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Best ANR headsets

Gyrodoug

Well Known Member
I'm interested in hearing about your favorite headsets. Active Noise Cancelling is what I'm interested in. This article has some leads but maybe there are others? Or... your favorites?

https://www.thesegoldwings.com/aviation-headsets/

Feel free to PM with your headsets you may want to sell. My RV partner may be in the market for a set as well.

Thanks.
 
IMO they all perform about the same as far as the ANR goes. But they fit differently and that’s what’s really important when wearing it for hours on end. The best ANR will be of little value if you get pressure points after only 30 minutes after which it becomes a torture device. This is where large events like Osh or S-n-F are really worth the trip so you can try on multiple brands and models to compare. FWIW I have Bose A20s.
 
I have two Bose A20's and two Lightspeed Zulu 3's in my -10. I find the Bose to fit me better, provide more noise reduction and have better sound quality than the Zulu's.

I did buy the Bose new and the Lightspeed used, not sure if that matters.

E
 
David Clark One-X

Love my David Clark One-X's. Lightweight/comfortable (for me). Great ANR/Bluetooth, and rugged. And decent passive reduction if batteries die.
 
I have two Bose A20's and two Lightspeed Zulu 3's in my -10. I find the Bose to fit me better, provide more noise reduction and have better sound quality than the Zulu's.

I did buy the Bose new and the Lightspeed used, not sure if that matters.

E

I also own an A20 and a Lightspeed Zulu 3. And a David Clark Pro X2. And Lightspeed Sierra. Oh, and a Bose X.

To me, the two winners are the Zulu 3, and DC Pro X2. But as has been said, every head is different. The ANR is good on all.

Sporty’s and some other shops have 30-60 day “no questions asked” return policies on headsets for exactly the reason of what works for one head doesn’t work for another. I’d encourage you to use these programs to find the headset that you like the best (but, please, if you find “the one,” buy a headset from them and don’t just use them for free trials with no intent to buy!)
 
After decades of David Clarks, I bit the ANR bullet. I didn't shop headsets very hard...casual evaluation looked like it was between the A20 and the Lightspeed and I just bought the Bose. No regrets.
 
As mentioned, everyone's head will fit differently. For me, the A20's are extremely uncomfortable after only a short time due to their top-hinged design. I went with the Zulu 3's and love them.
 
I accidentally ripped my A20s in half by tripping on them trying to get out of my Mooney. If you’ve ever been in a Mooney... well then you know exactly what happened.

Bose fixed them for free. It took a week or two and during that time I had to use my backup headset. Decided I never wanted to use that headset again and bought a backup set of A20s. I’m on Team Bose.
 
IMO they all perform about the same as far as the ANR goes. But they fit differently and that’s what’s really important when wearing it for hours on end. The best ANR will be of little value if you get pressure points after only 30 minutes after which it becomes a torture device. This is where large events like Osh or S-n-F are really worth the trip so you can try on multiple brands and models to compare. FWIW I have Bose A20s.
I totally agree.
I own an old pair of David Clarks, Bose A20, Lightspeed Zulu 3 and Card Machine work CQ1.
My David Clarks are like a tank. They will last forever no matter what I do to them. Unfortunately passive over the ear headsets can never match the performance of ANR over the ears. I am sure David Clark ANR headsets would give similar solid life ong quality with good ANR performance. Other than trying them at an airshow, I don't have any personal experience.

The Bose A20 headsets are like a Mercedes. They just feel like luxury. They are light and soft with low clamping pressure. But they seem more fragile then my other headsets. The light clamping pressure and soft ear muffs provide the worst non ANR performance of any of my headsets. Loose battery power and they perform very poorly.

The lightspeed Zulu 3 just work. Not a comfortable as the Bose. Higher clamping force. Similar ANR performance, good passive performance. And they feel much more robust than the Bose.

The CQ1 in the ear Headsets by Card Machine Works are by far my favorites and they are the ones I use exclusively. You get ANR performance without a battery at half the cost of the Bose or Lightspeed. They are the lightest and most comfortable. Yes you do have to put them into your ears, and you have to change the ear plugs every so often. But on a long flight you don't even feel like you have headset on. I have found that using Comply ear tips make all the difference to me. So you may have to spend some time trying out different earbuds. You can find them here https://cqheadset.com/ And they fly a RV.

In the end they all perform well, with very similar performance. It is really which ones fit you the best. You really need to try them on to know which one is for you.
 
Lightspeed Sierra

My wife and I use Lightspeed Sierra's. We debated back & forth with going with the Zulu's 3 but in the end we decided we wanted to save some money.

We are very happy with them.

Good Luck
Darren Kerns
RV7 N599DT
 
Figured I join the Ford v Chevy chat....

FWIW I just traded in my Bose X for A20 and received a $300 rebate. The catch is you have to buy directly from Bose and fill out a form on their website.
 
Well, Bose

Wife and I both fly with Bose A20. The hinge at the top drove my poor wife nuts until we added a bit of foam and chamois under the hinge. Bose repairs start off pricey and go up from there. We know, both headsets have been back for service with strange noises. I had access to two different, very old Lightspeeds. The earcups and ANR were excellent. Hangups with Lightspeed were that the old plastic on those did that gooey, sticky surface thing, and Lightspeed would not repair them at any price since replacement parts are gone. One broke both stirrups... no way to repair. Oh well. After all this, I’d still be willing to audio-dition a new Lightspeed or DC if the Bose really craters one day.
 
