Audio Panel ?

[ChickenHouse]

The audio panel on one of our rentouts has gone to meet the angels and we are looking for a replacement. We took decision to go integrated panel + intercom (new wiring needed anyways) and as there is some IFR flying, one with recorder function. Now, this leaves us with the GMA350 or PMA8000 question. At first glance the differences appear to be not much, but what is the real world experience today, which one to prefer?

[A and C]

I have one aircraft with the Garmin GMA340 audio panel it has been faultless with good audio quality.

I also have owned a number of PS Engineering products over the years, these have also been faultless ( the PM1000 is still going strong after twenty years ).

On the whole the PS engineering products have a better quality of audio especially when it comes to the performance of the squelch.

Both the Garmin and PS engineering products will not disappoint you, but only the PS engineering products will delight you.

Chickenhouse you are in the happy position were you can't make a bad decision with either of these products, but in my opinion the PS product is better maybe this is why all the upmarket headset manufacturers use PS engineering audio panels to demonstrate their products.

[ChickenHouse]

Thank you very much, that confirms my feeling from reading several discussions on the internet.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I agree with the earlier posters. Our club airplanes have a mixture of Garmin 340 and PMA 7000. I prefer the PMA product and note it is also slight less expensive than the Garmin

[wigglyamp]

I'm also a fan of both Gamin and PS Engineering audio panels and have installed loads over the last 20 years. However, I think you'll find that the surround-sound feature of the Garmin GMA350 when used with stereo headsets is particularly good - you really do hear air traffic from in front, your pax from behind you and the P2 from your right (I'm assuming standard spam-can in his case). Very bizarre when first experienced but really effective.

[ChickenHouse]

I am a bit undecided about the 3D-sound effects and did not try it yet. Is it really of value or is is a distraction feature? This surround feature reads nice, but unless I have an AHRS in my headset the spatial distribution will stay no matter which direction I turn my head, or? So, if Co is on my right ear and talks to me, I turn my head to look and speak to him, he still will be right, not front? If I turn back to see Pax, their Audio will still be "behind" me? Sounds weird to me. For Monitor mode with TWR and ATIS I am almost fine (although I prefer to listen to only one speaking), but the rest?

[mscheuer]

PS Engineering has an alternative to the GMA350.

The new PMA450 uses a patent licensed from the Wright Patterson Airforce Base (USAF Battlefield Audio Group) that invented Multitalker for their Air Force pilots. While we name it IntelliAudio, it is exactly the same the USAF uses.

What they did was to allow pilots to place Com 1 and Com 2 in 9 unique positions within the stereo headsets. It allows the pilot to take advantage of what we call "The Cocktail Party Effect". For example, say you are at a party with your wife (or husband) and they are talking to you when you hear your boss' voice and.....he has just mentioned your name. Surprisingly, you are able to "tune out" your spouse and pay attention to your boss and whether or not you are going to get that raise.

It really does work that way! The big difference between GARMIN's 3D and IntelliAudio is that it does not change how the intercom works and IntelliAudio allows you to place the radios into positions that are best suited for you.

So this dimensional stuff really works, but the implementation is what distinguishes good from great.

Hope this helps.

Mark Scheuer

[ChickenHouse]

How does it compare to the PMA8000 - is it adding only 3D sound and USB Charger? Frankly, at least for me, the USB connector is my point against the 450 and for the 8000.

[mscheuer]

The USB port is for charging only. the PMA450, like all of their other audio panels, aren't connected to computers for configurations. The configurations that pilots most often adjusted, are controlled with the 3 key/graphics display interface.


The PMA450 has a superset of capabilities of the PMA8000 series. IntelliAudio, human interface, and the advanced capabilities of the Bluetooth are just some of the enhancements.

sincerely.
Mark Scheuer

[ChickenHouse]

My major concerns with USB connectors are: the fast outdating of these "standards" and the dirt you collect over time in these things. I prefer to have the chargers separate, especially since USB-C is now slowly emerging.

I had a closer look at the 450 documentation and No, not for me, but I did place an order on a 8000BT unit.

[tmmorris]

Interesting - how well do Head Related Transfer Functions (which must be how it's done, I guess) work with the dubious audio quality of most headsets? I can't imagine the high frequency response of my Sennheiser would be up to it. You need very good time domain response, too.