Buying a headset?

[Gulfstream Driver]

I hate flying w/o a headset.  My second least favorite thing is flying with a PTT that's inop.  It's surprising how much the hand-held mike increases your workload.

[Ted_Stryker]

I hate flying w/o a headset.  My second least favorite thing is flying with a PTT that's inop.  It's surprising how much the hand-held mike increases your workload.

I'll second that opinion!  When I think back to my days starting out, having only a Telex 550 (that's the kind with the little plug that goes in one ear, and a boom mic), and a foam plug in the opposite ear, an in-line patched PTT velcroed to the yoke, and half the time still having to resort to the hand mic and headliner speaker in the C-152's I started out in... well... let's just say that when I got my first REAL headset (a David Clark that I still use today), I was in hog heaven!

[fireflyr]

"HOG HEAVEN"----Stryker, I knew you was my kinda guy---we speak the same language!!
You'll know what I mean then when I say that you'll be passing gas (cleaned up version) through silk when you get an ANR headset---they make such a huge difference.   I have Bose but I reccomend Lightspeed after using both simply because the Lightspeed offers more features and works well even if the batteries go dead, unlike the Bose which offer NO attenuation without power.

[Gulfstream Driver]

One of my co-workers had a set of Lightspeeds.  She kept snapping the earpieces off.  Lightspeed fixed them each time, but she was w/o her headset while they were working on it. 

[fireflyr]

One of my co-workers had a set of Lightspeeds. She kept snapping the earpieces off. Lightspeed fixed them each time, but she was w/o her headset while they were working on it.

Can't figure that--I've worked with 2 guys in the last 5 years who have probably accumulated 4 or 500 hours flight time with Lightspeeds with no problems.   As far as warranty is concerned, Bose will probably be terrible because of their arrogance--I've never dealt with a worse company---of course, I won't know until something does go wrong with mine.

[Plthijnx]

hmmmmm. y'all have me rethinking on my next selection. i was going to get a bose but now.......?? arogance? are they just plain rude or what??

[Ted_Stryker]

"HOG HEAVEN"----Stryker, I knew you was my kinda guy---we speak the same language!!
You'll know what I mean then when I say that you'll be passing gas (cleaned up version) through silk when you get an ANR headset---they make such a huge difference.   I have Bose but I reccomend Lightspeed after using both simply because the Lightspeed offers more features and works well even if the batteries go dead, unlike the Bose which offer NO attenuation without power.

I was thinking about getting an ANR headset, and tried a number of them.  You're right that they really are great!  I also tried a David Clark H10-30 with the Oregon Aero upgrade conversion on it.... I found it to be equivalent without the price, and with a much more comfortable headband and earpads   Not a bad option for the $99.00 it cost versus the several hundred more for the ANR set.  I lucked out even more financially on that deal because it was an eBay sale I found them on too!

Just an option  

[fireflyr]

hmmmmm. y'all have me rethinking on my next selection. i was going to get a bose but now.......?? arogance? are they just plain rude or what??

I guess I'm just upset because when I bought mine, I asked them for the best they had and he assured me I was getting the latest model---well, a couple of months after I get mine (powered by 9V battery-no shut auto off) they come out with the "new improved model" which is what they're selling now.  So, I call them up and ask if they would upgrade mine, they wanted another 175 bucks to do so--hell, you think that spending a grand for a headset is gonna get you some consideration but they just blew me off, big time!   They work really great but like I said before, if the batteries die, you're screwed if you don't have a backup headset because they not only have NO passive attenuation, the noise is actually worse with them on.  I've had to change batteries in flight, and found it was quieter while doing so if I removed the headset.
Besides, Lightspeed and others have cell phone (or I-pod) jacks built right into the unit---Bose doesn't.   And lets not forget the price difference either!

[fireflyr]

Ted, I've got Oregon Aero earpads on my ANR Dave Clarks ( which are my backups now)  and you're right about the improvement but the ANR difference is like comparing apples and oranges---there is no passive unit that can compare with ANR for total noise attenuation.

[Ted_Stryker]

Ted, I've got Oregon Aero earpads on my ANR Dave Clarks ( which are my backups now)  and you're right about the improvement but the ANR difference is like comparing apples and oranges---there is no passive unit that can compare with ANR for total noise attenuation.

Oh, I'm not in disagreement... just that if one does not want to spend the much higher ticket price for the ANR, you can get a big quality jump with a more conventional headset and that upgrade for much lower $$ cost.

