what headset

[BackPacker]

ANR is more illusion than fact; while you don't hear or perceive vibrations or sounds so much in certain higher frequency ranges, assume that you're safe from hearing damage.

This is something I've been wondering about myself.

I have tried the Bose-X and for the audible spectrum they're great, damping most (but - I guess deliberately - not all) of the ambient noise. Communications are much clearer yet you can still hear some engine noise, stall warners and such.

But what about the inaudible spectrum? The Bose-X makes a lousy PNR headset so does it effectively filter out all the inaudible noises too? And is this filtering good enough to prevent hearing damage?

Or is a non-audible noise (frequency) not capable of destroying your hearing? (After all, AFAIK hearing loss usually comes down to damage to the little hairs in the ear that are tuned to a specific frequency. Can they be damaged by sound of a different - possibly inaudible - frequency which doesn't bring them in resonance?)

[172driver]

Some time ago light aircraft crashed due to an engine failure. In the report the AAIB mentioned that the the four occupants were wearing ANR headsets and queried the possible masking of unusual noises by the headsets.

Without wanting to slag off the AAIB, but knowing the general mood in this country (UK) towards anything that's even remotely new (e.g. GPS.....), I'd take that statement with a BIG grain of salt.

That said, the engine does sound different with ANR on. I doubt very much that they could mask any noise leading to a failure, unless this is the very first flight of the pilot with ANR, IOW he's not yet used to the different aural environment. Trotting this out as argument against ANR makes about a much sense as claiming GPS is bad for navigation

But what about the inaudible spectrum? The Bose-X makes a lousy PNR headset so does it effectively filter out all the inaudible noises too? And is this filtering good enough to prevent hearing damage?

Good point, have been wondering that myself. Has anyone ever done any research into this? On the most basic level, ANR (Bose or otherwise) should protect your hearing by the simple fact that you don't have to have the volume up as high as in an PNR headset. The inaudible frequencies however....

In any case, I am very happy to fly with Bose-Xs for all the various reasons that have already been enumerated by others here.

[SNS3Guppy]

But what about the inaudible spectrum? The Bose-X makes a lousy PNR headset so does it effectively filter out all the inaudible noises too? And is this filtering good enough to prevent hearing damage?

Hearing protection is complex. One can wear earplugs which give a high noise reduction rating, yet experience hearing damage. The plugs may allow the user to perceive less sound and feel less discomfort due to noise. Earplugs, however, don't prevent vibrations from passing through the bone around the ears, and this can cause significant damage, too.

Likewise, simply because we don't think we're hearing as much noise, or because we perceive less noise on an ANR installation, doesn't mean we aren't being exposed to high noise levels.

ANR generally works against high frequence levels, but only in a fairly narrow band. Noise occuring outside those ranges isn't affected much at all, and can still cause damage.

We experience hearing loss in differing ranges. One may experience loss in a high frequency range, but still be able to hear lower frequency noises. One may wear an ANR headset and experience some protection, but still receive hearing loss or damage from lower frequency noise, such as propeller vibration and engine sounds.

I had an option of adding ANR to my helmet, which I wear primarily in firefighting and ag flying. I elected not to do so, because I needed to hear the engine. Some have claimed that one can't be prevented from hearing the engine with ANR active, and that's sometimes true, but not always. I wanted to be able to hear changes in the airplane, the slipstream the engine, pumps, valves opening and closing, etc. I wanted to be able to hear gear noise such as wheels and brakes on landing.

ANR is great for improving communications, but it's not a panacea, and it's not for everyone, or every application.

[MarkR1981]

Has anyone tried the Sennheiser HMEC 250 ANR? I was contemplating a set before.

[mad_jock]

I have flown with one FO that had them and he seemed pretty chuffed with them.

But as has said before what can be a dream headset for one person can be a torture contraption for another one. One person can find it as quiet as worm farting and others its a horse letting rip just because they have different head shapes.

[kevkdg]

Hi

A couple of years ago....

I picked up a used DC H10-13X off Ebay from America. I think it cost me £160 including shipping.

Very pleased with them.

So, worth checking out ebay.co.uk and ebay.com

Even when the American sellers don't advertise as shipping to the UK, a lot of them will if you ask them and win the auction.

Kevin

[SNS3Guppy]

I bought my Bose X off ebay, for a substantial savings.

[madlandrover]

These are absolutely excellent but at €1200 a pop, you need to be decadent, a lottery winner or able to offset the cost against your tax bill

2 out of 3 wasn't bad ?

Bose for me as well - eBay Bose X bought 3.5 years ago and near perfect for me. Battery life is adequate for GA flight with the option to carry spares and reasonable warning before they go. Sound quality is superb. The new A20s look tempting though, but beyond my non-decadent FI wage...

[SNS3Guppy]

Ironically, I've had the same problem with the lightspeeds. They work great at lower noise levels, but at extreme levels, they can't keep up. I haven't had that problem with the Bose.

The condition of the earseals makes a big difference on the Bose, and on the Lightspeed. A worn seal can cause all kinds of problems with the headset.

The Lightspeed is the only headset I've had come apart on me while simply flying from A to B. While climbing out on departure, I had a lightspeed headset fall apart. the earcup failed and it fell in two pieces on the floor. To Lightspeed's credit, I overnighted it to them and the headset came back the next day overnighted, fully refurbished with all new parts.

In the case of Bose, I visited their booth at the Sun n Fun airshow a few years ago, and mentioned that my Bose X developed a chirp or buzz in one ear, which I noticed at higher power settings or around loud noises. The company representative immediately said it was likely worn ear seals, and gave me a new pair on the spot (about forty dollars, new) at no charge. The earseals fixed the problem.

I have rough razor stubble on my cheek after a few hours, and the earseals that contact my face ahead of my ear tend to get torn up. It was this wear that caused the problem.

[TR24]

I recommend the Clarity Aloft. It's an in-ear headset and its so comfortable and light. A little pricey buy worth it.

[CPX]

Headsets Inc ANR conversion of DC13.4

Ryan5252
Quote: 'has anyone done the Headsets Inc ANR mod of a DC 10-13.4?'

I converted a DC13.4 headset to ANR some time ago, and am very pleased with the result. The ANR cuts out a lot of the low frequency piston engine vibration, making it much easier for communications.

The only other ANR headset I have used is my Telex Airman 850 in a B777, so can't make any comparison on GA ANR headsets.

The conversion is straight forward, allow half a day. If I did a second one it would take half the time!

Hope this helps.