The Best Aviation Headsets

[Night Flight]

I'm going deaf and I need an new Head Set for use in a Turboprop! Any suggestion from actual experience?

I want the maximum noise attenuation including ANR. Any price!

NF

[BARON DRIVER]

Well i love my David Clark ANR headset.

Me id stick with DC, or maybe the new BOSE headset? Alot of pilots are talking well about the BOSE.

[alfie7_1985]

Hey Night FLight

I actually work at a pilot supply store so I get first hand info as to what is good and not so good....basically you have 3 types to choose from that I am aware of:

1. Bose X approx 1500
2. Flightspeed approx 1000
3. David Clark 10 - 13X approx 1150

We usually order in 2 bose headsets and within 2 days they are both gone. Have never really heard a bad word about them except that they only problem is that when u run out of batteries and the headset basically turns onto a PNR headset, they are quite noisy because they are a very light headset so they are on built like the david clark i.e very thick ear seals etc. My mate has a lightspeed and I tried it out the other day and it was just as good in reducing noise as the bose. I have heard from a few people that the problem with the lightspeed is that it is all plastic so it doesn't take to being bashed around in a GA machine but I guess its all about whether you look after the headset or not. Hope this helps

[Capt Claret]

Do a PPRuNe search on Bose.

[Night Flight]

Further to my questions above.

I have recently used an BOSE Aviation Headset and wasnt all that impressed. (it was too loud). Has anyone compared that to the new BOSE Heaset X? Is it much better?

Thanks in advance

NF

[beeva]

You can't beat the quality and workmanship of DC's headsets. They are tough and reliable lasting you for years with little or no trouble. I once had a 'lightspeed' when they first came out, lasted about 6 months before the plastic head strap started cracking apart ,I was flying around 70 hrs per month whch would be pretty average use for a working pilot. I returned them under warranty and went straight back to my DC's. I have also used the Bose headsets, same thing..plastic components cracking, mike booms becoming loose..they are a nice headset however I think they are really built for guys flying 100hrs a year so to speak..my opinion is they don't quite stack up to the every day wear and tear if you are flying a lot of sectors...stick with DC's and you'll have a good headset for years!

[roger_ramjet]

Night flight - I recently bought and installed an ANR upgrade kit to fit in my DC 10-13.4 headset and it works really well. There's a couple of models available over the internet for around $250 and if you can overcome the fear of pulling a perfectly good head set apart it was well worth the investment. The brand I used has an agent on the Sunshine Coast so you don't have to wait weeks to get it from the states. I can give you more details in a PM if you like.

[Led Zep]

Originally Posted by Night Flight

Further to my questions above.

I have recently used an BOSE Aviation Headset and wasnt all that impressed. (it was too loud). Has anyone compared that to the new BOSE Heaset X? Is it much better?

Thanks in advance

NF

I thought this too when I initially tried the X. I then took off my sunnies to clean them and suddenly everything went silent - I didn't have a proper seal! If you have thick armed sunnies (like me) tilt them so they rest above the earseal. You look like a twit but silence is bliss.

[Ratshit]

I have used a David Clark ANR for the last 5 years and it is magic.

[flyboyUK2003]

Bose X

I recently bought a Bose Aviation X headset, and i absolutely love it! It is SOO much more comfortable to wear, i barely even notice its there on long trips. The ANR is very good, and even on the odd flight where i've forgotten to turn it on initially ( its still very new! ) the Db level is still quite low. It's a bit pricey, but worth every penny in my book

[PCFlyer]

David Clark are coming out with a new set called the X11.

http://www.davidclark.com/X11/index.html

Hopefully a little cheaper than the Bose Aviation X

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

i have been wearing MSA Gallet Helmet with ANR, it is awesome, not sure about their range of Headsets, but they certainly make a good product, worth a look at the least.

[mattyj]

the real question is what sort of turboprop are we talking about...conquest?!

[Bula]

just bought a pair of the new lightspeeds..... I will keep you informed seeing i'm relegated to flying the loudest GA aircraft know to man for the next month... bongo bongo bbboonngggoooo.....

[transonic dragon]

Nup. Shrike, shrike, shhhrriiiiike.


PS. Those DC X11s look great. I've been doing a lot of research on new headset, and high on my wishlist is an adapter socket for mobile phones and/or iPods, etc. These new ones are amongst the very few which have them - the Bose X don't - and to be honest as a true DC fan I think I'd rather go with what I know. Could give the Bose X a true run for their money, hey? Particularly since Sporty's list them at ~US$800, which translates to about AUD$1130 by my calculations.

[Bula]

mine has one!!!!... IPOD's and Mobile All I need now is an IPOD and a mobile phone which fits the adapter

Just received the lightspeeds 30g new fandango biz wcked things... pretty comfortable.........aaaaaannnnnddddd they're purple.... From now on I think i'll be known as the guy with the purple headset by the crews I just get this feeling that there is some wise guy out there.

Now if i can only get the darn things to switch on....

[Three Blader]

Ive always liked the DC for comfort and reliability

[ausflying]

Originally Posted by transonic dragon

Could give the Bose X a true run for their money, hey? Particularly since Sporty's list them at ~US$800, which translates to about AUD$1130 by my calculations.

Be careful, after customs slug you 10% GST and you pay customs duties it will be a little more expensive than that. and trust me... they will slug you for it.

[Bula]

Ladies, gents and Owen Stanly I have a question for your ears...

Just took the lightspeeds for their first flight and encountered some "disconcerning" problems which means I think I'm going to send them back.

1. Wents through 2 sets of AA batteries in one 4.5 hour flight.

2. Loud crackling sound from the left head phone on take off

3. Cracking through both phones when connected and disconnected from the jacks

IS THIS STANDARD???

4. $1000 well spent

"Thank god there's mastercard" (because i'll probably need a loan to buy a new set)


Moral of the story...... I should have went BOSE X

[Capt Claret]

Bula,

You should get about 100 hours out of 2 x duracell in the Bose, I did.