The age old headset debate

[TrafficInSight]

I didn't mean to imply that I upgraded my set to ANRs, just in case that is what you thought. I have only upgraded them in respect to the thicker foam/gel seals and the pad by Oregon Aero. Sorry for any confusion.

Not what I was getting at at all

I bought the H10-13.4 when I was a student pilot with the intention of upgrading it to ANR when I had the money. It was a mistake, as David Clark wants just about as much as a new one to upgrade my old ones.

forget that.

As far as the headset goes, I love it, however. I looked at Lightspeeds and others but I always ran into the same issue. They're crappy headsets with good electronics. I wanted a good headset with good electronics so that when I run out of battery (and I will) I'm not stuck without any attenuation.

 

[agpilot34]

Completely untrue.

Bose only charges the $82.92 monthly payments one at a time. Call them, they will tell you the same thing.

It is FREE FINANCING just like it is advertised.

Well if that's the case, I may have to check into it. I've been wanting to go with an ANR headset, but havent been able to decide which one. One of our other pilots has a Bose X and I've used it a couple of times and really liked it, but didnt want to plunk down $950 at one time for a headset. $85 a month, on the other hand, is not that big of a deal.

 

[Way2Broke]

I'm going to call the Pet Loss Support Line.

 

[agpilot34]

Nah, he's not addicted to anything, he's just sustained too much measurable hearing loss if he cant tell the difference between a 15 year old DC and a top of the line ANR headset. Or maybe he just doesnt know any better.

 

[Lear Wanna Be]

When you guys have the majority of your time in something other than a C172, then come talk to me about it. Otherwise, keep your traps shut and heed the advice of somebody a little older and wiser.

 

[DrewBlows]

When you guys have the majority of your time in something other than a C172, then come talk to me about it. Otherwise, keep your traps shut and heed the advice of somebody a little older and wiser.

So, because you "have a majority of your time in something other than a 172", you are a headset expert? Furthurmore, Mr. "Left Seater", since you are "older and wiser", you are the end-all-be-all on aviation audio, you can tell me exactly how much total attenuation each headset has, how much each headset weighs, and what the clamping force of each headset is?

Rather that procede furthur, I'm going to defer to my previous post. You either have a drug problem, a mental health problem, or you are a David Clark salesman. You have a problem and should seek help.

PS: I am aware that satire and sarcasm don't always translate to the computer screen, so I am going to go on record saying that I don't really believe that Lear has a drug problem, but I do believe that, if he has ever used a Bose headset, he is, in fact, crazy (clinically speaking).

 

[Lear Wanna Be]

I'm high on life buddy.

To answer your question, what makes me an expert compared to you is my 17 plus years in the cockpit. How long you been sitting in there? Over these years I have used many brands of headsets. Soft Comm, Telex, Lightspeed, DC, and Bose. The Lightspeed's were just to bulky for my liking, so I did not purchase. Soft Comm's and Telex just seemed cheaply made. I always went back to my original pair of DCs. Then I decided last fall to get on the ANR band wagon. I was going to get the Lightspeed Mach 1, but I didn't like the idea of ear plugs. So, I sprung for the new Bose X.

Now gentleman, don't you realize that it is all smoke and mirrors. You fire up the plane, get the radios turned on, and then turn on your headset. All the sudden most of the noise goes away. At the same time your ears feel funny, like you just pressurized (at least that is the way it feels to me). But you know what? You get that same effect if you put your DCs on after you start up (without the funny feeling in the ears).

So Bose does not tell you how much noise reduction you get. My standard DCs say that you get a 24 db reduction and I would bet it is a little more than that with my upgraded ear seals. Now, the DC ENRs (aka ANR) say you get a 17 to 22 db reduction when turned on. This of course is on top of the passive reduction that the DCs have. So, I doubt that the Bose technology is any different than the DC technology. So you get a 22 db reduction ANR with no passive reduction or you get a 24 db with just standard DCs. So, there is your evidence right there that they are not really that different in terms of how quiet things are.

