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Headset Wars !!!!

mike newall

Well Known Member
Sponsor
Makes a change from Pr*mer... :D


My buddy wants a pair of Bose A20's.

I have mentioned the parable of the Emperor's New Clothes and reminded him that Bose isn't perfect and a lot of guys at our airline get about 8 months out of 12 in service - rest of the time they are away for repair. Also, they are fiercely expensive.

Personally, I use DC Pro-X and am very happy although if you are spirited with the g they tend to slip off.

So, let's get a quick fire opinion poll going please.

Bose......

Or others ?

RV6, usual profile for flying, some cross country, some stunting.

Mike N
 
I fly with Denali, Lightspeed, Sinnheiser and a couple of others. When I fly with my friend in his plane he has Bose. If I were buying today, I'd buy Bose.
 
I just bit the bullet and bought a used LS Zulu2. I wish I had done it a long time ago. I absolutely love it and now my wife wants one too. She's stingy - when she wants to spend that much $, it's a big deal. We traded off on it on our trip through the southeast last week, and could never go back to the old passive headsets now.

Chris
 
Bose it is....

I have purchased many many sets by many manufacturers over the years. Bose is without a doubt the best for me. I have the A20s.
 
I have extensive time using the following in the RV series airplanes.

David Clark ANR
Telex 3500 ANR
Lightspeed Zulu
Bose X
Quiet Technology Halo

I fly with the QT Halo. Wife feels the same about it and she is ALWAYS right.

End of discussion.
 
Me, QT Halo
Wife, DC Pro-X
We like our own and don't care for each other's.
But headsets are more like fitting shoes...one size/brand/model does not fit all.
 
Headset..

My wife and I both like the Clarity Aloft halo head sets for most of our flying. Short hops an hour or so out somewhere, then eat/visit, then and hour or so home.
But for extended trips (more than one tank of fuel) in a single day, I like to put a set of Peltor earmuffs over my CA's to help with the noise reduction. My wife sometimes uses older David Clark H10-30, but does not like the weight of them.
 
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I have Bose A20s and QT Halos in the plane. I use the Halo, have another set for my wife, and the Bose is there for grandkids and other passengers. Nothing at all wrong with them, they work great... we just like the Halos better. They seem to be just as quiet, but cost and weigh much less and I never thunk them on the canopy like I will occasionally do with a regular headset.
 
Clarity aloft.

I've had mine for about 7 years. 6-800 hours per year at work and fun flying. Have sent them in twice for service (I am very careful with them and have the etymotic rubber ear buds so I don't have to squeeze and twist the foam ones and damage the wires). Get them back in less than 2 weeks shipping included.

Wouldn't use anything else and have tried everything but zulu's.

Mark
 
Clarity Aloft so far, is my favorite. Especially in the RV-4. Prior to that, I always used my Bose and still enjoy them. The Bose now is for passengers.
 
With a total of five seats spread among three RV's, Louise and I have five Halos and a Clarity Aloft - plus some old David Clarks we have handy for passengers that don't like to put things in their ears. Love the lightweight and flexibility of the super lightweights. Louise likes the way the Clarity fits her head/hair - that seems to live in the pilot's seat of her RV-6.

We've recently been testing our new bush plane, and have tended more towards the David Clarks (when I wasn't wearing a helmet and chute) for ease and quickness of putting them on. Have been talking about equipping it with a couple of ANR's, since we share it with a partner and sharing Halos (and ear buds) outside of marriage is just a little problematic.

Use what fits best for you - the problem is that until you use a headset for several hours in flight, you don't know if you really like it, and it can be hard to return one once you've used it enough to know its not right.
 
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I use a set of Bose QC15's with the UFlyMike adapter and am fairly happy with them, but am considering relegating these to passenger use and investing in a set of AKG AV100's or Bose A20's.

I'm leaning towards the AKG's as they come with built-in LED's and a LEMO plug rather than having to pay extra for it, but the Bose have a lower outright purchase price, which offsets that...
 
