Long Haul advice pls (Headphones)

You want a Snoozeband and some Valium.

Sennheiser Momentum’s are bluetooth and come with an aux cable. Up to 60 hours battery life too apparently. I’ve got a previous generation which only about about 10 hours battery life but was more than enough for a recent long haul to Bali via Singapore. Noise cancelling is very good though not quite on par with Apple Max Pros.

Sony WH-1000XM5
The best audio quality I've heard out of a set of over ear headphones
3.5mm jack
30h battery life.
Fast charging
Available in a number of colours.
Good warranty via JL.

If they don't float your boat, something from the Bose QC range, but I've had problems with all of my QC headphones.  EVERY SINGLE PAIR - 5 of them.

Lived in Aus for 2 years while my partner was here so did lots of long haul. What route are going and coming back and how long are your connections?

I've never drugged myself on a flight and would limit alcohol intake as the dehydration can give you a killer headache. Take headphones and earplugs, eye mask and blow up pillow for neck support. Best thing is to start to shift your sleep the day before you fly and work on the new time zone as soon as you take off... I would buy sandwiches so I could ignore meals if they didn't fit with 'Aussie time' and try to sleep through, and then feed myself at the right meal times. If you arrive early morning really try as hard as you can to keep moving until the evening, don't nap. The other really useful thing is if your connections are long enough use / pay for a lounge or transit hotel for a shower. Singapore transit hotel has a pool so you can take swimwear in a plastic bag and get some daylight, it really helps.

Also note the last flight in to Aus you can't take bottles of water (over 100 ml) even if you bought it airside. Which is an arse.

I have two pairs of headphones for long haul. Sony WH-1000XM4 over ear headphones and AirPod Pro in-ear. Both noise cancelling, the Sony’s cut more noise but they get too hot after a while. The AirPods I can put in playing some white noise under a beanie/hoody and a sleep mask to get some kip. I did try ear plugs under the Sonys but I kept knocking them off while asleep.

I think i want something noise cancelling and something that are bluetooth AND 3.5mm jack – if such a thing exists.

I have the Sony WH....XM3 which are all of the above and absolutely superb quality. I see Daffy recommended the XM5 so I guess Sony still jives with the requirements of long haul travellers.

Conversely to the poster above's experience, I've had no problems with my Bose QC, but maybe still early days.

Got them to get me through a few hospital stays. Wouldn't be without them.

No prior experience of noise cancelling headphones, but they're pretty life changing.

Anker soundcore life q35 will do what you want. Battery life very good even with noise cancelling.
You can get valium/diazepam via online consultation from a lot of places on t'internet.
Time difference is that extreme and flight so long that timeshifter or similar likely not helpful. Worth prebooking seats if not already done to make sure you're in a not awful place on the place. Otherwise mostly down to  genetic potluck as to how you sleep in a too full metal tube, sat upright and surrounder by people.

If you can and if you're not already in business class - upgrade.  Even premium economy is worth the extra on flights over 8 hours.  

I used to do quite a bit of long haul for work and there are some good suggestions above.  My experience is:

- Sennheiser Momentum are great over ear headphones with good noise cancelling - it's amazing how loud the cabin of the pane seems when you turn them off.  Any I think the sound quality is excellent - I spent a lot of time at LHR auditioning different headphones from my iPad using music I knew very well.  I personally though the Bose were good for noise reduction but had a too anodyne, restrained sound.   I only ever use the bluetooth but they take cable too.

- I got a Snoozeband the other day for use in bed and it decent and not expensive, but is not noise cancelling.  But if you do sleep on your side it could be more comfortable after a long period than over ears - maybe take both so you can swap around.

- I Used to download a lot of music onto Spotify, plays and podcasts onto BBC Sounds and sometimes a few TV programs onto the iPad with Netflix.  Better spending your time watching or listening to things you like.

-Melatonin is worthwhile for getting to sleep when heading east, it is clinically proven to help.  It is a natural hormone, unlike valium, but will just encourage you to sleep a few hours earlier rather than knock you out.  In the UK you need to ask the doctor for a script, but in other places like the US it's over the counter - and on line too.

- Try to live life in the plane on your new time zone as soon as you can, eyeshades on when its night at your destination, and watch films/drink coffee when it's daytime there.  You may feel shit on the the plane, but get some of the jet lag over before you arrive.  Even better when heading to Aus try and get up and go to bed a couple of  hours early for a few days before you leave the UK - helps the body clock move in the right direction

Good luck.

Disagree Daffy, when it's your own money Premium economy is a significant amount more. Personally I can think of better ways to spend my money.

yeah, my wallet, no hope of PE

edit: no hope of me and the missus upgrading
(googles single upgrade cost)

I bought some Bose QC25s when I was flying trans Atlantic a fair bit and they had a significant positive impact on the travel for me.  I enjoyed (well hated less) the experience and felt more refreshed on arrival.  Slept better on the return too (like maybe 30 minutes compared to no sleep at all!).

