Headset recommendations?

[dbaker]

Anyone here have any headset recommendations?

I think that it's silly for me to not own one. With the cheapest ones starting in the high 100s and rentals costing me $4/hour, it's certainly cheaper to own one before too long.

I was tempted by the Bose headset since I'm an avid user of my Bose QuietComfort headphones. However, my flight instructor strongly advised against them with the explanation that Bose doesn't know pilots. We were cleared for the runway before I got the full story.

That said, I might lean towards something less expensive (sub-$300) so that I can start to collect a few cheaper models to let my pax borrow.

[paul]

Originally Posted by dbaker

Anyone here have any headset recommendations?

I have heard nothing but good things about the Bose Aviation X Headset. And, if it's as good as my QuietComfort® headset, I'm sure it would be great in the cockpit. However, it is $995 which is pretty high.

I've been very happy with my David Clark H10-13XL headset, and a friend of mine has the Denali ANR Headset and it's really nice, too.

You can get all of these at www.sportys.com. They are also on ebay, but be careful with the Bose Headsets --- many of them are the older model.

Paul

[dbaker]

What's the difference between a $300 model and a $700 model?

[mduell]

I gotta recommend the Davey Clarks, as they are the best damn headsets out there. I've got the H20-10 XL's and they're a bit heavy, but the ANR is a must. Maybe the H10-13 or H10-30 for some lighter ones.

And one pair will last you a lifetime.

[merchanb]

I researched everything I could find and decided the Noisebuster Extreme ANR did what I wanted. I got one from www.avshop.com and then got another one in case the first one crumps out. Yes it's the least expensive but, for me, it does the job about the same as the much more expensive brands. I figure that, at $36.95 each, if it ever quits working I can just throw it away,

[paul]

Originally Posted by dbaker

What's the difference between a $300 model and a $700 model?

May I suggest: http://www.sportys.com/headsets/

I think you're probably going to be in the $500-600 range for a good ANR headset. $300 probably won't get you ANR, and $700 will most likely get you more than you need.

Next time you're in the Indianapolis area, meet me at Indianapolis Metropolitan (UMP) and we'll fly over to Sporty's at Clermont County (I69) and you can try *all* the headsets.

Paul

[merchanb]

Originally Posted by dbaker

What's the difference between a $300 model and a $700 model?

The price.

Using an artificial ear and a B&K curve tracer/analyzer I once evaluated headphones as the chief engineer of the university's speech and hearing clinic and then later for choosing units to include as part of the equipment I manufactured. I found that there might be differences in ruggedness, but price was no indication of performance. The basic rules of physics still apply no matter how much you spend, 15db is still 15db no matter what and the average person can't notice a 3 or 4 db difference.

Unless you just want to be able to brag about how much you spent, you might also look at the Jensen Active Noise Canceling Headphones for $39.00. They have the advantage that there is no separate ANR box to cope with and the disadvantage of having the weight of the battery in the phones themselves. I didn't get to try a pair so I don't know how the performance compares. Neither they nor the Noisebuster Extreme ANR phones have passive attenuation with ear cushions so you can still hear normal conversation, etc. You can still buy ear cushions if you want to be unaware of what's happening around you.

(I never said I wasn't opinionated. )

[merchanb]

Just noticed the "New! Anti-Noise Headset" #9158 from TravelSmith. Don't know anything about it except it has ear cushions and lists for $99. No mention of who manufactures it nor any performance data. Might be worthwhile looking into.

[Nugget]

paulf and I went up and zoomed around for an hour today in a 172SP touring what we could of Indy staying underneath the 1900' ceiling. I borrowed tomn's Dave Clark headsets and to be honest I wasn't too happy with them. I had a lot of difficulty getting a good seal around my ears and found that a considerable amount of noise would leak in when I turned my head to the side or made chewing motions with my jaw.

It's possible I was missing some critical adjustment, but I fiddled with them quite a bit and never got them satisfactorally installed on my head.

I guess this just goes to demonstrate that you really shouldn't buy headsets mail order without having first tried on the models you are considering. I'm sure I'd have picked up the Dave Clarks from sportys had I not had the chance to use tomn's first and now I'm glad I haven't bought headsets yet.

[paul]

That's why it's good to go to Sportys showroom where you can try them all on first! Maybe next time the wx will be better.