Verdict is in..Telex 750 vs Bose X

[IFLYASA]

Since leaving the Brasilia and going to the RJ, I decided that I didn't want to use the Bose anymore and to try a much smaller headset. The Telex 750's seem to be a popular choice from lots of RJ pilots. Therefore I decided to buy a pair and give it a try(not to mention having more space in my flight bag).

Now I have had the Bose since being a fligh instructor and have put around 3800 hours in them and have really gotten used to them. The only downside is if you wear thick sunglasses, it tends to bother the tops of my ears, just as any other passive headset would.

I tried the Telex's yesterday on a trip. They felt great and my sunglass problem was solved. Here's the problem. Unless you wear earplugs (which I hate), there is no noise reduction. It's as if you are not wearing headsets at all. I'm new to the CRJ but it is a bit loud, especially at 290 knots+. Also, my voice sounds like it's in a tube when I speak. That's annoying. Plus I could never hear my F/O transmit out. I constantly adjusted the audio panel but could never find the right combination. So I continued to use them this morning, flying a different aircraft...

They were still loud, sounded like Iwas talking in a tube, and I couldn't hardly hear my F/O transmit. Halway during my trip, I pulled my Bose back out (not even using ANR), and it was so great. Quite, and I could understand every word. I can never give up these headsets. I let my F/O try both pairs and he agreed with what I described.

Now maybe I have been spoiled by the Bose. The Telex's are a great pair of headsets. Alot of pilots love the them. I guess it's just a matter of what you are used too. In my case, I'm sticking my my good ole Bose X's...

 

[Mesa Lifer]

Bose X

You got it man. I had the Telex for 2 1/2 years and wore the ear plugs in the RJ. It got down right painful after a while wearing those ear plugs all day. I finally bought the Bose seven months ago and I will never go back.

However, Bose's customer service leaves something to be desired. The first pair they shipped were defective, the right ear piece was completely dead. Their customer service said it was me and that I needed tech support. So after arguing for 15+ minutes they relented and sent me a new pair. Kind of upsetting after spending over a grand on a head clamp, but after all that the head set was well worth the trouble. I also received confirmation later that the headset was indeed defective.

 

[Jungle Prop]

Does anybody have any experience with Sennheiser or the lightweight cupped Telex headsets? The Sennheisers seem to be a very well made headset. Also if your an ALPA member you get a really good discount on Sennhiesers through the ALPA Shopping Mall link on the the home page website.

 

[GREAT LAKES]

Headsets

I use the Sennheiser (sp?) noise reduction headset in the 60 and love it. I think they are pretty expensive. The portable unit has a battery pack that holds the 2 double A batteries to run the noise reduction. This would be a little "clunky" for an airline pilot to carry from aircraft to aircraft.

 

[ShaftedbyJI]

Telex 750's

Couple of tricks I learned w/ the 750's.....

To solve the "not being able to hear your FO:" There is an adjustment screw on one of the back sides of the earpieces. You have to play w/ it to get the right sound level output for the RJ. Be very careful because if you break the screw you’re screwed...

For the ear plug dilemma... I bought some covers from Radio Shack ($5/each) that are meant for telephone earpieces that you put over the existing covers on the 750's. They create a space big enough to allow the earplugs to stick out so that it doesn't "squeeze" your head all day.

Hope that helps you out.... I love my 750's they are light and keep the doo looking good... (I don't have much hair...

Shafted

 

[bailout]

I cant understand why people wear earplugs in the RJ. Of course ear clamp type headsets are going to be quiter (D&C,Bose, etc), but half the time most guys fly with the headsets off on long trips anyway. Maybe Im deaf already, but I think the cockpit is quiet. It seems that most of the guys coming over from the EMB are the ones wearing the earplugs.

 

[blott]

for the EMB-

I"ve tried a bunch of different ones 'cause I didn't want to spend the money on the Bose. The Sein's were nice, but hurt, like the D/C's, after 2 hours... spend the money on the Bose. interest free payment of under $100 month thru the bose web site. plus you won't believe how music sounds in the Bose....they are true "full range" and rock!

you wanabee's with the telex's kill me...you don't look cool...take out the earplugs...lol. If you want to be cool, get the Panther C.A.T's.

spend the money you cheap bastards, you'll wear them all day, for half a month, (3/4 month at mesa..lol), for many years to come...plus you can write them off.

B

 

[Av8tor]

Telex has a new headset the 850 ANR does anyone know if they are worth $400 bucks? http://shopping.pilotportal.com/catalog/product.html?productid=5116

 

[IFLYASA]

From what I understand, the power comes from the mike itself to reduce the noise. Therefore it only works with the "hot mike", hence when you are talking or just leave the hot mike on. Otherwise, like in most 121 operators, you turn the hot mike off while not talking. In this case, there is not benefit.

 

[701EV]

IFLYASA,

I would stick with the Bose. I use the Sennheiser ANRs and love them. I got rid of my 750s a year ago and don't regret it.

701EV

 

[Redtailer]

Sennheiser

Hey Jungle, I have used the Sennheisers (uncupped kind) for over 3 years now both on the lears and 727's.

For the money they are a pretty good headset without the sensation of a vice grip, at least up to 2 hours at which point my ears start to hurt from just the pads pressing on them.

