737 headset advice

[AV80R]

Sorry to bring it up again but I did a search on the subject and didn’t find the answers I was looking for. So here it goes...



Has anyone used the Sennheiser HMEC25-KA or HMEC25-KAS ANR headset? I am thinking about getting one but it has an active and a passive noise canceling feature, and I am not sure if I’ll be able to hear my captain/copilot.

If you had problems hearing your sidekick, how did you deal with it/fix it?

Would the HMEC45-KA or HMEC45-KAS be better even though it doesn’t filter the noise as much? (It only has the active noise feature.)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Swede]

Like 99% of the other guys, I've used the plantronics boom mike w/molded ear hickey for years, but had to stop due to chronic pain and infection... it got to where I couldn't insert anything into my ear. I bought a Telex 750 on eBay and haven't looked back. With the 750, I find I cup one ear and keep the other exposed, so as to be able to communicate with my bud.

Do you really want an ANR headset, or even a headset with squishy ear seals in a larger transport? They really aren't that loud. I've never flown with hot mike or intercom, and don't know of anyone who has on anything bigger than a DC-9. I think you'd have trouble hearing your partner.

 

[English]

I've noticed that the captains I fly with in the 737-200 that have the ANR hear themselves really well. In turn, they tend to whisper or speak very softly, which makes it very difficult for me to hear them, as I use the Telex 750 (there is no intercom).

If you go the ANR route, please speak up!

 

[737tanker]

I use the Sennheiser headset. Most of the time I fly with the right cup off the ear, or partially off. When I do use it over both ears I can still hear the F/O okay, just somewhat muffled. I got it primarily to hear ATC better & also because I got tired of flying with the earpiece in the ear. The Sennheiser is much more comgfortable, & even with only the left ear covered it is much quieter in the cockpit.

 

[DH106]

Swede said, "Do you really want an ANR headset, or even a headset with squishy ear seals in a larger transport? They really aren't that loud."

That 737 is louder than hell at 320 knots. Shouting is mandatory at that speed.

AV80R, here's my story...

I bought a HMEC-45KA (for a ton of money):
- Noise reduction was, well, less than what I expected.
- Left earpiece developed a continuous tone.
- I sent it back --- they repaired it.
- Right earpiece developed a continuous tone.
- I called them back, complaining, and told them I wanted my money back.

So, Sennheiser, very apologitcally, explained that their equipment just shouldn't malfunction like this.

Sennheiser took back my HMEC-45KA, and sent me a HMEC-25KA:
- I have yet to try it in the airplane, but it's very tight on the head
- It's built of very (in my opinion) breakable plastic.

So, I'll try it in the airplane... we'll see how it goes.

 

[AV80R]

“Do you really want an ANR headset?”

Swede - I’ve tried earplugs and a regular plantronics boom mike but I keep getting this headache. Didn’t happen in the past when I was flying much noisier airplanes but was using an ANR David Clark headset. I’m hoping this will solve the problem.



737tanker - Which Sennheiser model do you use?



DH106 - Please let me know how you like the -25 model, that’s the one I’ve been thinking about. If it wasn’t for the “continues tone” would you have kept the -45’s? How well could you hear the captain/fo in them?

 

[DH106]

AV80R,

I'm gonna' try the -25KA in two days... I'll let you know how it works after my 3-day trip.

In my opinion (on the 737), the -45KA reduced the noise by only 25% to 30%. Not a drastic change. I still had to uncover the left earpiece to hear the typical, token whispering captain! : )

 

[AV80R]

I'm gonna' try the -25KA in two days... I'll let you know how it works after my 3-day trip.

Awesome, thank you.

...typical, token whispering captain! : )

I know what you mean...

 

[lowoilpress]

Sennheiser ANC Headset

AV80R,

I used the 25KA in the B737-800. Sure, the ambient noise level wasn't like the B727 that I had previously flown, but it was loud enough. Didn't want to end up like my old captains that responded, "WHAT?" to every single checklist item. I have had no problems with the 25KA and find its worth the investment. Since its a headset, it's not quite as comfy as my old plastic earpiece, but I figure that's a small price to pay to be able to have my hearing right up to retirement. Like others have said, the ANC really makes ATC clearances easier to understand and in general reduces noise and related stress level in the cockpit.
Since most jets don't have intercoms, I do have to slide an earpiece off to the side a bit so I can hear the boss. Not that big a deal, really. Durability hasn't been a problem; plastic beats metal when its sitting on top of my noggin for a day.

I've since used the 25KA in a Piper Archer and found it to be excellent there also.

Good Luck

 

[j41driver]

Not sure how it compares to the 737 but I've used the -25KA in the 328Jet for the last few years and it makes things VERY quiet. Well worth the money if you ask me. I actually used to use it in the J41, which is quite loud, and it did well there also...about the same as a DC 13.4 non-ANR headset but much lighter.

It also seems to be just fine in the reliability department. I haven't had any problems with it since I've owned it.

 

[KLJ]

I fly for Southwest. Our 73s are very loud in my opinion. I have used the Sennheiser 25 since day 1 (almost 3 years now). The noise cancelling is not nearly as good as my Bose noise cancelling headphones (for music), but it's pretty good. I find I have to partially uncover my left ear about 10% of the time if I've got a low-talking captain. I would recommend using some type of headset if you want to preserve your hearing over the long haul.

