Would you pay $1,000 for a headset???

[FracCapt]

When flying GA airplanes/helicopters, I wear a DC headset and earplugs underneath. My hearing is sensitive enough that I can't wear JUST a headset....and I want it to stay that way! I have Bose X headsets, and I wouldn't spend $1k on them.....I just don't think they do enough more to protect my hearing than my 10yr old DC's and earplugs do.

 

[wheelsup]

When flying GA airplanes/helicopters, I wear a DC headset and earplugs underneath. .

I used to do that too - in singles it worked great but I found the low-end noise still came in through in the baron.

~wheelsup

 

[Goose Egg]

Keep in mind the ANR doesn't cancel out the "white noise" or wind noise - just the low end stuff coming mostly from the props and piston engines.

My Bose takes out wind noise, but my LightSpeed doesn't. You ought to hear the difference.

-Goose

 

[doh]

I pm'ed you. Get the telex 580, no batteries and anr!

 

[DrewBlows]

I bought the Bose, and couldn't be happier with them. They do a great job of canceling noise but they really shine when you have to where a headset for an extended period of time. I bought them when flight instructing and continue to where them in the 328JET (very quiet compared to other RJ's). They are really light, they don't clamp your head, and you won't get the "sweaty ear" in the summer time. I highly recommend them for a professional pilot, but don't bother if you don't plan on flying a lot (unless of course you have money to burn).

 

[Whirlwind]

As others have said, "what is your hearing worth?"

True, you can buy headsets for 1/3 the price that do almost as good a job, but nothing I've found compares to the comfort, quality, and effectiveness of the Bose headset.

After sitting in a cockpit for 13.2 hours in a single day, I can attest to the value of the more comfortable headset. (I hope I NEVER sit in a cockpit that long again however)

 

[Flyin Tony]

Maybe it works good??

 

[jetdriven]

I have 3000 hours on my BOSE headset and I never regret laying out the money for them. They still bring 600-700$ on ebay so .17 per hour (including batteries) is not a bad price to pay for hearing and less fatigue.

I dont go to starbucks so if you figure the cost savings there (400$ a year) they are basically free to me.

A cool bonus is they work well in the CRJ.

 

[avbug]

Folks tend to figure that since the sound doesn't seem so loud, it's not doing damage, and that's just not the case. You can get less perceived sound by using a simple seat of foam EAR plugs...but you haven't really protected your hearing. More damage is done to your ears through the bone structure surrounding your ears, than through the auditory canal. Plug that canal, and you feel safe and secure, but the hearing damage goes on anyway. Quiet doesn't mean safe.

For comfort, I never found any real difference between the Bose and the Lightspeed. The lightspeed is perhaps a little more comfortable to wear, but there's no perceptible difference that I can tell between the hearing comfort of the Bose and the Lightspeed.

I had a choice of ANR or none in my helmet, and went without the ANR.

During flying, I wear a Telex 750, and it works fine. I really liked the T50 headset from plantronics, but I can't function well hearing in just one ear...the airman puts the sound to both ears and works fine.

A plain jane old headset with oregon aero ear seals, a wide sheepskin headband, and the internal hush kit (extra dense foam) works wonders, and is really all you need...it's going to give you the protection you need. If you want any more then throw in the EAR plugs as well, and you're set.

 

[Chiller]

Bose....One of the Best purchases I've made

 

[I.P. Freley]

All these Bose cheerleaders don't mirror the experience of a friend who had a Bose headset. He got one from his sister as a gift, and after they crapped out for the third time (with factory repairs each time) he somehow managed to swing a refund for his sis and went back to the DC's.

I went back to the DC's after my Lightspeeds broke... As in the headband broke, since it's plastic, and I simply never got around to sending them in for service. I've got about 4500hrs on my H10-13.4's from David Clark and I still feel it's the best $220 (give or take, this was a dozen years ago) I've ever spent. Strangely, the only time they had to be repaired for a failure was the headband breaking, and they sent me the replacement part by overnight mail.

As for Bose vs. Lightspeed, the Bose are lighter, have slightly better sonics and noiz-cancelling, but chew through batteries by comparison. I'd get the Lightspeeds and buy my girl a fab gift with the remaining $$$. Better return on investment, you know.

 

[TurboS7]

If I could afford it, yes.

 

[88_MALIBU]

I fly the Saab and the Bose is the best investment I have made so far.

 

[TonyC]

Is there anybody that can share their experience with or without the Bose X in a 727 or 727-like cockpit? I've about had enough of the noise, and I'm seriously considering the investment.


As far as price goes, I can't help but be taken aback by the sticker. However, their program to stretch the payments over 12 months interest free makes it possible to have a pair sent to my home for less than $95 a month. The peace of mind and prospects of obtaining repairs from Bose outweigh the bargains I've found on e-bay. In fact, many of the headsets I see on e-bay are as expensive as the Bose website - - go figger.

Number one priority - - protect my hearing.

Number two priority - - reduce fatigue caused by noise.

Number three priority - - improve clarity of radio transmissions.

Number four priority - - reduce perceived noise.

Does anybody know of something that will better fit this bill than Bose?

 

[FurloughedAgain]

I'll join the ranks of Bose cheerleaders. I've run the gambit of trying different headset combinations. In the Jetstream (Garrett TPE331s) I used earplugs with the ol' Dave Clark H10-13.4s.

It was still an awfully loud airplane. At the end of the day my ears would sting from the earplugs and I had a raging headache from the clamp pressure of the clarks.

In the 737 I used Telex 750s. There was an awful lot of wind noise, especially in the descent and I remembered wishing that I had a better pair of headsets -- but since the airplane didn't have an intercom, we just toughed it out.

In the CRJ I started with a pair of Sennheiser ANR headsets. The problem was that the ANR circuitry would only cancel the low frequency noise. Quite a bit of the cockpit noise in the CRJ is high-frequency noise caused by the wind, the air conditioner, and the standby altimeter vibrator doo-hickey. The Sennheisers just didnt do the trick so I started wearing earplugs with them. The fact was that I needed some kind of passive protection to along with the active to eliminate both low and high frequency noise.

I went to Sporty's in Clearmont County and asked the clerk to see all of the different ANR headsets. They have a test bench that you can use to try them. The Bose was clearly superior in comfort, weight, and noise attenuation.

It worked spectacularly in the RJ.

It works even better in the Lear 31.

Bose still has a deal where they will put $100 per month on your credit card until its paid off. I still believe that they are the finest product around when it comes to crystal clear audio.

I fly with both the aircraft volume and the headset volume at their lowest level. Take a look at where you set your volume controls and how much noise/energy is being absorbed in order for you to hear clearly.

-Bose Cheerleader