From the recommended basic to the more expensive and advanced active noise cancelling headsets, we believe these represent the best options.
The best recommendation we can provide is to buy a headset with Active Noise Reduction (ANR). The passive headsets are far less expensive, however without noise cancelling there is a noticeable low-frequency “droning” sound from the engine during the flight and understanding radio transmissions is far more difficult.
Also, ANR headsets can have the Bluetooth option which usually isn’t that important until you start flying IFR, departing a non-towered airport and need to call ARTCC on the phone to obtain your departure clearance. Something to think about as a future need, not really necessary when starting out.
If you want a deal, V Speed Aviation LLC has partnered with Kore Aviation for a discount link for an affordable non-ANR headset below. For the expensive ones, just perform a search for the product you are looking for to find the best deal and look for sales or discount codes. We frequently use MyPilotStore.com for new items, but using eBay and buying slightly used ANR headsets is another option. Find a reputable seller as there are many pilots that simply decide the pilot life isn’t for them and put their equipment up for sale.
Below is a quick list of the typical choices for headsets that we would consider. However, on August 4th, 2025, the website AVweb.com put together a very good article on the various heavyweights and a couple of alternate choices to consider.
Considerably less expensive than the Bose headset, but still a great choice that has Active Noise Cancelling and includes Bluetooth connectivity; the Zulu 4 headset (now replaced by the new Lightspeed Delta Zulu headset with built-in CO detector) is what we recommend first:
For a budget-friendly headset that doesn’t have active noise cancelling, but is becoming popular in the aviation community, the Kore Aviation KA-1 headset is a solid choice. Kore Aviation reached out to us, without realizing we were already recommending their headsets, and offered to provide everyone reading this a 10% discount if you use this link. This is a great opportunity to get an affordable headset and get flying quickly without breaking the bank.
When price is not a consideration and you want the top-of-the-line aviation headset, the Bose A20/A30 is considered the gold standard for noise reduction (depending on who you ask) and the one to get. It has lots of bells and whistles (but not a CO detector like the Lightspeed Delta Zulu) with a price to match for buying the Bose brand:
