet/engine noise. I was hoping that the AirPods could suffice in air but discovered that for me it was a no-go. I really don't use the Bose for listening other than the plane as it has a sizeable battery pack at the plug-end of the cord. Having the Bose for air-travel and the AirPods for everything else seems to be a good combo for me but I'm sure others will have more optimal solutions based on their specific needs.

 

[chriscrowlee]

it's nice, especially I got them with a discounted price from Amazon Black Friday. Although it's a little bit delay (like 0.2sec) on mobile game, the noise isolation is really good (I use the biggest buds). The weight is light and I feel nothing on my ear when sleeping on the plane.

To AlphaHumanus: I travel a lot in Asia, especially in China, and you can't imagine how loud they talk... LOL (no offense).

Hmm. I may have to grab a pair to try while I await the beats x.

You don't have to be shy, everyone knows the Chinese lack tact, their own government puts out notices to their traveling public about behaving. Haha

 

[5684697]

I used my Airpods on several flights over the last week of owning them. I will say I am disappointed, as much as I love the product. The Airpods are nowhere near loud enough to be a viable option for airline use. Obviously different aircraft and position in the cabin will alter this a bit, I have to say I'm disappointed.

Thought I'd share. The earbuds are great for some environments, but awful for air travel and train travel etc... any ambient noise is a huge distraction.

Engine noise on a plane is a good thing.

 

[cube]

I've had it with these ************* AirPods on this ************* plane!

 

[Nikhil72]

The AirPods are my out and about (including the NYC subway). QC35 for prolonged noisy environments (i.e. Working at a coffee shop, flights). Different tools, different purposes. I never use ANC walking the streets and especially in summer, over ears get boiling hot.

Sort of like a casual pair for daily vs a specialized formal pair. The AirPods aren't new, it's how the EarPods were designed too. Many people dislike the sensation of a seal, and from a safety perspective it's not ideal unless sitting somewhere. Also, using full volume even in a noisy place is not a good idea for your hearing. ANC (or passive isolating) will help your health in the long haul.

 

[Fusion79]

The AirPods are my out and about (including the NYC subway). QC35 for prolonged noisy environments (i.e. Working at a coffee shop, flights). Different tools, different purposes. I never use ANC walking the streets and especially in summer, over ears get boiling hot.

Sort of like a casual pair for daily vs a specialized formal pair. The AirPods aren't new, it's how the EarPods were designed too. Many people dislike the sensation of a seal, and from a safety perspective it's not ideal unless sitting somewhere. Also, using full volume even in a noisy place is not a good idea for your hearing. ANC (or passive isolating) will help your health in the long haul.

I actually use my ANC Bose earbuds while I mow the lawn because it allows me to listen to my music at normal volume over the noise of the mower. My ears thank me for it.

 

[Applefan4515]

I've used them driving a dump truck with little to no other noise heard.

 

[MrXiro]

I used my Airpods on several flights over the last week of owning them. I will say I am disappointed, as much as I love the product. The Airpods are nowhere near loud enough to be a viable option for airline use. Obviously different aircraft and position in the cabin will alter this a bit, I have to say I'm disappointed.

The volume isn't enough. I'll admit I like to crank a song when it's a good one and Airpods just don't have the volume to allow you to crank it.

The noise isolation is horrific. Literally you hear everything going on around you. The crying babies, the people coughing, the noise of the plane etc.

Admittedly I've always used noise isolating (not noise cancelling) earbuds that create a nice seal in the ear that drowns out much (not all) of the ambient noise around me. Additionally, that seal of the noise isolating earbuds makes for bass which is 10x better.
Hopefully when the Beats X come out this will solve the issues I have with these earbuds. These buds are good for use at home and in quiet settings, but definitely disappointed me during a week of air travel. Maybe it's only part a product issue and part an issue where I'm used to better sound quality (even out of a $25 paid or Sennheiser Earbuds), but it just disappointed, bummer.

Thought I'd share. The earbuds are great for some environments, but awful for air travel and train travel etc... any ambient noise is a huge distraction.

