As city-based consumers, what we demand of our rinky-dink headphones is simple: "Block out traffic noise so I can make a phone call and be heard." Worst-case scenario, your girlfriend thinks you said "STD" when you were trying to say "FTP," and you'll sort it out later in a Three's-Company-esque way with little harm done.

Professional pilots, on the other hand, have greater demands for a headset: "Block out the sound of loud, droning airplane engines so I can clearly communicate with the air-traffic controller and not kill myself and all these passengers. Also, make the headset comfortable enough to wear on long-haul flights, and create some way I can hear my nagging co-pilot without removing the headphones." Not to mention they need different plugs depending on if they're flying a Boeing or an Airbus.Sennheiser has designed their 26 series of headphones for this latter market segment, producing a lightweight, comfortable, and non-bulky headset. The design of the earcup effectively and passively takes care of the ambient noise, while an optional "talk-through" function enables you to hear things in the cabin; modular cables sort out Boeing and Airbus plug needs; and one of the ear cups can be easily flipped up off of your ear in case you want to confirm that the copilot just screamed "Oh, shit!"

via gizmag