Looking for Opinions (Headsets)

First, a quick introduction. My name is Nick and I live in Orange County, CA (Tustin), my dad (JakeLewis22 on this forum) recently began his assembly on an RV-7. Shortly thereafter I began my private pilot training out of SNA and am getting to the point where I'd like to get my own headset and not have to use a loaner from my instructor. I'm going to be turning 23 in a couple weeks and my girlfriend said she would like to get one for me (or at least split the cost).

I have looked a bit into the Bose X, which I understand is a community favorite, but the price is a little too steep. The other alternatives that have caught my attention are the Pilot USA PA-1779T and the LightSpeed 20XLc Headset. I understand the LightSpeed Zulu is up on par with the Bose for a couple hundred less but I would like to try and stay in the $450 realm.

I guess what I am asking is if anyone has any experience with either of these headsets, or any other ANR headsets in that price range, along with pros and cons. I would greatly appreciate any advice you might have. Thank you in advance and I look forward to meeting some of you at the upcoming Chino Airshow!

Just a satisfied user, but I like my Halo's. click on the ad on the left side of this page. Kinda different, but they really do work. I gave up my Sennheiser ANR's and haven't looked back. VERY comfortable and quiet.

Almost forgot... Welcome aboard, and good luck on your training!

Bob Kelly

thanks for the reply and the kind words.

I've looked at those briefly but it's one of those things I'd want to try out before making the commitment. Call me old-fashioned but I'm looking for my first headset to be a "standard" kind. Maybe I'll eventually get that set-up for my girlfriend but we'll see. Thanks again for the opinion

Headsets are the kinds of things that break and fail, and you want one with a good warranty and repair policy. That said, I have never seen a David Clark headset that isn't "under warranty".

LewDog said:

thanks for the reply and the kind words.

I've looked at those briefly but it's one of those things I'd want to try out before making the commitment. Call me old-fashioned but I'm looking for my first headset to be a "standard" kind. Maybe I'll eventually get that set-up for my girlfriend but we'll see. Thanks again for the opinion

Click to expand...

I have watched this forum for a long time. If you want traditional there are nice David Clark passive headsets. If you want newer active noise cancellation it seems like the main camps are Bose for big bucks that work well and Lightspeed that works well but seems to need to go back for repair more often.

A lot of people on this forum like the even newer lightweight passive headsets that use foam, in the ear, plugs.

I started with no headsets at all around 1965 then went to the much better foam plugs with the aircraft speaker then went to David Clark passive headsets. I have used the main active noise cancellation brands and found they are good, except for the David Clark one.

For my money there is nothing like the new foam in the ear types. I don't get a headache like I do, on long flights, with any system that clamps on my head. In fact the major drawback is that it takes around an extra 30 seconds to put them on. After that, I don't know they are there, and subjectively they do an overall better job of eliminating noise.

Not traditional; nothing new is. Please consider them anyway.

I prefer the Lightspeed 20's over the Bose anyday!

I started flying on DC's, then went through the Lightspeeds up to the 30G (actually preferred the 25XL), then Bose X...now the Halo. I prefer the Halo over all the others and yeah, the only caveat is it takes a few seconds longer to put them on.

thanks for all the input. I'd definately like to get a headset with ANR so yeah, not 'TOO' traditional. I'm planning to go to 2 airshows in the next couple months so i'll be on the look-out for displays to try some different ones out. Keep the info coming... definately helps with the decision-making!

Bose QCII plus a Ufly mike. www.uflymike.com

Same electronics as a Bose X, at half the weight and cost. Folds flat into a nice case that takes up as much space as a thin Jepp binder. Plus you can use the QCII for music and even riveting.

One AAA battery lasts a full four day airline trip.

I still like my 14 year old Telex ANR's with (optional at the time) gel ear seals. Would probably buy a new Telex these days, too.

L.Adamson

Lightspeed

Love my 20-3G and 30-3G and am looking forward to a set of the Zulus soon.

The LightSPEED QFRXC is a great low end N/C headset. It has music imput and cell phone plug too. And later you can upgrade..........LOOK here ...... http://www.anrheadsets.com/zulutrade.asp

The QFRXC WORKED better than the Thirty 3G in my Piper!!
The Thirty 3G worked better in my RV6A, but they are bulky and heavy. So they will be sent in to LIGHTspeed and a trade up to the BIG "Z"....

You asked for opinions, and headsets are just about as personal an item as you can get in aviation, so everyone is going to have a different one.....

After multiple decades in the cockpit trying just about every type of headset there is, they all have pluses and minuses. Man, those Bose sound incredible! yet they are still "something on your head" - and they cost a fortune! DC's? They are high quality, have outstanding customer support, and are nearly indestructible - but they pinch my ears.

I was very skeptical when I first saw the ultra-lightweight "in the ear" headsets - I ignored them for a good year of going to air shows - because I was used to the older Plantronics Star Set type (similar to what I wear at work), which have good sound, are lightweight, but give no noise protection. But the need to wear a brimmed hat to keep the sun off in the RV-8 finally drove me to try the Halo - and while it took a couple of flights to warm up to it, now I will never go back! Lightweight, total freedom of movement, no bumping in to things, outstanding sound quality - and better hearing protection than my expensive ANR's.

