Aviation Headsets on Commercial Flights

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BPM

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BPM
Not another "what headset should I buy" thread.

Has anyone/does anyone use their ANR headsets while a passenger on commercial flights?

I ask because I have to travel commercial for work. Instead of purchasing a dedicated set of ANR headphones, and a separate set for flying, if feasible, I would like purchase one pair and get use during both activities.

Any feedback/thoughts/advice on whether or not this is worth pursuing would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
Aviation headsets don't usually have the best audio quality compared to the offerings of B&O, Sennheiser, Bose, and Sony on their consumer units. The ANR probably functions about as well, but there's far less noise to filter out of a commercial airliner cabin than a piston-GA airplane anyway. They'll be bulkier/heavier than the audio-only sets, and you have to deal with a cable/cord and possibly large GA plugs to convert to 3.5mm headset jack or use bluetooth (crappy audio compression). If it's me, I wouldn't bother with an aviation headset at all. It's just the wrong tool for the job.
 
midlifeflyer said:
When I saw the title of the post I was expecting one of those "let them know I'm available to fly if necessary" threads :D
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Just make sure you have your certificate out in full view of the cabin crew, and maybe some charts/tablet w/Garmin Pilot/FF/flying magazines at the ready.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Just make sure you have your certificate out in full view of the cabin crew, and maybe some charts/tablet w/Garmin Pilot/FF/flying magazines at the ready.
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My EFB is out during those flights, but that is so I can tell the passenger next to me I'm remote controlling the flight.
 
SoonerAviator said:
The ANR probably functions about as well, but there's far less noise to filter out of a commercial airliner cabin than a piston-GA airplane anyway.
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You’d be surprised. The Bose QC’s make a significant difference on a commercial flight as far as noise reduction.
 
I’ve worn my Lightspeeds. Allowed me to listen to music/movies and made a big difference in cabin noise. I saw no reason to buy a dedicated set of ANR’s just for music/movies when I already had my flying set.
 
Or depending on what kind of flying you do, go the other way when you mix commercial/private flying. Buy the Bose QC35 and a UFlyMike.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Just make sure you have your certificate out in full view of the cabin crew, and maybe some charts/tablet w/Garmin Pilot/FF/flying magazines at the ready.
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Reading a copy of Flight Training magazine is discouraged, but it’s good to have a copy with you to hand to the pilot if he makes a hard landing.
 
I wouldn't. It looks ridiculous.

SoonerAviator said:
Aviation headsets don't usually have the best audio quality compared to the offerings of B&O, Sennheiser, Bose, and Sony on their consumer units. The ANR probably functions about as well, but there's far less noise to filter out of a commercial airliner cabin than a piston-GA airplane anyway. They'll be bulkier/heavier than the audio-only sets, and you have to deal with a cable/cord and possibly large GA plugs to convert to 3.5mm headset jack or use bluetooth (crappy audio compression). If it's me, I wouldn't bother with an aviation headset at all. It's just the wrong tool for the job.
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Bose QC35s make airline cabins like home theaters.
 
I've done it. One less thing to carry on the trip. Rotate the mic up to the headband and it's not very noticeable. Can't speak to the audio quality as all I was after was the noise cancellation.
 
Kritchlow said:
I would think having a microphone would look a bit goofy.
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Rotate it so it’s pointed up and say it’s an antenna.

when they ask, “what’s an antenna?” you explain the voices.

when you start worrying about looking goofy on an airliner, just look around a bit...you’ll feel better.
 
Sony MDRZX110.

They fold flat so they’ll fit in your carry on, they don’t make you look like a moron, and they’re $15 on Amazon.
 
N1120A said:
I wouldn't. It looks ridiculous.



Bose QC35s make airline cabins like home theaters.
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Just about any decent on-ear/over-ear headphones or earbuds will do that. The passive part will work well enough by itself. I’m not saying that ANR isn’t nice/effective on commercial flights, just that I’m not sure the ANR flight headset would be programmed like QC35 (or other ANR music headsets) so it may not work as well, in addition to likely having inferior drivers for audio quality. If it’s me, I go get the Sony or B&O headsets and be happier. Bose comes in 3rd for me.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Just about any decent on-ear/over-ear headphones or earbuds will do that. The passive part will work well enough by itself. I’m not saying that ANR isn’t nice/effective on commercial flights, just that I’m not sure the ANR flight headset would be programmed like QC35 (or other ANR music headsets) so it may not work as well, in addition to likely having inferior drivers for audio quality. If it’s me, I go get the Sony or B&O headsets and be happier. Bose comes in 3rd for me.
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The ANR on the B&O and Sony isn't as good. The only competitor to Bose I'd go with is Sennheiser.
 
I have used my a20s in a pinch, but pretty awkward... Better to buy a bose or sony anr and uflymike.
 
