Peltor 8006 Headset

[Denning]

Hi guys

Just wondering if anyone had any experience of Peltor 8006 headsets. Looking at buying a second hand set on ebay, just wondering if any views for or against.

Denning

[Rod1]

I have never used a Peltor headset personally, but it is the only headset I have ever has compatibility problems with. On more then one occasion, in multiple aircraft they have refused to co exist with various DC copies and Bose X.

Rod1

[bjornhall]

I've done most of my flying with that headset as it is the standard club-issue. It's ok I suppose; not sure if I'd buy one though, unless it was outrageously cheap... I've found it hard to get a proper seal over the ear, sometimes making the flight a rather noisy experience.

[RansS9]

No expert; 170hrs ppl, training and aero, no long distance, only used three other types before.

Bought new had for 3-4yrs. moderately regular use,

Good--good quality, simple construction, light, reasonable sound protection and microphone(and that's in a Pitts), folds small, stays on head during beginner/ standard sequences (may need additional band / headcap for intermediate and above)

Not so good--occasionally part of the wire in the headband presses irritatingly on the scalp, had one occasion where seemed to be incompatible with another pilots headphone (lots of other occasion no problem.)

On balance...HAPPY would recommend.

[DX Wombat]

Mine is on long-term loan to me and I wouldn't swap it. :) It's light and comfortable to wear (I find the DC ones VERY heavy and uncomfortable) and I have no problems with getting a decent seal around my ears. I noticed the BIG difference in noise reduction afforded by the Peltors when I had to wear a set of DCs for my Skill Test - that set was very noisy, cumbersome and heavy and kept sliding off my head. As Rans says, the Peltor folds up small so takes up less space in your bag.

[Denning]

Thanks chaps/chapesses it appears to be a good budget buy which is what I am looking for until i can afford a new DC 13.4!

[mark147]

I'd definitely recommend them. I've had one for the past 200 hours of flying. Nice and comfortable and quiet.

Replacement ear cushions are readily available and will freshen up an old headset nicely.

Some 'compatibility problems' that people report are due to an incorrect microphone pre-amp setting. The headset has four gain settings and some aircraft intercoms (especially older ones) distort if you leave it at the default setting. The setting is easily changed by a couple of switches inside the ear cup. I can look up the details if anyone wants to know.

The only criticism I have is that they're not so good if you wear glasses unless you use a foam 'stop gap' thingy.

[cpl4hire]

Mark147,

Could you pm me the info about adjusting Peltor headsets for compatability with other headsets (or just put it in this thread).

Thanks

cpl4hire

[Whopity]

I have repaired a number of headsets over the years and the life of a headset depends a lot on the build quality. The Peltor is a nice lightweight comfortable headset but, it does not stand up to rough treatment like a Clarke. It can be difficult to repair, as it uses a lot of crimps fitted with specialist tools, you can improvise with pliers but it won't last long.

Buying a second hand Peltor is like buying a second hand washing machine, you don't know its history!

[Squat-thrust]

I own a Peltor headset and have had no problems with it over the four years & 150+ hours of use. No compatibility issues with other makes.

For cost and effectiveness I'd buy another one.

[mark147]

Could you pm me the info about adjusting Peltor headsets for compatability with other headsets (or just put it in this thread).

Sure.

If you unclip the ear cushion from the cable side of the headset and remove a couple of pieces of form, you'll see something like this (click for a larger image):

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6048/peltor8006ja2.th.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=peltor8006ja2.jpg)http://img137.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)

I've circled in red the DIP switches that adjust the mic pre-amp gain. The settings are as follows:


1 ON, 2 ON - 300 mV (quietest setting)
1 ON, 2 OFF - 380 mV
1 OFF, 2 ON - 480 mV
1 OFF, 2 OFF - 680 mV (loudest setting)

In the picture shown, 480 mV is selected. My two headsets both came set to 680 mV.

Mark

[pipertommy]

I have used my Peltor 8006 for over 200hrs, comfort no probs at all!!
The only problem I have had a couple of compatibility probs over four years.
So is it correct, that by reducing to 480 mV it may cure the problem?
If so excellent news!!

[danielk]

I have a pair of 8006 and i can't complain about comfort, noiselevel or sound quality . The only thing that's bugging me is that in one of my flyingclubs C172(1979) i have problems with the microphone and i can't get rid of it by adjusting the squelch.
Could changing the switches to a lower setting help with that too?
It works flawlessly in our two other C172 that aren't as old.

[mark147]

i have problems with the microphone and i can't get rid of it by adjusting the squelch.

What problems exactly?

The symptoms of the mic gain being set too high are:
- distorted or poor quality sound when you speak
- volume of your voice being louder than other passengers (or, if you turn down your headset volume, everyone else sounds quiet)

I guess you could also find it difficult to set the squelch properly, particularly if there's a lot of cockpit noise.

Mark

[danielk]

I've had problems with distorted sound when speaking and also cockpitsound getting picked up by the mic. sometimes.

[7AC]

I have found that turning down the amplifier as previously mentioned works.
Now just buy a pair of Oregon Aero ear cushions and you will have a truly
excellent headset.

[Crashed&Burned]

I have used 2 Peltor 8006s for a number of years and found them to be excellent. Comfy and effective,

You can get better but you'll have to pay a lot more for relatively little extra benefit.

C&B

[pipertommy]

Anyone use the comfort band? Any good?

[kvermael]

Same thing here
Just bought a brand-new 8006. First use in a PA28 was frankly disappointing:
- problems adjusting good squelch level
- surprisingly lots of noise after engine startup
- ATC reading me 3/5 with occasional heavy muffling of my transmissions
I saw the post of mike147 about opening up the earpiece and adjusting amp switches. Just wondering if this will address my problems without voiding warranty??
any help greatly appreciated
K

[sammypilot]

Had the same problem with one bought late last year (new.) Sent it back to Harry Mendelssohn where it came from. They said there was nothing wrong with it but when it came back it behave perfectly. They had obviously adjusted it in accordance with the manufacturers instructions so I don't think you will have any problem over warranty.

[trex450]

I always found peltors excellent value, the only change I made was to get a different make for the anr aspect but took the peltor headband with me because it was tougher. I did several thousand hours and took it on and off over 5000 times without it ever failing mechanically. :ok: IMHO the worst thing peltor did was change from the carbon mike to the electrec.

[joaniegray]

Thanks for your post - my microphone came set to loudest settings and nearly took everyone else's eardrums out ! also the Peltor information sheet suggested l remove the cup with a screwdriver !! that would have been an unnecessary mess - so l was really glad to read your post and it was easy to do. :O

[mad_jock]

Just to note that headset DX is on about did me personally all the way through my training and hour building and also 150 hours instruction. So its 12 years old now.

The only reason why I bought a new one was because my hearing test showed a decrease in hearing at engine rpm (I was flying 8 hours a day for the previous 2 months) . So I went for an ANR which was a DC which has only just given up on me requiring a new main lead and battery box which comes in at 70% of a new unit after 10 years. (Anyone know where I can get a more reasonably priced lead or have a pair that are scrap with a good lead)

Peltor have there roots in shooting and industrial ear protection. The passive qualities of the ear protection are extremely good for the price. The best thing to get if you are high usage is of course ANR but if you flying less than 50 hours a year they are a cost effective headset which does the job in comfort.