Top 10 Best Aviation Headsets
Do you wanna get rid of the cockpit’s background noise? Or if you are a pilot or wanna become a pilot so which headset is best for you? So, here is the all answers to your thoughts about this.
Today, I am gonna talk about the Top 10 best Aviation Headsets which are providing you with the best built, multi-features and fulfill all the needs of a pilot, read the full article.
Because in this article I will talk about the beginner level to the upper level of pilots needs and much more. Hopefully, after reading this article, you will really enjoy and feel every moment of being a pilot.
Now, Let’s dive into the 10 best Aviation headsets.
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Lightspeed SIERRA ANR Aviation HeadsetGood Choice
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David Clark H10-30 Aviation HeadsetGood Choice
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1. Bose A20 Aviation Headset with Bluetooth
Best Aviation Headset For Airline Pilots
The Bose model’s audio quality is superb, so the Bose is one of the best aviation headsets in the market. The Bose A20 is a premium model built and it fulfills the needs of the pilot.
One more important thing to know about, it’s a noise-canceling aviation headset including Bluetooth from Bose. It provides 30% less clamping force as compared to conventional headsets and also offers a 30% greater reduction in noise.
The A20 offers supreme comfort. It is designed with soft leather ear cushions, and the comfortable fit of the headband gives this headset more comfortable to feel very comfortable on longer flights.
Bose gives importance to the audio quality, due to this, the A20 provides active audio equalization to remain the same sound signature.
Pros
- Manual audio prioritization control with “mute” and “mix” settings.
- Bose Active EQ automatically checks incoming signals.
- Noise reduction is 30% greater than conventional headsets.
Cons
- ANR couldn’t work when batteries fail.
- No option for recording audio.
2. David Clark DC ONE-X ENC Headset
Best Aviation Headset For Student Pilot
The latest headset of David Clark’s is DC One-X designed for overall aviation pilots, providing the hybrid electronic noise cancellation and that is one of the best features we’ve tested. It gives much comfort to pilots during a flight.
It provides plush leatherette ear seals and a vented head pad that makes you feel fabulous. And It can connect with all smart devices and this is an amazing feature provided by it.
It offers an NRR of 30 dB. The battery life is classic because it gives almost 50 hours of use from 2x AA batteries.
It offers Bluetooth functionality, so you can enjoy music and taking phone calls on long flights.
Pros
- Works well when batteries expire.
- Easy foldable into a bag which was included.
- Hybrid active noise canceling support.
- 50 hours of great battery life.
Cons
- Bright blinking lights.
3. Lightspeed Zulu 3 Aviation Headset
Best Aviation Headsets
The Zulu 3 lightspeed gives the most premium feel. It has new outline ear seals that decrease pressure, new cables that are too flexible and durable, and also offer ANR technology.
The comfort is improving more than Sierra, which means there is no more tightness and clamping Zulo 3 has, like the Sierra. There is some difference in weight like the Zulo 3 weighs 14 oz as compared to 16 oz of Sierra. Moreover, the battery life is 40 hours the same.
It has a difference in the ANR and overall clarity of sound, if you wanna be a pilot and don’t wanna pay as much as the Bose A20 so you can go for this.
Pros
- Excellent ANR technology.
- Comfortable to wear.
- Cockpit environment is too quiet and comfortable.
Cons
- Work is not good with dead batteries.
- Cord tangles easily.
4. Lightspeed Tango Wireless Aviation Headset
If you want a wireless aviation headset, you can go with the Lightspeed Tango. It offers a great and reliable battery supply, because of its 3.7V rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
It feels too comfortable when you wear it, and almost it carries 18-ounces weight. And It provides the best cushions that put around your ear and make you feel more comfortable.
This headset gives the remarkable noise-canceling feature same as the famous Lightspeed Zulu headset.
Pros
- Too comfortable.
- Clear and real audio.
- Excellent Bluetooth with great battery life.
Cons
- Badly designed door on headset battery container.
- Nicely big.
5. David Clark DC PRO-X2
Best Noise Cancelling Aviation Headset
David Clark makes a strong claim with the Pro-X2. As the company said, the “hybrid” noise-canceling and Bluetooth feature of this headset, you won’t find on other headsets in this value
It becomes too comfortable a headset due to on-ear cups and light clamping force. The hybrid technology utilizes two microphones to catch up with the surrounding sound, and almost it can block sound to the ear 30 dB.
The 7.5 ounces weight makes this, the lightest ANR headset on the list. The well-padded alloy headband makes you feel enjoyable on long flights.