They may very well not be right for you, but if you're going to plunk down hard-earned cash for a headset (cash which could be used for flying time I might add!), you owe it to yourself to give them a try - if to prove nothing else than that you hate them!

Paul

I still love my 16 year old non-ANR Telex 1000s. They are now my backup set because I bought a pair of Clarity Alofts last OSH. Same reasons as Paul (can wear a wide hat for sun protection and they weigh practically nothing).

Steve

Ironflight said:

You asked for opinions, and headsets are just about as personal an item as you can get in aviation, so everyone is going to have a different one.....

After multiple decades in the cockpit trying just about every type of headset there is, they all have pluses and minuses. Man, those Bose sound incredible! yet they are still "something on your head" - and they cost a fortune! DC's? They are high quality, have outstanding customer support, and are nearly indestructible - but they pinch my ears.

I was very skeptical when I first saw the ultra-lightweight "in the ear" headsets - I ignored them for a good year of going to air shows - because I was used to the older Plantronics Star Set type (similar to what I wear at work), which have good sound, are lightweight, but give no noise protection. But the need to wear a brimmed hat to keep the sun off in the RV-8 finally drove me to try the Halo - and while it took a couple of flights to warm up to it, now I will never go back! Lightweight, total freedom of movement, no bumping in to things, outstanding sound quality - and better hearing protection than my expensive ANR's.

They may very well not be right for you, but if you're going to plunk down hard-earned cash for a headset (cash which could be used for flying time I might add!), you owe it to yourself to give them a try - if to prove nothing else than that you hate them!

Paul

Click to expand...

Very eye-opening and I definately agree about it being the most personal piece of equipment in aviation which is why I haven't just jumped at the first thing I found. Thank you for all that information. the more people I see that are talking about the Halos and how they won't go back to any other the more I start to consider them a little more... I hope they will have some sort of display at either the Chino airshow or the Red Bull Air Race in San Diego.

A lot of nice people in this community! A good change from a few of the car forums i frequent.

I have to second Paul's experience with the Halos.

I flew Army helos, and always wore a helmet, then to David Clarks, and finally to lightspeed to get the ANR which was cool. At that point I had been flying for 35 yeqrs or so, and thought I knew everything-wrong again

After Paul posted his experience, I went to a Halo, my wife took em and I had to get another pair. .

If you try the others, wear em for 3 hour legs, then you get the idea.

You can also find the best foam plugs for you, and fix them up yourself.

One more thing -- in an RV, in the summer, a wide brim hat sometimes makes life really nice on a cross country. A no go with a headset.

I'm in the market for a set for my wife

I'm in the market for a set for my wife and one thing I certainly don't want to do is spend a lot of money and not satisfy her needs - comfort. The David Clark passive that I have used for a couple of decades are fine for me but after two legs of travel my wife is in some significant discomfort. I flew with Mike Saeger a few years ago and used his Bose and to me they were just another headset. When I looked at the video of the Sharpie 500 posted elsewhere I saw that it starts off with a note about a $1,000 headset failure - hinged in the middle of the headband style. The Halo looks mickey mouse to me but after reading a couple of inputs here I think more than I did already that it is right for my wife. My mic is getting a little ineffective (25 years of spit and cracker crumbs probably contribute to that) so I may take her old DC and we will be fixed for the duration. I just want to protect my hearing and have communication convenience. I like the reduced but hearable sound of the engine and when I'm flying I don't need any audio entertainment.

Bob Axsom

A couple of quick points here...

Point 1) I made my living maintaining the avionics and electrics in a fleet of light and medium helicopters. That also meant maintaining a fleet in excess of 500 headsets that saw every kind of abuse you could imagine. I had an annual headset budget of approximately $10K and while using other brands could not keep from over-spending this amount with having to buy replacement parts and replacement headsets for ones that simple were no longer economical to repair. With the David Clarks that same budget was more than enough to keep the full fleet in serviceable condition, as well as to allow me to get into an "evergreen" program wherein I could replace a certain portion of the older headsets in the fleet with new headsets. With a DC headset there is no such thing as "beyond economical repair" - they're tough, and easily repaired when they do break. The difference in cost of ownership between brands was very significant. My overwhelming conclusion... For conventional headsets, go David Clark or go home. Anything else just doesn't stand up to long years of use. I personally operate DC 10-30's, 10-13.4's and an old Softcomm headset that I inherited. The 10-13.4's are definitely a big step up over the straight 10-30's. And gel ear seals on all of the above are a very worthwhile investment in comfort and additional sound attenuation.

Point 2) Over-the-ear headsets have their place, but you really should not discount the newer in-the-ear (ITE) designs. There are two active threads on this site that discuss home-made equivalents of the Clarity Aloft headset. After reading those threads I decided to take a gamble and build my own headset. My total investment for 2 headsets is under $200. By way of comparison, one Clarity Aloft headset costs about $600. I haven't yet flown with my home-brew contraption, but I have worn the headset for extended periods (4 hour stretches) and can say that I have NEVER had that kind of comfort with any over-the-ear headset. At this point I'm pretty much convinced that if these home-brew headsets work as well in flight as other RV'ers say they do then my David Clarks will be relegated to the storage drawer.