AirPods on an Airplane, sadly not good

[chriscrowlee]

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.

Yeah don't get me wrong. I take responsibility for not having proper expectations since I never had used the ear pods to have a general sense of them. It's more my issue in wishing they were better for my application of air travel.

Don't love the big over the ear headsets, and noise isolation is good enough for my needs. I have a feeling the Beats X are going to be right in line with what I want.

 

[Applefan4515]

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.

Well just for your peace of mind, I guess, normally don't have them turned up to where I can't hear what's going on around me. At the time I was on a deserted side road, no one around. Just wanted to see what they could do.

 

[MrXiro]

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

Well you don't have to use the Skinz all the time and the current model isn't made for Airpods, they are made for Earpods... If/when they make Airpod ones I'm sure it will fit in the case and not lose any features. But for my personal use, my airpods fit a little loose... not fall out of ear loose but I need to push them in every so often to get a good "seal" for higher quality sound. If I'm out on a run/walk or at the gym it's not that bit of a pain to put on the skin to use for those 2-3 hours and then take them off. I'm currently using a case on my Airpod case that has a pocket for my skin. Works out for me but I'm just offering you suggestions for your problem. No need to fight me on it... also for me I find the tapping for Siri a little pointless and the removing from ear to pause is a little annoying too, meanwhile I can control all of those feature from my Watch.

 

[chriscrowlee]

Well you don't have to use the Skinz all the time and the current model isn't made for Airpods, they are made for Earpods... If/when they make Airpod ones I'm sure it will fit in the case and not lose any features. But for my personal use, my airpods fit a little loose... not fall out of ear loose but I need to push them in every so often to get a good "seal" for higher quality sound. If I'm out on a run/walk or at the gym it's not that bit of a pain to put on the skin to use for those 2-3 hours and then take them off. I'm currently using a case on my Airpod case that has a pocket for my skin. Works out for me but I'm just offering you suggestions for your problem. No need to fight me on it... also for me I find the tapping for Siri a little pointless and the removing from ear to pause is a little annoying too, meanwhile I can control all of those feature from my Watch.

If they make them for Airpods, I might be interested. They don't work for what you're bringing up because they block the proximity sensors. Just like if you put a piece of tape over the proximity sensor on your iPhone the screen won't turn off when you put it up to your head.

 

[s2smooth4u]

Yea I disagree...I used them over this past weekend on the flight and they drowned out the engine noise. I was right on the wing by a emergency exit to give some perspective

 

[chriscrowlee]

Yea I disagree...I used them over this past weekend on the flight and they drowned out the engine noise. I was right on the wing by a emergency exit to give some perspective

Yeah even Apple would disagree with you on that one. That's utter BS. Put them on and you can hear someone asking you a question sitting 5 feet away which is about 30db. You're telling me you can hear that, but they magically overpower the average cabin jet engine noise of 90gb?

LOL!

 

[s2smooth4u]

no im saying that with them in my ears the music i played was just fine over the engine noise. Aside from takeoff the sound was good to me
[doublepost=1482958194][/doublepost]

Yeah even Apple would disagree with you on that one. That's utter BS. Put them on and you can hear someone asking you a question sitting 5 feet away which is about 30db. You're telling me you can hear that, but they magically overpower the average cabin jet engine noise of 90gb?

LOL!

I don't know how they sit in your ears but these are extremely tight on mine and aside from takeoff the engine noise was fairly quiet.

 

[chriscrowlee]

the music i played was just fine over the engine noise

You went from "they drowned out the engine noise" to "the music sounded fine over the engine noise" ... that's two very different things.

Anyhow, it's a stupid argument, you're defending a product you like. I like the product, it just has serious flaws when it comes to using them in loud environments. If you disagree, I suppose I just have more discerning requirements when listening to music in loud environments.

Here's the issue with Apple products these days, this discussion exemplifies it perfectly... If you survey people, they'll say yeah they're great, no issues. If you survey people ONLY who have been on an airplane and experienced the sub-par performance, and then give them a poll, "How do they perform on an airplane?" a) AMAZING, b) Good, could be better, c) Acceptable, lots of room for improvement, d) Terrible, you'll likely get a lot of B and C answers. While that's acceptable by today's Apple, it's wasn't acceptable by traditional Apple standards. And to me, if I'm paying a premium for an Apple product (read: anything in the Apple ecosystem is priced at a premium today), I expect premium performance. B or C isn't premium.