One of our guys had a great idea -- I heard about it too late. He bought a pair of the Bose noise cancelling headphones and he just wears them over his company-issued earpiece. For about $300 bucks, he gets better noise cancelling, more comfort, plus a set of headphones he can use while commuting and while at the hotel for listening to music, watching DVDs, etc.

Rechargeable batteries make the battery cost minimal either way.

The only thing I don't like about my headset is the size/weight. Like Seinfeld, I am a minimalist, and it causes me much angst to have that huge headset taking up so much real estate in my flight bag.

Any further questions, just holler

 

[Plumber Guy]

Headset issue

I opted to go with the headset. I did not like the idea of having to replace the batteries in the Sennheisers every month. Telex has introduced an ANR headset modeled after the Telex 750 it is the Telex 850 and has ANR--it uses aircraft power from the microphone jack to provide power to the ANR feature--so no batteries. They are very lightweight and the ANR feature is fair, I only have to uncover one ear every once in a while when the Capt is very soft spoken. You might want to look into those--there is a place that sells them that gives a discount to SWA pilots.

 

[Swaayze]

I take it you like the 850? Does it seem to work well with the I/C in your acft? I will be on the CRJ soon and am considering one, as well as maybe the Sen 45. I don't like the idea of having to leave the I/C on all the time for the cancellation, but it seems like exactly the size and weight I want (I've used the 750 in the 737-200 and liked them ok but a little ANR woulda been nice).

Thanks.

 

[F9 Driver]

Check out this site!

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rmnelson2/index.html

I met this captain jumpseating a few years ago, and he's got this very imformative site.

I bought the HMEC25-KAS, and I'd recomend it to everybody. The nice thing about the KAS is the ability to turn the sound off in the ear facing the other pilot if you aren't using the intercom.

They were great in the 737-200/300 and althought they aren't as necessary in the Bus they help reduce fatigue on long flights. Very comfortable too, and I've got a big mellon

As the owner of the above website told me, "They may be expensive, but they're cheaper than just one hearing aid!"

 

[Swaayze]

Thanks, great site.

 

[mach none]

Has anyone used the new Telex 850 ANR in the 737-400/NG? The aircraft does not really have an intercom system and I would hate to spend the money and not have the thing work.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

I just ordered the Telex 850. I was torn between the Sennheiser 45 KAS and this one and the telex won out due to 2 more DB attenuation over a wider range of frequencies. The no batteries thing also helps. I'll let ya'll know how it turns out.

 

[herb]

My review of the Sennheiser HMEC25...

I purchased a refurb about a year ago from http://www.aviation-headset.com/.
Be sure you get the extra $25.00 off if you're a corp/airline pilot. Great prices!
Overall, I love the headset. I have had a few problems which I will explain.
When I first got the headset I was flying ATR's. The headset was not working in about 20% of the aircraft. The capt could hear me but I could not hear nothing in the earpiece. No big deal, I just switch to the company supplied Dave Clark(not why I bought the sennheiser though). Secondly, the microphone was intermittent. We'd be flying along fat, dumb, and happy. I'd be in the middle of a story and then bam. I'm talking and nothin' is being heard. A firm press on the mic would correct the problem. I finally sent the headset back to sennheiser. They found a short in the mic and corrected that. However, they could not figure out why the earpiece did not work in some aircraft. They said it met all specs and they could not duplicate the problem. Now I've been flying the EMB-145 for the past several months. Only once have I had the earpiece not work. Still don't know why it does that but it hasn't been a major issue for me since there is always the backup headset available. I have had no further problems the microphone.

Next problem...all my captain's were saying, "it sounds like you're hissing in my ear." They always wanted me to keep my hot mic off. I read the manual and was able to turn the gain on the mic down. This reduced the static considerably but I am also quiet and sometimes hard to hear to the other pilot and sometimes ATC now that the gain is so far down. I occasionaly still get a complaint about the hissing but its rare and I attribute it to the aircraft in most instances. I believe the Dave Clark mic is of better quality.

These have been my only problems with this headset. Despite these problems I would still recommend the headset. It is much more comfortable than a David Clamp. In my opinion it's also more comfortable than the Bose X which I had for several years. Although after 8 hours of flying in a day, the sennheiser does make my ears sore. For the noise protection it provides it's the most comfortable I've ever used.

 

[737tanker]

AV80R

I use the HMEC-45. It suits my purpose in reducing the noise on the engine side and allowing me to hear ATC more clearly. I do use the right side when the F/O is getting the ATIS or talking on #2 radio. I have also flown with F/Os who have Sennheiser and we leave the intercom switch on and use it as a hot mike for intercom purposes. It doesn't interfer with ATC, but you have to turn it off to use the PA.

 

[NZCHooverboy]

Sennheiser HMEC 45-KA

Been using this for two years on the 737-800. I find it comfortable and very useful in the -800 since the noise level in an aircraft designed for .74 is higher in one that cruises at .78. I'm in the left seat so I turn down the volume on the right side and have no problem hearing my FO. The headset also is great to listen to your stereo with.

BC