Anyone recommend a good headset?
I'matightbastard
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
From: Texas
not read the thread, but if anyone hasn't mentioned Lighspeed ANR, then I will
You can run an IPOD through them
good customer service too.
did you remember to switch 'em on? 
You can run an IPOD through them
good customer service too.
If you want an ANR set, then definitely try before you buy if possible. I recently bought a Bose X set and got rid of it within a month (sorry IO540) because I thought it massively overpriced for what it did.
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Shropshire UK
WR thanks - welcome support for us normal private pilots.
IO540 - well, you wouldn't know, but I've tried a few more expensive passive types over the years and I'm not sold on the value-add.
I am content with my 50 hours a year, and my other hobbies are much more potentially damaging to my hearing (Guns and Series One Land-Rovers since you ask) . I take the right precautions for them, and know what it feels like to get it a bit wrong.
Even after a 5 flying-hour day this summer, I was comfortable and relaxed in my cheepies.
Sure - if you fly loads, indulge yourself. Buy a big watch too. My point was that for the flying I do, anything more expensive is a waste of money.
A pair of £800 Bose equates to 64 hours in the Condor......
Thinks - if you are doing 50 hours a month and 14 sectors a day, should you be in another forum?
regards
HnH
IO540 - well, you wouldn't know, but I've tried a few more expensive passive types over the years and I'm not sold on the value-add.
I am content with my 50 hours a year, and my other hobbies are much more potentially damaging to my hearing (Guns and Series One Land-Rovers since you ask) . I take the right precautions for them, and know what it feels like to get it a bit wrong.
Even after a 5 flying-hour day this summer, I was comfortable and relaxed in my cheepies.
Sure - if you fly loads, indulge yourself. Buy a big watch too. My point was that for the flying I do, anything more expensive is a waste of money.
A pair of £800 Bose equates to 64 hours in the Condor......
Thinks - if you are doing 50 hours a month and 14 sectors a day, should you be in another forum?
regards
HnH
Avoid imitations
Joined: Nov 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 15,111
Likes: 1,085
From: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
"Thinks - if you are doing 50 hours a month and 14 sectors a day, should you be in another forum?"
Not necessarily. I fly that much in a privately owned aircraft.
Not necessarily. I fly that much in a privately owned aircraft.
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
From: EuroGA.org
I've tried a few more expensive passive types over the years and I'm not sold on the value-add
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Shropshire UK
I'm gonna stop heckling now and defer to the greater experience on offer,
but my advice to any newly qualified PPL is still to spend as little as possible on headsets whilst you work out the best solution for your own circumstances.
Does a pair of BoseX really cost more than a Florida IMC rating and which would be the wiser investment?
regards
HnH
but my advice to any newly qualified PPL is still to spend as little as possible on headsets whilst you work out the best solution for your own circumstances.
Does a pair of BoseX really cost more than a Florida IMC rating and which would be the wiser investment?
regards
HnH
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,189
Likes: 0
From: Earth
I think we are comparing the requirement sof pilots who fly 1000hrs + each year to those who are flying 20hrs per year.
For those flying heaps of hours I agree that the best is required. For those who are training, I can't help feeling that ANR etc is like buying a pair of £150 Nike running shoes for that "i'm gonna get fit" run around Hammersmith.
Horses for courses?
I fly 170 hrs per annum (measly I know) and I have just bought some used Flightcoms on Ebay for £35. They're great and will last me until 2010 hopefully.
For those flying heaps of hours I agree that the best is required. For those who are training, I can't help feeling that ANR etc is like buying a pair of £150 Nike running shoes for that "i'm gonna get fit" run around Hammersmith.
Horses for courses?
I fly 170 hrs per annum (measly I know) and I have just bought some used Flightcoms on Ebay for £35. They're great and will last me until 2010 hopefully.
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
From: EuroGA.org
Hireandhire
"but my advice to any newly qualified PPL is still to spend as little as possible on headsets whilst you work out the best solution for your own circumstances. "
My advice to any newly qualified PPL is to buy the best possible moving map GPS
No better way to advance one's flying, in confidence.
But slightly less tongue in cheek: when you have your PPL, there are exactly 2 ways you can go. You can carry on flying, or you can do what most new PPLs do and you pack it in. If the former, you WILL want a decent headset eventually. If the latter, well, why did you blow away £8000 or so in the first place??
Early on, I wasted £300 on a Pilot 17-79 headset, which I now think is cr*p. Even at the price there are far better headsets. The ANR barely did anything (when pushed, the manufacturer finally confirmed this, with attenuation graphs) and the mike was poor. If I bought the Bose X right away I would have saved this money.
"Does a pair of BoseX really cost more than a Florida IMC rating and which would be the wiser investment?"
Little point in having an IMC Rating unless you already own the best possible moving map GPS Which will cost about a grand. In the UK, Class G, one can be outside the range of a navaid much of the time.
