I flew 2,700 miles with 4 headphones - this pair was the best travel companion

It’s become my custom to bring multiple pairs of headphones on a trip and to test them in the busiest place I know: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson. This time I took the Apple AirPods Max 2 and Sony WF-1000XM6 from Atlanta to New York City and back, and tested the Sennheiser Momentum 5 and Sony 1000X The Collexion on a round trip to Las Vegas.

Apple’s AirPods Max 2 deliver strong low-frequency noise cancellation, dense earpads for physical isolation, a lively sound profile and seamless switching between my iPhone and MacBooks. The trade-off was weight: after about two hours of continuous wear the Max 2 became uncomfortable and I switched to my AirPods Pro 3 for the rest of the travel day.

Sony’s WF-1000XM6 impressed with pocketable design, battery life and ANC, but I couldn’t get a stable fit despite changing eartips, and talking or chewing quickly dislodged them.

United States, Atlanta; New York City; Las Vegas

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