 

[s2smooth4u]

You went from "they drowned out the engine noise" to "the music sounded fine over the engine noise" ... that's two very different things.

Anyhow, it's a stupid argument, you're defending a product you like. I like the product, it just has serious flaws when it comes to using them in loud environments. If you disagree, I suppose I just have more discerning requirements when listening to music in loud environments.

Yup you're right I changed my statement

Actually not sure if I like them...I go through bluetooth headphones a lot and i'll be switching to the bragi headphones to try them when they come out....it's amazing how much people THINK they know you based on a comment lol..

 

[chriscrowlee]

Actually not sure if I like them...I go through bluetooth headphones a lot and i'll be switching to the bragi headphones to try them when they come out....it's amazing how much people THINK they know you based on a comment lol..

"I love them so much I'm shopping for an alternative" - should put that on a billboard. LOL

 

[eroslws]

You went from "they drowned out the engine noise" to "the music sounded fine over the engine noise" ... that's two very different things.

Anyhow, it's a stupid argument, you're defending a product you like. I like the product, it just has serious flaws when it comes to using them in loud environments. If you disagree, I suppose I just have more discerning requirements when listening to music in loud environments.

Here's the issue with Apple products these days, this discussion exemplifies it perfectly... If you survey people, they'll say yeah they're great, no issues. If you survey people ONLY who have been on an airplane and experienced the sub-par performance, and then give them a poll, "How do they perform on an airplane?" a) AMAZING, b) Good, could be better, c) Acceptable, lots of room for improvement, d) Terrible, you'll likely get a lot of B and C answers. While that's acceptable by today's Apple, it's wasn't acceptable by traditional Apple standards. And to me, if I'm paying a premium for an Apple product (read: anything in the Apple ecosystem is priced at a premium today), I expect premium performance. B or C isn't premium.

Apple has been selling Apple-branded noise isolating earphones for a long time, you are reviewing the wrong product. It's simply not fair to survey airplane performance of EarPods and their wireless cousin because they are designed to include some level of ambient noise. It's analogous to criticizing the 12" rMB for not being powerful enough for professionals.

 

[chriscrowlee]

Apple has been selling Apple-branded noise isolating earphones for a long time, you are reviewing the wrong product. It's simply not fair to survey airplane performance of EarPods and their wireless cousin because they are designed to include some level of ambient noise. It's analogous to criticizing the 12" rMB for not being powerful enough for professionals.

Unfortunately Apple removed my choice when they removed the headphone jack. Apple promised I'd be able to buy the problem-solving Beats X in November and now I'll be waiting until at least February it seems.

 

[Mac 128]

Exactly. Noise cancelation (active or passive) is required on planes IMO. AirPods are not engineered for that purpose. Why would you even start a discussion on something like this? Not a Bose fan, but their new QC35s work very well on planes

Absolutely not required, IMO. I use the EarPods on planes often for short trips or when I forget to pack my noise cancelling, or noise isolating BT headphones and BT adapter. The EarPods are 100% acceptable for me. I've even used them in preference to the over the ear noise isolating headphones some carries provide on overseas international flights. This is strictly a personal preference, which takes into consideration many physical and psychological aspects of a situation.

The main issue I see here is that the AirPods don't match the volume output of the EarPods. I'd like to see some objective analysis of this in reviews. I also wonder if it's a software limitation of the iPhone integration, or a physical limitation of the AirPods. Pairing to a few non-Apple devices should help determine that.

Unfortunately Apple removed my choice when they removed the headphone jack. Apple promised I'd be able to buy the problem-solving Beats X in November and now I'll be waiting until at least February it seems.

Ah there's the rub. You had another choice -- don't buy the iPhone 7. Or use the free supplied adapter. I don't disagree that Apple royally screwed up the transition from the headphone jack, but you seem to have some pretty specific requirements from Your headphones, which is gambling a lot on an as yet unreleased and unheard pair of headphones. In fact, anyone who bought the iPhone 7 based on Apples promises of the AirPods or BeatsX release, I would encourage to return it, and force Apple to take it back on that basis alone -- this is the stuff of class action lawsuits. Return it until such time as the BeatsX are released. I assume you will be returning your AirPods as well?

