5 Compact & Budget-Friendly Headphones for Cinephile Travelers
Do you love to travel? Also love to watch films? Then you need a pair of headphones that can cater to both.
Everyone loves to travel and watch movies, but what about doing the two together? You may be met with a new set of challenges, depending on the type of headphones you’re using.
Film-watching while travelling can be ruined by an uncomfortable fit, lack of noise isolation, and/or a short battery life. All of these are the result of poor quality headphones.
A good pair of headphones will complement your lifestyle. To get the best film-watching experience, you need a good pair of headphones. Let’s take a look at some of the most affordable headphones that cater to travelling cinephiles.
The Considered Factors
When shopping for headphones that will be used for film-watching during travel, there are a few features that stand out more than the others:
- Active noise cancellation
- Comfort
- Portability
The combination of the above three can turn an average experience into an immersive one.
Noise cancellation is important for filtering out the noise produced by the world around you. Comfort is obviously important for sessions where you’ll be wearing the headphones for a while. And portability refers to the weight, foldability, and compact design. It’s important since these headphones will be going everywhere with you and you don’t want them to slow you down.
Anker Soundcore Life Q20
Key Features:
- 40 to 60 hours of battery life
- Memory foam ear cups
- Features BassUp technology
- Active noise cancellation
The last thing you want is to be uncomfortable, as it can take away from the viewing experience and distract you. The Life Q20’s have memory foam in their ear cups that mould to the shape of your head for the perfect fit. In addition to this, the headband features rotating joints so you can tailor the fit to you.
It’s essential to have a good pair of noise cancelling headphones for travel. The Life Q20’s feature hybrid active noise cancelling with an algorithm that uses four microphones to detect and eliminate up to 90% of low and mid frequency sounds. Perfect for blocking out the world.
The Life Q20’s are a very affordable driver for those who are looking for great quality audio on a budget.
Sony WHXB900N
Key Features:
- 30 hours of battery life
- Touch sensor controls
- In-app audio optimization
- Active noise cancellation
The Sony WHXB900N’s wireless noise-cancelling headphones are easily one of the best units you can grab for film-watching during travel.
Featuring digital noise cancelling technology, any noise around you will be captured by the headphones’ in-built microphones, processed, and canceled. You’ll be able to watch films anywhere you go without having to worry about getting distracted by external noise.
Charging is also made super easy with its quick charging feature. Putting these headphones on charge for only 10 minutes will give them enough power for an hour of playback. This makes them perfect for long viewing sessions and takes away the worry of a low battery ruining the experience.
Using Sony’s Headphones Connect app on Android or iOS, you can tailor the listening experience to your liking by adjusting the sound levels with the in-app Equalizer.
Bose QuietComfort 35 II
Key Features:
- Complete in-app control
- Native support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
- Active noise cancellation
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II’s are considered one of the best pairs of headphones on the market in terms of comfort. They can be worn for hours before any discomfort is experienced, which is useful for trilogy binge sessions.
The QuiteComfort 35 II’s feature three levels of world-class noise cancelling technology to help isolate you from the outside world in any environment. They also contain a dual-microphone system that rejects noise when you’re wanting to use them for phone calls on-the-go.
The Bose connect app opens up even more features, like hassle-free Bluetooth pairing and settings that can be adjusted to your liking.
Sennheiser PXC 550-II
Key Features:
- Touch pad control
- Smart pause
- Compact, foldable design
- Active noise cancellation
While they may be the most expensive on the list, Sennheiser’s PXC 550-II headphones are a great choice for travelers. If it’s not the exceptional sound quality, the PXC 550-II’s best feature for travelers might have to be its foldable design. These headphones are built with portability in mind and can be folded down and stored in their provided storage case.
While some may be deterred by the all-plastic ear cups, it should be noted that this helps reduce the overall weight of the headphones, making them less cumbersome when traveling. They also feature active noise cancelling, an essential for any pair of headphones that are used when traveling.
Overall, these headphones are good-looking, comfortable to wear and deliver exceptional quality audio.
COWIN SE7
Key Features:
- Foldable design
- 30 hours of battery life
- Active noise cancellation
Cowin prides itself on the exceptional level of active noise cancellation offered by their SE7 headphones. Designed with travel in mind, these headphones were made to cancel out the noise from loud environments like air travel.
The ear cups feature a lightweight skin texture that fits around your ear and boast an all-day wear with little discomfort. They can also be rotated up to 90 degrees.
A simple pair of headphones with the intention of delivering high-quality sound while blocking out any intrusive noises around you.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, the most important feature of headphones that will be used for film-watching and travel is noise cancellation. When traveling, there is always going to be noise, and you want to separate yourself from that environment when it’s time to watch something.
A good pair of comfortable noise cancelling headphones go a long way. And, they can be considered a necessity for those who like to watch movies while they’re exploring the world.