Yes, the Bose are 7 oz. lighter than my DCs. Yes there is slightly less clamping force with the Bose. However, both do dig into you and give you a headache after awhile (4 or 5 hours). The difference is that I can upgrade my DCs with the Oregon Aero pad and the headaches go away. No such luck with the Bose headset.

I still use my Bose headset more than I use my DCs. Why? Cause I spent a grand on them 7 months ago. The battery thing is a pain. Maybe I should change them before they go dead, but I like to get my money's worth. At least I get longer life than the manual says to expect. 50 hours seems to be the norm.

So if you guys want to be fooled by the smoke and mirrors and pay extra for the Bose name, then go right ahead. Me, I would not buy again. When my Bose headset takes a dump, I will be back to using my DCs full-time. Cause I doubt that my Bose are going to make it 15 years like my DCs.

So instead of the name calling and sarcasm, what you got? Bring it on. And no, I don't work for DC.

 

[agpilot34]

When you guys have the majority of your time in something other than a C172, then come talk to me about it. Otherwise, keep your traps shut and heed the advice of somebody a little older and wiser.

I've got plenty of time in birds "other than a 172" there ace, and most of them have much louder cockpits than anything you've flown recently I would guess. You dont want to start a pissing contest with me about experience and what I've flown, I promise you. I make my living actually FLYING an aircraft, not trolling the friendly skies in a computerized bus. Frankly speaking, you are an idiot if you think anyone here actually believes that a run of the mill DC passive headset will compare to, much less be BETTER than, ANY of the ANR headsets on the market, much less the Bose. I own four DC headsets right now, and fly with an H10-60 with the Oregon Aero upgrade kit every day. As good as it is, it's still no comparison to ANY of the ANR headsets I've tried out. SO go try and sell that Bull$hit to someone that's dumb enough to believe it.

 

[agpilot34]

By the way, you are figuring the noise reduction wrong on the ANR headsets. As far as an ANR set that also offers passive reduction goes, you add the amount of ANR reduction to the passive reduction. That means, if you have a passive reduction of 24db, and another 17db of ANR reduction, you have a total noise reduction rating of 41db. I know of NO passive headset that offers anything close to that. The DC ENC (not ENR) headset that I tried a while back had a passive reduction of 24db, just like my H10-60. I put it on, started the engine, and as you said, it was just like my own headset. Then, I turned on the ANR. Big difference. I dont care if you claim that 17 years in the cockpit makes you an expert or not. I've been a pilot since '91, so I'm right up there with you.

 

[Lear Wanna Be]

You still don't get it, the Bose don't have any passive noise reduction.....that is the problem. Pay $1000 and the batteries go dead (and have no back-ups) or a wire breaks inside them and you are SOL for the rest of the flight.

BTW, you guys are the ones that turned this into a pissing match. I have given you my honest opinion since the beginning. If you don't want to belief that my DCs are just as good as my Bose, then so be it, I don't really care. The original poster said he could not afford them anyway. I change out headset in flight sometimes just to compare them again. I have to say that I don't really notice a difference. So, I know it is true.

Have fun with your spray planes, I don't really care how loud they are. I fly real airplanes also and I am hardly a bus driver. If I was, I doubt I would need a headset to begin with.

I gave Bose a chance and they were a disappointment. I also have 4 pairs of DCs. My original pair, another pair that was given to me by a former pilot/buddy(H20-10), an extra pair I had during the instructor days (H10-30), and then my favorite pair (H10-20s, I think). As I said before, the H10-20s rock and I put the new style gel/foam ear seals on them just before I purchased the Bose headset. The ear seals do seem to cut down on more noise.

So go spend a $1000 on the Bose X or $320 (I think) plus $50 in upgrades. Either way, you will get the same result. With one exception though, the first generation Bose had some durability issues, but my 15 year old DCs with 7500 hours are doing just fine. You guys like them so much, buy mine $940. 4 years 5 months left on the warranty.