If you've had problems hearing your laptop audio on the plane, these devices are for you.

I've had the Boostaroo and Boostaroo Revolution for a while (although I lost the Revolution on my most recent trip) and have been meaning to write about them. I did a fair amount of research and only found positive reviews before buying my Boostaroo. I was happy with it, but it wasn't perfect so I later bought the Revolution.

I'm not that great at writing about technical details, so I decided to just give a summary and some of my personal observations on both.

For those of you that have struggled to listen to your laptop or portable DVD in an airport or on the plane, both of these perform nicely.


Boostaroo $30
2x amplification
3way splitter
2 AA batteries


Boostaroo Revolution $60
4x amplification
2way splitter
2 AAAA batteries

The Boostaroo performs well most of the time, but my laptop has to be full volume with decent headphones. (Noise reduction and/or covering ear to hear most audio; Lower volume and/or heavy noise conditions can still be difficult to hear) The power switch slides easily casuing unintentional drain on the battery, fortunately battery life is long even with cheap batteries. Replacement AA's are easy to find.

With the Boostaroo Revolution I never had problems hearing audio and usually had to adjust device volume to 60% or lower (no switch to adjust amplification). There is no power switch, it turns on automatically when detachable cord is plugged in, unfortuantely that makes the cord an easy piece to lose. Another challenge can be finding AAAA's (yes, 4 A's), especially when outside of the US.

For now, I'm going to stick with the Boostaroo rather than replacing my Revolution. I'll see how the next few trips go, if I have problems then I might consider buying the more expensive model again.

http://www.boostaroo.com/

I personally recommend a set of noise canceling headphones.

Specifically, the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Noise Canceling Headphones (expensive at $300) are the way to go. I received these as a handout during my first, first class flight from LAX to NRT on AA and fell in love with them. I bought a pair as soon as I could.

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=qc2_headphones_index&ck=0

The two things I like about them.

1. No need to put the volume all the way up since these cancel most of the ambient noise in the cabin. Normal levels are fine.
2. When I need to sleep, I simply turn them on, put them over my ears and most of the noise from the cabin is gone. It makes sleeping a lot easier.

I've tried two sets of noise-canceling headphones, one $60 one $100, one bought at Best Buy the other at Frys, I don't recall which brands. Neither one performed adequately by itself but worked well in conjunction with the Boostaroo. I've never tried the Bose Quiet Comfort II.

Another benefit of the Boostaroo is the built in splitter in case you're traveling with someone or meet a decent looking girl on the plane (I have twice). I keep an extra set of cheap headphones with me for that reason.