ANR headset suggestions?

I've got 2 pair of Bose - and now I wouldn't consider using anything else
(including a David Clark H10-13X). (Bose is the most expensive headset you
can buy - and right now they can't make enough of them - I wonder if that
gives anyone a clue?)

Can't say what Bose customer service is like - they just never break down.
I've heard that Lightspeed customer service is fantastic though - some
people have returned their headsets 10 or 20 times for repair and each time
the fix em up and send them back

I think the bose are a little steep in price for me, like 1000$ or so.
The lightspeed are 5-600, suits my pocket better.

On 2004-03-22 19:41:28 -0500, "Cockpit Colin" said:

I've got 2 pair of Bose - and now I wouldn't consider using anything else
(including a David Clark H10-13X). (Bose is the most expensive headset you
can buy - and right now they can't make enough of them - I wonder if that
gives anyone a clue?)

Can't say what Bose customer service is like - they just never break down.
I've heard that Lightspeed customer service is fantastic though - some
people have returned their headsets 10 or 20 times for repair and each time
the fix em up and send them back

Magnus wrote:

I've been looking around a bit for a good headset, any recomendations.
Is ANR worth it or not?

Absolutely worth it. Any ANR headset is better than the best passive headset.

Some people say it's bad because you can't hear
the engines so it takes longer to discover engine problems and makes it
harder to sync the props.

I have not found that to be the case. Even if that *were* the case, all of these
sets have an on-off switch. You could always cut it off if you felt you needed
to "hear the engine better".

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

Magnus,

comfort is a thing that is very personal, due to head shapes and such.
Having said that, there are probably very few people describing DCs as
comfortable. They're not called David Clamps for nothing. OTOH,
Lightspeed kind of invented the concept of very soft-cushioned,
comfortable headsets at an affordable price.

You need to try before you buy to judge comfort. Or use a dealer with a
money-back guarantee.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I like the Denali headset. I found the Lighspeed to be bulkier. I
delayed buying an ANR for a long time because I was initially
skeptical that it was all just a marketing gimmick. Now I wish I had
bought them sooner. Not being able to hear the engine is pure BS. You
can hear the engine better, not worse. It makes a huge difference in
pilot fatigue. Only downside is, you will tend to speak softer (since
you can hear everything so well), and your passengers without ANR may
not hear you that well. So you have to speak up, or adjust your
intercom level down.



Magnus wrote in message ...
I've been looking around a bit for a good headset, any recomendations.
Is ANR worth it or not? Some people say it's bad because you can't hear
the engines so it takes longer to discover engine problems and makes it
harder to sync the props.

On the other hand, it seems to be a very comfortable feature,
especially if you're up instructing all day long and you can turn the
noice reduction off from what I understand.

Once I replaced my David Clark (non ANR) with Lightspeeds, I never looked back
because the sound reduction was so great. However, clamping pressure remained ,
especially on a long trip. I treis my friend's Bose and liked them, but not
enough to dump the Lightspeeds and the clamping pressure wasn't much better.
Somewher I read a reference to Auricomm (QuietTechnologies.com. These are very
similar to a cell phone headset and weigh about as much . Brought them as a
Christmas present to myself ($350.00) and LOVE them. Just took a trip from Long
Island to Houston & back with no complaints.
Maybe not to everyone's taste but certainly worth loking at at an alternative.

John

It was Aviation Consumer that did an article on them last February

Magnus wrote in message news
I've been looking around a bit for a good headset, any recomendations.
Is ANR worth it or not? Some people say it's bad because you can't hear
the engines so it takes longer to discover engine problems and makes it
harder to sync the props.

Hi,
I have been using a set of Telex ANR-1D headsets for the past 7
years. They fit me well and work just great. I can hear the radios
much better with ANR. All of my flying the past 4 years has been in
light twins, and have absolutely no problem synching props by ear with
ANR headsets. Bought my wife a pair of Bose X at Oshkosh 4 years ago
- she loves them. Her headset and the Aeromedix reliefband make our
flights a treat. Otherwise, she would probably be very uncomfortable.
My advice is to get a set of ANR headsets, whatever type is
comfortable to you.

Safe flying,
Brian

I've been very pleased with the 20XL (which I use as a passenger/back-up
headset) and the 20 3G which I use as my primary headset. I know some
people will push the Bose headsets, but for what I saved between the price
of the Bose and my 20 3G I was able to buy a new handheld GPS - AirMap 500.

I should tell you that I was a bit of a skeptic about how much difference an
ANR headset would make over a passive headset in terms of fatigue; yet, I
have to tell you the difference in how I feel after a flight (without the
'extra' noise) is significantly less fatigued. Also, disregard the 'old
wives tales' about not being able to hear critical sounds,,, it is not a
problem at all.

Good Luck!

--
--
=-----
Good Flights!

Cecil
PP-ASEL
Student-IASEL

Check out my personal flying adventures from my first flight to the
checkride AND the continuing adventures beyond!
Complete with pictures and text at: www.bayareapilot.com

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -

"We who fly, do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with
this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
- Cecil Day Lewis -

I've been very pleased with the 20XL (which I use as a passenger/back-up
headset) and the 20 3G which I use as my primary headset. I know some
people will push the Bose headsets, but for what I saved between the price
of the Bose and my 20 3G I was able to buy a new handheld GPS - AirMap
500.

Get the Twenty 3Gs.

Many of you know that I've had a checkered history with LightSpeed. Mary
and I own four pair of 'em, purchased from '99 till '03, and love their
comfort and ANR performance. However, three of those four pair have been
back to Lightspeed for repair on multiple occasions. They always fixed 'em,
free of charge -- but they just kept breaking.

At OSH '03, the president of LightSpeed presented me with a FREE pair of
Twenty 3Gs, after I unwittingly told him my never-ending tale of woe with
his products. (He was operating in "stealth mode" at the Pacific Coast
Avionics booth, working there under cover, so I had no idea that I was
bitching at the head honcho until he told me.)

Well, our Lightspeed 15s have broken -- yet again. (The microphone works
only occasionally, and crackles the rest of the time.) This would be the
third trip back to Lightspeed for this particular headset, and I just didn't
want to mess with it again. I decided to buy a new pair.

This time, however, I've got 8 months of experience with the new Twenty 3Gs,
and have once again become a solid LightSpeed advocate. I decided to go
with their "trade-up" program, and trade my old 15s in for another new pair
of Twenty 3Gs.

Here's why: The Twenty 3Gs are everything a headset should be. Solid,
comfortable, packed with cool features, and -- most importantly -- DURABLE.
They are much sturdier than their earlier models, without gaining any
weight, and the quality control that was sorely lacking in their earlier 15s
and 20s is now plainly evident.

Features abound. The cell phone interface -- something I thought I'd never
use -- is very cool, and we use it all the time.

The bass and treble boost -- again, something I thought I wouldn't care
about -- has turned out to be wonderful. ANR tends to make things sound
tinny, and the bass and treble boost restores music to its original sound.
On a long trip, this is very noticeable.

In fact, this thread has just cost me some bucks. I just got off the phone
with the president of LightSpeed. I thanked him for last year's gift,
thanked him for fixing the problems at Lightspeed -- and ordered two more
sets of Twenty 3Gs.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I've had the David Clark H10-13Xs for 5-6 years or so (with gel seals and
fabric ear cup "socks"). They work real well, are comfortable, and will
last forever. My old H10-40s are still going strong after about 17 years.
I tried some of the newer Bose headsets recently and I couldn't detect any
noise sound reduction difference between them and my DCs.

--- Jay


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