Get some EarSkinz... makes a huge difference... they don't fit in the case though but they do increase the volume and block out outside noise.

 

[AppleRobert]

I've used them driving a dump truck with little to no other noise heard.

What the... No way in the world with my Airpods, what are you listening to and what is the volume set at?

Starting to wonder if there are some bad ones out there.

 

[chriscrowlee]

Get some EarSkinz... makes a huge difference... they don't fit in the case though but they do increase the volume and block out outside noise.

Seems kinda pointless if I have to dismantle them to put them into the case.
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What the... No way in the world with my Airpods, what are you listening to and what is the volume set at?

Starting to wonder if there are some bad ones out there.

Driving a dump truck presumably for work? With earbuds and don't hear what's going on around him? Wow poster child for safety ehh. Or a walking ad to stay off drugs. Haha

 

[AppleRobert]

Get some EarSkinz... makes a huge difference... they don't fit in the case though but they do increase the volume and block out outside noise.

Still cannot the Airpods to work with them. Must be covering something still that I shouldn't be.

 

[MrXiro]

Still cannot the Airpods to work with them. Must be covering something still that I shouldn't be.

That's odd... I mean the tap feature doesn't work nor does the auto play/pause when removing from ear but they work fine otherwise for me.

 

[chriscrowlee]

That's odd... I mean the tap feature doesn't work nor does the auto play/pause when removing from ear but they work fine otherwise for me.

If you have to sacrifice half the features it kinda defeats the purpose. Create 4 problems while solving 1.

 

[Nikhil72]

What the... No way in the world with my Airpods, what are you listening to and what is the volume set at?

Starting to wonder if there are some bad ones out there.

Isolation is going to vary depending on how snug in they are. If the concha and tragus are holding them snugly in place, isolation can be impressive (try by pushing them in on yours)

 

[Applefan4515]

What the... No way in the world with my Airpods, what are you listening to and what is the volume set at?

Starting to wonder if there are some bad ones out there.

Full volume. Mainly rock.

 

[AppleRobert]

Isolation is going to vary depending on how snug in they are. If the concha and tragus are holding them snugly in place, isolation can be impressive (try by pushing them in on yours)

I have noticed that beforehand but I rather not do it because I start feeling them in my ears too much.

My main issue is why I have no problem with the Airpods using android smartphones regardless for anything, volume loudness, sound quality, etc.

 

[Applefan4515]

Seems kinda pointless if I have to dismantle them to put them into the case.
[doublepost=1482944901][/doublepost]

Driving a dump truck presumably for work? With earbuds and don't hear what's going on around him? Wow poster child for safety ehh. Or a walking ad to stay off drugs. Haha

It's called paying attention. Same thing as if you have the radio volume up in your car. Just because you can't stay focused doesn't mean others can't either.

 

[chriscrowlee]

It's called paying attention. Same thing as if you have the radio volume up in your car. Just because you can't stay focused doesn't mean others can't either.

I can't imagine any safety policy permits wearing headphones while operating machinery. OSHA sure frowns upon it. Insurance companies almost always prohibit it. Sure some can handle it. But a small distraction is still more distracting than no distraction. But what do I know, I don't drive a dump truck for a living.

 

[ericwn]

Chris, in all fairness, if you had tried the standard EarPods you would have had at least a rough idea about how the AirPods would be. If you find yourself flying a lot maybe have a look at the Bose QC35. I had the predecessor for a couple of years in almost daily use before they broke, the noice cancellation and general comfort are superb on those. Only real downside is that you cannot really fall asleep or rest your head sideways because you'll have the headphones in the way. If you only travel occasionally, there are some nice headphones out there too that don't break the bank. My wife just got herself a pair of AKG C50 (Y50 BT in most countries) of Costco- extremely comfortable, on ear with nice thick padding and good isolation, 40mm drivers and about 20hours battery life. And comes with a cable to attach old devices too, just in case - also makes it compatible with the plane's entertainment system.