We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-07 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a wired headset for clear two-way voice on calls, online classes or long Zoom sessions, choose EKSA Headsets; if you need passive hearing protection that shields a child's ears from loud environments, choose ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling. I get asked about "headphones for airplane" all the time, and these two products sit at opposite ends of that conversation — one is a lightweight on-ear headset with a boom mic, the other is a pair of certified ear muffs. And if you're reading this because you're also hunting for best open ear earbuds for fishing or noise canceling earbuds for fishing, the same logic applies: match the tool to the noise problem. Neither of these is a fishing product, but the decision process is identical. Here's how to think about it.
• EKSA Headsets' biggest strength: a 3.5mm wired connection with a bendable omnidirectional boom mic and in-line mute/volume, so you can talk and be heard without installing anything.
• EKSA Headsets' biggest trade-off: it's wired, so there's no wireless freedom, and its noise control is sound isolation rather than active cancellation.
• ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling's biggest strength: a 25dB NRR rating and ANSI S3.19 / CE EN 352.1 compliance, with a 2-pack in blue and pink for two kids.
• ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling's biggest trade-off: it's ear protection, not a listening device — no mic, no audio playback, no Bluetooth.
• Who EKSA is for: adults and students who need a dependable wired headset for calls, teaching or meetings.
• Who ZOHAN is for: parents of kids roughly 3 to 16 who need to cut loud noise at school, fireworks, monster truck shows or travel.
The EKSA H12 is a wired 3.5mm computer headset, and everything about it is built around the microphone. The boom twists in any direction so you can park it right where your voice is loudest, and the omnidirectional mic has a frequency response of 100Hz to 5000Hz — a speech-focused range rather than a music-focused one. That tells you what it's designed for: making your voice sound clear to whoever is on the other end. The 1.8m / 6ft cord is the other clue. That's a lot of cable, and it's there so you can stand up, pace, or reach for a notebook mid-call without yanking your laptop off the desk.
Where it falls short: the 32 ohm impedance and 105dB sensitivity mean it's easy to drive, but this is a voice-first product. The driver covers 20Hz to 20kHz, so music and movies are perfectly listenable, yet the tuning and the mic-first design make it a call tool above all. The sound isolation is passive — it physically blocks some outside noise, but it won't erase a jet engine or a lawn mower. If you need wireless, keep looking.
Buy it if you spend your day on calls, teach online, or want a headset you can plug into almost anything without thinking about it. Skip it if you want active noise cancellation for air travel, or you need a product for a child rather than for yourself.
ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling: Who It's For
The ZOHAN Kids ear muffs are a completely different category of product, and it's worth being blunt about that. These are hearing protection, not headphones. There's no microphone, no cable, no audio input. What they do is reduce the noise reaching a child's ears by a rated 25dB NRR, and they're tested to ANSI S3.19 and CE EN 352.1. That's the whole point of the product, and it's a meaningful one — for a kid who is oversensitive to sound, or simply standing near a monster truck rally or a fireworks show, cutting that much noise changes the experience entirely.
The design is aimed at children specifically. The headband adjusts and the ear cups swivel a full 360°, which lets them sit flat against the head or fold away for storage. ZOHAN sizes them for roughly 3 to 16 years old. The pads are soft PU leather over high-density soundproof sponge, and the headband is shaped to reduce pressure during extended wear. The package includes two pairs, one blue and one pink, which is a genuinely practical choice for siblings or for keeping one at home and one in a backpack.
Two practical notes from the spec sheet. First, they weigh about 0.5kg as a set, so they're not featherweight, though the padding is there to offset that. Second, ZOHAN recommends stretching the muffs over the packaging box for at least 12 hours before first use for the best comfort fit — a small step that's easy to skip and worth doing. The materials are PU leather and durable, non-toxic ABS.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for two-way voice calls and online meetings → EKSA Headsets. The boom mic and in-line mute are the entire reason this product exists.
• Best for blocking loud environments for a child → ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling. A 25dB NRR is a measured protection figure, not a marketing phrase.
• Best for airplane travel with a kid → ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling. Over-ear passive protection is the right shape for engine drone and airport chaos.
• Best for airplane travel if you want to listen to something → neither, honestly. EKSA is wired and voice-first; ZOHAN has no audio at all. Shop for a dedicated travel headphone instead.
• Best for plug-and-play simplicity → EKSA Headsets. No pairing, no charging, no app. Plug into a 3.5mm jack and talk.
• Best for families with two kids → ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling. It ships as a two-pack in blue and pink.
• Best for long sessions → EKSA Headsets. At 150g with leather-feel pads and an adjustable headband, it's built for hours at a desk.
• Best for sensitivity to sound → ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling. That's the design brief, and the certification backs it up.
• Best touch control headphone for fishing → neither. EKSA's control method is listed as touch in its spec sheet but the product is a wired mic headset; if touch control and open-ear fit matter to you on the water, that's a separate search.
For a child who needs real hearing protection — on a plane, at a stadium, at a fireworks show or just at a loud school — I'd buy the ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling ear muffs. The 25dB NRR, the ANSI and CE testing, the adjustable 360° cups and the two-pack all point to a product that does one job and does it properly. The EKSA Headsets are a genuinely good wired office headset, and I'd recommend them without hesitation for calls and teaching — but they're solving a different problem. If you came here searching for headphones for airplane use or best open ear earbuds for fishing, be honest with yourself about what you actually need: hearing protection or a microphone. They're not interchangeable.
FAQ
what headphones for airplane
what is the best headphones for airplanes
It depends on the job. If the job is protecting a kid's ears from cabin noise, I'd pick the ZOHAN Kids Noise Cancelling muffs for their rated 25dB NRR and ANSI S3.19 / CE EN 352.1 compliance. If the job is making clear calls, the EKSA H12 with its bendable boom mic is the better tool — but it won't silence a plane.
what earphones for airplane
Strictly speaking, neither of these is an earphone. EKSA is an on-ear wired headset with a 3.5mm jack and a 6ft cord; ZOHAN is an over-the-head ear muff set with no cable. If you specifically want in-ear models for travel, that's a different category of product.
what kind of headphones for airplane
Look for over-ear passive protection if you're shielding a child, and active noise cancellation if you're an adult who wants quiet for listening. The ZOHAN Kids set covers the first case with a 25dB NRR and a foldable, adjustable design sized for roughly ages 3 to 16.
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