Nobody seems to address the major problem with all ANC headsets. How robust are they and will they give a long life of trouble free service?
There seem to be no products available that are suitable for use by a full-time professional pilot. There are plenty of good ANC headsets out there that are comfortable to wear and perform well for a short time. They are great while they are actually working but all too often they break. Either there are electrical problems or the cheap and flimsy plastic parts break, particularly in very cold or hot conditions. They all seem to be fragile prima donna products that need endless pampering and are suitable only for very light use by weekend fliers.
Great after-sales support is not much help if it has to be used several times in five years with all the hassle of sending headsets back to a maker in another country, and if one has to invest in two or even three headsets to ensure that at least one headset is available for use while the others are being repaired. Also it should not be necessary to buy a new headset every three to five years or to incur major repairs after a year or two.
There are many reviews of headsets available in books, magazines and on-line. All are useless because they fail to address the long-term reliability and life span of a headset in normal professional use.
Where are the effective and comfortable ANC headsets that will stand up to being used by a professional pilot on ten or more legs per day and 1,000 hours per annum in temperatures ranging from -45C in winter to 40C in summer? Think of all the flexing and knocks a headset will take in such use as it is frequently donned or removed. There just does not seem to be any suitable product out there that will give ten years of trouble free use in such circumstances with only the routine replacement of the wearable ear muffs.
WAKE UP, MANUFACTURERS - you are falling far short of what is needed!