HELP! Telex 850ANR Versus Seinnheiser HMEC 46 ANR for B737NG

[spartac]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to decide between the TELEX 850 ANR and the Seinnheiser HMEC 46 ANR for use in B738...
I'm wondering if anyone here has tried them both? Any reviews would be helpful.

Are you able to remove the headset from your ear to hear the conversation with the other pilot on the cockpit? Do you feel these headsets reduce enough noise to you? And how do you feel after flying 6-7 hours with those headsets?

Thanks for your help!

Cheers

[Mostly Harmless]

Just bought the 850 and I'm happy with it. I have used the HMEC 45 before... not much difference in noise canceling between the two but the 45's have better speakers and better mikes than the 850.

Yes, it makes a difference when you have long days in the plane.

[spartac]

Thank you Guys!

[Inverted2]

I find the Seinnheiser noise cancelling doesn't do too much good on the CRJ. Doesn't make the bleeping chimes and other bells and whistles any quieter and that's what bugs me. My noise cancelling is now a pair of loosely fitted yellow ear plugs stuffed in my ears and my headset.

[swiftjet]

We've been using the 850 in our Falcon for the past 2 years and they're great.

[ahramin]

I found the HMEC brutally uncomfortable. The 850ANR is a good headset but check out telex's new ascend headset, it's a game changer.

http://www.telex.com/ascend/

Got mine from Marv Golden for 619.

http://www.marvgolden.com/communication ... -headsets/

[sideslip]

I think the HMEC 46 has a flip away ear peice on one side which might be good for the 37.

[looproll]

I got the 850 for the business jet and I love it. I was looking at the Ascend, but hadn't heard any reviews. Worth the extra $200?

[ahramin]

The flip away ear piece is a great idea in principle. In practice it digs into the side of your head and you end up just moving the whole headset over like any other one without the flip away.

[sideslip]

So does the 850 have to be in hot mike to for noise cancelling or is it always as long as its plugged in?

[Steve Baker]

I used the 850 in the 37ng for a while and didn't find the noise cancelling quite as good as I was after. I've switched to a set of Bose qc2s adapted with the UFlyMike. http://www.uflymike.com A nice bonus is that you then have a great ANR headset to plug into your IPod or the IFE whenever you're deadheading or laying over.

It is very comfortable for me, as it fits over the ear. It uses 1 AAA that lasts about 40 hours. I've never used the Seinnheiser but, I find the use of ANR after 8+ hours in a day makes a difference.

[Flywest]

The 850 does not work well in the NG.

I tried one for a couple weeks and was dissapointed. It had a lot of faint but annoying static and backgound noise caused by the ANR.

When I returned it to the shop the nice fellow behind the counter asked me what type I flew. When I told him it was the NG he responded with "Oh....we've had a lot of problems with this headset in that aiplane." (information I could have used two weeks prior but.....)

Anyway, I know some guys use the Seinnheiser and like it very much.

FW

[Brewhouse]

Ha Ha, how do they work with a couple of R2800's roaring away just outside the window?

[Bullet]

I also switched to the Bose QC2's. Cant live without them now. They're really addictive since also using them for the deadheading too.

[KenoraPilot]

I've got the Sennheiser HMC 46 on the CRJ and I love it. The longest our flights range is 5 hours but feels like I have nothing on my head. I love the option of the flip away ear phone which is awesome! The ANC works great and its nice cause you can plug your Ipod into it directly and listen during the long flights. (Do that a lot here in Sudan)

[D5GRVTY]

For those of using the Bose QC2's and uflymic combo, how do they work for sitting on the copilot's of the cockpit. No intercom in the 37 I fly so I need to uncover the left ear. Anyone using it on the right side of the airplane?

[boeingguy]

I have the QC and Uflymic set up. Its works really well with a live intercom system. On the NG I find it doesn't work well as the NG's I fly do not have a hot mic system (unless you toggle the mic system all the time which is a pain in the arse). The ufly set up doesn't work well. The reason is because the mic attaches to the left ear cup and is not reversible so you can not remove it of your ear and use the mic. I also think it defeats the purpose of using a noise canceling headset if you need to remove a cup to hear the other guy.

Seinnheiser has a new headset HMEC 26. It's an upgraded version of the 25 series. What makes it interesting is that it has a talk thru feature that allows you to hear the other guy and not having to remove a cup. The system uses a microphone on the cup to pick up the other guy's voice. I have heard mixed reviews on this feature. It picks up the voices but also ambient noise again defeating the noise canceling. I was very close to pulling the trigger on this headset but decided not to. Aviation world carries them for around $900ish.

Some more info:

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/ho ... ise_502397

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTBLAT1bkhM

If you do order one make sure you get the proper cable set up. There are many cable set ups and some retailers sell them with out the cables for $700ish. Cables go for around $200ish.


Instead of buying the 26 I ended up using my Telex 5X5 with a pilot ear mold. I also went to Costco and got a filtered earplug for my other ear (the ear that I listen to the other guy with). This system allows for passive noise reduction (which really cancels out the recirc fans) and still allows me to hear the skipper with no issues. This is a light and compact setup. There is also no need for batteries.

Hope this helps,

BG

[sideslip]

Hey boeingguy, is the filtered earplug a regular earplug with foam or is it something different? Do you know the brand name?

[D5GRVTY]

So I take it the other posters who flew with the uflymic setup either had a hot mic or sat in the left seat?

I wouldn't mind the noise cancelling in just one ear, I just picked up a telex 750 and find that I have a hard time making out ATC transmissions

For those of using a 5x5 did you ever have problems with other earphones in your ear. I find with my ears get sore with earplugs or headphones being inside for a few hrs.

Thanks

D5

[boeingguy]

Hey boeingguy, is the filtered earplug a regular earplug with foam or is it something different? Do you know the brand name?

I got a filtered molded ear plug set from Costco. I think it was around $50 for the set. It comes in handy for walk arounds. The beauty of Costco is if you don't like them you get a full refund.

BG

[boeingguy]

So I take it the other posters who flew with the uflymic setup either had a hot mic or sat in the left seat?

I wouldn't mind the noise cancelling in just one ear, I just picked up a telex 750 and find that I have a hard time making out ATC transmissions

For those of using a 5x5 did you ever have problems with other earphones in your ear. I find with my ears get sore with earplugs or headphones being inside for a few hrs.

Thanks

D5

The ear molds from Costco are fine for me. That being said I had a new mold done recently that hurt after a few minutes. Went back to Costco and had another mold done at no cost. The replacement set is fine.

In Europe they are really anal about employee health and safety. Alot of the operators over there provide employees their own personal noise canceling headsets. Heck they even monitor crew exposure to radiation at the upper levels at some outfits. Sure would be nice if Canada got a little bit more proactive in regards to noise levels. It is so much nicer working as a crew in a noise canceling environment. Less missed calls, less fatigue, more music listening

BG

[Steve Baker]

I use the QC2 in the right seat. Our fleet has about 25% equipped with a hot mike intercom capability. Of course the ANC headset, regardless of type I think, is best with this set up. That said, I don't have a problem positioning my UFlyMike so that I can use it with the left earcup moved off my ear. I do this on the ground and usually up to 10,000'. After that, I fly with both ears covered unless we get into a good conversation.

Lets face it. After day two of a pairing, most of the small talk is used up and once the bar of choice for the evening is decided on, there are long periods with few words spoken.

I love my QC2s but, they aren't perfect, what is? I like them a lot more than a T850 I used to use. I have never tried molded ear pieces, they may be better.

Steve