Headsets - Advice Please

[alanmtc]

Hi, I need a cheapish, but good headset for my training over the next year. Can anyone advise on the following. Good and Bad comments welcome!


HM-40DL Passive Student Pilot Headset
http://www.flightstore.co.uk/prod/HMH40/DEPT-HEAD/HEADSTU/


Pilot PA11-60 Passive Headset
http://www.flightstore.co.uk/prod/PILPA1160/DEPT-HEAD/HEADSTU/


PH-40 XL Student and Private Pilot Headset
http://shop.pilotwarehouse.co.uk/product608000023catno2240023.html


Flightcom 4DLX Classic
http://shop.pilotwarehouse.co.uk/product18810023catno1790023.html



Many thanks!

[GusHoneybun]

alan,personally, if you are planning on going commercial, i wouldn't mess about with passive headsets. most of your next 5 years in aviation will probably be spent in aircraft where you will have wished that you splashed out the few extra hundred and got an active. if your hearing starts to go, so does your medical.you can claim the cost of a headset back through tax, details on the balpa site.

[jxc]

Hi

Try www.skygeek.com in America i've bought a few things online time I paid customs and shipping still worked out cheaper than U.K.

these are the set I bought $238.04 plus shipping

http://www.skygeek.com/hme110.html

[alanmtc]

sorry I'm a dumb ass - what is the difference between passive and active?

[Nashers]

if i were you i would spend a couple of hundred pounds more and get a good headset as when your flying like me nearly 200 hours in just over a year it makes a hell of a difference. even if u dont intend to fly much they will last longer in the long run anyway.

i would suggest the David Clark range.

the cheaper headsets may not fit as well, the band on the top may stop blood flow around your head and just become a pain to wear for any more than an hour at a time. also the more expencive ones are better at keeping noise out and the cheaper ones may not have noise cancelling at all.

[nich-av]

David Clark H10-13.4 are the best I have had so far. Very unbreakable and good, quality communication.

Not so expensive if ordered abroad.

[spudgunjon]

JXC - exactly the same Sennheisers as me - from skygeek too! I'd recommend to anyone.

Had a cheap nasty pair to get me through PPL (came as part of the course price) but when I was doing my hour building of anything from 2-8 hours a day, I soon realised that a decent set were essential...couldn't afford the Bose X's so went for the best combination of affordability and quality.

The Lightspeed range of headsets came a close second in my final decision...

[acepilotmurdock]

I use a David Clarke H10-13.4 and @ aroung the 200 quid mark I don't think you can buy better in my opinion. :ok:

[preduk]

I've got a pair of Firefly headset, and to be honest I don't notice the difference between them and DC headsets.

www.firefly-aviation.co.uk (http://www.firefly-aviation.co.uk) only £79.99 which is great!

[ford cortina]

I use a nice set of Senni's on the B737, bought them myself. For private use, I have a pair of Lightspeed Thirty G, cost me $400.00 Just as good as the Bose, better in someways as they also are passive incase of battery failure.

info:
http://www.lightspeedaviation.com/content.cfm/Products/Thirty-3G-Headset

skygeek:
http://www.lightspeedaviation.com/content.cfm/Products/Thirty-3G-Headset

[VFR Transit]

I have used and still use the "PH-40 XL Student and Private Pilot Headset"

There is not one bad word i can say about it, other than if you are on a 2 hour or more flight it can get a bit of moisture on the ear.

I would tell you to buy covers for the ear pads.

Excellent buy and has lasted over 8 years.

VFR

[Jumbo744]

Yesterday 12:06 acepilotmurdock I use a David Clarke H10-13.4 and @ aroung the 200 quid mark I don't think you can buy better in my opinion. :ok:same as mine, they are wonderful! actually, my brother bought them in January 1996 when he was doing his training and gave them to me last April, they look brand new and are exellent!

[Captain Planet]

Bose are the job, pricey, but far superior to anything I've ever used!

CP.

[Shunter]

I agree. Bose are simply in a different league. If you fly a couple of hours with David Clarks, then a couple of hours with Bose you'll buy the latter and be glad you did.

[fabbe92]

I don´t understand. Do commercial pilots have to bring their own headsets?

I tought that for example, when the pilots arrive into the cockpit of their 737/a320, their is allready headsets for them.

