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If you want to turn any airplane screen into wireless audio you can share with a travel partner, choose Scosche FlyTunes Airplane; if you need passive ear protection that physically blocks cabin roar for a noise-sensitive kid or adult, choose Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones. These two barely compete for the same job — one streams audio over Bluetooth, the other muffles sound at the ear — so the right call comes down to whether your problem is "I want to hear the movie" or "I want to hear less of everything." I'll also flag something most airplane-headphone write-ups skip: if you're hunting for the best multipoint wireless earbuds for zoom calls, neither of these is a multipoint headset, and I'll explain what that means for you below.
• Scosche FlyTunes Airplane — biggest strength: a Bluetooth transmitter with both single and dual AUX prongs, so it plugs into nearly any airplane screen, TV, gym machine or gaming device and sends that audio wirelessly to your own earbuds or headphones.
• Scosche FlyTunes Airplane — biggest trade-off: it is not a pair of headphones at all. You still need your own Bluetooth earbuds or headphones, and it runs off its own battery rather than the plane's.
• Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones — biggest strength: passive hearing protection rated at 27.4 dB SNR / 21 dB NRR, built to cut loud environments down to size without blocking voices entirely.
• Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones — biggest trade-off: it has no Bluetooth, no AUX input and no audio playback. It reduces noise; it does not play anything.
• Who each pick is for: Scosche FlyTunes Airplane is for travelers who want their own earbuds working with in-flight entertainment; Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones is for kids, teens or adults who need to take the edge off a loud cabin, race, concert or fireworks show.
The FlyTunes is a bridge, not a pair of headphones. Its whole reason for existing is that airplane screens still hand you a 3.5mm jack, and your AirPods don't have a cable. Scosche solves that with a small transmitter that has both single and dual AUX prongs, so it fits the two-plug seatback sockets on many long-haul aircraft as well as the single jack on TVs, fitness machines, gaming devices and computers. Audio goes in over 3.5mm AUX and out over Bluetooth 4.1 in stereo.
The feature I'd point a traveling couple to first is dual headphone pairing. You can connect two Bluetooth headphones to the same transmitter at once, which means no splitter, no second dongle, and no passing one earbud back and forth during a movie. For anyone who has ever tried to share a seatback screen with a partner, that's the headline.
Who should buy it: frequent flyers who already own good Bluetooth earbuds or headphones, people who fly with a companion and want to share one screen, and anyone who wants gym or TV audio in their own ears without buying a second set of headphones. Who should skip it: anyone who wants a single self-contained pair of headphones, and anyone expecting active noise cancellation. It doesn't have any — it just moves audio around.
Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones: Who It's For
The Dr.meter earmuffs do one job and do it with numbers attached: 27.4 dB SNR and 21 dB NRR of passive noise reduction, achieved with ABS shells and triple-layer sound-dampening foam. That's sound isolation, not electronic cancellation — there's no battery, no Bluetooth and no music. What it does is lower the volume of the world while keeping voices intelligible, which is exactly the point for noise-sensitive kids, children who need help concentrating, and autism or ADHD sensory use.
Comfort is clearly the design priority. Memory foam cores under PU leather padding create a breathable seal, and the company specifically calls out no itching and no pressure marks during long sessions. The headband adjusts smoothly from toddlers through teenagers and adults, and Dr.meter includes a practical tip: if the fit feels tight out of the box, stretch it over the packaging or a size-3 soccer ball for four hours to loosen it.
Safety certifications matter here, and this pair carries ANSI S3.19-1974 and CE EN 352-1. The intended settings run from monster truck rallies and air shows to fireworks, concerts, theme parks, races, school study and — relevant to this article — airplane cabins. It folds down to palm size for a backpack, school bag or suitcase.
Who should buy it: parents of noise-sensitive children, adults who want a cheap, battery-free way to blunt a loud environment, and anyone who needs hearing protection that still lets a conversation through. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to listen to music, take a call, or plug into a seatback screen. It plays nothing and has no input of any kind.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for sharing a screen with a travel partner → Scosche FlyTunes Airplane. Dual headphone pairing handles two sets of Bluetooth headphones at once, no splitter needed.
• Best for noise-sensitive kids → Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones. 27.4 dB SNR / 21 dB NRR of passive reduction, sized down to toddler heads via the adjustable band.
• Best for battery life → Scosche FlyTunes Airplane. Up to 8 hours per charge, enough for a cross-country flight; the Dr.meter has no battery to run down at all.
• Best for zero-maintenance simplicity → Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones. No pairing, no charging, no firmware — put them on and the noise drops.
• Best for gym and TV audio → Scosche FlyTunes Airplane. The same 3.5mm AUX trick works on fitness machines, TVs, computers and gaming devices.
• Best for concerts, races and fireworks → Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones. These are the loud-environment scenarios the earmuffs were designed around.
• Best for portability → both, for different reasons. FlyTunes is pocket-size and foldable; Dr.meter collapses to palm size. Both are travel-friendly.
If your goal is a better flight — watching the seatback screen through your own earbuds, sharing a movie with the person next to you — I'd buy the Scosche FlyTunes Airplane. It solves a real, specific travel problem and it keeps working at the gym and in front of the TV long after the trip. If your goal is protecting a child's ears from a loud cabin, race or concert, I'd buy the Dr.meter Noise Cancelling Headphones instead, because no transmitter will help you there. One honest note: if what you actually need is a multipoint headphone for zoom calls, neither of these fits — FlyTunes is a transmitter and the Dr.meter has no microphone or Bluetooth. And if you were searching for the best bone conduction headphones for zoom calls, that's a different category entirely. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both sit in very different budget brackets.
FAQ
what headphones for airplane
what is the best headphones for airplanes
In my opinion, the FlyTunes is the better airplane accessory for most adult travelers because it turns any single- or dual-prong AUX screen into wireless audio and pairs two Bluetooth headphones at once. The Dr.meter is the better airplane choice for noise-sensitive kids who need passive ear protection rather than audio.
what earphones for airplane
Neither product is a pair of earphones. The FlyTunes is a Bluetooth transmitter you plug into the seatback jack and pair with your own earbuds or headphones; the Dr.meter is a set of passive earmuffs with no audio at all. Bring your own earbuds for the FlyTunes.
what kind of headphones for airplane
For in-flight entertainment you want Bluetooth earbuds or headphones to pair with a transmitter like the FlyTunes, which supports Bluetooth 4.1 and up to 8 hours of battery. For noise reduction alone, you want passive earmuffs like the Dr.meter, rated 27.4 dB SNR and 21 dB NRR, with an adjustable band that fits toddlers through adults.
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