A “Must Have Accessory for Travel” – Nuheara earbuds were named as one of 25 must-have smartphone accessories for airplane travel by Qantas Airways . Read the full article here (IQbuds are listed on slide #16).

“These small, versatile Nuheara wireless earbuds not only stream music from your smartphone, they can fade out or turn up environmental noise, whether you have music on or not. The batteries provide 16 hours of non-stop Bluetooth streaming.”

Air travel can be aggravating with overloaded airports, High in-cabin noise levels and busy travelers. It can make for an unsettling experience and these environments are just generally taxing to listen to.

When travelling in the air you want the best earbuds for an airplane that you can find. Noise cancelling earbuds allow you to turn down the low hum of the engine or the ambient cabin noise that never stops.

Noise Cancelling Technology

With noise levels in the aircraft itself ranging “from 75 to 85 decibels,” according to Smithsonian Magazine, many travelers resort to using over-the-ear, noise-blocking headphones, or turning the volume right up on a traditional pair of earbuds during flights. This constant sound makes it hard to converse and can be potentially damaging to those who have long-term exposure such as flight crew and frequent flyers.

Using traditional wireless headphones without airplane functions may provide even less benefit. Listening to music or other digital audio at loud volumes effectively masks the aircraft cabin noise, but simultaneously increases decibel levels, compounding potential hearing loss risks.

“On the plane, and you can connect into the plane entertainment system, and you know you’ve got the noise cancellation so you can drop the hammer on the cabin noise.”
The West Australian.

IQbuds² MAX are the first Nuheara product with Active Noise Cancellation that allows the user to block noise, elevate conversation or focus on a sound direction. The combination of incredible audio and active noise cancellation means during flights users can clearly hear movies, music or, if you desire, nothing at all.

Noise cancelling headphones also allow you to get a better sleep on the plane, so you’re not wasting anytime when you hit the ground.

Used by the AFR team as noise cancelling earbuds for airplane travel, the tech guys at The Australian Financial Review had this to say regarding our claim as one of the best earbuds for airplane travel;

“We’ve tested it on a 14-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, next to a noisy fan, under an air-conditioner, in a noisy workplace and in a very noisy bar. And without hesitation, we can say the noise-cancelling betters any earbuds or headphones we’ve ever reviewed”. 

Speech in Noise Control to Enhance Your Air Travel

Speech in noise control (SINC) changes the level of suppression of background noise in the real world and clarifies speech. This allows you to focus on the sounds that are most important to you. Each environmental pre-set has a default SINC mode that you are able to customise.

This also means that on flights, users can suppress the loud, droning background noise from the engines and wind resistance on an airplane whilst still listening in when someone speaks to you.

Airplane Mode Overview for Nuheara Earbuds

Use “Plane” mode when flying in order to reduce aircraft noise and jet engine sounds. With IQbuds2 MAX “flight attendants will rejoice when they don’t have to say everything twice as they work the aisle”. – CNET

Additional fine-tuning available for one’s audio experience during air travel with IQbuds2 MAX includes:

  • Turn up, down, or off, the volume of the outside, physical world picked up by the external microphones on your earbuds
  • Focus your hearing on sound or speech coming from directly in front of you while minimizing audio from the sides or behind you
  • Balance between the levels of background noise versus speech using the SINC (super intelligent noise control) wheel
  • Balance bass versus treble in the audio from the outside, physical world picked up by the external microphones on your earbuds
  • Enjoy noise-cancelling bliss at the tap of the ear with active noise cancellation+ technology

Travelling is made simpler with the tap-touch controls. These allow you to play/pause music or adjust between customised “world on/airplane mode” settings. You can also turn the “world off” with full active noise cancelation all at the tap of the ear. There’s now no need to take off your headset or blast your sound to overcome the noise at the airport.

Best Earbuds for Airplane

earbuds for flying

With these best-in-class Bluetooth wireless earbuds, you just leave them in your ears and control how you hear the world around you.

“Once they know your hearing, the earbuds let you start and stop your music with easy touch and gesture controls.” – GadgetFlow

Most other truly wireless earbuds have battery life limitations. In comparison, Nuheara’s earbuds for airplane travel get up to 20 hours on-the-go Bluetooth streaming or 32 hours on-the-go hearing processing.

Nuheara’s Bluetooth Transmitter allows you to connect your IQbuds² MAX directly to the in-flight entertainment audio systems. No more lugging around large over-ear noise cancelling headphones.

The audio output connections on airline audio systems vary, but they typically have dual or single 3.5 mm (1/8-inch) output jacks that are included with the Bluetooth transmitter. Just plugin, connect and play.

 

How do I connect to in-flight entertainment with IQbuds?

Nuheara’s new bluetooth transmitter will streams crystal clear stereo sound from any device with a 3.5mm jack plug to your IQbuds² MAX.

 

 

Customer Feedback: Nuheara Earbuds for Airplane Travel

Life changing earbuds!

The custom settings and FOCUS are a game changer and well worth the investment. I used them in a club listening to music. With a few adjustments I was able to talk and hear my friends as well as the music without hurting myself. The IQstream on a plane was very useful. Maybe not the intended use but it works. I connected it to the airplane TV and my wife connected her wired headphones to the OUT on the IQstream while I connected via Bluetooth. We both could watch the same show and hear it perfectly without the noise of the airplane. Invaluable

John B. from United States

“World Off” is wonderful for airline travel

Love the adjustability of IQbuds. I recently took an airline flight and used the “Airplane” setting to tune out the engine noise in flight. But then I discovered that “world off” is even better than muting the engines. I can simply turn them off while still hearing my audiobook or music. Wonderful!

Mike B. from United States

Great on a plane

It took a couple of days to get the hang of how to use them, but I’ve since been to South America and they are fantastic. I want a pair for the missus

Anonymous from Australia

Why didn’t I get these earlier?

I’ve been using noise cancellation headphones for a few years now, but they’re bulky and on planes it’s a pain to take them off to listen to the announcements. Now with IQbuds Boost, I’m able to control how much world I hear whenever I want. They’re also very light and boost my hearing when required and cancels out noise when I don’t want to hear the background noise. Absolutely remarkable!

HH from Australia

Everything You Need to Have That Unmatched Hearing Experience

They say that great things come in small (but powerful) packages and the IQbuds are no exception. Engineered to perfection, this product replaces at least two systems: bulky noise cancelling headsets for airplanes and a sturdy and reliable companion for walks and running for a trouble-free hearing experience unmatched by any existing hearing equipment. Definitely a keeper and hands down best choice. Check it out yourself and hear the difference!

Myles S. from United States

Best earbuds ever!

Bought these for my girlfriend who is a dentist and she loves them. She uses them on airplanes as they have great noise cancelling compared to her popular Bluetooth headphones with ANC. She also uses them at work everyday to listen to music and to reduce the high pitched noise from the dental drill. Highly recommended!

Simon J. from Australia

Wow. Hearing what I NEED to hear

I have the IQbuds Boost. And they are exactly what I need. The EarID function dials in what I need to maximize my hearing. At times I was hearing more than I wanted. No problem. Just dial “down” the amount of “world” allowed in. Listening to music is great because I can completely isolate the outside world to hear only music. Listening to downloaded movies while flying is great because of the airplane setting. These are amazing and I absolutely recommend them.

Anonymous from United States

*This post was originally published on July 24, 2017 and has been subsequently republished with updates.

May 14th, 2021