Pros
- Comfortable to wear.
- Ease of microphone positioning.
- Clarity of ATC transmission.
Cons
- No cord management option.
6. FARO G3 ANR Aviation Headset
Best ANR Aviation Headset
The Faro G3 provides almost every feature like $600 + headsets on the market. It offers Bluetooth connectivity, aircraft COM-priority switch, and automatic shut-off. This unique feature is only supported by Faro G3 and isn’t found on the Faro G2 headset.
The earcups make you feel lighter on the ears, except decrease discomfort. However, it’s typical to take over the ear cups that are clamped into your head.
Luckily, the Faro G3 offers the best passive noise reduction as compared to any ANR headset on market. The great passive noise cancellation, you can use as a backup when the batteries fail during the flight.
The G3 provides a lot of connectivity features like an auxiliary input jack and Bluetooth chipset allowing you to make calls and play music.
The switch on the controller provides you to switch between 1 of 3 modes: Airplane audio priority (music muted when a person gossip on the radio), Airplane audio-only, and mixed audio.
Pros
- 40 hours of great battery life.
- Bluetooth connectivity for phone calls and music.
- Automatic shut-off feature.
Cons
- No battery status indicator.
7. Lightspeed SIERRA ANR Aviation Headset
Best Aviation Headset For Helicopters
The Lightspeed Sierra is a superb choice for pilots, students, and passengers on a budget basis. It provides high-end performance and features like great noise cancellation, full Bluetooth support, and connectivity with flightLink, lightspeed’s in-cockpit transmitted app.
It doesn’t have great ANR or sound quality like the A20. But it does a good job for you and it won’t disappoint in the future.
Comfort is too superb. The cushions are soft and impressive, but they keep clamping minimum and not too great as premium headsets.
It provides the best things at this price range like Bluetooth, an audio input, dual volume controls, and a carrying case. The company gives a 5-year warranty. Moreover, the battery offers 40 hours of playback.
Pros
- Mono/Stereo switchable.
- Crisp and crunchy sound.
- Battery status indicator on.
Cons
- Control settings aren’t personalized.
8. David Clark H10-13.4 Aviation Headset
If you want high-quality headphones at an affordable price, then the David Clark H10 is the best choice for you. It’s another David Clark headset and it will give you a superb experience.
It has an impressive soft double foam head pad. It provides the latest comfort gel for the ears seals, and it feels great when taking it on the head.
This headset is allowing you to access a superb universal flex boom mic, which provides you to hear sounds by the advanced M-7A noise-canceling microphone that blocks background noises from recording.
It reduces surrounding noises by almost 23-dB. But unluckily, it doesn’t provide double volume controls or auxiliary audio input.
Pros
- Supremely soft.
- Excellent noise-canceling microphone.
- Providing double foam head pad.
Cons
- No carrying case included.
9. David Clark H10-30 Aviation Headset
Best Budget Aviation Headset
If you need a quality in-ear headset on a budget, so the David Clark H10-30 headset provides you the highest quality like the other’s quality standard of David Clark’s models. Moreover, the price point is affordable and doesn’t care about inferior parts. Furthermore, it offers a 5-year quality guarantee.
The H10-30 is built normally and impressive. It offers M-7 noise-canceling electret mic and provides 24 dB of passive noise reduction. The body of It provides a comfortable undercut gel ear seals feature.
The H10-30 is the bulkiest as compared to H20-10 and H10-13.4. For comfort, it makes some difference, however, it’s still good and also provides the double gel pads and soft head pads for too much comfort.
The microphone collects some background noises and that’s the thing that lets the H10-30 a bit down.
Pros
- Superb PNR.
- Comfortable to wear.
- Adjustable volume control.
Cons
- Sensitive microphone included.
- No audio input supported.
10. Bose ProFlight Series 2 Aviation Headset
The Bose Proflight Aviation Headset offering the smallest, lightweight, and very comfortable headset from bose. Its in-ear active noise cancellation and lightweight provide the most comfort for long flights, and also designed with the latest feature for airline and corporate aircraft flight decks.
It’s weighing only 4.5oz and that’s the lightest standard aviation headset that you may have used before.
This headset offers an active noise-canceling feature that helps to block surrounding noises and deliver you a clear sound. It provides the 3 different active noise cancellation settings, so you can choose and easily adjust according to your need.
It offers Bluetooth connectivity. The headset all settings can be controlled through a control module on the cable.
