headset time...advice?

[wingnutt]

ok, after many moons of flying its time for a new headset. this $59.00 pair has went and lost sound in the left ear, the padding is all but gone, and the mic will not stay in position in turbulence over Level 2, and if ever there were a time you wanted your mic to stay in place, its in the middle of an embedded Level 3-4

i thought i wanted a pair of the ~$250 yellow passive denalis ($500 for the actives is too rich for my freight-hauling blood) until i laid my hands on a pair, they just felt cheap

id also like the ability to plug in tunes in some form or another as the other "unauthorized" way is kinda problematic (see reference to Level 3-4 thunderstorms above). obviously, id like a voice interrupt so i dont miss ATC's call ("hows is your ride now?")

any suggestions on which to take a closer look at?

 

[jetdriven]

BOSE. I've had mine for over a year and 1100 hours now and I wouldt use anything else.

second choice would be the Lightspeed QFR Cross country. it is almost as quiet but not as comfortable.

 

[SWAlifter]

I've heard great things about the Bose headsets, but aren't they around $1000?

 

[Flying Illini]

The cheapest I have seen the Bose is $995. Which is why when I was in the market for a new headset I looked to the trusty DC's. I had a pair of 10-30s when I started flying and they went through all the rigors a new pilot can put them through and more. When I started flight instructing and being in the airplane for 5 or more hours a day I decided I needed better. I tried the Bose and absolutely loved them but decided on something less out of my price range I bought DC's 10-13X. They weigh around 17 ounces but the ENC on them is awesome. I've had them for just over a month now and couldn't be happier. They also stand behind their product a little better than Bose does. I was surprised to learn that Bose only has a 2 year warranty on a $1000 headset. If you can afford the Bose, go that route, but if you are like most of us, DC is a fairly affordable solution. I bought mine of of www.marvgolden.com and got a pretty good price.

 

[airgator]

denali

I've had my passive denali's for 3 years and I love them. They are extremely light and comfortable. They really aren't cheap, I absolutely abuse them and they work perfect.

 

[corky]

I flew about 1500hrs with Davie Clark 10-30s. The mic finally died and the ear cups leaked. I took advantage of Bose's 12 month NO INTEREST payment plan and I absolutely love them. The price is worth it and besides, I wrote them off on my tax return. I fly 6 to 7 hours a day in Beech 18s. At the end of the day I no longer have headaches and I'm not nearly as worn out. So I think the expense is worth it. the only problem is I only get about 4 days flying per battery.

 

[wingnutt]

lol...ok, perhaps y'all didnt see the part where im balking at the thought of spending 500 clams. where in the world would i come up with twice that amount...have y'all not seen the "payscale" for a freight dog lately

batteries is yet another reason for me not to get into the passive game. tryin to keep it simple(er).

anywhoo, ill look into the DC lineup.

what about the tunes issue? any of you guys plug your MP3/CD player into yourheadsets, or is that not possible?

 

[Rick1128]

Wing, yes we know what a doggie is making these days. But we are also trying to steer you right. In a few years when you're sweating the hearing test on your medical, you don't want to be thinking, "Oh I should have gotten an ANR headset". Bose is nice but I have had my Telex ANR for 14 years now. And they're still going strong. I use to fly Metros and after a long day with a set of DC's even with super ear muffs, it still hurt. The ANRs made a world of difference. Over the long run a good set is cheaper than a cheap set.

As for price, I went through Trade-A-Plane and did a little dicering. Sometimes getting two or more to buy together, you can get the price a little lower.

Good luck.

 

[Beantown]

I flew about 1500hrs with Davie Clark 10-30s. The mic finally died and the ear cups leaked. .

You should have sent them to the factory to have them fixed. I have had mine for over 4 years (and over 2000 hrs.) and the mic finally went. I put it into a box and sent it off to the factory to see what would happen. A couple days later I got an email saying that they had received them and were working on them. A week after that I got a phone call saying that they had replaced the broke mic AND the ear seals, the head pad and the volume controls. All at no charge. Two days later I got my "almost new" head set via FedEx. Soon after I got an email asking how it was working. I can honestly say that my experience with David Clark has been better then with any other company I have EVER dealt with. There headsets are build for CFI's (that's to be abused) and there customer service is second to none, period. When I returned there last email saying that everything was working great and wondering if they had any plans to enter the light headset (jet) market in the future (they are working on it as we speak) I got an email from the CEO thanking me! That just blew me away. I have always liked my DC's but now I will never use anyone else. It's amazing the kind of loyalty you can build with a quality product, a good price and people who make you feel like you matter. (maybe some of our airlines should take notice!) -Bean

 

[Flyer7SA]

DCs

I've tried a lot of different pair of headsets. The most comfortable option I've found is the David Clark 13.4s. Get the gel ear seals and then cover them with the ear cover material. Those will be the most comfortable, reliable headsets you can think of. Granted putting something over the gel earseals takes away some of the noise reduction, but not enough to be noticable in my opinion. They will set you back about 260-270, but quite worth it. I've had mine now for three years and they've only gotten more comfortable with time - and no batteries to change out.

Flyer7sa

 

[flx757]

Sennheiser HMEC 45-KA

In 25 years of flying, I've used many different headsets, from David Clarks, to Telex, to Plantronics. By far, the Sennheiser 45s are the finest I've come across.

