Regular ANR vs. helicopter headsets

[JDanno]

What's the difference between regular ANR vs. helicopter headsets? I need to buy the best noise attenuating headset out there. "Old age" and work related noise has really done the deed on my hearing. Thanks, Dan

[bkthomps]

helicopters have different plugs

[RV7Guy]

The helo has the two plugs into one.

I have been using the Clarity Aloft headset for several years because of the same reasons you noted. It is the "in ear" type and really blocks outside noise. The sound clarity is fabulous.

I have used the Clarity in helicopters with great success.

[Randy Erwin]

I use a helmet with CEP. Sorry, but I don't have a clue what that stands for.

Anyway, I fly helicopters for a living and this CEP is really the best thing since Johnson & Johnson started selling cotton balls! Rather than using some kind of noise reduction or canceling technology (which is expensive and takes an external power source) that may end up preventing you from possibly hearing something going on with your airplane that's important, this is nothing more than a couple of speakers inside of some foam ear plugs, kinda like ear buds, that are wired into the headset - in my case a helmet - that act as ear plugs which pipe the radio and intercom right into your ears. There is a plug that is wired into the helmet, I see no reason why you couldn't do the same thing with any decent headset, and after putting the ear buds in place you put the headset on and plug the ear buds into the headset. Exceptionally clear communications with exceptionally good noise attenuation.

You can find this at Gibson and Barnes, but CEP will sell a kit to you for much less. I'll see if I can find their website for you.

[Randy Erwin]

This isn't their site, but it is a forum thread specifically about the CEP kit. Give it a read.

http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/364...rotection.html

[Randy Erwin]

Here it is: http://www.cep-usa.com/index.htm

[JDanno]

I ordered a Halo to try first and if it doesn't work I'll then try the CEP. Looks like the principles of both systems are the same. Just a minor variation in how they get there. Thanks guys! Dan

[AK4x4]

Helicopters use a single fat connector for their head sets vs. the standard two plug setup the rest of aviation uses. The internal electrical impedance is also different for helicopter sets. I would recomend the standard setup so that other folks headsets will just plug-in to your system. As a person with limited hearing myself, I would recomend for fixed wing recip powered aircraft, the Lightspeed Zulu and the Stratus 50D. The Zulu being quiet, light, and smaller of the two and the 50D being unbelievably super quiet but a little bulky. Here in Alaska our local avionics/pilot shop will loan out for a week or so any headset they sell. If your local shop has a similar policy try befor you buy, to find out what works best for you, is definatly the way to go. Remember all ANR technology is not equal, all are enginered to cancel a specific noise signature ie turbine, helicopter, or recip. and a system that works great in one environment may not in another. Good luck, Russ

[nucleus]

I tried a pair of these under my Zulu's and they were great except that they would sometimes pick up radio interference.

Hans

PS This thread inspired me to start another on RV related hearing loss, see it here.