Headset Help Please!

[Ckcoles]

Hi all,
I've come to the decision to start looking for a new headset and I've singled it down to the Lightspeed Sierra and the Beyerdynamic HS800.There are pros and cons of each, but nothing major... Please if you have any suggestions, advice or experience with either headset - leave a reply.
thanks in advance
(ps. I have searched for similar threads and didn't really get any conclusive results...)

[DeafOldFart]

I repair headsets.. and reckon there's not an awful lot of difference between most headsets in real world conditions! Usually, it's the quality of the radio, and the mic at the transmitting end.
If you need active noise cancellation, get a quieter engine!

[DirtyProp]

The discriminating factor for me is comfort.
They have to be comfortable for my head, which of course is different from others (bigger :p).
I strongly suggest you to try them on first, if you can.

[Ckcoles]

Thanks for the valuable responses.

[zondaracer]

I would get a Bose or QT Halo headset.

[ford cortina]

I had no idea Beyer Dynamic had entered the aviation business.
Seeing they set the standard for the music industry, their indistuctable DT100's are everywhere, if I was looking for a GA headset I would certainly look at them over Bose.

Along with Sennheiser, BD are in the sound recording business and have been for many years, making well built products, I have a Sennheiser ANR headset for the 73 I fly.

I also have a pair of Bose QC2's for when I am a passenger, the ear pads have disintegrated, and the side has snapped, it is now held by gaffer tape. They have not had a hard life, they have been well looked after.

Bose have a very very good marketing department, if you really are considering Bose, I suggest you have a search on any Audiophile forum asking about both manufacturers. You may be surprised what you read.

[redsnail]

Ckcoles,

I am not familiar with either 2 headsets. I would be considering "robustness" and whether you can repair them in-field. I suspect you'll be doing some bush flying and they'll probably get kicked about. I know my DC's did.

That would be something I would be looking at + after sales service. Ideally, you shouldn't need it, however, the real world isn't a glossy brochure.

I now use Bose A20 (bizjet operations). Love them. I have used Sennheisers in the past and they were brilliant, but I have found that the Bose are much better (so they should be, twice the price!).

[tecman]

You won't find anything 'conclusive' in the discussion threads because it often comes down to a personal comfort choice, in amongst other trade-offs. Personally, I went with the Sennheiser S1 digital because I wanted a headset with very good passive attenuation and failsafe operation (flat battery just means reversion to passive mode). Because I fly a few aircraft in different configurations (canopy open/closed, etc) I also find the selectable ANR optimization of the S1 to be useful in getting the last few dB attenuation in a particular configuration. Last but by no means least, the S1 fitted my ears and head comfortably, with the accomodation of the spectacle frame arms a bonus.

If you can possibly manage to try out the headsets on your shortlist, you'll be doing yourself a favour. My ranking from the cockpit trial was quite different to my expectations and I made sure I took my faithful old DCs along as a reference.