G’day all,
For fear of repeating a few people, I’ve had a pair of Bose X for about 9 months now and they work pretty well for me. I’ve seen a few people advertise them with a RRP of $1495 with free shipping anywhere in Oz, but I’m sure if you rang any of the retailers they’ll negotiate a discount to get the sale. I purchased mine from Wadeair (at Orange) for $1425, and they also let me try them before I bought them.
I’ve never had any problems hearing aural warnings etc or syncing props flying both a Baron and Metro. I haven’t tried using HMEC25, but I can say that the Bose X headset is very light and comfortable, and this is after having a set David Clarke 10-60’s for a few years (more so the weight than the comfort). Batteries usually last about 2-3 weeks of reasonably heavy use. As for using them without power, I’ve used them once when my batteries went flat (and forgot the rechargeables..) and they weren’t real flash. That’s not the point though, if you want a headset that provides good noise cancellation without ENC, than get one that provides it. The system that provides the ENC is also the reason they are quiet a bit lighter, because the headset doesn’t require the noise attenuating padding.
Hope this helps mate, 1500 bucks is a lot of cash to shell out, especially for a GA pilot. Well worth it though (from what I’ve been flying anyway), as Transonic Dragon said, you can’t put a price on your hearing. More often than not by the time you can afford them you’ll be flying aircraft that don’t need them… Don’t forget that they are a tax deduction too. Try before you buy, and shop around. I purchased my 10-60’s from Australian Avionics in Cairns, and they were about $50 cheaper than anyone else in Queensland and New South Wales at the time.
Cheers,
Josh