headsets

[yozz25]

What do you guys recommend in headsets.

Right now I'm borrowing from the school.

I've been looking at the flightcom 4dlx at my pilot store, my schools sells the avcomm ac 200.

Don't want to go in to deep until I get really settled in this hobby.

thanks
yozz

[scottj]

Don't go cheap on a headset. Always buy quality. You will have this for years to come. Not to mention your hearing.

Buy an ANR, LightSpeed is my preferred brand. A good one is about $ 450. The price of a flight lesson or two.

[dstclair]

I had FlightCom for years with no problems at all. The 4DX is a fine headset. That being said, after a hiatus in flying, I went with LightSpeed when I started back up. The Solo/C is great passive headset with the most noise attenuation of the non-ANRs (~29Db). I've add one for about 2.5 years and still works great. They cost around $150 on the web. I'd pick this over the Flightcom 4DX.

This may be heretical but I'm not a big fan of ANR. Depending on the noise algorthm they seem to filter out sounds I WANT to hear. I only fly ~100 hrs/year so I'm not too concerned with the extra ~10db of noise attenuation that comes with the mid-range ANRs. Personal preference, your mileage may vary

[drseti]

This may be heretical but I'm not a big fan of ANR.

Not heretical at all. A good mechanical seal can protect your ears, preserve audio clarity, and the batteries never die! I've been using the old standby David Clarks since my Air Force days (about a century back...) and have two sets I've owned for many decades. They still work fine; all I have had to do over the years is replace the liquid ear seals and clean the plugs with scotch-brite.

[yozz25]

At this point once training is over, perhaps I'll go up less then 100 hours per year.

I just want some comfort, that is the main concern. If I flew each day, yes quality for hearing protection is paramount, but I probably do more damage to my ears turning up my cd player in car, but love it.

I wish there were a store I can go into and try them on, but perhaps I'm not adjusting the schools loaners right, sometimes they are fine, sometimes not.

In any case things are progressing, up to over 11 hours, woo hoo. We have a great field about 10 miles south of town great for touch and goes.
Getting more confident at controls, things starting to come together in my mind since the instructor asked me to do the initial check of plane myself, and without guidance just did it. However, must confess that many years ago in high school I studied aero, not the flying part, so looking over a structure, rivets, engine (one is a leaker) and other mechanical parts is natural for me.

No rush to buy the headsets, but sooner or later will, have to ask around to get feedback and try them some.

Way to go though, slow and easy.

yozz

[drseti]

I wish there were a store I can go into and try them on,

There is, here in Amish country: the Pilot Shoppe, Lancaster PA airport. Come out some time!

In any case things are progressing, up to over 11 hours, woo hoo.

Good work! Keep it up.

Way to go though, slow and easy.

Yep, slow and easy: that's what LSA is all about.

[Pawlander]

While you are looking at headsets, do try the Telex Stratus D50, especially if you are flying an aircraft with a Rotax engine. They seem to have about the best noise reduction (ANR) for the range of noise from that high revving engine and gearbox.

The clamping pressure has three settings and both my wife and I find them very comfortable for long cross-country flights (3-4 hour legs).

You can get them with either a LEMO jack or the battery pack. The only issue I've had is that the earpad cover on one of mine deteriorated, but Telex said they'd replace the earpad it at no charge.

I've not flown with any others, so can't give you a comparison. I have tried others on at shops, however, and the Telex is a wee bit heavier than some, but I've not found any that were more comfortable. Of course, trying them on in a shop doesn't help if you don't take the time to adjust each model to fit.

Even then, you won't know how they will feel at the end of a long flight. Would be good if you could borrow a few different models from flying friends and try them for a day.

[tadel001]

Clarity Aloft is probably the best combination of comfort, quality, customer service and ear protection. I have worn one for 10 hours straight without feeling like I have head a headset on at all.

[Hayward Flyer]

Go to Ebay and search for Aviation Headsets and you'll get 300+ listings.
a lot of pilots upgrade to Bose or other pricey sets and you can get a great deal there.
J.T.

[ArionAv8or]

I flew with the Lightspeed 15XLc and was completely satisfied with it's comfort and performance, until I tried the Clarity Aloft. Now I won't fly anything else! Once you put the Clarity Alofts on you forget they are even there and the sound is superb. They are a bit pricey but in my personal opinion worth every penny. I bought mine at Sun-n-Fun and saved a few dollars, now I let my passengers use my hand me down Lightspeeds.

[rsteele]

One more vote for Clarity Aloft.
You forget you are wearing them. And in the summer, the are a lot cooler than Micky Mouse ears.

Ron

[designrs]

Can anyone please comment from personal experience on the new Bose A20 headset vs. the previous generation? Besides options added such as Bluetooth is the sound quality and noise reduction much superior? Thanks!