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Are the $500 Noise Canceling Headsets worth it?

R

riobison

Well Known Member
I'm looking for another headset for my girl friend. Myself I use a QT Halo and I'm happy with it but that's not the way she wants to go.

We are just wondering if any of the lower priced (sub $500) headsets with the Noise canceling technology are worth money?

Thanks

Tim
 
Headsets Inc

I now own a Lightspeed Zulu, but I took my DC 13.4s and bought and upgrade kit from Headsets Inc. It was a little more than $100, and it made a huge difference. I now use it as my copilot set...
 
I didn't want to jump to $1000 headsets, so I went with the Lightspeed Sierra ($650) and have been very happy with them.

-Brendon
 
Buy her a nice one she would appreciate it. I always give my riders an ANR I use and myself wearing the passive. A well known brand fully refurbished will fit in your budget.
 
Don't go cheap, get her the best you can, it will be something she will always appreciate! I give my wife the choice of whatever she wants, so she has a Zulu II while I fly with an A-20.

-Marc
 
Plummit said:
Don't go cheap, get her the best you can, it will be something she will always appreciate! I give my wife the choice of whatever she wants, so she has a Zulu II while I fly with an A-20.

-Marc
Click to expand...

Marc is correct.

IF you want her to fly with you, get her the best.

I have two A-20s in my RV-6. I like them best. ANR headsets are like underware, everyone will have a personal preference.
 
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another data point

borrow one.
turn it on. Fly.....
turn it off. go Fly.
see how you feel after an hour's flight.


since there are a LOT of users that will say Bose this and Zulu that, I always remind folks of the Flightcomm Denali

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

Flightcom Denali D50ANR ANR Headset brand new...$350, mine are 12 years old, 100+ hrs, really like the sound, audio, mic etc.

my other set is the in-ear Halo, which I also like, and are popular with the ladies I hear! :rolleyes:
 
DC Pro-X

I love the "underwear reference".

Ok, so not $400, but more like $699 for a new set- I own a set of David Clark Pro-X's that sit on the ear (I think $899 for the DC Pro-One, the Bose A20 competitor model).

I give them a resounding positive review. The only drawback to them has been that you need to get them centered on your ear to have them work well, but once you do, I find that they are as quiet as my Bose X's (that my wife absconded with), but they're only 7oz - much lighter than most every ANR headset, have a bulletproof DC magnesium frame, fit closer to your head (i.e. better fit under a tight canopy) and these came with a bluetooth interface.

I bought these as a demo set and paid about $500 for them; there might be a set or two out there in that range. I tried a set of Bose A20's and really liked them, but they are also $1095 for the same features.
 
for the airplane or her.

Depending on the seriousness of the relationship...maybe you need to buy the airplane a second headset.

flyboy1963 said:
borrow one.
turn it on. Fly.....
turn it off. go Fly.
see how you feel after an hour's flight.


since there are a LOT of users that will say Bose this and Zulu that, I always remind folks of the Flightcomm Denali

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

Flightcom Denali D50ANR ANR Headset brand new...$350, mine are 12 years old, 100+ hrs, really like the sound, audio, mic etc.

my other set is the in-ear Halo, which I also like, and are popular with the ladies I hear! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yes, borrow and test. Or even buy one test it and return if it's not to your liking.

I have a Flightcom Denali ANR headset and to me it is unacceptable in the RV7. It seems perfectly fine in other aircraft but not the RVs, which, in my limited experience are too loud for it. I would use earplugs and the Denali for it to be acceptable.

I bit the bullet for a Bose A20 after buying/testing a couple others (but not the lightspeeds). The A20 was the only one that really cut through the noise.

For now I will use the Denali with earplugs and let passengers use the A20.
 
I have deliberately avoid ANR headsets. I use only passive.

In my years of flying, even though I have a full engine monitoring system, I have always felt that the best and earliest indicator of engine issues, or any air frame issue for the matter, are your ears. ANR blocks those early warning signals.
 