Flying IFR is just not a dirt cheap club to join. If you want dirt cheap flying, you need to get a strap-on parachute and a lawn mower engine
"but my advice to any newly qualified PPL is still to spend as little as possible on headsets whilst you work out the best solution for your own circumstances. "
My advice to any newly qualified PPL is to buy the best possible moving map GPS
No better way to advance one's flying, in confidence.But slightly less tongue in cheek: when you have your PPL, there are exactly 2 ways you can go. You can carry on flying, or you can do what most new PPLs do and you pack it in. If the former, you WILL want a decent headset eventually. If the latter, well, why did you blow away £8000 or so in the first place??
Early on, I wasted £300 on a Pilot 17-79 headset, which I now think is cr*p. Even at the price there are far better headsets. The ANR barely did anything (when pushed, the manufacturer finally confirmed this, with attenuation graphs) and the mike was poor. If I bought the Bose X right away I would have saved this money.
"Does a pair of BoseX really cost more than a Florida IMC rating and which would be the wiser investment?"
Little point in having an IMC Rating unless you already own the best possible moving map GPS
Which will cost about a grand. In the UK, Class G, one can be outside the range of a navaid much of the time.Flying IFR is just not a dirt cheap club to join. If you want dirt cheap flying, you need to get a strap-on parachute and a lawn mower engine
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 1,274
Likes: 0
From: Glen Prosen, Scotland
After flogging my Bose X's (which I did remember to switch on as they actually seemed to amplify ambient noise when off) and looking at Lightspeed 30-3Gs (too big and can only have the mike on the left) and Sennheiser HMEC 25KAs (too flimsy, very thin plastic headband) I bought a set of Sennheiser HMEC 400 from Harry Mendelssohn for less than half the price of the Bose X (£346). So far I prefer them although this is very subjective.
Minuses: 15 hour battery life quoted which is probably about right or even a little optimistic (however rechargeables get around that), big battery pack (4 AAs rather than 2 on other sets) however it's on a reasonably long cable so can be hung up out of the way, more clamping force than Bose however this also means they don't fall off if you like to pull a few g now and then
.
Pluses: good passive attenuation so cuts down hiss which the Bose didn't, slimmer headband which doesn't catch on things so easily, can be powered from batteries or the aircraft supply without changing cables, cost half Bose price, 10 year warranty!
Try before you buy!
Minuses: 15 hour battery life quoted which is probably about right or even a little optimistic (however rechargeables get around that), big battery pack (4 AAs rather than 2 on other sets) however it's on a reasonably long cable so can be hung up out of the way, more clamping force than Bose however this also means they don't fall off if you like to pull a few g now and then
.Pluses: good passive attenuation so cuts down hiss which the Bose didn't, slimmer headband which doesn't catch on things so easily, can be powered from batteries or the aircraft supply without changing cables, cost half Bose price, 10 year warranty!
Try before you buy!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
From: Staines
I bought Lightspeed's QFR SOLOc for my private. Got them in the states and they were the equivalent of about £70-80. They're not the most inspiring in terms of looks but they are very tough and do the job perfectly. They also cut out much more background noise than any others I've used, they seem to be a cross between a headset and ear defenders!
Highly recommended and excellent value , but then I don't fly often.
Highly recommended and excellent value , but then I don't fly often.
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 1,274
Likes: 0
From: Glen Prosen, Scotland
IO540,
I thought that at first but tried another chap's and it was just the same. As I say they're OK but only (to me) worth about half what they cost. Overall the Sennheisers are better for what I need (airline/instructing/aerobatics).
I thought that at first but tried another chap's and it was just the same. As I say they're OK but only (to me) worth about half what they cost. Overall the Sennheisers are better for what I need (airline/instructing/aerobatics).
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 551
Likes: 0
From: England
ANR technonology only attenuates low frequencies, whereas high frequencies (hissing) are passively blocked by mechanical means. The Sennheiser HMEC 400 is very good at both, but the passive attenuation is achieved by squeezing the earcups uncomfortably hard against your head. Bose X are much more comfortable, but at the expense of letting high frequencies through. Some people work around this deficiency by wearing foam earplugs inside the earcups, and turning the volume up so that they can still hear the important stuff. Personally, I'd rather just wear the earplugs of my Clarity Aloft headset, and not have anything clamping my head.
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 700
Likes: 0
From: 5 nM S of TNT, UK
I have tried various ANR headsets at different times (my company actually sell headsets into the non aviation comms market so I have a good selection available) but I must confess I have never tried Bose (because we don't sell them). I have never really found any that I like, mainly because of the hassle of powering them by whatever means.
So I have wound up for the last year with two sets of basic Pilot ones in my PFA aircraft and two sets of cheap Peltors in my helicopter. Actually I usually find that because most of my flying is short local trips, I don't wear any at all as I don't bother to switch the radio on. I would rather put up with having to shout to the passenger if there is one than clamp my ears in a vice for 20 minutes.
So I have wound up for the last year with two sets of basic Pilot ones in my PFA aircraft and two sets of cheap Peltors in my helicopter. Actually I usually find that because most of my flying is short local trips, I don't wear any at all as I don't bother to switch the radio on. I would rather put up with having to shout to the passenger if there is one than clamp my ears in a vice for 20 minutes.
