Best Aviation Headsets
Aviation headset is of the utmost importance if you are a pilot. They help greatly in reducing the ambient noise while flying a plane. With the various types of noise ranging from engine to blade to air flow noise, it becomes a necessity for a pilot to reduce such noise and be able to hear properly.
You put on your aviation headset on top of your head and therefore is directly related to your comfort as well as determining the success of your flight. This is why you should choose the best aviation headset for your flight.
There are plenty of things that come into play when it comes to choosing the best aviation headsets. Here are some of those things that you need to watch out for while buying an aviation headset.
Considerations for Buying an Aviation Headset
Weight
A heavy headset might be difficult for you as it can put more stress in your head than you are looking for. On the other side, too light a headset is bound to slip right off. So make sure that you have the right amount of weight in your headset.
Head Clamping
The ability of the headset to clamp to your head gives a measure of how much ambient noise the headphone can put out. However, if the headphone clamps too tightly then it might certainly cause some unwanted strain in your ears.
Ear Seal Padding
While looking out for the ear seal padding, one of the most important considerations is the quality of the material used in the padding. Padding that is heavy but has better cushioning is great. Ear seals that are made up of vinyl might not be too effective during
the summers as you might experience sweat. Cotton is comfortable- though might not be great at sealing around the ears.
ANR vs PNR vs DNR
Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) Aviation Headsets offer the highest level of performance and therefore is the most expensive of the three. However, the performance level of DNR might not be needed most of the time.
The second most expensive of the three is the Active Noise Reduction (ANR) Aviation Headset. These headsets listen to the sound waves coming from towards the aircraft cabin and cancel them out as these headsets digitally produce sound waves that oppose them. Even in busy airspace cells, ANR offers a lot of clarity. Even in loud cockpits- such as you find when you are flying a helicopter, ANR works well.
The most budget friendly of them all is the Passive Noise Reduction (PNR) Aviation Headset. These types of headsets block the sound waves from travelling into your ear by mechanical means. Which one of the three you should choose depends upon the flying environment you are likely to encounter, your budget, and the type of application you are looking at.
Types of Microphone
There are various types of microphones that are found in an aviation headset such as dynamic, amplified dynamic, or electret. Electret microphone offers the highest performance of all the various types and that’s what you find in the more expensive aviation headsets.
Plugs
You also need to take a look at the plugs that come equipped with the headsets. The twin-plug or the general aviation plug is the most widely available plug that you find in an aircraft. In case you happen to fly a chopper, you will need a headset that comes with U174 plug.
Adjustable Headband
You need to make sure that you have an adjustable headband in your headset that goes along well for comfortable fitting.
Top 5 Best Aviation Headsets
Now that we’ve taken a look at some of the things you need to watch out before buying an aviation headset, let’s jump right at the best Aviation Headsets in the market:
David Clark DC ONE-X ENC Headset
David Clark is one of the leading names in Aviation Headsets. David Clark provides some of the most comfortable headset experiences for a pilot during a flight. It has one of the most wonderful mixture of comfort as well as the latest technology in aviation headsets. The headset in David Clark DC ONE-X ENC is a combination of Electronic Noise Cancelling Technology and Bluetooth. The batteries that come along with this headset are the 2 AA batteries.
Another delightful quality in David Clark DC ONE-X ENC is that you can connect all of your smart devices to it. Its cozy ear seals with leather padding and heat pad are other attractive features. The state of the art technology of this headset allows you a relaxing time while you put this on. All of this culminates into this headset having the most wonderful reviews from whoever uses it.
Pros
- Light-weight: 12.3 oz / 349 grams
- Intuitive Control Module
Cons
- Average battery life
Bose A20 Aviation Headset with Bluetooth
Bose A20 is another of the great names in the field of Aviation Headset. The greatest advantage of this headset in comparison to others is that it offers 30 % more reduction of noise compared than most of the other aviation headsets . All of the noise cancellation means that it increases your focus with less distractions. Bose A20 also offers more than 30% less clamping force with respect to other average headsets.
Active equalization features on the Bose A20 is also a great addition. Bluetooth audio and communications interfaces are equally wonderful additions in this headsets. In the event that you want to mute an audio signal when receiving a communicatio, you will also have the facilities of a customizable audio prioritization control. Bose A20 comes with a 1 year general warranty. In the case of the EU, it extends to 2 years.
Pros
- weight: 12 oz / 340 grams
- Greater noise reduction that average ones
- Customizable audio
- Equalization, bluetooth, and phone interface
Cons
- Might sound a tad pricey
- You need to buy the connection jacks separately
Bose ProFlight Aviation Headset
Bose ProFLight is tailor-made for those pilots that fly moderately noisy aircraft. It comes equipped with a noise-canceling microphone. Another lively feature of Bose ProFLight is the active equalization which means that whatever signals you are
receiving, you can enhance its clarity. This means that you never miss out on the important details.
Out of all the Aviation Headsets that Bose manufactures, Bose ProFLight is the lightest. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Bose ProFLight is feather-light. Wireless bluetooth makes it really convenient to use as well and you’ll have no problems as you constantly shift positions during a longer flight. Comfort, ease, great features, and active equalization- Bose ProFLight has it all.
Pros
- Light weight: 4.9 oz / 139 grams
- 1 year general warranty (2 years in EU)
- Active Noise Cancellation
Cons
- Wires are a tad heavy
FARO AIR In-Ear Aviation Headset Premium Pilot Headset
FARO AIR In-Ear Aviation Headset is as comfortable as the Bose ProFlight. But the remarkable thing is that FARO is only light as it is only one-ounce in weight. FARO provides as much as 50 dB of noise reduction. You will also have the options of auxiliary input as well as audio input in the FARO AIR In-Ear Aviation Headset.
FARO has engineered the tips of the headset in such a way that you can replace it in your convenience. Whenever necessary, you can swap them out. That is because they have been made with a slow-recovery foam. You will hear audio that is crispy and you can adjust it according to your preference. Adjusting the volume is an unforgettable experience due to the fact that it is very intuitive to manage the volume levels.
Pros
- Super lightweight: 1 oz / 28 grams
- Comfortable
- Great for long flights
Cons
- Customer service not up to the point
Lightspeed Tango Wireless Aviation Headset
Lightspeed Tango is one of the best wireless Aviation Headsets out there. Lightspeed Tango is an excellent aviation headset that comes with a hugely reliable battery supply. With a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is 3.7, the headset has a total weight of 18 oz. Putting it on is a relaxing experience as the padding around the ears are very nice. This gives you a feel that the headset is quite comfortable.
Lightspeed Tango comes with some of the most sophisticated noise-cancellation capabilities. A wireless headset means that manoeuvring is also quite easy making long distance travels soothing. Without the wiring, everything feels super cozy. Lightspeed Tango has good battery life and it becomes all the more easy to learn about it once you put it on.
Pros
- Soft and durable
- Good performance
- Wireless and therefore easy to handle
Cons
- Poor quality of seams
Final Say
This is not an exhaustive list of all the aviation headsets out there in the market. There are plenty of other headsets that are out there in the market that you might want to check out on. But we tried to give you a feel of the 5 of the best aviation headsets out there.
Remember, there are plenty of things you need to take into consideration before you go out to buy and spend your money on such as the features you are looking for, what flying conditions you will have as well as your budget. So make sure that you do a cross comparison of all of these features before you invest on the aviation headset that is the best for you.