I took an old standard DC and installed an ANR system. The kit was $175 if I recall. It is almost as good as my seinheiser S-10. Great value. Somebody else might know the name of the outfit that sells it - it is a very obvious name I just can't find it in my rusty memory. The install was no big deal - an evening of work with a soldering iron.
 
sblack said:
http://www.headsetsinc.com/anr_kits.html

this is what I used. Very happy with it as a 2nd headset. Recommended by a friend who has a couple of them. $169. Once you go ANR you won't go back to passive. You can turn the switch on and off and see the difference, which is huge.
Click to expand...

I did this too. It is very effective and I flew with it in my David Clark 10-13.4 for 100 hours before discovering QT's. Then the DCs became my passneger headset. The only problem is that as good as David Clarks are with the ANR conversion, they are still David Clarks and they clamp quite hard. (They aren't nicknamed "Death Clamps" for nothing!) A hot day and hour and a half flight left my daughter a bit head-achey and naseous. Broke down and bought a $500 reconditioned Bose for my passengers this past fall. It's sound surprisingly isn't much, if any, better than the DC/ANR conversion, but it is a lot more comfortable.

Long and short, Bose's that have been reconditioned regularly show up here on VAF for arouund $500. Might be another option for the OP. Like him, I would never pay $1000 for a headset.
 
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Lightspeed Zulu

A public service announcement for the board:

I am currently using a Lightspeed Zulu (original). This headset is now 2 generations old (or 3 if you want to count the cordless) . I have been very happy with the performance of this headset.

The new series 3 has just been released. Lightspeed has a trade up program, offering $300 trade-in for a Zulu. IF you are considering this promotion, please offer your used Zulu for sale here on VAF before you give it to Lightspeed. You might even be able to get $50-100 more selling it in the used market.

At $300 I would consider the original Zulu to be a great bargain.
 
Zulu and Iphone

My recommendation is to get her a zulu 2 with Bluetooth.
My girls link their phones and listen to music when flying with me. Sometimes they make a phone call, on the ground that is....
 
Steve Melton, I can't find CEP on the Headsets Inc. website. It appears the site you link to says he sold to Headsets Inc. This product looks interesting to me because I still have trouble deciphering ATC communications. I installed the Headsets Inc. ANR kit in my David Clarks which does help a lot. But often have to ask ATC to repeat.
 
Spoke with local ear nose throat doctor before I got an A20....
His comment was buy the best sound protection there is that you will also use!
How much do hearing aids cost and they become permanent.
 
Get the best ANR headsets you can afford

Gisnar said:
Spoke with local ear nose throat doctor before I got an A20....
His comment was buy the best sound protection there is that you will also use!
How much do hearing aids cost and they become permanent.
Click to expand...

I truly agree with your dr. Twenty years of military flying without ANR, one year of GA flying without ANR - now hearing aids with my wife getting upset because she has to repeat herself! Protect those ears otherwise a constant ringing sound will your gift to yourself and whom ever rides with you. Hearing aids cost significantly more than the best headset you can buy and don't work near as well as normal hearing.
 
Twice now my Dad has forgotten about his hearing aids and has dived into the lake with them on. The first time cost him $4k. The 2nd time he was able to dry them out and save them. He is 82 and flew DHC Otters, which are notoriously horribly loud due to the ejector exhaust, and the headsets in the 1950s were poor and people just didn't think much about it. I have tinnitus as well, for a different reason, so I use an ANR headset.

For you older guys who are having trouble hearing ATC, the Seinheiser has dipswitches that you can set for extra treble boost, if your hearing is weak in the higher frequencies. I tried it and it was very painful! I guess I don't need it yet. But it works.
 
brad walton said:
Steve Melton, I can't find CEP on the Headsets Inc. website. It appears the site you link to says he sold to Headsets Inc. This product looks interesting to me because I still have trouble deciphering ATC communications. I installed the Headsets Inc. ANR kit in my David Clarks which does help a lot. But often have to ask ATC to repeat.
Click to expand...

Well, that's the way it goes sometimes. You find a good product then poof, it's gone.
 
They're not gone...

Here's the website. I've installed several of their kits over the years, and still currently use a pair in an old Telex 1400, my first (and probably last) headset.

http://www.headsetsinc.com/

Wife has a pair of Sennheiser ANRs that she likes and uses, but she still regrets not splurging for the Bose. :)
 
Two things to offer to the discussion...

