I did most of my training with a second hand old style set of Peltors. These are still far and away the most comfortable to wear.
For open cockpit sport biplane flying I found ANR to be indispensable, and have now drifted more towards wearing them everyday. This is for the very same reason that mad jock describes - hearing damage and hearing loss is prevalent amongst most of my more senior pilot colleagues.
But, I didn't spend a fortune. You can get hold of a tatty set of Davy-Clarks cheap on eBay. Desn't matter if the speakers don't work, as long as the mike does. Then buy a kit from from Headset Services Inc (in the UK you can get them from places like Adams Aviation) which you install yourself. It upgrades the headset to ANR for a fraction of the price. It replaces the speakers, hence not needing the originals.
If you're watching the pennies but also want to protect your ears, I recommend this. I've used mine in all kinds of aeroplanes with no complaints, and yes I wear glasses. Gel seals are a must. If you can afford to go fancy I'm sure that the Bose, Lightspeed or any other that fits nicely will be great. But if not, the progression of cost against best result goes something like Davy-Clark or similar, Davy-Clark (or similar) + aftermarket ANR kit, bespoke ANR headset.
Last edited by fwjc; 11th Sep 2012 at 21:57.