 

[MrXiro]

If they make them for Airpods, I might be interested. They don't work for what you're bringing up because they block the proximity sensors. Just like if you put a piece of tape over the proximity sensor on your iPhone the screen won't turn off when you put it up to your head.

Yes, I understand that... but in a situation where you're on a plane and want to block out noise and the likelihood of "NEEDING" the proximity sensor features is diminished and at least you'd get some noise blocking.

 

[megapopular]

Do you run in traffic?

If you're incapable of being aware of your surroundings without sacrificing sound quality, you might as well buy $9.99 crap bluetooth earbuds on amazon.

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.

Airpods are modeled after EarPods as far as shape, so expecting them to block out sounds on a plane seems a little foolish. They will not seal sounds out.

 

[macTW]

I'm surprised how die-hard people seem to be about noise cancellation...

I've never been on a plane...

Enough said.

 

[skizuki]

well guys it's meaningless to argue... normal earphone vs in-ear earphone, this is an endless discussion.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I just got off a plane yesterday and the Airpods worked just fine for me. Not sure what is going on with your set.

 

[miamialley]

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.

For people like me who don't use noise cancellation headphones, I'm sure they'll be better than the Skullcandy ones I usually use.

 

[chriscrowlee]

For people like me who don't use noise cancellation headphones, I'm sure they'll be better than the Skullcandy ones I usually use.

I don't use noise cancellation, I use noise ISOLATION.... do you understand the difference? Not to be rude, but I've repeated myself 10 times today and everyone who replies thinks noise cancellation and noise isolation are the same. No, if you're using skullcandy buds, it's noise ISOLATION, so yeah, you'll hear a heck of a lot more background junk as the apple ones are not noise isolating. You'll hear EVERYTHING going on around you because they don't use the silicon tips that create a semi seal like skullcandy.

Sorry not meaning to attack but common, noise CANCELLING vs noise ISOLATING are completely different.

 

[miamialley]

I don't use noise cancellation, I use noise ISOLATION.... do you understand the difference? Not to be rude, but I've repeated myself 10 times today and everyone who replies thinks noise cancellation and noise isolation are the same. No, if you're using skullcandy buds, it's noise ISOLATION, so yeah, you'll hear a heck of a lot more background junk as the apple ones are not noise isolating. You'll hear EVERYTHING going on around you because they don't use the silicon tips that create a semi seal like skullcandy.

Sorry not meaning to attack but common, noise CANCELLING vs noise ISOLATING are completely different.

My Skullcandy are neither noise cancellation OR isolation. I don't sit and read whole threads all day long. I got stuff to do. I use headphones comparable to the EarPods in design. I prefer the fit and don't listen to music, just podcasts so quality is not of upmost importance to me.

 

[bigdog5142]

I love my AirPods... but I'll continue using my Beats Studio Wireless on flights... different headphones for different purposes.

As for walking in the city: I'm preferring the AirPods. I like to be able to hear some of the city around me... makes me feel safer.

EXACTLY where I'm at. My AirPods are my daily driver now. I use my Studio Wireless for air travel and when I want noise cancellation.

 

[bopajuice]

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.

Excuse my naivety, but are the new AirPods noise canceling? If not why are you trying to use them during a flight? I have NEVER found a pair of headphones suitable for a flight that were not noise canceling.

 

[dotnet]

I have NEVER found a pair of headphones suitable for a flight that were not noise canceling.

What are you using the headphones for on a flight, mixing your latest album? Reviewing classical recordings for Gramophone Magazine? None of the headphones handed to me on a flight were ever noise isolating, let alone cancelling, they've all been adequate (if uncomfortable) for the programmes on offer.

 

[AdonisSMU]

What are you using the headphones for on a flight, mixing your latest album? Reviewing classical recordings for Gramophone Magazine? None of the headphones handed to me on a flight were ever noise isolating, let alone cancelling, they've all been adequate (if uncomfortable) for the programmes on offer.

I tend to turn my headphones down a bit on flights so I can hear what is going on around me. I like to know what's happening.