Headsets

I have 1 Clarity Aloft and 1 Halo. I don't see much difference in the sound quality but I prefer the Halo simply because the Clarity requires special earplugs. I suppose even that is no big deal. My wife used the Clarity but alas she no longer flies with me, suppose I should part with them. Text [email protected] 3 bills.
 
I have a Bose and a Halo. 95% of the tme I wear the Halo, all the time on longer trips. It is quieter and lighter and lets me wear a hat that shades my ears, neck and side of my face. My wife will use nothing but the Halo.

Martin Sutter
Building and flying Rv's since 1988
EEA Technical Councelor
 
A cabinet full

Of headsets collected over 30 years. DC 10-40s, DC 13.4s converted to ANR (Headsetts inc), Lightspeed knockoffs from Tina's, and Halos. The Halos are by far the most comfortable, especially in Florida. Light and cool, plenty of hat options. Audio quality is good. the wife really likes them - they don't muss her hair. Every now and then I break out the DCs, really makes me appreciate the Halos when I start taking them for granted.
 
I have four Bose A20s in my RV10 and love them. I've been flying with my personal set for about 3 years now with no issues other than I broke one of the cord clips a few months ago.
 
Bose A20's

I have flown with DC's, Flightcom, sennheiser, Lightspeed and Bose.

The Bose A20 is the finest headset, albeit expensive, that I have ever used. Comfortable, clear, noise cancelling is exceptional, and no problems at all. Has
music input capability and bluetooth.


Prior to Bose A20 had Lightspeed Zulu \. Had problems with wires breaking at plug and service was sketchy.

Bose service is the best and only have had to use it on older Bose headsets that were out of warranty. They will do a complete overhaul to like new condition if beyond the 5 year warranty for I think it was 150$
 
49clipper

Bose is the best quality "headset" I have ever owned, but due to headroom in the RV-6 I use the Halo exclusively. Bose is quietest by far, but Halo wins for comfort hands down.
 
My wife and I both use Bose A20. In general I wear ear plug as well as the headset.
In considering what to buy I asked my friendly Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor. His comment was buy the best protection independent of cost! With hearing aids sometimes costing sometimes over 10k not to mention the hassle factor.... Protect your hearing!
 
Oh My !

Never expected this response !

Thanks so much.

Derek will be seeing this tomorrow and wondering who all these crazy people are.

They are what we are on VAF :D

Once again, thank Doug - you built it, people came !
 
Interesting to me that the last time this basic question was asked the big recommendations were Zulus over Bose, but the Halos were also high on everyone's list. FWIW,

Tim
 
I'm very pleased with my Faro ANR headset, and the price is right at about $350. Pax get to use the hand-me-down passive model.
 
AKG AV 100 hands down favorite

Everyone has an opinion but I have tried just about all of them and found the AKGs to be the most comfortable. They are lighter, have built in LEDs for night flying, LEMO plug standard, Bluetooth and full ANR.

I loved the clarity & sound from the A-20s but after about 20 minutes it felt like I had a vice on my head with constant hot spots. Others were good for sure but my overall favorite is the AKG headset which I ended up buying and glad I did. After using it for about 100 hours I have no regrets.

Try all of them and decide for yourself but if you don't try the AKGs you are doing yourself a disservice.
 
I'll play...Bose only for me. I've used them from the original model all through the A20. Never heard of them failing and when I'm forced to use something else in another plane, I always wish for my A20s.
 
I tried the Halo for a couple of years and liked it well enough, but... putting in the earbuds was finicky and time consuming, plus it seemed like the mike boom was always shifting around and driving me nuts. I did like being able to wear a wider brim hat with it.

So then I tried a friends Lightspeed Zulu; sold! Bought a Zulu 2 and have been very happy with it for the last few years. Easy on/off, great sound quality, very light and comfortable.

Looks like I'm the only one here who tried the Halo but then moved on... I still have them, need a new pair of plug wires as the originals have cracked from being stored in my hangar. I need to get 'em refurbed and maybe give it another try...
 
