Headsets

[TDTURBO]

I'll second that Hanger7guy!

I have been flying for 20 years and the most comfortable and quiet headsets I have flow with are the Bose and Lightspeed 25XL's. The Lightspeeds are half the price of the Bose so I would check into those. Personally, after flying with all of the DC's, I would get the Lightspeeds!

Tim

 

[AWACoff]

I've had my David Clark 13.4s for over 10 years. No problems at all. They are very comfortable. David Clark has an absurd customer service policy. They will warranty headsets that are well beyond the 5 year limit if they determine it to be a defect. I have a Flightcom 4DX as well. The headset is a great buy for the price but it not even close as far as comfort is concerned. I can easily wear my DCs for a 16 hour duty day and not complain.
Steve

 

[Jetscream32]

It is true that DC's are some of the best built headsets, but I have been using my Sigtronics s-40's for about five years with no hassles at all. They are pretty light and with a few extra bucks you can get the gel ear seals which make a huge difference. If you are looking to save money now get a rather inexpensive set and upgrade to some nice one's later. Who knows, in about five years you may need to get a Telex type that plugs into a shiny new jet.

 

[Pilotadjuster]

Pilot headsets

Planning to purchase DC 13.4s myself. Purchased Marv Golden MG-50s when I was student. They are manufactured by Pilot, and I have had an intermittent speaker problem since they were about a year old. Can't comment on the warranty (2years), as I failed to send them in. Also--quite the head-clampers, even though I have gel earseals and cloth covers.

Almost every instructor you will fly with has DCs. I do know people who don't like them, but they are in the minority. See if you can at least try on a headset before you buy (ideally, use for a couple of hours first!). Everyone's head is different size (just passed CFI ride, so mine is a size or two larger now...), and Im sure that accounts for the different opinions you see here.

Fly Safe!

 

[azpilot]

I vote for Lightspeed. I have the 15xl (Cheapest Model) and they are great. One size does not fit all so you should shop around. I also own a few pairs of David Clark knock-offs by Marv Golden and they have worked very well. My original David Clark 10-40 headset that I bought in 1987 still works fine. So that definitely says something about the DC durability.

The ANR headsets are not that expensive these days and I would really try to demo one. They make such a difference in the cockpit.

marvgolden or headsetsetc.com have the best prices.

Good luck

 

[starchkr]

I will have to join the Lightspeed crowd here and continue to rave about their quality and excellent feel.

So instead of saying the same things over that have already been said, my advice is to SHOP AROUND!!!!!!

I have the Lightspeed 20XL's and while shopping i noticed as much as a $70 dollar swing in prices from place to place. Some of the more popular places were offering it for $430+ while i purchased mine for $360 from Marv Golden when they were having a pretty good sale. I noticed the same was true for other models and makes as well while i was comparing prices, BUT Marv was NOT always the best price. It seemed that for every different headset, a defferent place had a better price. Go to your search engine and search for aviation headsets and you will most likely get close to 100 or so different places that sell them. I would visit EVERY one of them to find the best prices. You never know, that $300 dollar headset you really like could be found somewhere for your $200 limit.

 

[Colonel Cairo]

Re: Another view

"I just think they're overrated because of some kind of herd mentality."

Sounds to me like everyone is relating their personal experiences with DC so I don't see how there could be a "herd mentality" here. People might buy them for that reason initially but unless you're a masochist you wouldn't keep using them if they bothered you that much.

"Try before you buy, and make sure that you can return it after a reasonable trial period."

Excellent advice. I had the opportunity to use a new Bose ANR ($1000) headset a year or two ago and after 45 minutes or so it felt like I had two nails being driven into the top of my head. Kind of a good thing to know before you spend that kind of cash.

I've had a pair of DC 13.4's for over 6 years and haven't had any trouble. I broke a plug a year ago and it was repaired free of charge and they threw in new earseals, a headpad, and mike muff on top of it. If I had it to do over again the only thing I would do differently would be picking the ANR model. Kind of pricey but I would have gladly paid the difference after having my head beat in for 6.5 hours a day in a 1900.

Just my $.02. As starchkr said, Shop around!

 

[Pilotadjuster]

Pricing

Best prices (and service) I have found so far has been at www.spinnerspilotshop.com . DC 10-13.4 $266.00!

I would check as many places as possible (except maybe Sportys...). At least with David Clark, the factory does all the warranty work and has a reputation for repairing headsets long out of warranty for no charge.

 

[aero99]

I'm gonna join the "herd", and say I like and use my DC's more than any other head set I have. I Have two Avcomms for passengers, and they work just as well. The AVcomms were 175.00 and worked just fine for my initial training. The DC were a little more comfortable for the long hauls, but for trianing I couldn't tell the difference.

 

[A1FlyBoy]

David Clark H10-30s.