Pros
- Great and amazing sound.
- Comfortable and too lightweight.
- Cuts all the cockpit noise.
Cons
- In-ear buds don’t fit for everyone.
Things To Consider When Choosing an Aviation Headset
Noise Reduction Type:
There are 4 types of noise reduction. Each of them plays a role differently and use separately to varying levels of noise reduction ( Calculate in decibels).
Passive noise reduction (PNR):
Passive noise reduction is used to reduce surrounding noise by physically covering your ears with foam or related material.
Active noise reduction (ANR):
The active noise reduction is used by the release of a second sound which is manufactured to block ambient noise.
Dynamic noise reduction (DNR):
A dynamic noise reduction headset is akin, but it’s a more developed version of an ANR headset. The DNR utilizes digital techniques to block noise and its performance is somewhat better as compared to the ANR set.
Electronic noise reduction (ENR):
A hybrid option isn’t usual as other noise reduction types. This choice of headset performs with standard ANR techniques and includes automatic gain control (AGC) to enhance performance in high-noise environments.
Build Quality:
Aviation headsets are expensive, so you should buy that one headphone that runs for a long time. When you will arrive at a point where you take flying more seriously that developing will be the next logical step.
Considering this point, you should have to pay more to achieve this, the David Clark headset said to provide lifetime support to gain this.
Comfort:
Consideration earpads for comfort, the gel ear pads can be used to increase more comfort and get rid of sweaty ears.
Important to consider padding for comfort, The comfort will be much better, when the earpads are more padded and the headband is softer.
Consider weight for comfort, a heavy headset can give you pain on the neck and shoulder after a time, so take a heavier aviation headset with better weight distribution for a more comfortable feel than the lightest one.
Bluetooth:
You should buy a headset with a Bluetooth function for the direct connection and without facing the issue of cables. You have to pay more for this function, but it’s a better consideration for every pilot.
Audio Input:
It’s an issue for some pilots when there is no audio input, and some pilots don’t care about it.
David Clark doesn’t provide the feature of an audio input while some other models provide it. The cause for this, David Clark here for many years to years, so at that time to connect with a phone or music player isn’t too useful or common.
Sound Quality:
This is a key thing to concern. If you are a music lover, you should go with the Bose A20 because it beats all other headphones in sound quality. But, for the classic sound performance, you have to pay a high price.
Plug Type:
These are the standard plug types:
- Dual plug (PJs)
- Helicopter plug (U174)
- 6-pin plug (LEMO)
- Airbus plug (XLR)
If you wanna fly GA aircraft, you can use dual plugs. And one of our recommended headsets offering dual plugs. If you wanna buy a headset and it comes with a different plug type, you can purchase an adapter to connect with.
Weight:
If you are going for longer flights, you have to go with a lighter weight headset for a more comfortable feel. A well-padded bulkier headset has some pressure criteria, but it is more comfortable as compared to a down-grade lightweight model.
Price:
If you are a student pilot and wanna aviation headset, it’s not a good idea to buy a cheap headset. So it depends on the price to get from ANR or PNR models. ANR models utilize noise canceling technology so it’s too expensive. And if you need the best experience, go for it.
ANR Headsets – How it works?
ANR headsets aren’t manufactured to perform on all frequencies. However, if they work for it so you can’t listen to important things like speech and changes in engine sound. It is manufactured to utilize only certain low frequencies as propeller noise.
Passive Headset – What is it?
Passive headsets don’t need electronics to reduce sound. Else instead, The earpads too thick and made of foam or gel, are manufactured to create a tight seal around your ears. The noise reduction is totally for the seal, drop this and await performance to reduce.
What does TSO Aviation Headset mean?
TSO stands (Technical Standard Order). This is the least performance standard an aviation headset must link up as regulated by the FAA.
Pilots Need a TSO Approved Headset for Flying or not?
There are many airlines that allow pilots to use non-TSO certified models, and some are denied. So it’s a better option to check the airline for saving yourself from violating company policy.
Aviation headsets are so expensive – why?
- Considering airlines, they should be certified and approved.
- Considering everything else, the microphone plug is different and it has some classic noise isolation.
- Those differences change the price point criteria and increase it.
Conclusion
Finally, I recommend you the best overall aviation headset, which is going to be a long lasting choice for you and also providing the best ever features to you.
So, stop wasting your money, go and get the best headset from my recommendation that makes you feel free for a long period of time.
So which best headphones will you buy and why? And if you have any questions regarding this so tell me in the comments.
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