nels Posted June 25, 2017 Report Share Posted June 25, 2017 (edited) I know many on the forum think little about hearing loss simply because they have not noticed loss themselves. I have been aware of my own hearing loss recently as I've finally passed that threshold of realization. When I got back into flying four or five years ago I bought a set of Lightspeed state of the art noise canceling headsets thinking it was my best deterant for hearing loss. I think I was wrong. I've seemed to kept the low frequency hearing fairly well but have just about lost the high frequency range. It's pretty disheartening when you can no longer wake up in the morning and hear birds sing just outside your bedroom window. Someone mentioned in a previous post that they use foam ear plugs under their headset so I tried this the other day and was amazed at the improvement! I could hear the conversation way better, actually turned the volume down, and I assume the high frequencies were probably substantially blocked by the plugs while the low frequencies were blocked by the noise cancelling headset. I only wish I had taken this approach five years ago, maybe I'd still be able to hear birds sing in the AM. So, in my book, don't be lulled down the path thinking noise cancelling headsets give great all around hearing protection, I don't think they do. I'm not an audiologist but I think the best hearing protection might be a set of Clarity Aloft type with a secondary noise cancelling set on top of these. If nothing else just try the foam earplugs under your headset. Once your hearing is gone it doesn't just somehow come back. Take care of it while you can! Edited June 25, 2017 by nels 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted June 25, 2017 Report Share Posted June 25, 2017 It surprises me that there isn't a headset manufacturer promoting hearing protection above all else. There's clearly a market for it. But it often feels like all innovation in this area is "super duper lightweight comfort AND hearing protection," rather than "hearing protection, period."I, for one, would buy a heavier or less comfortable headset if I knew it was providing better total noise reduction than another. I actually own an aviation headset from many years ago that came with a set of foam earplugs in the box. The TNN rating on the box had a little asterisk that said something like "when used with the enclosed ear plugs," which I assume they didn't expect many people to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M20F Posted June 25, 2017 Report Share Posted June 25, 2017 I can't hear you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milotron Posted June 25, 2017 Report Share Posted June 25, 2017 Glad I am not the only one...tinnitus drowns out the birds most days. I tried the foam plugs and much quieter with the Bose A20s. The sound of my voice with the plugs vs normal sideband was a little weird, but I can get used to that. Similar to halo/faro/clarity I would imagine. I am going to get a set of the custom fit permanent earplugs made that has the speech frequency range pass filter in them. I need them for work anyways as my 21 year old Peltors don't do much now except keep my ears warm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted June 25, 2017 Report Share Posted June 25, 2017 News, Thanks for the details you have shared. Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravoman Posted June 25, 2017 Report Share Posted June 25, 2017 I can't hear the birds either, between lots of shooting, planes, etc. The upside is I can't hear my wife or most other women either. Gotta take the good with the bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htwjr Posted June 25, 2017 Report Share Posted June 25, 2017 I have told my dad that he does not need a hearing aid. He needs a listening aid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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