ANR Headsets

[huskerfan]

I'm looking to buy an ANR headset any advice? Thanks

 

[BradG]

Bose

 

[bigD]

There have been a couple of pretty good threads on this. To summarize, if you have the money, the Bose are awesome. Just always have a spare set of batteries, because they're next to useless as a passive headset. I like my DC's, but if I had the money, Bose is where I'd go.

 

[Chunk]

David Clark H10-13XL...just make sure you get the new 9V battery pack. It is a lot smaller and has auto-shutoff.

TSO'd for future 135 gigs.

Chunk

 

[HappyFlying]

I just got the DC 10-13X and I love it. The new 13Xs have a different ear seal and new headpad that makes them more comfortable than th old ones. It uses a 9volt now instead of the 6AA's. I like the DC as well as the Bose.
We have the Bose in the King Air and they are OK when they work. We have had problems with them and have sent them off a couple times for repair.
Just my $.02.
Fly Happy

 

[SPBRIAN]

I love my DC's, but if you get anything except a bose I warn you... DO NOT TRY THEM! You will just get ticked and be mad for a few hours. The bose are definatelly worth the money if you feel like commiting to them for awhile..

Brian

 

[VFR on Top]

I love my DC's, but if you get anything except a bose I warn you... DO NOT TRY THEM! You will just get ticked and be mad for a few hours.

I don't know that I agree with you there. I own a set of DC H10-13XLs and got a chance to try the Bose X on a long XC flight this summer. Long story short: if it'd been the other way around--if I'd bought the Bose and later tried the DCs--I'd have been PISSED. The Bose are a bit more comfortable after a while, but the ANR isn't any better than the DCs, they're not nearly as well-built as the DCs, and the microphone sidetone sounds like crap compared to the DCs. IMHO, they're simply not worth the 60% premium over what I paid for my DCs ($618 from spinnerspilotshop.com 18 months ago, best price I could find anywhere).

I'd buy the DCs again in a minute, though I'd probably go with the H10-13X instead of the XL as the capability to detach the battery pack isn't worth the difference in cost.

 

[DO328-JET FO]

I did a side-by-side comparison of both the Bose and the DC while flying a BE99 one night.

I flew for about 6 hours, and would switch headsets after each leg.

The Bose were way more comfortable, lighter, had better audio and the noise reduction was a wee bit better than the DC's.

They do cost a lot, but I've been happy with them.

 

[rjcap]

If you want the real deal get some Sennheisers. There light weight and are still functional in the passive mode.

 

[Illini Pilot]

The Telex ANR 150's are nice, only pair i've ever owned but havent had a problem even on 6 hr. x-countries.

 

[DoinTime]

I think it depends more on what type of flying you are doing. I have both a bose X and a standard issue DC 13.4. When I fly GA (cessna/piper types) I actually prefer my stock DC's than the Bose. The Bose don't attinuate high frequecies very well and when your flying some 30 year old rattle trap those noises can drive you nuts. However, when flying in bigger turboprops that produce a significant amount of low frequency noise from the large slow turning props, the Bose really shine. The Bose are way lighter and comfortable than the DC's (the deap earcups are great for people with ears that stick out). I've logged over 2000 hours on my Bose and they still perform like new without ever being repaired. The same time period for my DC's has had them in the shop twice. I get about 40 hours of use from a 9 volt and they still work well (at least in the CRJ) when the battery is dead.

I also got my Bose X on their 30 day free trail. I needed a headset while my DC was in the shop for repairs. After wearing the Bose for a month I couldn't bear to be parted with it. So like the above poster said if you don't want to own a Bose your better off not ever trying them.

 

[FlyToVegas]

bose

I bought what I thought was best - a Bose - for my primary training. I had constant problems with the boom falling away from my mouth, other pilots and ATC not able to hear me, and a scratchiness that resounded in my transmission when I tried to move the boom back up to my mouth .

After three years of unending performance mediocrity, the boom broke off in the middle.

I contacted Bose via email, phone, then snail mail and they would never respond. I used other folks' headsets.