I now have QC35s and they are similar.

If I was buying again I'd get the Sony wh-1000xm in either 4 or 5 depending on budget.

Always fly with a book or two. After 6 hours of screen time it will be a refreshing change. And if you normally read before sleep, might help there. Decent neck pillow. Might go drugs next time, my mum swears by them.

XM5 and XM3 mentioned but XM4 still available and deals popping up regularly for sub-£200

https://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/sony-wh1000xm4

There are lots of little adapters that take 3.5mm jack and convert it to Bluetooth that open up your options a little. I have decent over ear (Bose + Plantronics) and I. Ear (Jabra) noise cancelling kit and find the in ear just as effective but more comfortable on flights over 5 hours - my ears get too hot in the big headphones

Anker or airfly for the adapter.

Otherwise, to your specific question, Plantronics 8200 do both, and are normally found half price 'refurbished' (brand new returns)

Eta.. a switch lite is about £120, the first Zelda is 30 (both second hand). That's probably 30 hours of gameplay, flog it when you get back and the total cost is zero

if anyone knows of half decent off-road riding near Rockhampton

Most important bit first. Rocky has awesome tracks at First Turkey. It just hosted the Qld state national enduros (mates came 2nd and 3rd in the 45+)

Unfortunately, it's bang on the Tropic of Capricorn, so unless you're incredibly well adjusted you're going to sweat your eyes out of their sockets riding in November. Allow yourself 1 litre an hour plus electrolytes.

I've yet to ride there but i'm told it's exactly as the name suggests - Rocky.

For bike hire, email ahead all the local bike shops and see who's got the best options.

Other than that Rocky isn't exactly a tourism location - i know a fair few people that grew up there, couldn't wait to leave and never went back.

My flight tips for the longhaul that mean i don't get jet lag:

1. Hard exercise the day of flying so you're really tired
2. No alcohol or caffeine
3. when you arrive immediately follow the local time - push through to a normal bedtime.

I use Shokz headphones with ear plugs. Works fine - but no 3.5mm jack. Whatever you get, most planes have usb charging these days.

There's no liquid restrictions on domestic flights any more so you can carry bottles of water if you want.

The best way I have found to reduce jet-lag is to manage your sleep on the flights, so that you land ready for whatever time of day it is when you arrive.  I prefer arriving in the morning, so I try to sleep as much as possible on the last leg - meaning that I try to stay awake for as much a the first leg as possible.

Once I get here, the bright sunshine and strong coffee tends to carry me through until that evening.  As Reeksy says above - don't be tempted to nap during the day, particularly for the first day or two - that'll **** you up.

Since covid put a stop to my business travel, all my flights seem to be with kids these days - so the prospect of 24 hrs in a seat watching TV, reading, dozing, and occasionally being brought food doesn't sound too bad!

I have some Bose QC35 headphones - very happy with them, although my wife has the new sony ones (don't know their number) and those also seem excellent.  I have a bluetooth "airfly" which lets you connect via bluetooth to the in-flight entertainment, but remember to by one of those annoying 2-1 3.5mm jacks: some planes still use them.

I tend to load-up my phone with TV shows and audiobooks in case there is nothing I fancy on the in-flight entertainment, often there isn't.

Stop over in Singapore for a couple of days to break the flight up.

And by the way, what the hell are you doing going to Rocky for? I didn't think there was much more than cattle, coal or millitary training?

Some of the cheaper Sony's have 3.5mm jack too. Noise cancelling may not be quite as good but audio quality very good still. I have some older wh-ch700n and they're great. 

Regarding battery life, check the seats for whoever you're flying with as lots of airlines have usb sockets on the armrest these days. It might also be worth digging out some sleep inducing stuff to play on the headphones when you want to nod off - Sleep Cove podcasts on Spotify worked for me but it's worth listening to whatever you choose before the flight to make sure the voice/music/promos don't grate on you.

Disagree Daffy, when it’s your own money Premium economy is a significant amount more. Personally I can think of better ways to spend my money.

It really depends.  If I were flying to Oz, in the air for 24h, I’d pay £300-£500 (as little as £12.5/h) to have more space, comfort and better food, but I can’t sleep on flights, so will make use of it.  With United recently, I could’ve upgraded from economy to business for £500 (rtn) or done the “best offer” thing.

How much would you pay for a nicer hotel room, despite the fact that you’re largely only going to sleep in it?

How much would you pay for a nicer hotel room, despite the fact that you’re largely only going to sleep in it?

