Connectors and adapters: for highly connected aviation headsets!

Equipping yourself with a pilot headset also means equipping yourself with the right connectivity. It's probably never been easier to plug in your headset, whether to power it, communicate with your cockpit companions, or with the ground… as long as you have the right cable, corresponding to both the aircraft's plug and the features of your headset.
A headache? Not really, once you know how to differentiate the various types of connectors and their uses. That’s what we’re going to… untangle in this article.

Connectors and adapters

Let's start by reviewing the different types of connectors you might encounter on an aircraft.
The most common one is undoubtedly the dual jack connector.
But beyond this standard, you might also encounter single jacks, Lemo connectors, XLR-5 connectors (which are commonly found on Airbus aircraft), or the U-174 connector, which is specific to helicopters.
If you always use the same aircraft and the same headset, the easiest solution is to choose the headset and connector that fit.
In all other cases, you may need, in addition to the cable, to equip yourself with an adapter: it will allow you to switch from one type of connector to another with the same cable.
That’s the basics. Now, let’s dive into the details.

Dual Jack: The Standard

As mentioned, the dual jack is THE standard connector in aviation. But why on earth has this relatively inconvenient model, where you have to insert two plugs, been kept almost everywhere?
This peculiarity is tied to the history of civil aviation. In the 1960s, passenger headphones were developed in the form of “pneumatic headsets”: these were simple tubes that mechanically connected the audio system to each ear, like stethoscopes, which required a tube – and a plug – for each ear. Later, electronic headsets were developed, but in order to gradually replace the first ones with the second, these more sophisticated headsets were designed with a dual jack connector… which has lasted to this day and has even become the norm in cockpits.

The result is that the dual jack is (almost) everywhere, and a headset equipped with this standard can easily be used from one aircraft to another. But there are some specific cases, and in these configurations, an adapter will be necessary. As a standard, you can easily find adapters for almost all types of connectors.
Our store offers a variety of adapters for your aviation headsets with dual jack connectors. For example, if your aircraft is equipped with a LEMO connector, you will find the standard LEMO adapter, or specifically for Bose brand headsets, we recommend the BOSE adapter also available.
We also offer adapters for U174 | NATO (US), U174 | NATO (UK), XLR 5, or Lynx Avionics or MicroAvionics.
If you're flying a helicopter, it's most likely equipped with U-174 US, TP-120, or U-93A/U connectors. A specific adapter for these models will allow you to plug your headset with a dual jack connector.

To conclude this “dual jack” section, let’s mention other connectivity accessories that you can plug into this type of connector. For example, it can be useful to have a extension (ours provide an additional 1.5 meters of cable), or even a special type of extension that will allow you to connect two headsets to the same plug… very useful for sharing communications with your co-pilot.

Another interesting accessory, the camera link cable will allow you to film your flight while maintaining communication, all through the same plug. The idea is to plug in a cable with two outputs: one for your headset and the other for your camera's power. Handy, right?

Finally, if you want to use your aviation headset by connecting it to a PC, for example to use a flight simulator, you can equip yourself with an aviation headset adapter that makes it compatible with a PC input while adapting it to the right jack format.

Helicopter and Military Aviation: Beware of Lookalikes

Helicopters, like military aircraft, are often equipped with special connectors: NATO connectors, also known as U174.
However, it is important to distinguish between two NATO connectors with almost identical characteristics: the American and the British ones, i.e., NATO US and NATO UK.
At first glance, they look very similar, but they are slightly different in size. The US ones are made of chrome, while the British ones are typically made of brass. The latter can also be recognized by the reference markings on the plastic socket.
It is important to note that a US female connector fits a UK male connector, with a little play. However, you cannot fit a UK plug into a US socket. So, identifying them correctly is essential.
We therefore recommend that before making any purchase, you verify the reference of your product to ensure you have the appropriate connector.

Regarding the use of adapters, you can always rely on a wired power supply if you use a battery-powered box. Here are the various models we offer for your NATO-equipped headset, along with their power supply modes:

• From a dual jack to a U174 | NATO US headset or the David Clark equivalent adapter, without power supply to the headset;
• From a dual jack to a U174 | NATO US headset, with power supply to the headset;
  From a dual jack to a U174 | NATO UK headset, without power supply to the headset;
  From a dual jack to a U174 | NATO UK headset, with battery-powered supply;
  From a U174 | NATO US to a U174 | NATO UK headset, without power supply to the headset;
  From a Lemo to a U174 | NATO US headset, without power supply to the headset.

LEMO Connectors: All-in-One

The LEMO connector is a 6-pin connector that has the unique feature of providing both power and sound transmission simultaneously. With this single connector, pilots receive stereo sound, with separate left and right channels, as well as microphone, power, and ground connections. With this system, no need for batteries in your headset.
Do you find the idea convenient? If you own your aircraft, you can ask an avionics workshop to install the LEMO connector on the panel: it will take about an hour, and you won’t have to worry about changing your ANR headset’s batteries… which of course should be compatible with a LEMO connector.
You will find these types of connectors on high-end headsets. While ANR headset manufacturers aim to make their control boxes as small as possible, these headsets that don’t require batteries allow for an even greater reduction in size, and manufacturers initially found it worthwhile, despite the cost, to produce these LEMO headsets with a small ANR box.
However, things get complicated if you want to use a LEMO headset outside of a LEMO environment. That’s why today, most LEMO-equipped headsets have retained a battery-powered system that is inactive when using the LEMO, but allows you to use the headset with an adapter in another environment. In this case, you will, of course, need to check the battery status, as you won’t have a wired power supply.
For your headset equipped with LEMO, you can choose, depending on your needs, an adapter for dual jack, XLR 5, or U174 | NATO US.

XLR-5: The Airbus Connector

XLR connectors are widely used in the music industry. And for good reason: they excel in sound transmission quality. They come in 3, 5, or 7-pin versions, but for aviation, it’s the 5-pin version – or XLR-5 – that interests us. Airbus has made it a reference connector for its aircraft, thereby establishing the fame of the so-called "Airbus plug." The 5-pin XLR connector includes a high-performance noise-canceling electret microphone, along with an audio and communication interface. Thanks to the flexible power circuit connected to the cockpit, the headset automatically powers on when the avionics panel is activated. It can easily switch between battery power or wired power, without affecting headset performance. You can find an adapter to plug your XLR-5 headset into a dual jack, but like with LEMO headsets, you lose the ability to power the ANR via the mains. Don’t forget to check your batteries!

You are now equipped with the right headset, the right connectors, and the useful adapters to not only use your favorite aircraft but also switch between devices. We can safely say: you’re a connected pilot!