MLS12D - Honest, I won't turn this into an issue(!), but the only difference noticeable between the DC H10-40 set and the £74.86 set is the fact that the jack plugs are chrome, not gold, plated. If I were to do a blind test of the 2 (comfort and performance), that is the only difference I'd notice (if I opened my eyes!). On several occasions (in an older PA28 with avionics to match
), when talking to ATC on my DCs I've had reports of poor readability; changed to the cheap set and got much improved signal reports.
Vikki - you may have gathered by now that headsets are a very personal thing. Make decisions according to what suits your proposed aviating profile. Like a lot of the posts on this thread, I would recommend DCs on basis of performance / comfort, but if budget is a worry, there are perfectly acceptable alternatives which will see you through your first few years of aviating. My personal preference was to buy my DCs when I was in Canada as they were a lot cheaper there, but if I'd have been UK based, then I'd have gone for the cheaper options first. The logic behind using cheaper sets for pax is partly the fact that they get less use, are a bit more prone to getting dropped / lost / trapped in sliding canopies, etc, due to inexperienced handling.