GoKawiilFlying for hours on end is the bane of my existence. From sitting in a tiny seat for hours to the highly communal restroom, I must keep myself distracted throughout the flight to keep from going crazy. I try my best to work, sleep, or read the whole flight because watching movies on a plane just isn't the most luxurious experience.
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But flying on an airplane is an apt opportunity to catch up on your movie watchlist, even if the plane entertainment system can thwart your plans. You have two options: use the airline-provided "headphones" and hear everything on the plane except your movie, or use your headphones and be tethered to the back of the person in front of you.
To avoid either scenario, I've been testing TwelveSouth's latest Bluetooth adapter, the AirFly Pro 2. The company sent me the latest AirFly adapter to test on my flight recently, and if you're a frequent flyer and a movie buff, here's my verdict after hours of use.
The original AirFly was one of Twelve South's most popular products, and for good reason. It's a multi-use Bluetooth adapter that wirelessly connects headphones to airplane entertainment systems, gym equipment, and gaming consoles, as long as the host devices have a 3.5mm adapter.
The new AirFly Pro 2 has all the most desirable features from the previous AirFly model -- dual headphone connection, physical volume buttons, a lengthy battery life, and auxiliary input compatibility -- and much more.
On my flight from Atlanta to New York last week, I tucked the AirFly Pro 2 into my personal bag and plugged it into the plane entertainment system's 3.5mm headphone jack. After turning it on, I put my Sonos Ace into pairing mode and watched "Moana 2." You can connect two headphones to the AirFly Pro 2, so two people can watch the same media on the in-flight entertainment system.
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The movie sounded terrific through my headphones. I turned on noise cancellation and spatial audio with head tracking to drown out the plane engine noises and enhance my listening experience. In wired mode, most wireless headphones can't access their wireless audio settings, allowing external noises to leak in. With the AirFly Pro 2, this wasn't an issue.
Pairing the dongle was rather simple. I pressed my headphones' power button until they entered pairing mode, then held the AirFly's "Pair 1" button, and I was all set.
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