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FWIW I have the Bose A20 also, as well as some older Telex headsets including an Echelon 20 and Air 3100's. Again, ANR performance is great on all of them. But, one thing to mention on audio quality - while the Bose are great for aviation audio, and everyone lauds their audio performance, if you use them for music in flight (which I never do myself, but passengers do), I have found the frequency response of the Telex vastly superior and the Bose lacking. I would guess that Bose achieves some of their performance by somewhat adapting the frequency response to all that is required for communications because the high end drop off for music (at least for my particular A20s) is pretty noticeable, while my older Telex's sound much better for music. Still, I find the A20's super comfortable on long flights.
 
I've had Zulu 2, tried Bose, and then got my Zulu 2s upgraded to Zulu 3 specs. The Bose was hard wired into a plane I flew on a contract, so used them pretty much exclusively for several months. The only exception was on long trips. The Bose would squish my head too much and after about 2 hours, I'd have a headache. I can wear my Zulu 3s all day long, 7 hours of flying and no problems.

I boil it down to fit. Everyone's head is different, so each headset will fit a bit different. What's comfortable for one is different for another.

Lightspeed has been fantastic for customer service. I beat the snot out of mine. The outer shell has been with me for almost 5000 hours now and about 9 years. Got rebuilt once under warranty, and then again at about 7 years of age. It was the 7 year "overhaul" that they turned into Zulu 3 spec. The upgrade was quite inexpensive, especially considering the price of a new headset. They also threw in new consumables for free.

I'm sure Bose are great, but I love my Lightspeeds and they handle my professional pilot abuse
 
I have had two Lightspeed PFX's with LEMO plugs since they came out. I have always been very hapy with them. The Boes do not seem substantial enough for me.
 
I boil it down to fit. Everyone's head is different, so each headset will fit a bit different. What's comfortable for one is different for another.

This.....

As many have posted, the sound quality is good enough (for most people) across all of the brands mentioned. I was ready to pull the trigger on DC One X, mainly because of price and my experience with their durability on their passive models.

The only reason went back to Bose was 1) They've been the most comfortable (for my fat head) and 2) The trade in deal which made them cheaper than the DC One X.

BTW - They state your Bose X trade in's need not be in working order or even one piece to qualify for the rebate.
 
Bose A20s. In all fairness, I haven’t tried any other ANR headsets. After my son and I flew 50+ hours in a week in our -7 with the A20s and didn’t experience any discomfort and just about forgot we were wearing them, I didn’t see a reason to try anything else.
 
For 35 years used DC 1030's no ANR.(couldn't afford much else) Got hold of a set of S/H Sennheiser ANR's and they are super comfy, sh1t on the Boae & Zulu's for comfort BUT no Bluetooth!
I had to make a choice, Bose A20 won out for me.
 
As mentioned, everyone's head will fit differently. For me, the A20's are extremely uncomfortable after only a short time due to their top-hinged design. I went with the Zulu 3's and love them.

I hope my head is shaped like yours; I have two pair of Zulu 3s due to be delivered Monday.:eek:
 
The light clamping pressure and soft ear muffs (of Bose A20 headsets) provide the worst non ANR performance of any of my headsets. Loose battery power and they perform very poorly.

I totally agree....when the battery goes flat on the Bose they are virtually useless because they have very little passive noise reduction. I swapped from Bose to Zulu for that very reason.
 
The Zulu 3 and A20 Bose are both great, but there are a few minor differences that could affect your choice. I would rate the quality of construction and materials equal although the Bose appears to use more black plastic. The Zulu 3 has a metal headband which may look nicer if that's important. The Zulu 3 has their kevlar reinforced cord which is thin and flexible. Their earlier cord on the Zulu and Zulu 2 had complaints about the cord not being robust enough. I had both of those earlier Zulus and had no cord problems but battery life was short. The 3 has very good battery life. Same for the Bose. The cord on the Bose is also a reinforced type of construction but is a lot stiffer than on the 3. The distance between the dual plugs and the control head is shorter on the Bose and not long enough for the control unit to sit in the side pocket where I keep the Zulu 3 control. It has to hang loose.

Regarding comfort: The Zulu 3 has larger ear cups than the Bose and, having large ears, I find the Zulu more comfortable and easier to put on. The Bose fits OK, but I have to wiggle it on to get a good ear cup seal. Clamping force on either headset is fine for me and also for my wife. She loves her Zulu 3 though, which is saying something. If she's good, I'm good.

I think sound quality and ANR is about equal for these two headsets but I have only a few hours with the Bose and hundreds with the Zulu 3 so it may not be a good comparison. There is also the $200 price difference to consider.

Either of these would be a good choice but do the trial period offered before making the choice.
 
But they seem more fragile then my other headsets. The light clamping pressure and soft ear muffs provide the worst non ANR performance of any of my headsets. Loose battery power and they perform very poorly.
I spent the first 20 years as a pilot with NO headset so I've found the non-ANR performance of the A20 to be fine, but it's kind of moot since I always wear them with the ANR actually turned on. OTOH, my DC's and most other brands with their vise-like clamping pressure generally result in a headache and tenderness right behind my ears from where the ear cushions push against the temples of my glasses. That comfort from the decreased clamping pressure (30% less, IIRC?) and plush ear pads is a trade-off I'm more than willing to make against any perceived non-ANR noise reduction.

But like a lot of things...perception of comfort is going to vary a lot from person to person based largely on expectations and anatomy. Truly, one size doesn't fit all.
 
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when my lightspeed 20's died i had set of passive headsets lying around. they were very comfortable and their passive noise reduction was excellent. i bought a kit for converting to anr . couldn't be happier. i know the 20's weren't the quietest to come along but my conversion is at least as quiet and very comfortable and at 1/5 the price of some anr's.
 
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