Why this Bluetooth transmitter is a must-have for frequent travelers – especially at this price

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The AirFly Professional 2 permits customers to hear wirelessly to historically wired-only methods like in-flight leisure methods.
• You should use your favourite headphones with the AirFly Professional 2 and allow their particular audio options like noise cancellation and spatial audio.
• In case you do not fly commonly or do not want a Bluetooth dongle in your on a regular basis life, the $60 price ticket could also be an enormous ask.

Flying for hours on finish is the bane of my existence. From sitting in a tiny seat for hours to the extremely communal restroom, I need to maintain myself distracted all through the flight to maintain from going loopy. I strive my greatest to work, sleep, or learn the entire flight as a result of watching motion pictures on a aircraft simply is not essentially the most luxurious expertise.

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However flying on an airplane is an apt alternative to atone for your 2025 Oscars watchlist, even when the aircraft leisure system can thwart your plans. You could have two choices: use the airline-provided “headphones” and listen to every thing on the aircraft besides your film, or use your headphones and be tethered to the again of the individual in entrance of you. 

To keep away from both situation, I have been testing TwelveSouth’s newest Bluetooth adapter, the AirFly Professional 2 The corporate despatched me the newest AirFly adapter to check on my flight final week, and if you happen to’re a frequent flyer and a film buff, this is my verdict after hours of use.

The unique AirFly was considered one of Twelve South’s hottest merchandise, and for good cause. It is a multi-use Bluetooth adapter that wirelessly connects headphones to airplane leisure methods, gymnasium gear, and gaming consoles, so long as the host units have a 3.5mm adapter.

The brand new AirFly Professional 2 has all essentially the most fascinating options from the earlier AirFly mannequin — twin headphone connection, bodily quantity buttons, a prolonged battery life, and auxiliary enter compatibility — and way more.

On my flight from Atlanta to New York final week, I tucked the AirFly Professional 2 into my private bag and plugged it into the aircraft leisure system’s 3.5mm headphone jack. After turning it on, I put my Sonos Ace into pairing mode and watched “Moana 2.” You’ll be able to join two headphones to the AirFly Professional 2, so two folks can watch the identical media on the in-flight leisure system.

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The film sounded terrific by my headphones. I turned on noise cancellation and spatial audio with head monitoring to drown out the aircraft engine noises and improve my listening expertise. In wired mode, most wi-fi headphones cannot entry their wi-fi audio settings, permitting exterior noises to leak in. With the AirFly Professional 2, this wasn’t a problem.

Pairing the dongle was relatively easy. I pressed my headphones’ energy button till they entered pairing mode, then held the AirFly’s “Pair 1” button, and I used to be all set.

The AirFly Professional 2 has an upgraded Qualcomm chip inside, which improves audio high quality, supplies extra secure wi-fi connections, and reduces energy consumption.

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On the suitable aspect of the dongle is a swap to toggle between transmit (TX) mode and receiver (RX) mode. In TX mode, the AirFly transmits audio from an analog supply, like an in-flight leisure system, to your headphones. RX mode receives audio out of your cellphone to play by the aux-in port of a automobile, boat, or stereo system.

With 25 hours of battery life, the AirFly Professional 2 can final you thru a round-trip journey throughout the US. And when you want to cost it, there is a helpful USB-C port for that.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Twelve South AirFly Professional 2 is a superb journey companion for frequent flyers. It takes up little house in your bag and makes an in any other case unenjoyable listening and watching expertise significantly better. Though it is marketed for in-flight use, you may get your cash’s value with its aux-in compatibility with non-Bluetooth audio units and methods.

In case you’ll probably use this product typically, I like to recommend spending the $60 for a dependable and high-quality product. Nevertheless, if you’d like a less expensive choice, Twelve South affords the AirFly SE, however it does not have aux-in compatibility or twin headphone connectivity.