In my case it was a difference between the minimum of $650 for the low end ANR's or $125+$99 for the H10-30 (via eBay), and the Oregon Aero upgrade.  At the time, the cost differential was a no-brainer.  By the way, having dealt with David Clark's repair department, I can say that the professionalism, courtesy, and speed of response is the best among any that I've dealt with.  The same testimonial can be heard from other pilots in my local area that have dealt with DC.  They also say that Bose tends to be somewhat cavalier with their customer support.  I guess they are so used to people overpaying for their products and features versus say, Lightspeed, that they treat customers poorly.  At least this is the opinion of those I've heard that have dealt with Bose.

[fireflyr]

[quote

Oh, I'm not in disagreement... just that if one does not want to spend the much higher ticket price for the ANR, you can get a big quality jump with a more conventional headset and that upgrade for much lower $$ cost.

In my case it was a difference between the minimum of $650 for the low end ANR's or $125+$99 for the H10-30 (via eBay), and the Oregon Aero upgrade. At the time, the cost differential was a no-brainer. By the way, having dealt with David Clark's repair department, I can say that the professionalism, courtesy, and speed of response is the best among any that I've dealt with. The same testimonial can be heard from other pilots in my local area that have dealt with DC. They also say that Bose tends to be somewhat cavalier with their customer support. I guess they are so used to people overpaying for their products and features versus say, Lightspeed, that they treat customers poorly. At least this is the opinion of those I've heard that have dealt with Bose.

I'm in absolute agreement with you the difference between Bose and David Clark----David Clark IS the standard for the industry.

[Frank N. O.]

If I may ask, has anyone tried Sennheiser aviation headsets? For PC-use I use Sennheiser headphones/headset and compared to Philips which is the other main brand of electronics in my family then the Sennheiser sound-quality is very high, does that go for their aviation headsets too?
And for the nutty question, if you could get a converter for the jack-plug-sizes could a aviation headset work on a computer as well? (to my knowledge the two jack-sizes for aviation headset are both different from the two std. sizes for home audio).

Frank

[Gulfstream Driver]

Never used Sennheiser.

The two jacks are there because the mike and the phones operate separately.  The phone jack may be the same as the old home audio headphones.  I'm not sure, though.  The mike jack is definitely too small.  I'm not sure if you can find an adapter that would run a headset, or if your computer's sound card will have enough juice.

[Ted_Stryker]

If I may ask, has anyone tried Sennheiser aviation headsets? For PC-use I use Sennheiser headphones/headset and compared to Philips which is the other main brand of electronics in my family then the Sennheiser sound-quality is very high, does that go for their aviation headsets too?
And for the nutty question, if you could get a converter for the jack-plug-sizes could a aviation headset work on a computer as well? (to my knowledge the two jack-sizes for aviation headset are both different from the two std. sizes for home audio).

Frank

I'm not sure about a converter being a good option for an aviation headset for use at home.  I believe, for one, the voltages are different, though I may be wrong on that.  I don't have a regular stereo system at home anymore, so my last recollection regarding such equipment goes back to the days of the... ahem... cassette tape and eight-track/LP record era... oy... now that dates me     My current system at home is a multi-speaker system tied in to my HDTV and TiVo unit, so there isn't even a headphone jack on it.

The other thing you may want to evaluate is that an aviation headset is geared to a given physical environment, and also for best clarity for voice communications, not music, though they can present music.  Still, the optimization may be different if you are a true audiophile in terms of range response, lag, and midrange attenuation characteristics over a headset designed for stereophonic listening of music.

I have seen, by the way, converter plugs to go the other way, with a rectifier built into the plug, that lets a stereo headset be used in an airplane.  I would be wary of that though, as the main use, other than communications, for a headset should also be primarily concerned with sealing out the dangerous decibel levels reached inside a cabin environment on a small plane.  And remember.... hearing loss is cumulative.  So, going too much on the cheap there might end up being paid for the hard way later in life.

[Mike]

Ok, here is a little info for the guys who want to mix noise cancelling headsets with helicopters:

If you fly any helicopter with two blades: DON'T GET ONE!!
206L and Huey in particular.

I have been trying out mine for a week now and the blade slap of a two-bladed system
totally interferes with the noiscancelling and actually makes it worse. I have mine turned
off most of the time when I am flying with my dooers off and under 60kts.
Didn't have much of an issue with the AStar but it has 3 blades....
I still like the helmet because it fits well but I guess nois-cancelling seems to be
more of a stuck-wing game.

I am bummed.....