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
From: EuroGA.org
One can say only so much on headsets, but it does amaze me how many very similar headsets there are in the pilot shops.
I did once try a large number of them against an aircraft noise source and found most of the £200-£300 ones very similar in performance, differing in comfort but most fairly awful, the Bose X (£800 then) and the David Clark 13-30 (about £500) way ahead but with the DC having much higher pressure than the Bose.
For a renter (i.e. no aircraft power option) there is no solution to the ANR power issue other than a headset which uses off the shelf (AA or AAA or PP3) batteries, and carry a spare. So an ANR headset with a built-in non-removable rechargeable battery is IMHO useless unless one charges it before each flight.
I did once try a large number of them against an aircraft noise source and found most of the £200-£300 ones very similar in performance, differing in comfort but most fairly awful, the Bose X (£800 then) and the David Clark 13-30 (about £500) way ahead but with the DC having much higher pressure than the Bose.
For a renter (i.e. no aircraft power option) there is no solution to the ANR power issue other than a headset which uses off the shelf (AA or AAA or PP3) batteries, and carry a spare. So an ANR headset with a built-in non-removable rechargeable battery is IMHO useless unless one charges it before each flight.
Dir. PPRuNe Line Service
Joined: Dec 1998
Posts: 563
Likes: 4
From: Southern England
A good source of headsets might be your flying club or other aviation friends... I bought my Dave Clark 10-40s second-hand from another PPRuNer for a very fair price and they are excellent. They aren't the most modern of headsets but the audio quality is great, they are comfortable if a tad heavy, and they will probably last forever.
Mik
Mik
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
From: EuroGA.org
Just for the avoidance of doubt I am not suggesting that a Bose X is good value for money.
The thing retails for around £700. The cost of making one is, at most, £40. Yes, £40.
But one could say the same for most avionics. I am looking at a small component right now. Cost to make, £2. Retail cost of non-aviation version £30. End user list price of aviation version £290 (this includes an 8130-3 form).
One can see similar ratios for popular panel mount IFR GPSs. Cost to make c. £300. List price £7000.
It should be possible for somone to make a headset better than the Bose, and retail it for say £200. Maybe someone will. They will have lots of fun getting pilot shops to carry it though, because there are 3 things that matter in retailing:
margin
margin
margin
I am not suggesting that a Bose X is good value for money.The thing retails for around £700. The cost of making one is, at most, £40. Yes, £40.
But one could say the same for most avionics. I am looking at a small component right now. Cost to make, £2. Retail cost of non-aviation version £30. End user list price of aviation version £290 (this includes an 8130-3 form).
One can see similar ratios for popular panel mount IFR GPSs. Cost to make c. £300. List price £7000.
It should be possible for somone to make a headset better than the Bose, and retail it for say £200. Maybe someone will. They will have lots of fun getting pilot shops to carry it though, because there are 3 things that matter in retailing:
margin
margin
margin
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 374
Likes: 0
From: Hellfire Corner
Like Mono and many others, I can't get to more than about 150 hours a year. I don't consider an expensive headset to be on the wish list; the Telex 3500 set I bought myself when I received my PPL was then about £240 and chosen because it was the best I could afford and looked better than others available at around the same price.
It's worked well in any aeroplane I've climbed into, proving compatible with other brands and I've bought another, cheaper Telex set since for the very occasional occupant of the second seat. Obviously, without expereince of Bose or other state of the art wizardry, I don't know what I'm missing, but the point of the purchase was to enable necessary comms, no more.
I'm with the 'spend it on Avgas' faction. Of course, there' are probably quite a few expensive, unused headsets available at bargain prices from all those PPLs that give up, if those who advocate them have sufficient influence.....
It's worked well in any aeroplane I've climbed into, proving compatible with other brands and I've bought another, cheaper Telex set since for the very occasional occupant of the second seat. Obviously, without expereince of Bose or other state of the art wizardry, I don't know what I'm missing, but the point of the purchase was to enable necessary comms, no more.
I'm with the 'spend it on Avgas' faction. Of course, there' are probably quite a few expensive, unused headsets available at bargain prices from all those PPLs that give up, if those who advocate them have sufficient influence.....
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,359
Likes: 0
From: Midlands
I with ChampChump, get a set form an ex pilot. The point is you can have your cake and eat it. My Bose was secondhand from ebay, used once; it was in as new condition and is still working very well. I tried a large number of different headsets and the Bose was by far the best, get the cost down to 4-500 and it really is a very good buy.
My last headset is still going strong after 6 years of service. My Bose should last me for at least 700 hours and the comfort, improved concentration and ability to fly longer legs is fully proven as far as I am concerned.
Rod1
My last headset is still going strong after 6 years of service. My Bose should last me for at least 700 hours and the comfort, improved concentration and ability to fly longer legs is fully proven as far as I am concerned.
Rod1