N1120A said:
The ANR on the B&O and Sony isn't as good. The only competitor to Bose I'd go with is Sennheiser.
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Just about every audio reviewer says otherwise. The Sony 1000X-M3 knocks the Bose offerings off the top of the pedestal. The B&O ANR isn’t as good as Bose, but the sound quality is noticeably better than any other option. I doubt most would notice slightly less capable ANR unless they could try to compare it in a variety of different environments to see how it reacted. The audio driver difference is noticeably better in any environment.
 
Half Fast said:
Reading a copy of Flight Training magazine is discouraged, but it’s good to have a copy with you to hand to the pilot if he makes a hard landing.
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With a generous amount of pink highlighter on the relevant pages.
 
BPM said:
Has anyone/does anyone use their ANR headsets while a passenger on commercial flights?
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I use my Bose A20 on commercial flights.. I just leave the little mouthpiece flipped up. Works great, and the sound quality is great when I plug it into the IFE. Never had anyone question it and I've been doing it for 3 years. I assume most people simply think it might be for gaming (with the mouthpiece) and all, and recognize "Bose" from other consumer brands
 
donjohnston said:
It's "2001: A Space Odyssey".

And it's depressing to think that movie was set almost 20 years ago.
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True; pardon the typo

Depressing on many levels actually, especially (for me) how the quality of cinema has dwindled. How many Fast and Furious are there now?

Easter egg.. for all the people who hated Star Wars Phantom Menace, Watto has the EVA pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey in his junkyard.. see it back there?
upload_2020-2-18_12-13-55.png

There's a whole sub genre fan theory of how it ended up there... with Star Wars being set in a galaxy far away and a long time ago.. and all that. It could be accidental, but given that Lucas was in charge back then (before Disney REALLY came in and destroyed it) I imagine it was not done by accident.
 
I never noticed that. I guess when HAL didn't open the pod bay doors that it just blew out into space and ended up on whatever that planet was. :D

Although I did see Indiana Jones at the Pod Race.
 
Tantalum said:
Some really cool proper high end stuff.. https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/spe...UpN1JqhipF5g4k4tko0omLntUTE5Z0I0aAu9HEALw_wcB

If I ever want to give my home that "Space Odyssey 2001" feel I'm going all B&O

FWIW.. my former boss and sister had a very heave B&O home and while expensive and cool looking, they were not dependable.. both ended up going with Sony ultimately.
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Yeah, the only thing I'd buy from B&O is speakers or headsets. I'd leave the SmartHome/all-in-one systems to companies that are better suited to the task. Even in terms of home audio, I'm not a "B&O guy" but my side-by-side comparison of ANR-headsets with Bose, Sony, and Sennheiser left me with the B&O sound being unmatched in tone/clarity/responsiveness. They didn't have the ergonomics or tech of the the others (touch interfaces, ANR, compact folding, etc.) but they win the sound competition hands-down.

Side note: there's a good chance we'll be buying a used Expedition Limited in the next year, which has the B&O sound system. I've yet to hear it, but hopefully it does the name justice and isn't just a licensing agreement.
 
SoonerAviator said:
isn't just a licensing agreement
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Back in 2016 (when we were last looking at cars) the fancy BMW trim package offered Harman Kardon, however looking through the grate it was just your every day crappy car paper speaker and the sound quality was not good. The guy even had a custom CD to show off the speakers, but they just didn't have the same depth as (believe it or not) the stock Nissan Altima speakers

But good luck to you, hopefully the Ford and B&O guys did it right
 
Tantalum said:
Back in 2016 (when we were last looking at cars) the fancy BMW trim package offered Harman Kardon, however looking through the grate it was just your every day crappy car paper speaker and the sound quality was not good. The guy even had a custom CD to show off the speakers, but they just didn't have the same depth as (believe it or not) the stock Nissan Altima speakers

But good luck to you, hopefully the Ford and B&O guys did it right
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Yeah, I understand that, although admittedly I'm not sure that Harman Kardon would have been much on the speakers anyway since they were more known for their electronics/amplifiers. They're kind of a shell of the company they once were, when they were a premium AVR manufacturer. I think they pretty much just adopted the JBL speaker lines and are sticking to the Home Theater In a Box and portable bluetooth audio stuff. I generally dislike Bose in autos as well, but the full-size GM SUVs (Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade) with the Bose system are fairly competent.

Side note: I do own a 10" Harman Kardon home theater subwoofer that I got free with a set of Klipsch speakers I bought off of CL. It does okay for what it is, but seems designed more for interior fashion than superior audio characteristics.
 
Tantalum said:
lol
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You think I'm kidding! It does it's job for low-level listening, but struggles at higher volumes and gets muddy if there's a lot of activity going on (think Pirates of the Caribbean).

harman_kardon_sub-ts11.jpg
 
Omalley1537 said:
I’ve worn my Lightspeeds. Allowed me to listen to music/movies and made a big difference in cabin noise. I saw no reason to buy a dedicated set of ANR’s just for music/movies when I already had my flying set.
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Same here.
 
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