Headsets

If you're not sure which headset will be right for you, Sporty's Test Flight Guarantee can be a major benefit. Take your headset flying and make sure it works for you. Sporty's Test Flight Guarantee requires no paperwork and no hassle. It's just another reason why we are the #1 headset dealer in aviation.

Buying your first headset can be confusing. There are a lot of things to consider: passive noise reduction (PNR) vs. active noise reduction (ANR), plug types, Bluetooth, aux inputs, ear seals, microphones, and finally mono vs. stereo. While we won’t tackle every subject in one blog, we will attempt to answer that age old question: Do I need a mono or stereo headset?

Buying an aviation headset is a surprisingly personal decision. There is no "right answer" for every pilot—it depends on the type of flying you do, what airplane you fly most often and your personal preferences. Here are a few things to consider as you compare models.

Panel-powered headsets (often called LEMO plug headsets, after the connector used) are a great way to enjoy active noise reduction but without having to worry about batteries—just plug into the panel and go flying. But what if you want to use the headsets outside of a LEMO environment? If you're flying in a plane that doesn't have a LEMO plug, you will need an adapter that could not only go from LEMO to PJ plugs, but also provide power for your ANR. Here's how it works.

When Bose told us about the A30, the legendary audio company’s first new around-ear headset in over a decade, we knew we had a lot of testing to do. A headset is one of the few products that gets used on every single flight, so our standards for evaluating them are sky high. Could the A30 match its predecessor’s performance? The only way to answer that question is to fly it in a variety of airplanes, because test benches really don’t tell you much about how a headset feels. Here’s what we found after flying it in five different airplanes, ranging from a single engine piston to a twin engine jet.

Lightspeed Aviation is known for thinking outside the box when it comes to headset innovation, and their latest product continues that tradition. The new Delta Zulu headset incorporates their best ANR technology ever, but this platform can do more than traditional aviation headsets. Everything from the ANR box to the integrated CO detector has been reengineered for maximum efficiency in the cockpit. As always, Sporty’s team of expert pilots took the new Delta Zulu for a bunch of test flights. Here's what we found.

Aviation headsets can be a sizable investment for pilots. Plopping down over a thousand dollars for something that will protect your hearing is a common practice for modern pilots (and a smart choice). After spending that hard-earned money on a headset, what can we do to make sure we get the most life out of our investment? Here are four things you can do to maximize the performance of your Bose, Lightspeed, or David Clark.