Speedbird,. .. .I'm not going to suggest any particular brand, because I can see an endless discussion starting if I do so.. .. .A headset that fits well and has a good noise attenuation will help you hear your instructor and ATC better, and as a result can help to avoid misunderstandings etc. In the long run this will save you valuable training time. If you can save 1 hour of dual ME/IR instruction by buying a good headset you have earned your money back.. .. .You could even consider getting a noise attenuating headtset. I have recently been experimenting with these. Switching them on makes any communications a lot easier to understand(it sounds like the voices just pop up out of the background noise when I flick the switch), and also helps considerably in reducing fatigue when flying a couple of hours on a day.. .. .Good luck with your training.. .. .Regards