I've never used my own money to pay for a hotel/room upgrade. I'm only going to (try) and sleep in it.

The Bose QC over ear are the "standard upgrade" we have at work for international travelers. Everything else is various Jabra models or the stock ones we get bundled with the phones. So i know 50+ people with various models of QC headphones (and have signed off on about 15-20 sets for people working for me over the last 10+ years), not had any fail yet.

Some of them are getting on for 30 hours use a week for months on end (software developers wanting some peace and quiet).
My ex has just replaced the earpads on hers after 6 years as they got a bit holey...

to have more space, comfort and better food

I don't think premium mediocre actually gives any of those things apart from the illusion of space especially when they allow folks to still recline their seats as far back as they do. And as a veggie, I get the same meal whether I'm in economy or middle class angst seating 

The strategy I used that got me through a couple of decades of global business travelling:

- once on board the plane, set my watch to the new timezone, and then 'live' at that timezone while on the plane

- drink plenty of water

- eat & drink as per the destination timezone

- do no work whatsoever

- fly business at least, or First Class if possible 🙂

Captain Flasheart, is that you??

Bose stuff comes with a cable to connect to a plane's audio jack and has good noise cancelling, but obviously big and chunky for the over-ear versions. I think if you wear in-ear headphones for 14 hours you'll end up with very sore ears.

You can also get cheap bluetooth dongles that you connect to the plane's IFE to use your own headphones. Consider a small power-bank too since the USB / PC power sockets don't always work.

Presumably you're not going direct, so if you can take a day off to explore the intermediate destination instead of just getting off for an hour to pee (Singapore is a million times better than the folly to the Emir's credit card bill that is Dubai).

Bose 700 user here, think they are 20 hours battery.  No problems at all, got some replacement pads for 5 quid as first ones disintegrated.  Only issue is if you wear glasses, the extra pressure on arms gives me a headache after 2 hours, solved by taking glasses off.

There were some really good deals on Bose outlet shop, like 170 quid.

I was on London tube last year, rush hour, about half the carriage were wearing nc over ear headphones.

I've Sony xm4. I find them very comfortable, and they come with a cable and an airplane specific dual pronged adaptor. Its worth trying a few different models on your head if you have time.

Anker soundcore life q35 will do what you want. Battery life very good even with noise cancelling.

I was recommended these on here earlier in the year.  In general they are very good and at a very good price but my annoyance the noise cancelling doesn’t work when the headphone jack is used, which is apparently a recent “upgrade”.

Luckily I has movies downloaded onto my iPad and could use Bluetooth with that.

PSA: Sony WH-1000XM5 are now £280 at Amazon.

but my annoyance the noise cancelling doesn’t work when the headphone jack is used,<br /><br />

Always a tricky one, this; some of the real high-end ‘phones, like the Apple and B&W ones, have a 3.5mm socket, but they don’t work at all if the battery is flat! I mean, wotdaphuq? There’s no point in having the 3.5 socket, except that you can listen In Lossless, which doesn’t work using BT. The new Beats Studio Pro’s are more comprehensive in their spec than the Apple ones, and will work with a cable, in fact two; a 3.5mm male-to-male, and a USB-C! There’s a built-in DAC, so using a USB-C cable means the ‘phones will charge from your phone and you get full hi-res/Lossless. They will last just under 33 hours on a charge as well.

The Sony’s will work with a cable and no battery, but if the battery is flat, there’s no N/C, for obvious reasons. There’s an element of passive N/C as they’re enclosed over-ear ‘phones, but the electronics always bring with them the charging issue and extra cost and complexity.

Personally, I can’t bring myself to pay several hundred pounds and expect the features to be rendered obsolete in three or four years when the battery dies on its ass, I’d rather spend similar on a custom-fit set of IEM’s, or have custom eartips made up for my existing MeeAudio or Ultimate Ears canalphones, both options come with replaceable cables, which are cheap, so spares can be carried in case of a breakage, plus they have passive N/C, so will block most environmental background noise. However, that’s not a quick solution, there’s a timescale involved.

Yer pay’s yer money, etc… 😁

Why Rockhampton? - visiting family nearby, towards the coast might be called Yepoon

cant get any more time off work to increase the stopover in Singapore (8hrs on the return leg.. is it possible or worth escaping the airport in that amount of time?) and only just able to manage 2 weeks out there (2.5 weeks off work)

plenty of  headphones options to look at over the weekend, some won't require a remortgage!

Another vote for the Sennheiser Momentums. I tested quite a few at that price point and they sounded the best to me for the music I tend to listen to, and the noise cancelling is very good too. Mine (think they're Momentum 2s - they seem to be up to number 4 now) came with a 3.5mm jack and an adapter for the weird two-pin aeroplane connecters too.