Travel review: Sony WH-1000XM2 Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Sony WH-1000XM2 Noise Cancelling Headphones. Photo / Supplied

Sony WH-1000XM2 Noise-Cancelling Headphones
RRP: $579.95

You never quite realise how loud a jet engine is until you have a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

My previous pair were a slightly primitive affair — you had to put batteries in to use the noise-cancelling function. Most of the time, I'd forget to turn them off after using the headphones, draining the batteries and rendering them useless for my next flight.

The Sony WH-1000XM2 phones are definitely a step up.

For a start, they're rechargeable via USB and they also feature Bluetooth, so I don't need to plug them into my phone. It's a godsend when you have an iPhone, with that annoying idiosyncratic headphone jack — and who ever carries the adaptor with them?

I tested them out on a 12-hour flight from Auckland to Los Angeles and back again.

I like to listen to music when we take off and usually continue to do so for the first hour or so. These headphones had great sound quality and blocked out all the
usual take-off noise.

When it comes to Air New Zealand's in-flight entertainment system, the Bluetooth function becomes redundant — but luckily, the headphones also come with a standard auxiliary cord you can plug into anything.

Another problem I had with my older headphones was comfort. While wearing glasses — which I need to do when watching movies — the headphones would press them uncomfortably against my face. However, this was much less of a problem with the WH-1000XM2, with a much larger ear cup.

I managed to drift off to sleep wearing them and remained comfortable for the duration of the flight.

Any time I took them off, I became keenly aware of just how loud planes can be. And
that can't be good for your ears.

The headphones can be controlled by touching the sides of the ear cup in a variety of motions.

Though this was useful and meant I didn't have to use my phone as much, I did manage to accidentally pause or skip tracks while adjusting them, which was annoying.

There's also an accompanying app, which allows you to tinker with the level of noise cancellation or disable it — very useful for situations where you don't want to block the outside world out entirely, say when you're walking down the street.

At $579, the Sony WH-1000XM2 headphones are a bit pricey, but after upgrading from a cheaper pair, I can say they're worth it.

If you travel as much as I do, noise-cancelling headphones are absolutely essential.