squeeker

Maurice, agreed that ANR is not always what it's cracked up to be in some of the headsets out there. Maybe your 1990 Altronics model is better contructed than the modern ones Maurice. 3 years ago, in a class of 15 ab-initio and GFPT students, 3 of us purchased the altronics (passive) units. 3 out of 3 were faulty within the first 6 months (due to poor connections in the plugs, a dry joint or loose connection in one of the earcups, and an other undiagnosed failure.) Yes I bought one Altonics headset too, several years prior. After a year or so and maybe only 15 flying hours, there was an intermitent fault somewhere in the cord, and the unit was out of warranty, I tried a mate's David Clark H10-30 and decided not to throw more money at the Altronics one to get it repaired. I cannibalised the headset speakers and they now reside in a set of 3M earmuffs so I can listen to my ipod while I drive the ride-on mower. There's a lot less to lose if the headphones fail at 2knots and 3 feet above the grass, than 120knots and 1500 feet in CTA.. Some of these Altronics headsets are used as loan units where I fly and they are no where near the comfort and attenuation of a passive david clark (or telex for that matter). Maybe it's my pointy head that's the issue here though I'm not suggesting throwing a thousand plus dollars at a headset unless you can really justify that, I just think that generally, you get what you pay for with headsets. And maybe Altronics have improved the design recently. I notice now that that there are several different models available on their website.. Just my experience..

I just threw the best part of $1400 at a Bose X headset. Given the cost, It wasn't a decision made lightly. The headset is very good, and 20 or so hours later I don't regret the purchase. It does well to eliminate much of the cockpit noise in the Moonies I fly. Before that I used a David Clark H20-10 that I purchased secondhand on ebay for $160. The DC is still going strong, but I found on longer flights (3hrs plus) that I was really quite fatigued and that my ears would ring. But the main reason for getting the Bose headset was that I tried a loan unit and it made ATC so much easier to hear clearly. In a stressful learning environment it really helps to know that you're not going to be constantly asking a progressively more annoyed controller to "say again". My decision to go for the Bose is based on the fact that I've chosen to fly for a living. If I was going to stop at my PPL and fly occasionally, I would have stuck with my DC - which is extremely well built and hasn't missed a beat over many years of use. I have tried the cheap altronics unit and imho it is suitable only for use on a ride-on mower. The DC H10-30 that most people seem to use as students is also very good, but many complain of discomfort after a few hours due to the "clamping force" on the sides of your head, or headaches due to continuous pressure on the top of your head. You can buy gel-earpads as an upgrade for the DC H10s which will help a bit. The H20-10's come with gel-pads and an adjustable soft elastic band " aka Comfort Cover Head Pad" that acts as a cushion on the top of your noggin.. It's such an individual thing that I would say, if you can, try to borrow a few different headsets, and find the one that feels best for you. Maybe the local pilot shop has loan units from different manufacturers (they seem to where I fly) If you are willing to spend real $$ on an ENC headset, it seems there are 3 major players (DC, Bose and Lightspeed). I have read many reviews that say that the DC one (the H10-13X) is noticably inferior to the "Bose Aviation X" and the "Lightspeed Zulu". The Bose is just a headset with ANC and no passive attenuation, whilst the Lightspeed Zulu has ENC and a small amount of passive attenuation plus a bluetooth connection and a hardwired input for an mp3 player or mobile phone.. Both Bose and Lightspeed have a 5yr warranty. The Lightspeed Zulu seems to cost about $950 around the traps, and the Bose X about $1500.. I didn't have the option to try the Zulu so I ended up with the Bose. I found it difficult when shopping for the Bose headset to find reviews that had hard comparisons in terms of attenuation, as most of the comparisons I found were sponsored by the companies that make the headsets. I know of quite a few guys that have had success buying perfectly working headsets on ebay (me included), but I guess there's always a risk of getting a dud. Hopefully that helps a little bit, I'm sure others here will have some useful suggestions. Steve.