First, already stated, is that the Headsets Inc. kits are great. They may not be 100% as good as a Bose or Lightspeed, but they are very good. I installed their kit in my helmet and to me, it sounds like it's doing the same job attenuating noise that my Lightspeed does.

Second, when you install a Headsets Inc. kit, the default is to double-up your cord by tie-wrapping the power cord alongside the stock cord all the way back to the panel. I consider this to be a rather messy solution, so I found an alternative:

https://www.ruggedradios.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_295&products_id=38

This cord integrates audio, power, and a 9V battery box into one nice neat cable. Even better, it automatically powers up the ANR when you plug it in, and powers it down when you unplug it from the panel. I can say from first hand experience that it works brilliantly with the Headsets Inc. kit.
 
Headsets Inc also selsl a full headset with the ANR in it for $399 according to their website.
 
Look for headsets that also have Passive Noise Attenuation along with ANR (Active Noise Reduction) or you will have little protection when the battery goes dead. My Zulu's are just that.... ANR only. They sit on the shelf and I still use my X/C's...

Also, headsets that are powered by a 9v battery get pretty pricey to feed. Look for AA power source or wire to panel.
 
Every year at Oshkosh, Bose sells their headsets with 11 or 12 payments, no interest.

After the first set, my wife let me know she expected her own set if we were going to continue flying together. :mad: With her encouragement, when the 20s came out, I bought two more sets on the same plan.

I purchased one each year for four years running and set the payments to auto so I didn't have to think about them. I know it still cost the same, but the pain is less when it is spread out.
 
uflymike hasn't been mentioned

My day job is looking out the windshield of a corporate jet. Over the last almost 40 years (oh my I'm getting old) I have come across just about every headset made. I started with a David Clark H10-40 and still have it.

However, when outfitting our current aircraft I went with the Bose A20. I have used every Bose model beginning with the original. The original was very comfortable but bulky. The second was better. The X I didn't like. There was something with the headband that didn't agree with me. I always got a hot spot from that one.

The A20 is by far and away the best Bose aviation specific model. Ours are wired to ships power so batteries aren't an issue. We wear them for the whole flight in order to keep the noise down for the pax in the back and enhance communications, especially when in a foreign land. In the past week that included (2) 10 hour legs without any discomfort. Many 14 hour days without complaint. Granted, unlike an RV, this is in an air-conditioned cockpit. A hot day, warm cockpit might be a different story. An in-ear setup might be better in that situation but I would be hard pressed to give up an over-ear if the leg distances were oven an hour or so.

Another option that hasn't been mentioned that is almost as good as the A20 is a Bose QC25 with a uflymike headset.
https://uflymike.com/pages/what-is-harmony
I used the previous model before Harmony with a QC15 for quite a few years prior to the A20. Even more comfortable than an A20 because it's lighter with the added benefit of having a great headset if commuting. The single AAA battery lasts for a long time. Easily enough for a Europe round trip from the west coast. I have a Harmony on order to try so I can't speak specifically about the new model but the previous mike worked fine and the headset is the driver for comfort anyway.

"When" I have an RV8, I will have 2 of these QC25 / uflymike setups dedicated to it.
 
Here's some thoughts

I have Bose A20's in my RV - they work great and are very light and comfortable to wear. The batteries last ages BUT if the go flat the "passive" is a lot less than say H10 13.4s and you will want to be shutting down ASAP before you go deaf.

I also have an S1 Pitts. The Bose are useless in it - the very high noise levels just overpower the ANR and the Passive is not nearly enough.

I've fitted an aftermarket ANR kit to some DC H10 13.4's and they are great in the Pitts.

As the saying goes "horses for courses"
 
I have a set of both the flightcom Denali and the Telex Stratus 30. The Denalis are more comfortable but the Stratus is a little quieter. Last year at Oshkosh I bought Clarity Alofts for both me and my wife. We both love them! For $500 they are the way to go. My wife really likes them because they don't mess up her hair or pinch her ear rings.
 
I found DC H20-10s to be very good. I have both the noise cancelling and the standard headset. With the gel seals they are very comfortable to wear and the head band does not clamp like the other DCs. I found them both second hand for under USD 200 each.

I have also tried the earlier Bose models, but I found that the DCs were better in the aircraft I fly. They are also easy to repair if you have issues.
 
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