Any conventional headset with passive noise attenuation is bound to be bulkier and require to be clamped more firmly to your head than one without. That's why Bose X are so comfortable to wear, but useless with a flat battery. The alternative is a headset that plugs directly into your ear canals, like the upmarket earbuds for MP3 players, or hearing aids. Aviation models are available from
Lightspeed and
Clarity Aloft, and the latter definitely work as well as Bose X's.
It is a bit fiddly plugging them into your ears, and you do have to replace the tips every so often, but the major downside is that you don't look like a pilot. However, I don't care about that, as long as I can hear clearly, don't have my head in a vice like grip, and can get my specs on and off easily.