AirFly’s wireless headphone dongle adds volume controls and better sound

Twelve South has released a new version of its AirFly Pro dongle, promising better performance when connecting wireless headphones to devices that lack Bluetooth support. Although the AirFly Pro 2 is marketed as a way to hook wireless headphones to airplane seatback entertainment systems, it’s still compatible with any device featuring a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s available now for $59.99, which is a small price bump from the original’s $54.99.

Two of the AirFly Pro 2’s biggest upgrades include the addition of dedicated volume control buttons on the dongle — a feature carried over from the cheaper AirFly SE — and the use of a newer Qualcomm QCC3056 audio processor. Twelve South says the upgraded processor “optimizes sound quality and latency, making movies, music, and games sound even better,” while also reducing background noise for improved voice clarity.

Wireless headphones should also pair faster with the AirFly Pro 2, which still includes multipoint connectivity — letting two people stream audio to their headphones simultaneously. Twelve South promises 25 hours of use on a full charge. And like the original AirFly Pro, the Pro 2 can also function as an aux input source for your smartphone, so you can do things like play music on an older car’s stereo system via its input jack.