Over ear vs buds on a plane

September 9, 2024 1:08 PM

For some years I’ve been traveling with large, heavy Sennheiser over ears headphones with good active noise cancellation during long plane flights. But the size is, well, not terrific for an upcoming multi-city itinerary. I also own Beats Fit Pro buds that have ANC, which will work much better as long as the ANC works well. From your experience, will they?
posted by billsaysthis to Technology (4 answers total)

Best answer: The ANC tech in Beats Fit Pro is pretty good, better than any Sennheiser headphone I've tried.

Any noise-cancelling earbud's success will depend a lot on how good of a seal you can achieve with the ear tips.

If your ear tips don't fit very well, if they're getting worn out, etc., consider replacing or upgrading with something like Comply foam tips.
posted by box at 2:08 PM on September 9 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I bought a pair of Beats Fit Pros this spring, and on a recent trip involving four-hour flights, I was genuinely shocked by how good the ANC was. If I were in your shoes, I'd just take the Beats.
posted by eschatfische at 5:29 PM on September 9 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks!
posted by billsaysthis at 10:18 PM on September 10

I just want to echo box's comment about the importance of the seal. I have some fantastic noise-cancelling earbuds, but they're no use to me on trains because I'm still masking up on public transport, and the mask ear loops distort the shape of my ear just enough that the seal is no longer good. Especially if you're planning to wear a mask on the plane, do check before you set out - the extractor fan in your kitchen, or a running microwave, might make a good proxy for plane noise.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 4:31 AM on September 11