Headset recommendation?

[ayseven]

Hello fellow aviators,

Need new headset. My DC is so old I am embarrassed to say, and it needs repair. Wires are probably quite brittle and it just needs replacing. I used it up.

Now, Bose A20, without BT is an option yes, but wow - I am not even working so I don't think so... hopefully will be soon enough.

The range is huge: I like the ANR but hate the idea of more batteries. Might be able to live with it... Don't need a head vise - I like comfort.

So please, what is out there? Thank you in advance.

[780Pilot]

Bose A20 100% it is the best one by far imo. I know its a lot of money however there's a few on Kijji going for around 600-800 bucks. Bose also offers a discount if your a flt instructor.

[paytoplay]

Bose QC25 or 35 with the UFlyMike aviation mic adapter has been really great. It’s light weight, has good noise cancellation, and is relatively cheap. I’ve had many coworkers who found them more comfortable than their A20’s. Only downside was the back order to get the UFlyMike

[gtappl]

Bose QC25 or 35 with the UFlyMike aviation mic adapter has been really great. It’s light weight, has good noise cancellation, and is relatively cheap. I’ve had many coworkers who found them more comfortable than their A20’s. Only downside was the back order to get the UFlyMike

Doesn't seem safe for your ears? The passive sound deadening is significantly weaker

[ayseven]

So A20 worth the arm and a leg? What about long EXPIRED Class 3 Instructor??? I appreciate those who have given their thoughts so far. Please keep them coming. Sadly, you do often get what you pay for, don't you?

Part of my problem is that I have absolutely no idea what airplane I will be on, if at all these days, so not sure about how much NR I might want. The DC are basically vice grips on your noggin though, and at the end of the day, I was always very very glad to get them off...

[Admiral Benson]

I used the Bose QC15 with a UFlyMike throughout my training and really enjoyed them. However when I started flying a machine with Garrett engines I found that the noise cancelling on the QC15 got overwhelmed and frequently cut out. Not sure If the QC25 or 35 have better noise cancelling properties but I switched to the A20 and haven’t looked back!

[TWSC]

Would recommend the light speed zulu 3. Not a head vice, noise reduction is pretty good and it has a Kevlar covered cord which is nice if you’re in an airplane where it gets shut in the door often. Probably saved me a new cord...
Warranty is exceptional from what I’ve heard from people who have owned light speeds for many years

[laminar]

I recently used a David Clark One-X borrowed from a friend and liked it so much that I just ordered one yesterday.

[Heavy Rayn]

Another vote for the A20 from me. Mine has been exceptional, I’ve owned it for over 5 years now and I have not had a single issue. Even if you get the non Bluetooth option now, you can purchase the Bluetooth cord separately and swap it over in the future.

[mmm..bacon]

I just bought a set of Bose QC35ii, and paired it with this mike: [url] https://avmike.leosounds.de/en-gb/home/[url] So far, it's been great. Just have to plug in the headset every few days to recharge the battery.
Avmike is better than UFly mike, IMO, as it has a clip that secures the mike to the headset, rather than relying on the connector plug.

[co-joe]

DC 1x. Light, comfortable, great sound, great bluetooth interface, 2 AAs I get about 20 hours on one rechargeable pair, and it folds up tiny.

[iflyforpie]

Lightspeed.. if nothing else for the customer service.

Never was really a fan of Bose. Used them lots but always preferred my Zulus which feel lighter in spite of supposedly being heavier and don’t clamp your head as much. They made 8.0 hour days in the 337 a breeze.

I’ve had my original Zulus for over 11 years and I’ve only sent them in for refurbishment once. I just sent them in again because the microphone stopped working and Lightspeed is fixing it free of charge. 11 years later. Like I said, best customer service.

But it is tough to beat DC. My H20-10s are 19 years old and have never been into the shop. The only thing I’ve done is replaced ear seals and mic muffs. They are the quietest passive headset I’ve ever worn.

['97 Tercel]

[ayseven]

What do you suggest then, cotton wool? Again, opinions appreciated!
R

[ShawnR]

I have been trying to pick one too and the (Zulu, Bose and DC ) are the ones that keep coming up again and again in searches. I think they are something that you have to try on for fit, and, ideally, in an aircraft. Tough to do. I guess if you live near a good aviation retail store, you can. I have been contemplating ordering all three, trying them on and returning the ones I don't like. (using sanitary precautions of course) or wait till I can get to Southern Ontario near an Aircraft Spruce. A/S has a good return policy so for the cost of shipping one way, it might work out.

They all seem to have good reviews, with 3 prices, roughly 1100, 1300, and 1500 dollars so pick one and you will probably not be unhappy. We know what we know, hence anyone who has a headset will say theirs is the best. With the odd bad experience, of course but those seem few these days. There are probably lots of other ANR sets but those don't seem to come up often in reviews so you have to go looking for them.

Good luck and report back....

