How to Buy a Headset for the Wife?

Depending on how much you want to spend, Bose is prob one of the best
on the market. My Sigtronics S-58 (purchased from Sporty's) is
generally lightweight, and quite comfortable. Decent noise reduction.

"WildBlueYonder76" wrote in message
oups.com...
Depending on how much you want to spend, Bose is prob one of the best
on the market. My Sigtronics S-58 (purchased from Sporty's) is
generally lightweight, and quite comfortable. Decent noise reduction.


Last comprehensive survey I saw put Bose on top, again. (albeit by a small
margin). There is little doubt that when it comes to performance - in all
areas - they're unrivaled - but there is no denying they are expensive, so
the perceived "value for money" tends to offset the superior performance in
the ratings. In my opinion, aviation is expensive - so why not spend a bit
more on something that'll help get the maximum enjoyment out of it?

Some might find the following Bose -v- Lightspeed comparison of interest ...

http://www.avweb.com/news/reviews/181960-1.html

Cockpit,

Some might find the following Bose -v- Lightspeed comparison of interest ...


keeping in mind, though, that LightSPEED has gone through 2 more generations
of their products since then with significant changes, e.g. to the ANR.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...
Cockpit,

Some might find the following Bose -v- Lightspeed comparison of interest
....


keeping in mind, though, that LightSPEED has gone through 2 more
generations
of their products since then with significant changes, e.g. to the ANR.

Out of interest, Bose have also refined the Aviation X - I don't think
they've done anything to the ANR, but the mike boom no longer ratchets - now
uses 2x AA instead of 1x 9 volt (much smaller unit) - auto-off, and volume
controls that are easier to manipulate.

CC

Hi Kyle,

Well buying headsets is a tough decision because as you mentioned, many that
sound or feel great, don't seem so great after you've had them on your head
for a couple hours. Experience has shown us that generally speaking, you
usually get what you pay for.

As for the Lightspeed, they do sound great and are comfortable to wear for
long flights. The problem I have with them is they are just to cheaply made
to last for very long. I know of two pair that have broken after 2 years of
normal use and are unfortunately no longer under warranty.

On the other hand, I have several pairs of Dave Clarks for myself and my
passengers. I fly professionally, many days timing out at 8 hours and I can
wear my DC H-60's for the entire day and not feel uncomfortable one bit.

I paid around 350 dollars for my H-60's about 10 years ago before ANR
existed. The first thing I did was have them fitted with the Oregon Aero
leather top with sheep wool and the ear pieces are the DC ear gels with the
felt lining. In 2000 or 2001, I had the ANR kit installed and it's one of
the best investments I've ever made in aviation.

Customers are hard on headsets and these have been dropped out of airplanes
and helicopters, kicked across the ramp, stepped on, sat on, doors shut on
them and ripped out of the jack inputs and they just keep on working as
expected without a hitch. The quality and durability is, in my opinion,
superior to all other headset on the market, including the Boise, which I
have used often. I actually prefer my DC's for the way the mic is attached
with the wire type of system. It's much more adjustable and stays put
without a fuss. As you could guess, for someone who is really going to
'use' their headset I can not recommend the DC line highly enough.

With the Boise, I tend to get a hot spot on top of my head after several
hours of wearing them. I've also found that because of the materials used,
they do not withstand the abuses the DC's hold up to.

Of course if you're certain that you won't subject your headsets to these
tortures, you may be happy with a lesser pair. But then my girlfriend
didn't have that luck with her lightspeeds.

Good luck,

PJ

============================================
Here's to the duck who swam a lake and never lost a feather,
May sometime another year, we all be back together.
JJW
============================================

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in message
...
I've got 3 headsets. Two sets are cheapies I got when I earned my license
10
years ago, and a nice set I bought when I finished the RV-6. Both models
are discontinued.

I'm happy with the nice set (Lightspeed 25XL's), but the cheapies have
more
clamping force, and my wife is uncomfortable wearing them on longer
flights.
Being PIC, I make sure she understands why it is very important that I
wear
the nice, comfortable, noise cancelling headsets. Clearly, I need to hear
traffic calls, and since her life depends on me when we're in the air,
she's
very much attuned to my comfort, not hers. ;-)

Anyway, how do I go about helping her find a set of headsets she likes?
I've never found an avionics shop that loans headsets for a weekend ,
which
is what you really need, since you don't get a real feel for a headsets
until you wear them for 3-4 hours at a time. What feels and sounds great
in
the booth at Oshkosh or SnF may be a head crushing nightmare after you
wear
'em for a couple of hours...

Thoughts?

KB

With the Boise, I tend to get a hot spot on top of my head after several
hours of wearing them.

This was an issue with the very early models - I believe that they have a
free upgrage kit available, if you're interested.

"Cockpit Colin" writes:

With the Boise, I tend to get a hot spot on top of my head after several
hours of wearing them.

This was an issue with the very early models - I believe that they have a
free upgrage kit available, if you're interested.

Long story...I put a patch of sheepskin (which came as a sample for seat
covers) on my wife's set after she complained about the "hot spot". It
solved the problem. I mentioned it to Bose. They rolled out the upgrade
(with a solution to my battery box complaint too). It impressed me.

--kyler

Well done! I've been able to influence a couple of manufacturers on the odd
occasion - it's a good feeling to know you've helped out.

"Kyler Laird" wrote in message
...
"Cockpit Colin" writes:

With the Boise, I tend to get a hot spot on top of my head after
several
hours of wearing them.

This was an issue with the very early models - I believe that they have a
free upgrage kit available, if you're interested.

Long story...I put a patch of sheepskin (which came as a sample for seat
covers) on my wife's set after she complained about the "hot spot". It
solved the problem. I mentioned it to Bose. They rolled out the upgrade
(with a solution to my battery box complaint too). It impressed me.

--kyler

Ask "the wife" if she'd like to try a few different ones at the local
pilot shop.
See what she prefers.
You could also consider inviting her to earn her ticket.