For what it's worth, I gave away my ancient David Clark 10-20s a couple of years ago to a friend working on her PPL. I got them in the '80s, still going strong in the 2020s. They are very reliable and repairable. I have used "cheap" Telex ANR over the ear headsets. They were worse than useless. I ended up using my DCs with earplugs. Sound was better and the noise cancellation was effective. (Flying an Islander).
I have used Bose A20s and the Proflight too. I finished the career with the Proflights. They worked very well and the noise cancellation/sound quality was excellent.
While a decent headset is worth it, look after your hearing outside the aeroplane too. Airfields are noisy and as you progress they get noiser (brake fans, APUs, turbine engines etc). Motorbikes and music can also contribute to hearing loss, once it's gone, it's gone.
