At my current stage of life, my music listening opportunities are fewer and further between. 90% + of my music listening happens in one of two places, neither of which are conducive to audiophile-listening conditions: 1.) my car, 2.) on commercial airliners, as I travel a lot for work.
I do not have extensive history with multiple variations of high-end listening gear. My current DAP is a Sony NW-ZX300 and I listen with the WH-1000XM3 noise-canceling headphones. I have a relatively large library of high-res audio including FLAC/ALAC (16/44 - 24/192), DSD and MQA audio. I realize I am far from an audiophile's dream setup, but it's what I've got / where I'm at, to date.
If I want to up my game, what are people doing to maximize current technology for best listening on a plane? Are noise-canceling headphones the way to go - i.e. Sony, Bose, the new Dali IO-6? Or, is noise-canceling antithetical to audiophile listening in that it introduces artifactual noise / removes frequencies from the listening spectrum? Even still, preceding being true, does it still benefit to use noise-canceling in order to enjoy the minimization of the ambient noise of the plane? Are IEMs the way to go in that they inherently limit noise by sealing the ear canal ("noise isolation")? Are closed-back high-end headphones (non-noise canceling) the way to go in that they provide the most pristine audio listening, while blocking out sufficient levels of external noise?
Lastly, I'm open to any criticism of my DAP, assuming it relates to a better experience for air travel. I realize there is a world of Sony haters. I don't necessarily love Sony. After years of tire-kicking, I just finally broke down and bought something in my budget range from a company that has decades of experience and reputation behind it.
Thanks in advance~
I do not have extensive history with multiple variations of high-end listening gear. My current DAP is a Sony NW-ZX300 and I listen with the WH-1000XM3 noise-canceling headphones. I have a relatively large library of high-res audio including FLAC/ALAC (16/44 - 24/192), DSD and MQA audio. I realize I am far from an audiophile's dream setup, but it's what I've got / where I'm at, to date.
If I want to up my game, what are people doing to maximize current technology for best listening on a plane? Are noise-canceling headphones the way to go - i.e. Sony, Bose, the new Dali IO-6? Or, is noise-canceling antithetical to audiophile listening in that it introduces artifactual noise / removes frequencies from the listening spectrum? Even still, preceding being true, does it still benefit to use noise-canceling in order to enjoy the minimization of the ambient noise of the plane? Are IEMs the way to go in that they inherently limit noise by sealing the ear canal ("noise isolation")? Are closed-back high-end headphones (non-noise canceling) the way to go in that they provide the most pristine audio listening, while blocking out sufficient levels of external noise?
Lastly, I'm open to any criticism of my DAP, assuming it relates to a better experience for air travel. I realize there is a world of Sony haters. I don't necessarily love Sony. After years of tire-kicking, I just finally broke down and bought something in my budget range from a company that has decades of experience and reputation behind it.
Thanks in advance~
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