Best in performance or best in value, Best for your head and preferences. There is no best.
Passive headsets are still GOOD. I still have my old Peltor I used as a CFI, Peltor got out of the aviation headset market.
I have a ANR Sennheiser for flying jets, open pad, not great for a loud piston plane.
I am in the market for a head vice. I know Bose is very good but very expensive. Always felt all Bose products were over priced and over hyped, but no doubt the headsets are top notch. ANR technology has been around for many decades and it's not proprietary. I go with value, design, fit, finish, options and PRICE. I am not paying $1000 for Bose even if they are great. How great can they be over a $400 or $600 ANR headset?
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