I wear Sony.Apple. 2,700 miles with Sennheiser.

Why can you trust ZDNET?

: ZDNET Independent Testing and Research Products, with our best suggestions and recommendations. When you buy it through our link, we may earn a commission. Our process.

ZDNET Recommendations: What does it mean?

ZDNET ' s recommendations are based on extensive time-based testing, research and comparative shopping. We collect data from the best available sources, including lists of suppliers and retailers and other relevant and independent websites. We will carefully study the client's comments to find out what is important for the true users of the products and services that we are already possessing and using.

When you click on our website to enter a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn a commission. This will help to support our work, but it will not affect what or how we cover or the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author were paid for these independent comments. In fact, we follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes this on your behalf. Our goal is to provide the most accurate information and informed advice to help you make more informed purchasing decisions about technical equipment and products and services. Every article will be thoroughly reviewed and verified by our editors to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we make mistakes or publish misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you find our contents inaccurate, report errors through this form.

When I planned to travel by air, I used to wear two of the latest headphones or ear plugs — one for an exit flight and one for a return trip.

While I can measure the performance of a headphone when I go to a grocery store or when I work in a home office, there is no more real test field than the most exciting place I know: Hartfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta.

At airports and planes, I can better understand the comfort of headphones, battery lifetimes, portability and active noise reduction (ANC) experience, thanks to my habit of rushing, forgetting to charge the equipment and asking for the greatest possible silence.

Apple. AirPods Max 2: ATL to LGA

Benefits: ANC, voice, ecosystem rewards

Apple's AirPods Max 2 provides excellent low-frequency noise removal, which is very valuable in eliminating noise from aircraft engines. Max 2 ' s muffled ear pads provide significant physical noise isolation and improved digital noise removal functions with headphones, which undoubtedly have a strong performance in this category.

AirPods Max 2 has a lively and dynamic voice and is well suited to watch movies or YouTube videos while flying. However, the best thing about AirPods Max 2 is that it's integrated in depth with my Apple device, and it's going to be useful when I switch between iPhone, work MacBook and personal MacBook on a busy work trip like this.

Disadvantage: Comfortableness

I've been flying from Atlanta to New York for less than two hours, but while I was waiting in line for TSA, I spent an hour wearing Max 2. After two hours of continuous wear, the weight of AirPods Max 2 started to bother me, and I took them off and spent the rest of the flight time and commuting time from the airport to the office with AirPods Pro 3.

Sony WF-1000XM6

Advantages: Active noise, sound

WF-1000XM6 has many excellent functions: fashion design, a shell that is easy to put in an entry bag, a very long battery life, excellent noise reduction and sound quality. XML6 has the same noise-mitigation function as Apple AirPods Pro 3, and its fine voice and functional set makes it an excellent travel partner.

Disadvantage: Comfortableness

Although I love the sound, noise and functionality set of WF-1000XM6, their shape is an insurmountable barrier to me. My ear autopsy structure does not match the WF-1000XM6 and, despite the replacement of earplugs and the constant repositioning of their direction in my ear, I was never able to find the right position.

If I can find a semi-comfortable way to wear it, the heavy and heavy structure of the XM6 is too far from my ear, and any talk or chew will remove them immediately. After almost an hour of wear, I decided to wear AirPods Pro 3.

Sennheiser Momentum 5: ATL to LAS

Advantages: comfort, sound, ANC, batteries

In the initial test, I found that Momentum 5 was a very strong earpiece. When I was about to fly to Vegas for the BTS concert, Momentum 5 made it a perfect choice to listen to before a marathon.

In addition to the excellent sound quality, Momentum 5 offers a few hours of comfort until the last hour of my flight in four hours or so. It was not until the last stop that the headset put too much pressure on my glasses and several earrings in my ears.

I think Momentum 5 has the same noise reduction power as Sonos Ace: great, but not the best you can buy. As a result, the headphones performed well on commercial flights, but were not as good as the flagship products of apples, Sony or Bose.

As is well known, I was not very good at charging equipment while travelling, and it seemed that I had never brought enough cables to buy a charge for the mini-bright I carry with me. It's great that when you wear Momentum 5 on a plane and every morning you go to the gym, the battery will not be affected.

Disadvantages: Portability

Momentum 5 cannot fold, but I hope it folds. When I stuff things into my personal bag, it becomes more difficult to put Momentum 5 in and keep moving. I spent a long night on Las Vegas Boulevard with a lot of stuff. I value having a compact headphone that can be put in a bag, but unfortunately, Momentum 5 is not.

Sonny 1000X The Collection: LAS to ATL

Advantages: Comfort, ANC

Sony ' s special edition of headphones performed best in terms of comfort, thanks to its thinner ear masks, softer ear pads and more cushioned headbands, providing long-term comfort beyond the flagship product WH-1000XM6.

1000X The Collexion has less noise-mitigating power than WH-1000XM6, but it is slightly better than Momentum 5. In addition to the excellent sound that suits the blue voice of the post-BTS concert, the high comfort and effective noise reduction function of these headphones makes them excellent travel partners.

Disadvantages: Portability

I don't like to travel with untidy headsets. Normally, I leave non-folding headphones at home, relying on AirPods Pro 3 for accommodation during airport security, packing and flight preparation, and for rapid passage through the airport to the destination.

1000X The Collexion cannot fold, but its suitcase has a handle. I was interested in this design choice during the initial test, but now I've used it in the real world, and I find it not very useful. The suitcase became another luggage in my hand, and I prefer to fold headphones so that I can easily throw them into the bag.

Author choice.

Although these are excellent headphones, for air travel and vacation, Sennheimer Momentum 5 offers the best experience. Momentum 5 transcends competitors in terms of comfort and battery renewal, which are of great value to me, because I want to wear headphones on a plane for as long as possible, but often forget to charge on vacation.

Although Momentum 5 uses a non-folding design, its noise-reducing properties and excellent sound make it a multifunctional travel partner suitable for listening to podcasts or watching YouTube during flight. In addition, Sennheiser retains 3.5 mm plugs for Momentum 5, so you can insert these headphones into the flight information entertainment system without the need for additional bluetooth adapters.