I’ve never been one to worry about which headphones I’ll pack when I travel; I always considered it unnecessary to buy something that came free with my iPod and that the airline provided to me as part of my airfare. Yes, my ears always hurt after wearing either of these options for more than a couple of hours, but I never really thought about it. My husband, on the other hand, spends time surfing the internet for new, fancy, noise-cancelling, over-priced (in my opinion) headphones and has purchased a few different brands and styles.
On our latest trip to Australia he offered for me to use his Sennheiser HD201 headphones which were in his backpack. I accepted, thinking that he just wanted to free up some space in his hand luggage, but after wearing them for just a few minutes I was converted, and Brendan never got the headphones back.
What is so good about these? Well, for someone who’s never used anything fancier than those white iPod earphones, the Sennheiser headphones offered a level of comfort I never expected; unlike iPod or airline products, these babies have cushioning that sits around your ears. This means that there is nothing pressing on and thereby bruising your ears, either inside or out. Sleeping is so much more comfortable (am I the only one who has woken up mid-flight due to headphones crushing my ears?), and they actually stay in place. Although not technically noise-cancelling, a considerable amount of flight noise was removed when I was wearing these, which made the whole flight so much more pleasant.
The best bit about this product is its surprisingly affordable price tag. They retail at under £25 and can be purchased in many online stores including Amazon.
Admittedly, these are the first decent headphones I have ever tried, so I can’t compare them to anything else out there, and I’m sure there are many excellent, much better products that I haven’t tried. But for the price and the level of comfort the Sennheiser HD 201 headphones offer I would highly recommend that you pack them for your next trip. I know I will be!
What headphones do you use? Are you like me, and simply deal with the discomfort of the standard earphones and headphones?