QT Halo.

After years of using Lightspeeds, I bought one (company is local for me) & told my wife to try it. She refused to give it back. so I had to buy another. No batteries, and noise reduction better than the old 2nd/3rd generation Lightspeeds.

We both use the silicone inserts. The noise reduction isn't quite as good as the foam ones, but they are much more comfortable to us than the foam, and much easier to insert in the ear. And for us, much more comfortable than the Lightspeeds (which weren't bad), and *vastly* more comfortable than the old standard 'head vise' David Clarks I learned to fly in.

We don't have any problems with mic position.

Charlie
RV-4
 
well, hear i go again!

Every time there's a headset war, I have to pipe up for the Flightcom.
I have a 10-year old cub yellow set, I don't think they were called 'Denali' back then, now are the D50.

very comfy with the gel ear seals, sound is great, people say I sound like an airliner when I transmit. ANR is fine, turns the snarl into a purr.

now, at about $350, the D50 are a LOT of bang for the buck!

http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/9924

Now, depending on your mission, for a long cross country in the sun, I choose the Halos....but it's much easier for the passenger to slap on the standard headset than mess with the earplugs, if they haven't manipulated them before....especially if it's winter!
If I'm doing a :20 fueling run, I don't bother with the Halos.

I also bought the ANR knock-offs, but they prove the 'get what you pay for' adage.
 
ANR...But be aware.

So I have my super classic DC. They are old school and have never let me down!

I also recently got a LS Zulu2. And wow. They are amazing mainly because they don't bother me even if I wear them for 3 hours with shades under them.

Funny story: This happened last week only seconds before my base to final turn at about 700ft AGL. I was wearing the Zulu's and it just POPPED in my ears and the sound level change was ridiculous. At that moment it didn't even occur to me what was going on. I though my COM went bust or my engine is out...or any of the other 1 million things that I don't want on final distracting me... So my initial training kicked in: FLY THE PLANE! So I left everything were it was including power and held altitude until I was sure I could glide down and then put her in the middle of the runway... I suppose this could have been avoided if I had included "battery status" in my preflight check list.... ITS ON THERE NOW! Scared me.
 
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I have moved thru many headsets over the years, SoftCom, DC, Lightspeed Zulus and now LS PFX. I prefer the PFX for its comfort and performance. However, the shortcoming of the PFX is its use of batteries, 4 AAs every 10 to 12 hours. As mentioned above, when the batteries quit, you think the canopy departed. I believe the design of the ANR actually amplify ambient noise and are much louder than passive headsets when the batteries die. Dan from Reno
 
This is a timely thread.

I have a 10-year old cub yellow set, I don't think they were called 'Denali' back then, now are the D50.

I have the Flightcom Denali's as well. They are unacceptable for me in the RV. I wear a set of earplugs under them and that brings the noise down to an acceptable level, but then the radio is muffled. (silicon earplugs intended for motorcycle use with and insert that is supposed to let sounds like voices through)

So, I'm in the market for a new headset, and thinking of one of these:
- The bose A20, I've tried them and they are pretty good.
- AKG AV100. This thread is the first I've heard of them.
- Lightspeed Zulu PFX. Claims to be the best noise reduction. True?

Has anyone here done a head to head test of the three? (yep, that's a pun)

I would love to be able to demo all 3 at the same time.
 
Halo's choice of ear piece

I have a halo and use the Clarity aloft ear foam inserts. For me the yellow foam is too big and the silicon ones are just not great for my little ears.

Mercedes
"Cougar"
 
This is a timely thread.


--- snip ---

So, I'm in the market for a new headset, and thinking of one of these:
- The bose A20, I've tried them and they are pretty good.
- AKG AV100. This thread is the first I've heard of them.
- Lightspeed Zulu PFX. Claims to be the best noise reduction. True?

Has anyone here done a head to head test of the three? (yep, that's a pun)

I would love to be able to demo all 3 at the same time.

All the above headsets are like underwear. Everyone has one that they like better.