And is the medical gone with the smallest ear problem or something like that?

[Shunter]

Depends on the airline, but most pilots prefer to use their own.

If your hearing starts to fail you can still retain your medical under what's called "demonstrated ability". If this wasn't the case there would be large numbers of pilots aged 40+ on the dole!

[bgreenboxb]

Hey
Headsets are supplied in the airline I work for, they are noise cancelling but more like what a telephone operator would use.

I have a Bose aviation headset. Like people have said, more money, but will last and worth it.

Merry Christmas!

[preduk]

Don;t get any of those ones you mentioned for around £80-90. I bought a pair and they were dreadful, hurt my head a lot as well.

If you are looking for cheap headset then I would recommend - FireFly Aviation - Firefly FLY750 pilot aviation headset (http://www.firefly-aviation.co.uk)

I was surpised how good they were for such a low price.

[clear prop!!!]

Don't mess about with cheap headsets!!

From day 1 I had a pair of DC's as an xmas present from my folks.

They got me through PPL CPL etc etc.

I then bought a pair of lightspeeds, which are the dogs bollocks.

The may look a bit Fischer Price but they are the best around and ...indistructible!

I'm now flying with a set of company hard wired Bose. If I could plug in the Lightspeeds I would!

You get what you pay for....don't buy cheap!!

[corsair]

The cheap ones are cheap for a reason. They break more often. I have a pair of David Clarke H10 13.4s. Yes they are less comfortable than Bose, I believe. But I have worn mine, six to eight hours at a time without discomfort. The cheaper headsets look like DCs but wear them for an hour or two and you notice the difference.

A flying school I know bought good but cheaper headsets than DCs but also had DCs. Now they have only DCs. They do break but are fixed easily. It was cheaper in the end to go for the more expensive headsets.

Most DC owners swear by them.

[MyNameIsIs]

Spend a bit extra and buy something more upmarket.

Good and cheap when it comes to headsets just does not work.

It is an investment- a good headset will last YEARS without any sort of problem; and more to the point give you the best protection for your hearing which is basically priceless. [Only problem I've had was a busted wire during a self-install of an ANR kit, nothing to do with the headsets original hardware].

I have 2 sets of DC H10-13.4's; one is straight passive and one has an ANR kit on it. For a straight passive headset, I personally think that this one is the best. The ANR just adds on a little bit extra candy, it makes flying a bit less nosiy.
Also have a cheapo Altronics which just goes to the Pax when im taking friends and family for a bit of a burn.

The passive reduction on 'dedicated' sort ANR headsets (Bose, Lightspeed Zulu etc) is terrible; but the ANR of those models is the best I've ever come across. Very lightweight and comfortable but if you forget a spare set of batteries and they run flat, ouchies!


My suggestion is get something a little bit more expensive than you thought you could afford- in the long run the benefits far outweigh the cost saving on the initial purchase price.

[Slipstream86]

On the other hand: If you go with the cheaper model for now, the ANR headsets will come down in price and you can upgrade. :ok:

All assuming that you actually survive without your cheap headset causing massive electrical malfunction within your aircraft, or a crushing fracture to your skull :rolleyes:

[172driver]

Don't mess with your hearing - once it's gone, it's gone. Forever. You can NOT get it back. Buy the best headset you can get, and that's a Bose-X.

[clear prop!!!]

172 driver

Can't disagree but I think the poster was looking to buy cheap.

I fly commercially with Bose and they are fantastic!

However from my past, I have lightspeeds which are a fraction of the price and in many ways as good if not a little short on the looks side!!

They are much more sturdy for the sort of abuse they will get with GA flying.

But, as has been said....don't buy cheap!

[172driver]

clear prop!!!

True - what I was / am trying to say is that skimping on the headsets is false economy. It WILL come back to haunt you - and that's not a question of if, but a question of when. Don't mess with your health, especially in a profession where you need to pass a medical to carry on.

[B2N2]

David Clark X11 active noise reduction:

http://www.sportys.com/terryc/images/5528l.jpg

Or the Bose X :

http://www.sportys.com/terryc/images/7087l.jpg


Don't be stingy on a headset purchase, you'll regret it.
Get several people introduced so they can get you a birthday gift together.....:ok: