DIY kit is brilliant
I purchased the DIY kit over the net direct from Headsets Inc for the princely sum of $250. It included a new cable and an auto off device to save battries when left on accidently. this is about $150 cheaper than I could get the same kit in Oz. I installed the kit in my DC 13.4's.
I fly piston twins and single turbine, and the results were brilliant! These kits only take away the low frequency noise, i.e. prop noise and piston noise. So for the first time in your career, you will be able to hear people talking behind you in the aircraft. However the real benefit is the reduced fatigue on your brain after a long day in the saddle.
The battery problem is easily solved by using rechargable batteries. But you need to spend the bucks on good rechargeables, which means Nickel metal hydrides. Nicad's just don't cut it.
I have never worn the Bose's, but comparing mine to a mates factory DC anr's, neither of us could tell the difference.