Like most people, I hate airports.
Most of all, I hate airports during the summer.
Among the masses of burned airports boys on tourhanging endlessly in front of the boardwalks, the throat-straining smell of stale perfume and my fear of getting into the air, I rarely have a worse time at the start of a vacation.
If I were a stockist, I would take this as a lesson: a minor, tolerable inconvenience, earning the right to travel internationally. Sometimes I can entertain this feeling, if briefly.
On previous trips – always with cheap headphones I picked up at the last minute after forgetting mine at home – I’ve tried to find peace in soothing piano playlists and ambient jazz mixes. But, whether it’s due to the slow Bluetooth connection or the tinny, unpleasant sound, things have never gone smoothly.
What I mean to say is that something has to change. Not airports; I understand that they are a necessary evil. But I have to do something about my dealings with them.
Which is why, as Prime Day rolls around again, I’m hoping to upgrade and pick up some Bose wireless noise-cancelling earbuds.
Currently at their record low price of just £209.95 from Amazon, so could these highly recommended Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) Earbuds be the end of my travel-induced woes?
When the What is Hi-Fi? team tested these second-generation Bose earbuds, and gave them a thumbs up five stars with their “punchy, full-bodied” sound, “excellent” noise cancellation and “secure and comfortable design”. A promising list of qualities when faced with the problem I mentioned above.
Describing them as “exciting, strikingly attractive earbuds”, we’re delighted with their “remarkable ability to program and control” – two things I’m very keen on in an aeronautical environment.
But what I enjoy the most is the cancellation of their noise. With two options to choose from: Silent and Alert, I can choose how much space I want to eliminate. The quiet environment is their strongest ANC area, so I feel that I will be retreating to my “quiet grandfather” that they all promised to cover me in, and stay there, thank you very much.
What’s more, with six hours of battery life on a single charge, and three extra charges of the case giving a total of 24 hours of battery life, I can continue to ignore the guys on a trip, even if we happen to be catching the same flight.
So, those are the ones to deal with, and I think that soothing music might alleviate the boredom/fear combo during the flight, too. Unfortunately, Bose hasn’t yet developed the off-duty-perfume canceling technology, but we can’t blame you for that.
So, before I head off on my next holiday, I’ll be sure to snap up these Bose earbuds for the discounted price of £209.95 from Amazon, before the sale ends.
A LOT
Read our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review.
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