Choosing the right aviation headset is one of the most important decisions you make when it comes to equipping yourself for flight. A comfortable, quality headset is an important purchase. At its most basic, a headset allows you to communicate with ATC and/or others in your cockpit with clarity, provides vital hearing protection and lets you enjoy your flight.
To determine which of our many headsets is right for you, we've listed a few basic questions in our aviation headset buying guide you should focus on:
You can also explore our comparison charts for side-by-side comparisons of all our best-selling headsets and their features.
What Type Of Aircraft Are You Flying?
Generally speaking, we break down the types of aircraft you may be piloting into two groups: general aviation and commercial. The distinction makes a big difference in what headset features may be most important to you.
General Aviation
When choosing a headset for general aviation, typically you’ll need to focus on:
- Noise Cancellation: Above all else, as these cockpits tend to be very loud.
- Full-Dome Over-Ear Headset: For maximum comfort and stability.
- Active Noise Reduction (ANR): Read on to learn more about this feature.
Most of the lighter, commercial headsets won’t work in a general aviation aircraft because they won’t block out enough noise. You may be tempted to try and make one work, but trust us, you’ll regret it.
Commercial
On the other hand, commercial pilots may have a little more flexibility when choosing a pro/commercial headset, and should consider:
- Comfort: Since commercial flights tend to be a lot longer than general aviation flights, you’ll want to look for something lightweight and on-ear rather than over-ear.
- TSO (Technical Standard Order) Headsets: These are certified by the FAA to handle catastrophic environments (such as electrical failures, freezing temperatures, etc) ensuring that they’ll be reliable.
Since commercial cockpits are much quieter, noise cancellation is less of a factor, but a good ANR headset is always the preferred option.
Best Commercial Aviation Headsets
Is Your Headset Comfortable?
Depending on the length of your flight, you could be wearing your headset for hours at a time, and it won’t take long for an uncomfortable headset to feel more like an instrument of torture rather than a critical aviation tool.
That considered, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Headset Weight
When it comes to headset weight, the considerations are more about comfort than functionality.
- Lighter headsets are generally easier to wear.
- Heavier headsets aren't necessarily worse, nor are lighter ones inherently better.
- Most modern headsets are lightweight, making heavy, clunky models a rarity.
- Almost every headset on the market today is what you would consider “lightweight”.
Headband Hinge Placement
The way your headset fits over your head is a very important thing to consider.
- Hinge placement on the headband is crucial to how the headset feels when worn.
- The headband connects the earcups and can have hinges either in the middle or at both ends.
- To determine hinge preference, try on different headsets.
- Consider borrowing headsets from instructors or seatmates for comparison.
Middle Hinge Headset
Side Hinge Headsets
Over-Ear vs On-Ear vs In-Ear Headsets
Like we've already discussed, how your headset fits over your ears is heavily dependent on whether you're flying commercial or general aviation.
Beyond that, the main thing to consider is personal preference. What feels best on your ears?
When it comes to in-ear, the Clarity Aloft headset is a bit of a unicorn: it's an in-ear headset that doesn't have active noise reduction (more on that below) because it doesn't need it - it blocks your entire ear canal! So if you want to go that route, look to the Clarity Aloft Pro Plus (TSO) for commercial, and the standard Clarity Aloft for general aviation.
In-Ear Aviation Headsets
How Much Noise Reduction Do You Need?
A headset's ability to reduce the noise of the cockpit is critical, especially for pilots who fly in louder cockpits.
Active Noise Reduction vs. Passive Noise Reduction
All aviation headsets will provide what is known as Passive Noise Reduction (PNR), which is the physical blocking of cockpit noise, but other headsets can go a step further by providing Active Noise Reduction (ANR).
Passive Noise Reduction (PNR):
- Provides physical blocking of cockpit noise (provided in all aviation headsets).
- Easier on the budget, especially for beginner pilots.
- Less effective in noise reduction over time compared to ANR.
Active Noise Reduction (ANR):
- Offers additional electronic noise canceling for enhanced hearing protection.
- Reduces fatigue and protects hearing more effectively than PNR.
- Generally more costly but often of better quality.
- Requires a strong seal around the ears; thick eyeglass frames may disrupt this seal, causing feedback or sound distortion.
- Recommended to wear eyeglasses with thin frames for optimal performance.
Level Of Cockpit Noise
For pilots who fly light aircraft or piston-engine planes, noise reduction is a critical element of selecting a headset which may supersede other considerations. They may want to consider a full-dome headset, which has two ear cups that surround the wearer's ear, and may prefer ANR rather than just PNR.
Pilots who fly commercial aircraft (or any other quieter cockpit) have the luxury of being able to focus more on comfort than noise.
See our above section on comfort for tips on choosing a comfortable headset.
Best ANR Headsets
Good Passive Aviation Headsets
Bluetooth Capabilities
Bluetooth capability has become a standard feature in…well, just about everything it seems. There are aviation headsets that also carry this capability, but even headsets that don’t have bluetooth out of the box can be equipped with it through the use of adapters.
However, there is an important distinction to be made here: When thinking of a “bluetooth headset,” you may be thinking about a wireless headset that you might use for things like gaming or Zoom meetings. That is not what a bluetooth aviation headset is.
- Aviation headsets with Bluetooth still require a cable to connect to the aviation panel.
- Wireless functionality in headsets isn't for mobility within the cockpit.
- Bluetooth is used to connect to cell phones or tablets wirelessly.
- Facilitates access to weather and traffic reports.
- Allows listening to music and making calls in emergencies without extra wires.
Best Bluetooth Aviation Headsets
Still need help finding the right headset for your needs? Explore our side-by-side comparison charts for ANR Headsets, Passive Headsets, and Commercial/Pro Headsets:
