KA-1 General Aviation Headset for Pilots - Mono and Stereo Compatibility, Passive Noise Reduction, Noise Canceling Microphone, Gel Ear Seals, Adjustable Headband & Headset Bag

I have had this headset for a year now, and honestly it is a great headset! I have flown in several aircraft and weather conditions, and have found that this headset works great! Yes, it is just a PNR headset. But that is okay! For clarity, I have used the low-priced David Clark H10 and a Telex, both PNR headsets. Also, I have used a Lightspeed ANR headset. First off, comfort. On long cross-country travel, I found the Kore to exceed my expectations both in fit and noise reduction. The padded top and the gel ear seal gave me greater comfort than either the David Clark or the Telex by far. The key to this is that the headset adjusted quite well for my round noggin. Now, this may be just because it is awesome, or like brands of motorcycle helmets one brand is better for your individual head shape than another. However I never got the Telex to fit right, and the DC headset was okay but not great as I have pretty friggin' large ears. The only negative I would have to say comfort wise is that the gel seals are good for cooler weather, but the covers (sold separately) are a must for me for warmer weather, as sweaty and sticky ear cups are not my cup of tea. But that alone will not cause me to lower my rating. Sound quality is also good, definitely beating the Telex. While it will not compare to ANR headsets in terms of noise canceling, it really makes a difference and allows me to hear the engine noise but still have a good conversation with my passenger. Plus, no batteries AND I did not spend $900 or more on a perfectly good but expensive headset! I am hoping to try this out in an open cockpit this summer, and will update my review for that purpose if that time comes. The only other thing that I realize I have never done as I am writing this is use the 3.5mm audio jack. If I ever decide to try this, I will update that as well. I think my only real negative is that the carrying case for the KA-1 really does only fit it and its cables, and quite snugly. Personally, I would prefer just a smidge more spacing in the case. But again, this is a very very minor inconvenience and definitely does not warrant lowering the rating at all. Overall, this headset has been so good for me that I have recommended this to new students, flight veterans looking for a low-cost headset for them or a passenger, or any pilot that I come across. Really. Again, each brand fits one's head differently, so my experience may not be the end-all be-all. However for me, this trusty, comfortable, and low-cost headset won me over from my first use, and has kept me pleasantly satisfied.

A review of any product begins with context: I'm a pilot (mostly Skyhawks), typically fly twice a month for no more than 3 hours per hop. I've owned/used the Kore for going on five years now. Initially I bought the core as it was less than $200 back in 2018. Going in as a student I didn't want to spend too much money on a headset as I was just learning, well, everything. Noise cancelling isn't an option in this heads, know this going in as well. But as a student I wanted to be sure to learn the noise of the engine, hear the different pitches with applied throttle. Overall the headphones still cancel out a good amount of noise due to quality of the ear muffs but there's still some noise not surprisingly. Fortunately this does not have any effect upon mic volume/sound. The sound across the radio is clear. I'm not an audiophile but I can clearly hear others in the plane/pattern/ATC and they can clearly hear me. Can't speak for other headsets but I'm the most clear speaking with the mic slightly touching my lips. As long as my headphones are snug on my head, the mic is well positioned I can very clearly communicate with everyone. It's was very reassuring when someone said something over the radio and my CFI would ask "what did they say?" and I could repeat what they said perfectly. I love the individual volume control nobs on the headset, an absolute must for comfort and clarity as when you're flying with someone else (CFI, fellow pilot, passenger, whomever) they might want to turn the overall volume knob up or down rather than fine-tuning their headsets. Had a CFI who would turn down the volume for radio traffic so he could talk but would forget to turn it back up. I would simply turn up the volume in my headset so I could hear what's going on in the background. Safety first, listen to traffic and make your calls airmen! Comfort is good. There's a break-in period not surprisingly but once you get the headset adjusted for your noggin's shape it's no problem wearing the headset continuously for a few hours. In the summer it can be a bit warm, that's perhaps the only time it is slightly uncomfortable but even then it's very trivial. I'm sure there are more comfortable headsets out there but you're also paying a premium for them. If you're looking for a headset for your passengers, a backup headset for yourself, or even a somewhat frequently used headset, this is your best bet. At the price point I can guarantee that you will not find a better one.

Amazing product! For new pilots, students or for a second set to have for your passengers, this is incredible!! To be honest, I will keep this as my main as long as it will last. Yes it’s not ANR like the Bose or Zulu, but for the price, the performance, comfort, and quality is unmatched. If you are a student, get this. Save the money and put it towards flying. So far, I am loving this and have no complaints. The mic is great, and the noise cancellation is great, even though it’s not ANR I don’t feel like I was a concert after flying. It’s does a great job for what it is. I love that I don’t have to worry about charging or batteries. and it is not a heavy headset either!

TWO YEAR UPDATE: I know it ain't much in two years, but 80 hours later and they are still going strong. The sound is still the same caliber as brand-new, the gel-pads are still soft and the memory aspect of the gel is intact. Bottom line is I would purchase again if needed. Original Post in 2019: Hello everyone! Please Read before purchase: I recently have had the privilege of using one of these KA-1s on my 15th PPL Flight lesson. I have also have had the pleasure of using Bose A20s. Before then I was using some pretty used up, nasty, and worn down Clarks(unsure of model) and Faro G2s. Due to the nature of my KA-1 being brand new, it's a little hard to compare against the other two (baised lol). I will say the KA-1 sounds much clearer than the other two. The gel-based ear cushions sit very, yet surprisingly, comfortable. I thought the cushions would feel tight after a while but after an hour, I could keep flying. I do need to try cross-country! The outside noise is blocked very nicely and the sound is very clear on the inside. There will always be a noticeable difference with the A20s due to noise-cancelling capabilities obviously, but I was very surprised I could understand everything! The older two headsets were too "rough" sounding in certain scenarios. Bottom line the reason I purchased these is because I have A20s in mind for the future. If I was going to spend 500-600 on noise cancellation, might as well go big or go home! Murica'! But before then I needed something cheap but decent. The KA-1 definitely delivers!

I'm a student pilot with just around 10 flight hours under my belt, so I am absolutely no expert when it comes to distinguishing from good and bad headsets. However, I will say this: for a headset under $200, it works like a charm. In order to allocate as much of my funds towards training as possible, my decision to buy this product was simple: highly reviewed, and inexpensive. The build is nice and sturdy, the gel pads block out sound very nicely, and I've experienced no trouble at all with the clarity of the speakers or microphone. The knobs used to lock the adjustment of the headphones is a fantastic feature as well. I couldn't think of a more economical, quality headset at my side, as I crank out the hours. I certainly have no intention of replacing them anytime soon. Update: I’m now we’ll over 100 hours into my training, and working on my instrument rating. I made the big leap to the Bose A20s and before I say anything further, the Kore headset, for me, is still a 5 star headset. That being said, the difference is huge, as expected from a $1000 headset. I won’t spend time comparing the two because there’s no point. One is $1000, and you get a level of quality of equal measure. Another is under $200 and you get a level of quality that far exceeds the value. I only say this because now that I have used the A20s and love it, they also made me appreciate the Kore headset even more than before. I used the Kore headset through and through, and loved every moment of it. It served to block out sound nicely in the noisy Cessna 172 that I was training in, and later on in a Diamond DA20. It now serves as my backup headset, and is also occasionally used when I take passengers. It’s sturdy as a rock, delivers on sound clarity, noise reduction, microphone quality, and comfortability. Thanks for this amazing product Kore!

This headset has provided me excellent noise reduction, audio clarity, and microphone pickup for a great price. I bought it based on a friend's recommendation, as I work towards my PPL. I considered the Bose A20 and Lightspeed offerings as well. I chose this due to reading that passive noise reduction (PNR) may be superior to active noise reduction (ANR) for some applications, in my case it's training on a LSA with Rotax engine (4 cylinder boxer engine). Advantages: - The top ANR headsets (Bose, Lightspeed) have very little shielding (PNR) built-in, so if your battery runs out, you're wearing a useless headset. While training, I did NOT want to worry about batteries on top of everything else and here I don't have to. - ANR algorithms may not work as well for some noises, for me I heard most ANR is not optimized for the noise out of piston rotax engines, more optimized for turbofans and turboprops. This PNR headset will shield you no matter the source of noise. Disadvantages: - PNR needs good seals, which is why aviator sunglasses have such narrow arms. My aviators fit just fine and the thick gel ear pads seal around them nicely. I probably couldn't rock big-eye Gucci sunglasses though. - Weight of the sound shielding. I was worried about the weight of this headset but it seems to be lighter than stated on specs, and doesn't seem to bother me at all. For the microphone, it's a high quality electret type noise cancelling mic. I added a MicMuff and my voice is clearer than my CFI's Bose A20 now. Otherwise with all electret mic's you have to make sure you don't blow the air vent right on it otherwise it'll mess up the noise cancelling. Overall a superb headset and I'll keep using it.

Mic goes in out and out and have only had the headset for 3 months.

After using this product for several months now going through my initial PPL training I have to save for the price it's an unbeatable headset that any student pilot should have in their flight bag. Volume control is great each air can be individually adjusted in the mic boom adjustability is also fantastic the sound quality that you get through the mic is also great. However as you probably noticed when you started reading this review there's three stars instead of four or five and I'll tell you the reason why. The gel ear cups are extremely comfortable and make it easy to wear this headset for a long period of time especially on Long cross countries however the ear cups will periodically fall off of the headset and in Flight when you're adjusting your headset sometimes which can cause a very very annoying distraction which can lead to disorientation in the cockpit which could lead to unsafe conditions. Now I know that's a bit extreme but in terms of being completely transparent on a product review people should know this is what can happen other than that this headset Works fantastic and I'll be utilizing this in my flight bag when I start carrying passengers in the future. I just wish that the headset I received didn't have this problem otherwise it's a five-star review