Im sick of my headset and im looking for a new one... Whats worth buying ?

Depends on what your going to go with your training, if your going to fly once every two months, or are not sure flying is your thing; get whatever is cheapest.

If you going to make a living flying or fly all the time, well there are alot of threads on nice headsets. I went with the Light Speed Zulu and have no reservations.

I have a David Clark that is close to 25 years old and still works. If money is no object by one of those noise cancelling headsets.

One thing that I should of mentioned.

If your not going to be doing much flying also check into used headsets (DCs have a GREAT service dept), check cragslist etc.

Now if your buying new, if you look at the difference between a 500buck basic(ish) David Clark and a 900 buck Zulu or Bose, your only talking 400 bucks for something that your going to be wearing EVERYTIME YOUR IN THE AIR for (as the last poster illuminated) perhaps over 2 decades. So dont cheap out if your going to be doing allot of flying.

Most Cost Effective : David Clark H10-13.4

Best In Between : David Clark X11 (My favorite)

Money No Object : Bose Aviation X

I did the DC H20-10 for my first years of flying. The passive attenuation is way better than the H10-13.4.

I just got a set of Zulus and wouldn't go back. I took the old headset up in the plane today and couldn't believe how loud it was.

Zulus and Boses are expensive, but hearing aids are expensiver.

Interestingly, to me at least, is that during training many people recommend and many people use less expensive headsets. It's because you typically don't fly a long time any given day and cost certainly is a factor. And I went through all my training and first years flying using a DC 10-13.4 with no complaints.

BUT... I really wish I had had my Zulus back then. The hearing protection and comfort is better for sure. However, the really big benefit to me is the clarity of incoming communication. And while that's a real bonus now, it would have been a godsend while I was learning. One of the biggest challenges any student faces is learning correct and effective radio communication. And in my experience learning and teaching, a lot of the problem is hearing clearly what other people are saying. That's where the Zulus shine - everything is so clear.

So, my recommendation is, if you can afford it get the noise canceling headset now and reap the rewards right from the get-go. I'm very confident you won't regret it.

SuperchargedRS wrote:One thing that I should of mentioned.

If your not going to be doing much flying also check into used headsets (DCs have a GREAT service dept), check cragslist etc.

Now if your buying new, if you look at the difference between a 500buck basic(ish) David Clark and a 900 buck Zulu or Bose, your only talking 400 bucks for something that your going to be wearing EVERYTIME YOUR IN THE AIR for (as the last poster illuminated) perhaps over 2 decades. So dont cheap out if your going to be doing allot of flying.

For goodness sake, it's "you're," a contraction of you and are. I know this adds nothing to the thread but come on, is this so difficult?

This is what happens when I read Avcanada before coffee. Spelling Nazi flame-proof suit: On.

5x5 wrote: BUT... I really wish I had had my Zulus back then. The hearing protection and comfort is better for sure. However, the really big benefit to me is the clarity of incoming communication. And while that's a real bonus now, it would have been a godsend while I was learning. One of the biggest challenges any student faces is learning correct and effective radio communication. And in my experience learning and teaching, a lot of the problem is hearing clearly what other people are saying. That's where the Zulus shine - everything is so clear.

So, my recommendation is, if you can afford it get the noise canceling headset now and reap the rewards right from the get-go. I'm very confident you won't regret it.

Completely agree. I started with the DC X11 and it was a great decision.

Edit

I have the Telex 50D for use in the Husky, they are the best ANR headset in a high noise cockpit and still comfortable on a long flight. Lots of passive protection with the big cups if the batteries/panel power gives up. I had the BoseX for five years, they were comfortable and quiet in the Baron but the BoseX ANR could not keep up with the take off noise level in the Husky. If you have a warbird, open cockpit or seaplane prop, the BoseX probably can't do the ANR job at takeoff power.

Traded in an old Lightspeed headset for new Zulus last summer and now use the Zulus exclusively when instructing. Lighter, more comfortable than the Telex 50D, better ANR than the BoseX. The ability to make phone calls using bluetooth and the iphone is great. Lightspeed is still running the trade-in program for new Zulus if you have an old broken pair of Lightspeed 15s or 20s in the basement.

Still have my first pair of David Clark H10-13.4 in the truck for emergency loaners. The simple passive noise protection seems so old-fashioned now and DC has not figured out how to do ANR yet. I would never go back to DCs, especially their ANR models.

FWIW - I'm working on my PPL, and recently picked up a used Lightspeed 15XLc. I have to agree with other people's comments - the noise canceling makes a *huge* difference, even in their low-end product. Communications are much clearer, and just the reduction in general noise & drone just makes flying much more pleasant. One of the best purchases I've ever made. A friend of mine who's using a David Clark (sorry, don't know the model) that he was quite happy with is now a convert to noise reduction after borrowing mine.

Best advice I can think of is, try to borrow a pair you are considering before hand to try it yourself before you dishout the $

Invertago wrote:Best advice I can think of is, try to borrow a pair you are considering before hand to try it yourself before you dishout the $

Seconded. I'm looking for my first headset. Was going towards the QFR, but after trying my friend's, decided against it.