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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-02 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• EXMAX HWE-05 — biggest strength: A complete wired over-ear headphone with a 3.5mm plug, adjustable headband and soft ear cushions, sold as a 5-pack for short-term, shared or give-away use.
• EXMAX HWE-05 — biggest trade-off: It is explicitly built as a disposable headphone, not a long-term daily driver, and the cord length is listed inconsistently between 120 cm and 150 cm depending on where you read the listing.
• Loccess Airplane — biggest strength: A 2-in-1 Bluetooth transmitter/receiver dongle that plugs into a 3.5mm AUX jack and streams audio wirelessly, so you can keep using your own AirPods or Bluetooth headphones on a long flight.
• Loccess Airplane — biggest trade-off: It is not a headphone at all — it is an adapter. If you don't already own a Bluetooth headset, it does nothing for you, and it needs charging via USB.
• Who EXMAX HWE-05 is for: Schools, hotels, gyms, tour groups, testing rooms, or anyone who wants a stack of cheap wired headsets.
• Who Loccess Airplane is for: Travelers who already own wireless earbuds or headphones and want them to work with in-flight entertainment.
The HWE-05 is a wired over-ear headphone with a 3.5mm plug, a slim adjustable headband and soft padded ear pads that rest on the ear rather than fully enclosing it. It weighs about 50 g, which is genuinely light, and the plastic build keeps it that way. Impedance is listed at 100 ohm with a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency range, and the ear pads are described as providing a passive seal that helps cut ambient noise. Note that the spec sheet lists "Active Noise Cancellation" under noise control even though the description frames the noise reduction as passive — I'd treat the passive seal as the real story here, since nothing in the listing describes a battery or ANC circuitry.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants a headphone to last. The listing is upfront that disposable headphones aren't expected to survive more than a few uses, though with careful handling they can stretch to a few months as school headphones. If you want a daily commuter headphone, or you want wireless, this isn't that product. And if you specifically want to use your own Bluetooth earbuds on a plane, the HWE-05 can't help — it's wired only.
Loccess Airplane: Who It's For
The Loccess Airplane is a different category of product entirely: it's a 2-in-1 Bluetooth transmitter and receiver dongle. In transmitter mode it takes audio from a 3.5mm AUX source — an airplane seat-back screen, a TV, a car stereo, a gym machine — and broadcasts it over Bluetooth to your headphones or earbuds. In receiver mode it does the reverse, letting a wired speaker or headphone receive Bluetooth audio. Audio output is stereo to a headphone or speaker, and the cable connector is USB Type A, which is what you'd use for charging.
This is the product for the traveler who already owns AirPods or a nice pair of Bluetooth headphones and is annoyed that airplane entertainment systems are still wired. Instead of buying a second, worse pair of headphones for the flight, you plug the dongle into the seat's 3.5mm jack, pair your own headphones, and use the gear you actually like. The listing calls out long flights, speakers, cars, gyms and TVs as use cases. It's battery powered and supports automatic on/off, and it carries a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Who should skip it: anyone without a Bluetooth headphone or earbud. The Loccess Airplane produces no sound on its own. It's also not a substitute for a wired headset in a classroom or testing environment — it's a personal travel accessory, one unit per person, and it needs to be charged and paired before it's useful.
• Best for airplanes specifically → Loccess Airplane. It exists to bridge the 3.5mm seat-back jack to your own Bluetooth headphones, which is the exact problem most flyers have.
• Best if you need actual headphones included → EXMAX HWE-05. The Loccess dongle has no drivers, no ear cups, no sound of its own.
• Best for schools, testing, hotels and give-aways → EXMAX HWE-05. A 5-pack of adjustable wired headsets is built for exactly this kind of rotation.
• Best for keeping your existing premium earbuds in the loop → Loccess Airplane. Transmitter mode means you don't downgrade your audio just because the plane is wired.
• Best for light weight and a sealed fit → EXMAX HWE-05. Around 50 g with padded cushions and an adjustable headband that the listing says fits most heads, kids through adults.
• Best for a single traveler's kit bag → Loccess Airplane. One small white dongle versus a pack of headsets you'd have to carry around.
• Best for no charging, no pairing → EXMAX HWE-05. Wired 3.5mm only; nothing to power up.
• Best for multi-device travel (plane, car, gym, TV) → Loccess Airplane. The transmitter/receiver design is the more flexible tool if you're already invested in Bluetooth.
In my opinion, if your actual goal is "I want to watch the in-flight movie with the earbuds I already own," the Loccess Airplane is the one I'd buy — it solves the real airplane problem, and it keeps working in cars, gyms and hotel TVs too. I'd pick the EXMAX HWE-05 only if I needed headphones themselves, in bulk, for short-term shared use, and I'd go in expecting them to be disposable rather than durable. These two aren't really competitors so much as answers to two different questions. Decide which question you're asking, then check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
what headphones for airplane
For a plane, the practical split is wired versus wireless. If you want a headset included with a 3.5mm plug, the EXMAX HWE-05 is a wired over-ear option with an adjustable headband and padded cushions. If you'd rather use your own Bluetooth headphones with the seat-back screen, the Loccess Airplane adapter is the piece that makes that possible.
what is the best headphones for airplanes
"Best" depends on whether you already own wireless headphones. In my opinion, if you do, the smartest setup is your existing headphones plus the Loccess Airplane transmitter, because you keep your own sound and fit. If you don't, the EXMAX HWE-05 is a straightforward wired option, though its listing is clear that it's designed for short-term rather than long-term use.
what earphones for airplane
The Loccess Airplane doesn't include earphones — it's a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver that sends audio from a 3.5mm AUX jack to whatever earbuds or headphones you pair with it. So the answer is: your own earphones, made airplane-compatible by the adapter. The EXMAX HWE-05, by contrast, is itself the earphone, wired via 3.5mm.
what kind of headphones for airplane
Two kinds work well: wired over-ear headphones with a standard 3.5mm plug, like the EXMAX HWE-05, and any Bluetooth headphone or earbud paired with a transmitter like the Loccess Airplane. The EXMAX suits short-term, shared or backup use; the Loccess suits travelers who already own wireless gear and want to keep using it in the air.
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