Many people that use "In-the-Ear" headsets love them. I have a very small ear canal in my right ear and the discomfort in the right ear prevents me from making them my standard headset.

IF you are around KVVS, you could test two of the three on the same flight. After AirVenture 2016, I should have all three to try.

I own the PFX and AKG AV100 plus have used several others peoples Bose A20.

The PFX has been back to the factory three times for repairs as the ANR would degrade and get noisy. The last time back to the Factory was the third time (May 2016) and the factory replaced them with a NEW PFX headset. IMHO, it is the quietest of the three by a little bit BUT I will not buy another one as it has been too unreliable for me. So far I have spent about $80 US shipping them back to the factory multiple times. One of the four trips to the factory was to replace the standard plug with the LEMO plug. The 12-hour battery life of the four (4) AA batteries is the worst of any headset I have seen in the past 20-years.

The AKG AV100 is more comfortable than the A20 or the PFX. I dislike the cord and the material that the ear seals are made out of on the AV100. The cord is way too long and it gets tangles very easy.

Have liked the several A20s that I have used. The only dislike I have for the A20 is the way the headband feels across the top of my head. IMHO, the A20 is slightly better noise reduction than the AV100 but not by much.

Right now, I am in the market for another headset and the A20 with bluetooth is the one that I would get. Most likely I will return from AirVenture 2016 with a new A20 if I do not have one to wear on my trip to AirVenture 2016.

Any headset I buy will be the LEMO ship powered headset. Both the A20 and AV100 can use an adapter cable on the LEMO headset so that they can be used in ANY aircraft with standard headset jacks. The PFX LEMO headset cannot be used with an adapter in other aircraft. Both the A20 and AV100 can have the mic on either the left or right ear cup. The PFX the mic can only be used on the left.

Noise reduction on the three headsets is very good. Slight differences in everyones hearing and preferences will be the determining factor in which one of the three you will like better. This will be very much like ones choice in underwear. (a personal preference)
 
Gary - thanks for posting this excellent perspective.

I might suggest that you might have a better experience with "in the ear" headsets if you were to use custom cast earplugs. We humans come with parts, including ear canals, in all shapes and sizes, so having an earplug that fits is critical to both noise cancellation and comfort.

A local business cast earplugs for me for my Halos; I was finding the yellow foam earplugs to be too hard to work well in cold winter temps. At that time my aircraft had very little heat and at -20C that yellow foam is more like yellow concrete. The custom-cast earplugs solved that problem. For the first summer after getting the cast earplugs I switched back to the yellow foamies in warmer weather and felt they provided a very slight improvement in noise reduction. I've since stopped using the foamies entirely. The cast earplugs are very easy to install, durable, offer excellent noise reduction, and are comfortable. With them installed my Halo is my go-to headset.

BTW, I have DC's, Bose X and the Halo's. The Halo and Bose X are pretty much a wash when it comes to noise reduction, but the Halo's can't be touched by any other product when it comes to comfort. The DC's can't be touched for durability/reliability/longevity. The Bose headset is a pretty good compromise in terms of noise reduction and comfort, but not stellar for reliability and cost of repair.
 
QT Halos

I have the Halos front and rear, will never go back to any brand of head clamps even if they are free. The Halos are totally non restricting, don't get hot, don't interfere with hats, glasses canopy clearance,ect. Only time I questioned them is when I got out of the plane with them still on...and that's not a bad thing.
 
Thanks Gary, That was very helpful.

this:
The PFX has been back to the factory three times...

and this:
... The PFX LEMO headset cannot be used with an adapter in other aircraft.

Will strike the PFX from my list for now.
Although I don't have a LEMO plug in my RV, with the short battery life, I would install one. But not being able to use a 2 plug converter would be a serious negative.
 
Nobody got the new DC-ONE-X?

I have the DC-Pro-X for work flying and absolutely love them, but they don't quite cut out the din in the 182 that I fly for fun. I am hoping to try out a pair of the new One-x as soon as possible.