[AirFrame]

Lightspeed and Bose are the two to choose from if you're looking for an ANR headset. Zulu3 and A20 are the models to get. They have effectively equivalent ANR capability (as in they don't use the same circuitry but they both provide stellar noise reduction), and can be had with whatever options you need (bluetooth, LEMO jacks, etc). Find someone selling both, try them both on, and buy the one that fits the best. Don't look at the bill, just pay it. A year from now you won't be regretting the choice.

The pain of cheaping out lasts *much* longer than the pain of paying a higher initial price.

[ayseven]

Needed right away. Ordered DC oneX from calgary pilot supply. Free shipping gst only. I had DC and went for them again.

[ayseven]

A sincere thank you to those who gave their thoughts. I will report back as to my experiences with the DC set

[co-joe]

I doubt you'll regret the dc 1x purchase. I have about 1500 hours on mine and all I've done is replace the ear seals. I went with panasonic Enelop batteries I think they're 2400 mAh, $25, 2 sets, that's all I've ever needed. They are the best sounding head phones to listen to music even when not flying. There's an auto off switch in the battery pack you need to use a pen to switch that you'll need to move if you don't have them plugged into the aircraft or they'll shut off after a few minutes, it's good to keep that function enabled to save battery life when you are flying.

If you enable the bluetooth to auto connect to your phone you may get the odd call while flying, especially at low altitudes. The bluetooth has 2 functions, always on where you have to set the volume not to miss radio calls (don't be that guy), or the auto cut out whenever any call comes in. Great in northern airspace, but annoying as heck when there are lots of calls. My company doesn't have a specific sop on it so I just use it above 10 000' only IAW the sterile flight deck policy and haven't had problems.

I can wear mine for 8 hours no problem. Any headset sucks after that...

[ayseven]

I went with DC because even my old ones, as annoying as they were after about 6 hours, were still relatively comfortable, because I had cloth covers for the earpieces. They are more comfortable than my Audio Technica home music mixing 'phones are after 1 hour, and they only broke down after XXX years (several decades), so the new DC should be fine. I will come on here again once I get them, and find I can't figure out how to get the BT working in the real world... Thanks again.

[valleyboy]

One thing to remember is that ear muffs will fade away as you progress and the quieter flight decks will have you on the quest for a more comfortable and lightweight headset. In my opinion the "in ear" is the way to go and while custom ear pieces are the best not all people like them but over the ear will always be uncomfortable after several hours. A headset you forget you even have on is the ultimate not those one pound monsters.

[North Shore]

The pain of cheaping out lasts *much* longer than the pain of paying a higher initial price.

YES, YES, YES, a thousand times YES!

Words to live by..

[Onesie]

Oop.. too late.. but surprised no one mentioned DC Pro-X. I've had mine for 5 years and love it. Comfy, small & light weight, great sound quality. Can't go wrong with DC. Also have a zulu1... from 2009. It's less comfy but boy does it have nice BASS! One thing about Pro-X... i wouldn't recommend it for a piston because noise cancelling ain't so amazing being an on-ear headset instead of over-ear. Noise cancelling in turbine/jets is great though... and it's sooo small. Have some buds who got one and haven't looked back.

[BE20 Driver]

Depends on what you are flying.

The pain of cheaping out lasts *much* longer than the pain of paying a higher initial price.

Couldn't agree with this statement more. No amount of money will correct hearing loss once it occurs. your headset is the one piece of equipment that you interact with all day every day so you want it to be comfortable and you need the best level of protection out there.

If you are flying a turboprop stay with an ear cup style headset. Turboprops put out lots of low frequency noise and vibrations from the prop. If you use an ear plug style like the Bose ProFlight then these LF vibrations will still resonate bones in the base of your skull just behind your ear. It causes hearing loss just the same as not wearing a headset.

This is why I would never get a Bose Youfly setup. The cup just isn't big enough. It's great for deadheading in the back of a jet and watching a movie. Make no mistake it is a home based product that has been adapted to add a microphone.

I flew for a decade with a pair of Zulu's. They had a titanium cup and did an excellent job of passively blocking noise. The ANR was very good (1st generation) and I got probably 35 hours without changing batteries. I picked up a set of rechargeable batteries early on and they worked great.

I now fly a jet and on long legs I found I was adjusting my headset a lot. I now fly with a Bose Proflight. You would have to pry this headset out of my cold dead hands. The ANR is superb (2nd/3rd gen of ANR)! It is extremely comfortable even on the longest of legs. It has a feature where you can tap off one side in case you are flying with an old fart who just refuses to use the intercom (because, you know the original 737 didn't have one - yes there are people out there still like this.)

I don't tend to use the bluetooth on either headset much these days. It was a lot more useful while droning around in the arctic for 8 hours at a time. While I found it immensely useful in helping keep me awake on long overnight flights up north, it's not so useful to me now.

Never, ever cheap out on a headset.

[2Shoes]

I love my Clarity Aloft. No batteries, super comfy, won't interfere with glasses or a ballcap either. I find that the earpieces can be washed and reused many times if you don't want to replace them. I've only used about 3 pair in a year for less than $10.