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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-07 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• Avantree Relay Airplane — biggest strength: it turns a single 3.5 mm airplane jack into a Bluetooth signal for two pairs of headphones at once, with aptX Adaptive and aptX HD support for compatible gear.
• Avantree Relay Airplane — biggest trade-off: it's a transmitter only. No microphone, no phone calls, and no audio of its own — without a source and a pair of Bluetooth headphones, it does nothing.
• JBL Tune 770NC — biggest strength: a complete over-ear headphone with Adaptive Noise Cancelling, Smart Ambient, up to 70 hours of battery life, and dual-device Bluetooth pairing.
• JBL Tune 770NC — biggest trade-off: it's over-ear and 232 g, so it's bulky for cycling compared to earbuds, and it has no wired jack, so it can't plug directly into a plane seat.
• Who should buy the Avantree Relay Airplane: travelers who already own good Bluetooth headphones and want to share in-flight audio with a companion.
• Who should buy the JBL Tune 770NC: anyone who needs one do-everything headphone for commuting, studying, and yes, cycling.
The Avantree Relay Airplane is a problem-solver, not a listening device. Its entire purpose is to take the 3.5 mm audio output from an airplane entertainment system and broadcast it over Bluetooth to two pairs of headphones or earbuds simultaneously. If you've ever stared at a double-prong seat jack and realized your wireless earbuds are useless on a long-haul flight, this is the gadget that fixes that. It ships with a dual-prong airplane adapter, so you're not hunting for a separate piece at the airport.
Here's the honest trade-off, and it's a big one: the Relay is transmitter-only. Avantree is explicit that it has no microphone and is not intended for phone calls, TVs, hearing aids, musical instruments, or receiving audio. It also isn't a cycling product — there's nothing to mount on a helmet or a handlebar, and no earpieces at all. Buy it if you're a frequent flyer who wants to share a seat screen with a partner using headphones you already own. Skip it if you're looking for headphones, period — this isn't one.
JBL Tune 770NC: Who It's For
The JBL Tune 770NC is the opposite kind of purchase: a self-contained pair of wireless over-ear headphones you can use from the moment you unbox them. Adaptive Noise Cancelling handles the drone of traffic and wind noise, and if you'd rather stay aware of what's around you, Ambient Aware and TalkThru let you hear your surroundings or a conversation without taking the headphones off. For anyone searching for the best noise cancelling head phones for cycling, that ambient mode is the feature that matters most — full isolation on a bike is genuinely risky.
Battery life is the headline spec. JBL rates it at up to 70 hours, with a 2-hour charge time and a quick-charge feature that gives you 3 extra hours from a 5-minute top-up. The 770NC also connects to two Bluetooth devices at once, which is handy if you're switching between a phone and a laptop. Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio support, plus Audio and Video modes in the JBL Headphones app, keep things current — the app also lets you pick a preset EQ or tune the curve yourself.
On the design side, you're getting 32 mm dynamic drivers, 32 ohm impedance, a 20 Hz–96 kHz frequency range, and 103 dB sensitivity, wrapped in a plastic over-ear enclosure that weighs 232 g. There's no headphone jack, so it's wireless only, and the 150 ms latency figure is worth knowing if you're gaming. The included accessories are a cable and a user manual, and it carries a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Who should buy it? Commuters, students, remote workers, and cyclists who want one headphone that handles focus time and open-air awareness. Who should skip it? Anyone who needs a wired connection to a plane seat screen — for that, you'd pair the JBL with something like the Avantree Relay, not replace it.
• Best for sharing a plane seat screen with a partner → Avantree Relay Airplane. Two headphones, one jack, no wires between you.
• Best for battery life → JBL Tune 770NC. Up to 70 hours versus the Relay's 25 hours of transmit time (and the Relay has no audio of its own to play).
• Best for noise cancelling → JBL Tune 770NC. Adaptive ANC plus Ambient Aware and TalkThru; the Relay has no noise control at all.
• Best multipoint wireless headset for cycling → JBL Tune 770NC. It pairs with two devices at once and its ambient mode keeps you aware of traffic.
• Best for phone calls → JBL Tune 770NC. VoiceAware and ear-cup controls handle calls; the Relay has no microphone and isn't designed for them.
• Best for long-haul flights → Avantree Relay Airplane. The dual-prong adapter and 25-hour battery are purpose-built for seat-back entertainment.
• Best for using your existing wired headphones wirelessly → Avantree Relay Airplane. That's literally its job.
• Best all-rounder → JBL Tune 770NC. It's the only one of the two that works standalone out of the box.
If I had to buy one, I'd buy the JBL Tune 770NC. It's a complete product — a headphone, an app, noise cancelling, 70 hours of battery, and dual-device pairing — and it covers commuting, studying, calls, and cycling in one purchase. The Avantree Relay Airplane is excellent at a narrow job, and if you fly long-haul often and already love your current headphones, it's the smarter buy. But it can't be your only audio purchase, and it can't be your cycling gear. For most people reading this, the JBL is the one that actually shows up to work every day.
FAQ
Not directly. It's wireless-only with no headphone jack. If you want to use it with a seat-back screen, you'd need a separate Bluetooth transmitter like the Avantree Relay Airplane to bridge the 3.5 mm output.
The JBL, without question. It's actual headphones with Adaptive Noise Cancelling and an Ambient Aware mode so you can still hear traffic. The Relay is a transmitter with nothing to wear and nothing to mount.
Only in the sense that both appear in wireless-audio-for-travel searches. One is a transmitter, one is a headphone. If you want to know which costs less right now, check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page — that's the only fair way to compare them on cost.
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