The Bose A20s have two unforgivable Flaws that have so far prevented me from buying them. Firstly the ear cups are handed and a screw driver is required to move the mic from one side to another. For those of us who regularly swap seats this is unacceptable. Second I understand the bluetooth works only for phone calls and not music. Why? Bizarre choice and unacceptable to me.
 
Second I understand the bluetooth works only for phone calls and not music. Why? Bizarre choice and unacceptable to me.

Not any more--the latest A20s now support Bluetooth music. IIRC, you can send old ones in to get the upgrade, but it's not free so I've never bothered. My wife and kids just use a patch cord to connect their iPhones to the headset for music. I do use the phone Bluetooth connection all the time to pick up IFR clearances on the ground and it works great.
 
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Does anyone know if there will be any promotions on either the CA or Halo headsets at Osh?
 
We both have Zulu's and Quiet Technology Halo. We both use the Halo's in our RV6. Keep one Zulu in plane as a spare and one in hanger for a guest.
 
We both have Zulu's and Quiet Technology Halo. We both use the Halo's in our RV6. Keep one Zulu in plane as a spare and one in hanger for a guest.

Mike, do you use the foam ear pieces with your Halo's? I was just about to put my Halo up for sale because I could not get the foam ones to work but then a friend told me to try the gray silicone inserts that came with it and wow, what a difference! Now I love my Halo.
 
I'm not Mike, but my wife & I both prefer the silicone ear pieces. Noise reduction isn't quite as good when measured with instruments, but I can't tell much difference and they are much easier to 'install'. Also more comfortable to me.

Charlie
 
I'm not Mike, but my wife & I both prefer the silicone ear pieces. Noise reduction isn't quite as good when measured with instruments, but I can't tell much difference and they are much easier to 'install'. Also more comfortable to me.

Charlie
See, that's why you get both... I tried the silicone and found them to be uncomfortable but I love the foamies.
 
Almost pulled the trigger on the LS Tango, being the first generation wireless decided to go with the Zulu2. A lot of people complained about the charging port under the filmsy battery door. I bet the next model will be a lot better after getting actual customer feedback on what to improve on.
 
Jim

We both use the foam. Me the yellow her the little ones, grey I think.

There is a bit of a trick to getting them in. Your ear cannel actually goes a little up and forward not just straight. We both reach over our head and pull up on the top of the ear we are putting the plug in. A little tug up and forward usually works :)

Also at OSH a few years back in one of the exhibit halls there was a dude making custom molded ear plugs. I bought some and just happened to mention my Halo head set. He made a product for them. Happy day. I had another mold made and in a few weeks later they arrived. PERFECT fit. I loved them till they kind of fell apart after about 4 years. If I make it back to OSH again this year I will be looking high and low for him. I really hope he is there. But until then a little pinch, a little tug up and forward works.
 
Jim

We both use the foam. Me the yellow her the little ones, grey I think.

There is a bit of a trick to getting them in. Your ear cannel actually goes a little up and forward not just straight. We both reach over our head and pull up on the top of the ear we are putting the plug in. A little tug up and forward usually works :)

Also at OSH a few years back in one of the exhibit halls there was a dude making custom molded ear plugs. I bought some and just happened to mention my Halo head set. He made a product for them. Happy day. I had another mold made and in a few weeks later they arrived. PERFECT fit. I loved them till they kind of fell apart after about 4 years. If I make it back to OSH again this year I will be looking high and low for him. I really hope he is there. But until then a little pinch, a little tug up and forward works.

Any audiologist should be able to make ear molds for you.
 
In case anyone is interested, I received a very prompt reply from Clarity aloft about any show specials at Oshkosh. This refers to the classic. I don't know about the other models.

Yes. Our Oshkosh price will be $495 and you can call us anytime during the show and we will honor that price.

Regards,

Bill

Clarity Aloft Aviation Headsets
13570 Grove Drive
Maple Grove, MN 55311
main - 612.747.3197
fax - 763.420.9949
[email protected]
 
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