 

[jumppilot03]

Get the at Oshkosh

If you dont need a new headset immediatly, I would wait unitl the EAA airshow in Oshkosh, WI. They have the best deals there, I picked up a pair of DC 10-13.4's for a friend there for $240. The poster above said the lowest that he has seen was $260-$270. Dont settle for the first price you get, many times you can offer the less and they will give them to you at your named price( withn reason). Its worth the wait and a great show

 

[jetdriven]

lol...ok, perhaps y'all didnt see the part where im balking at the thought of spending 500 clams. where in the world would i come up with twice that amount...have y'all not seen the "payscale" for a freight dog lately

i bought mine at the bose store for 1 year no payments no interest and just recently rolled the debt over to my other credit card for 1 year at 0.9%. It is possible.

I didnt make much more than you did last year but I can hear the relay click under the dash that turns on my AC compressor while driving home after 7 hours in the 1900.

good hearing is priceless.

 

[jetdriven]

Re: DCs

I've tried a lot of different pair of headsets. The most comfortable option I've found is the David Clark 13.4s. Get the gel ear seals and then cover them with the ear cover material. Those will be the most comfortable, reliable headsets you can think of. Granted putting something over the gel earseals takes away some of the noise reduction, but not enough to be noticable in my opinion. They will set you back about 260-270, but quite worth it. I've had mine now for three years and they've only gotten more comfortable with time - and no batteries to change out.

Flyer7sa

thee is no way the 13.4's compare to an ANR headset. Whole different ball game. DC's have about 18 dB at the MOST reduction and the Bose, Telex ANR, and Lightspeeds double that, to around 40-50 dB. Seeing as how decibles are squared as the value is doubled a 40dB reduction is only ONE QUARTER AS MUCH NOISE as 18dB.

I can hear someone talking in row 9 in the 1900 with ANR.

 

[jaybird]

I use Flightcom Denali's (sp?), as advertised from a post a while ago on this board. They do work great, but they seem delicate. I've had them over a year and no problems. Except I did crush the cord in the seat back, the avionics guy at my work fixed them. The week I had to use my David Clark non ANR one's I thought I was gonna go deaf.

Once you go ANR you dont go back.

 

[Wang Chung]

Sennheiser!

I have a pair of light passive Sennheiser HMEC 300's and I love them. They're cheap ($230 I think, and I got a $50 factory rebate on top of that). They won't let you plug in a cd player or anything.

A must-have are Oregon Aero earseals. I'll NEVER buy another headset without adding these things - love 'em.

I've used the Sennheisers on 7-hour flight days (including one trip that was 7 hours straight nonstop) and they've kept me confortable and headache-free.

I could never deal with Clarks. They've always seemed too heavy and uncomfortable for my sensitive little skull for some reason.

Wang.

 

[wxman13]

I'm a big fan of my LightSpeed Twenty 3G's. I got them for around $470 from Marv Golden, and I've been really happy with them. Yeah, they are pretty big and goofy-looking like LightSpeeds tend to be, but they are super comfortable AND they have an audio input on the battery box for cell phone or music. The whole thought of using a cell phone while actually flying a plane is a little scary sounding to me (just look at all those drivers out there...), but music is a plus. The LightSpeeds have built-in circuitry to mute the music when you receive a radio transmission. LightSpeeds are definitely worth the price. I know some people have had problems with them breaking, but mine have been fine so far, and from what I hear their customer service is also excellent.

Peter

 

[Skaz]

over in darkest africa our range is a little more limited than what you guys canget in the states...Avcom is a cheapie, and your ears and head feels it after an hour or so...not good noise reduction and the thing feels like a benchvise

Ive had my DC13.4 since I started flying in 97, not one problem, slammed the cord in a BN2's door, luckily it has a type of wirewound armour and the cord dint get damaged, after 4 years of bushflying they were still going strong, untill they got stolen.
Now got DC13X...very very comfortable, new deep earcups, good passive NR, and when you sitch the ENR on.....for a moment I panicked and couldnt understand what happened with the engine noise....BUT, if they get a little knock, like taping it against the window while turning your head or somebody taps you on the ear, they make an annoying 'whining electronic thud', and that gets a little irritating. but all in all, very comfortable, very good enr

one thing I found out, the enr in a C208 only works while transmitting, so if you leave it on, the enr kicks in every time you press the ptt (with the electronic noise accompanyment)

in c402 with hotmike it works fine

 

[Mickey]

I miss the ole twin Beech. I had a pair of AvComms I added ANR modules to and that solved my problem. The AvComm has over 4000hrs on it and still works great. The ANR modules are from Headsets Inc. and cost about $170 to add to your headset. You get new cords and new speakers with it. The other option is they offer a complete ANR headset for $399 and it is very nice. It has the Oregon Aero soft top and a flex boom Mic. I've tried them and was very impressed. A friend has them and loves them. I can't justify buying a set because mine are still working fine. Where are you based? You could try mine if you'ld like.
As I've said many times on this board, stay away from the BOSE. I've had too many friends have problems with them and they just aren't worth $1000. Most people who paid $1000 for them are reluctant to admit it, even after they send them in for repairs the second or third time. Take care.

PS It's a lot easier to enjoy this career if you keep your financial debt to a minimum or better yet, zero.

 

[gubernator]

Denali

Don't confuse light with cheap on the Denalis. I have a blue ANR set. They felt cheap to me too at first, especially compared to my DC 13.4s, but after owning them for a couple of years I can say that they are well made. The Denalis aren't actually mine. I bought them for my wife to wear, but when she's not flying with me I usually take the Denalis and leave the DCs at home.

I've only had one problem with the Denali. If I remember right, the headset is directional, which means it can only be worn with the mic boom on the left side of your face. I tried to wear it the other way around, and stripped the piece that holds the mic boom in the process. I sent it back to the factory and it was repaired, no cost or questions asked.