BOSE now offer the QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones.
Reviews are very positive and friends that bought them for $300 confirm the impression. Noise cancelling is supposed to be as good as with the larger around-ear models.
Apart from only costing $300 (compared to $1000 for the aviation headsets), they also come at a much smaller form factor and possibly higher comfort than the large around-ear models. With glasses, the noise cancelling of the around-ear models is not as good because the braces disturb the sealing.
Now if there was a good microphone that could be combined with the QuietComfort 20 and a set of adapter plugs, I might want to give it a try for cockpit use. I have tried the Phonak in-ear aviation headset but it does not have any active noise cancelling and I found it to be rather poor. The BOSE in-ear could be a real game changer.
With glasses, the noise cancelling of the around-ear models is not as good because the braces disturb the sealing.
I use these for that problem, and they seem to work quite well.
I lift my glasses and rest them on top of my headset...
actually why didn't you notice and take the piss last time we flew Achim? :)
I too lift my glasses over the top.
Looks weird but I don't care. The oxygen cannula just improves on the overall effect 
Years ago I bought the now-discontinued Lightspeed Mach 1 in-ear headset. It was not at all cheap but worked really well, and the mike was absolutely the best I have ever used. Unfortunately there was a big problem with it: if you nudged it, the gap created around the "earplug" let in a load of noise. This made it useless and I sold it on US Ebay while it was still trendy.
I think a lot of people who use these in-ear headsets for real get custom earplugs made. Headset Services at Shoreham used to do those; again not cheap at about £100-150 a set.
Well, the BOSE is different from the rest. It is the first time that there is an in-ear headset with active noise cancelling and it actually works. My friends and all reviews I found say that the supplied ear pieces are very good and do not hurt even after hours.
If I figure out a good way to combine it with a microphone, I will give it a try.
I often fly over the Luftwaffe airbase Manching/Ingolstadt and there is always a chance to have a Eurofighter turn up right next to your cockpit. Therefore I can't risk looking like a complete idiot with the glasses tilted. Also it distorts the image too much in my case.
there is always a chance to have a Eurofighter turn up right next to your cockpit.
Can they fly slow enough to have a good look :)
So with the QuietComfort® 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones, how do you talk to ATC?
That is what the handheld microphone in the plane is for!
Ah yes Jason, I forgot :-)