Given the choice Bose would certainly be the pick, but if you don't have Bose money these headsets rank a nice second. The only problem is in the extreme sound ranges. They don't do much on a turboprop like a Saab, freq too low on the props. They also don't do too well on the high end like very loud wind noise e.g. going Mach .85 in the 727. However, they do get everything in between very well. I guess it's a Mach .60-.80 headset.

The battery life is great. They advertise 60 hours and that is about right. I usually change the 2 AA batteries every 6 weeks or so (approx. 80 hrs of use) turning them off for the taxi. The battery pack isn't too bad, there is usually a place to hang it that works well.


Hope that helps.. Later.

 

[DO328-JET FO]

I've used the Bose X in the BE99 and the DOJET and LOVE them. My left ear piece went out, and it was past their warranty period.

When I called them, they said "send it in, and we'll fix it." I sent them FedEx, and had them back in three days! They replaced the ear pads, replaced my boom mic (some of the rubber had come off due to a manufacturing flaw) and fixed the headset.

All at no charge to me.

They are absolutely the MOST comfortable headset I've ever worn. I've done six legs a day, and never had any discomfort, etc.

Maybe their customer service got better. They treated me right, and have a customer for life.

 

[difete]

Bose-X dB level.

I asked this question to Avshop:

> The question is this:
> All other ANR headsets say how much dB reduction they have, just wondering > how much dB reduction do Bose X headset have on Active mode?

> Appreciate the response.

Thank you for your inquiry. There is no standard way of measuring the
attenuation of active (ANR) headsets used by all manufacturers. Further, the
noise environment in which you use the headset (the mix of frequencies)
affects the overall result. Tests and ratings can be created that give
artificially high numbers in unrealistic circumstances. Bose has chosen
instead to measure the performance with a panel of human subjects and have
designed the headset to work well under these real world conditions.

Our preliminary data shows that the Aviation Headset X reduces the hearing
damaging noise of typical airplanes on most people by 20 to 24 dB. This is
true in both fixed wing prop aircraft as well as helicopters. Most general
aviation aircraft have noise levels in the 92 to 100 dBA range (the A
indicates A-weighting, a way of combining the frequencies in the noise to
estimate the hearing damage potential of the noise). Thus, using the more
conservative 20 dB attenuation value, the AH-X will reduce the cockpit noise
in most planes to between 72 and 80 dBA. International standards allow
virtually unlimited exposures to noise levels in this range; 85 dBA is
generally considered safe for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week of exposure.

That conservative 20 dB number is not an NRR and cannot be compared to one.
It is not uncommon to see traditional passive headsets with NRR values of
20-24 dB. If a headset with 20 dB NRR were tested using the methods we use,
it would provide around 5 dB of noise reduction.

Bose has chosen to measure attenuation using a more conservative method
(ANSI S12.42-1996) which was originally developed by the military
(MIL-STD-912). This method can be used to accurately measure attenuation to
very low frequencies. It is the method used in our contracts with the US
Army and Air Force. Our 20-24 dB range is calculated in an average of
several aircraft spectra, including data ranging from 40 Hz to 10 KHz.

When the NRR was developed in the 1970s, the measurement method was intended
to estimate the performance a hearing protector could provide if carefully
fitted under ideal conditions. This is like measuring a car's gas mileage
on a level road at a steady speed, without the mileage-reducing effects of
changing speeds or terrain. We've even heard some claims for ANR headsets
of more than 40 dB attenuation created by adding to the headset's passive
NRR a measure of active attenuation on an idealized dummy head rather than
real heads. This incorrectly combines the attenuation at different
frequencies. This is even less realistic, like measuring a car's gas
mileage on a laboratory dynamometer, without including the important effect
of drag from air flowing over the car body.

The Aviation Headset X's overall attenuation is comparable to our earlier
headsets. We designed the Aviation Headset X to cancel more noise than our
earlier headsets at the very low frequencies that dominate aircraft spectra.
We also designed it to be very comfortable, but the low force, light weight
design has reduced attenuation at mid frequencies a little bit. We chose
this balance of attenuation and comfort because we believe a headset should
reduce noise to a safe and comfortable level; once that's accomplished
what's most important are the other aspects of a headset that affect your
comfort. Overall, my personal impression after careful in-flight comparison
is that I hear less "rumble" with the Aviation Headset X but a little more
wind noise; all together it sounds a little bit quieter than our Series I or
II headsets. The Bose Aviation Headset X is the best balance of protection
and comfort in aircraft noise available-the lightest, quietest and most
comfortable headset we've ever offered."


----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2004 10:21 AM
Subject: AvShop pilot Question


> suzanne,
>
>
> There has been an Avshop question. The name of the inquisitor is unknown.
> The question is regarding the Bose Aviation Headset X Question (5346).
>
>

 

[SkyBoy1981]

Our company just bought the new Telex ANR 850 to use in the Citation and it works great. Its very similar to the 750 in design, except that it has a bigger, more enclosed type earcup as well as active noise reduction. We were previously using an older Telex ANR unit, but I've noticed that with the 850 there is a lot less background noise and it is MUCH easier to hear inter-cockpit communications. The Bose X is also a nice headset, but it is larger...both in size and price.