Finally, at the AOPA conference, I stood at the Bose booth and told everyone who came by how substandard the stupid thing was. Not a classy move, I admit, but the guy behind the counter finally got sick of me (that was my objective) and gave me a number and name and took my email address. They repaired it free (I had to pay shipping) and it is better now.

The point is, why do DCs, which cost nearly half as much, serve pilots well for ten-plus years and the Bose lasted only three before zonking? Shouldn't a product that costs twice the $ last at least as long, (if not more so) than its competition? I can't imagine I used my headset harder than anyone else. It is a relatively comfortable headset, but not flawlessly so, and Bose should have at least attempted to build it to last.

 

[eriknorth]

I really like my DC H10-13X. I ordered the 13.4s from a guy that runs a shop near me, and when I got them home I realized they were the 13X! I called him back (because I'm honest) and he ended up selling them to me at cost. To sum up: H10-13X for $500. I tried the Bose and wasn't all that impressed for the money.

 

[kevin_p]

I got a Telex Stratus 50-D new through ebay for less than $600 and it has worked beautifully. It is much more comfortable than any DC I have tried and it has tension adjustments where you can minimize the amount of clamping (it affects the PNR of the headset a little). The batteries last for 50+ hours.

That said, I have never tried the Bose (since I can't afford it anyway) so I can't compare it to that.

 

[Mickey]

I know three people who have a total of six of the Bose X's. Only two of them were purchased, the others were perks for buying their airplanes. Comfort is a very personal thing. They start to hurt my head after about 45min. Quality, that's an easy one. They are very poorly made. Out of the six only two don't have any problems,...yet. The sound quality of the microphone isn't very good but the audio quality and the noise cancelling is good.

I think the best set on the market is the EM-1 from Headsets inc. All this company does is ANR related. If you have a headset you like you can upgrade them for $179. I've done it to two of mine and a friend recently did it to his DCs and he also loves it. The EM-1 is nice because it comes with all the comfort mods a lot of people add to their headsets already included like an Oregon Aero Soft Top. They sell for $399.

Take care and spend your money wisely.

I used to sell Bose stereo equipment and it had more mark up than any other brand because they price fix. Their excuse is that a higher price gives buyers a perceived better product. The thousand dollar widget has to be better than the seventy nine cent widget. Every year I would "win" a set of Bose speakers and every year I would sell them but, not to any of my friends.

 

[Chunk]

Bose Blows (at least for speakers)

As anyone who's into Home Theatre will tell you, Bose products are overpriced and underperforming...It's all marketing hype.

Chunk <---Proud Klipsch-owner

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

I've got a pair of Telex 1D's. I have no complaints. They are very comfortable with adjustable settings on the earpieces and as one fellow already said, last about 50 hours on the batteries.

Haven't had to bother with service. Only had them about a year.


Mr. I.

 

[DJS]

Lightspeed...

I like my Lightspeed 25XLs. They're very comfortable, are very good at passive and active. I've had no issues with them whatsoever and they seem very well built.

...Dave

 

[Drifter]

The Bose are far more comfotable than any other headset I have ever worn... HOWEVER, if your Bose unit runs out of battery power and you don't have any new batteries with you, it will get REAL LOUD because there is no insulation in the actual ear-peices of the headset. Bose relies on the ANR to get rid of all outside noise and therefor it is a lighter more comfortable headset assuming the ANR is working. For me, I like the David Clark ANR's because they are SOLID and the customer service is exceptional and if I run out of battery juice then I'm just flying with a regular headset. I like redundency and I like DC.
Drifter

 

[jetpilotjay]

I own a pair of lightspeed 25xl's, they are really quiet and comfortable. The only downside is that they are a little heavy compaired to others, 15oz. I had a couple of long days in the cockpit about a month ago, my neck was sore when i got back. Don't know if that is because I wasn't used to that much flying at one time or because of the weight. I have tried the Bose on a couple of flights, they seem a good bit quieter than my lightspeeds. I was flying a lance, I thought something was wrong with the engine, it didn't have the right tone. I haven't tried anything else. One last thing, battery life is pretty bad on the bose, about 10 hrs. is all my friend gets. I get about 25-30 hrs. and when they do go dead you can still hear the controllers ok.