Enjoy wireless audio anywhere you go.
Years ago, I took a transatlantic flight to Europe. It was a 10-hour flight. During that time, there were two movies shown and countless CDs (that’s right — CDs) listened to. I remember the ‘special’ headphones that airlines provide for passengers being free at that time (it was 20 years ago) so I was able to enjoy the movies with ease. Today, airlines want to charge their passengers for everything including those extra special, dual stereo adapter headphones. Fortunately Scosche has released a very cool device that allows you to connect your favorite wireless headphones — even Apple AirPods — to airplanes’ entertainment systems — the FlyTunes.
DESIGN & FEATURES
FlyTunes is a wireless audio transmitter that is specifically designed to provide a flexible option for users to be able to connect to non-wireless products — wirelessly. The device is the first travel-size wireless audio transmitter that can pair with one or two sets of AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones. The Bluetooth range is approximately 30 feet and the transmitter plugs into any 3.5mm AUX output. FlyTunes has two folding prongs for a single or dual output and it also comes with a short AUX extension cable for difficult to reach output locations. In addition to airplanes, FlyTunes is designed to work with fitness machines, televisions, stereos, and portable gaming systems, such as the Nintendo® Switch®. Users can even use FlyTunes with an iPod Shuffle so that you can connect your AirPods to it.
SPECS
- Bluetooth 4.1 technology
- Dual 3.5mm AUX prongs
- Up to 8 hours of continuous music play
- Up to 180 hours of standby time
- Rechargeable battery with USB-C
- Dual-pairing
EASE OF USE & IMPRESSIONS
I was, unfortunately, unable to test the FlyTunes device on an airplane, but what I was able to do is nothing short of a miracle. I have a 2nd generation iPod Shuffle that I recently found in a mass of old electronic accessories. I plugged it into my MacBook Pro and was surprised to find that I could not only still connect to it, but I was also able to update my stored playlist. Sadly, this precious little music player still operates with the use of a 3.5mm stereo plug. So, I hadn’t yet been able to try it out because most of my headphones these days are wireless in nature. With the help of FlyTunes, my amazing little iPod Shuffle was resurrected and I was able to use it with my Cleer Ally True Wireless earbuds.
Using FlyTunes isn’t particularly difficult once you figure out the sequence of pairing. At first, I had a little trouble getting my Cleer earbuds to connect, but when I figured out that I needed to complete the pairing steps in a certain order, they paired right away. For me, I had to:
- plug the FlyTunes device into the iPod Shuffle
- place the earbuds into pairing mode
- turn on the shuffle
- turn on the FlyTunes device
- place the FlyTunes device into pairing mode
Once I followed these steps, the earbuds connected right away. One thing to take note of is that you will likely lose the built-in controls from the headphones you are using. I noticed that right away. This may be because I was trying that with a connected device that didn’t have the ability to communicate through Bluetooth. All the built controls on the connected device still worked.
Sound quality is decent although it’s not as good as it could be since the music is moving through a passthrough device before it hits your ears. I also saw on some other reviews that some frequency interference might factor into the sound quality, too. I’ve had this be an issue when I’ve connected with other wireless transmitters if a power signal is pulsing through the connected device. For example, if I’ve had my wireless transmitter charging and connected to an AUX port in my car at the same time there might be a small hiss that comes through the speakers.
PRICE
I did a quick search on Amazon for other types of wireless transmitters. They range in price from $10 up to $100. I feel like for the purpose of the FlyTunes and the quality of the product that is provided, the $39.99 sounds like a reasonable amount for this wireless transmitter.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I’ve been very happy with the FlyTunes Wireless Transmitter. I do love that it connects with Apple AirPods as well as other wireless headphones. I also love that it provides users with a way to connect to old devices making them new again. It’s a clever little device and it serves a great purpose. Given it’s design, purpose, and price point, I can recommend this product without any reservations.
For more information, visit scosche.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
