Best Headset?

[Candy man]

It's definitely time for a new headset and my wife asked me which one. I've used the Bose as my flight instructor has an extra and I think it's reallly nice. I tried the Zulu on at Oshkosh and thought they were nice but have never flown with them. Before I spend $1000 or more I thought I'd ask here. I searched the topic and it seems the last time this was discussed as a topic (not including Halo's) was 2011. I'm currently using a 30 year  old D.C. With an anr upgrade, it's ok but it's time!

 

Lawrence

[Greg Ellis]

Well, the only comparison I can help you with is that I went from DC's with the ANR upgrade to Zulu 2's and now Lightspeed PFX's.  I love my Lightspeed PFX.  It is comfortable and does well with noise cancelling.  Not sure what difference it makes compared to Bose or others but the PFX continuously samples the noise both inside your ear and outside to adjust the noise cancelling.  Could be hype, maybe not but they do well in my C model to keep things quiet.  The cord is also a braided cord that is more like a rope.  It does not get twisted, does not kink and can even be tied in a knot to hang it up somewhere.  Yeah could be marketing but to have a cord that does not get twisted up is good.

Edited December 19, 2017 by Greg Ellis

[flight2000]

Halo's hands down for comfort, clarity, weight, etc, etc. did I mention comfort?  Only downside is they sell out quickly when he has them in stock (as late as last Thursday for the last batch).  I use the black foam tips and they are super comfortable and the reduction in noise is as good as any expensive ANR headset out there.  Add in the fact that I've never gotten a headache after wearing them for more than an hour like I did with my old DC's and the pair of Bose I wore in a friends Cirrus.

However, do you like sticking things in your ears is the big question.  If you can wear ear buds, the Halo's shouldn't be a problem.  Some folks just aren't comfortable with the inserts over long periods of time and I totally get that. 

You can buy 2.25 Halo's ($389) for the price of the Bose and Zulu's, so there's that to consider. 

Buy them to try out and if you don't like them, they sell quickly when advertised here or on any other forum - even at full MSRP to get your money back

Cheers,

Brian

[gsxrpilot]

Halo's with custom molded ear pieces. I've tried them all and have a Zulu2 set knocking around in the back seat. The Halo's were easily the best, but now with custom ear molds, there is no comparison.

[Danb]

Paul did you do the custom mods or an audiologist 

[peevee]

37 minutes ago, Danb said:

Paul did you do the custom mods or an audiologist 

Usually you have to have an audiologist do the molds, I have one for work.

[gsxrpilot]

45 minutes ago, Danb said:

Paul did you do the custom mods or an audiologist 

Audiologist, $80. I'm still at less than half of a Bose or a Lightspeed.

A little lube just before insertion will create a seal that will block sound like nothing you've heard before.

[peevee]

Just now, gsxrpilot said:

Audiologist, $80. I'm still at less than half of a Bose or a Lightspeed.

A little lube just before insertion will create a seal that will block sound like nothing you've heard before.

I'm sure you've seen it, but phil advises against the custom ones

 

 

Quote

Do I need custom earmolds? 

NO...Custom earmolds are not recommended for the following reasons...

1. They take time and effort to get
2. A FULL 30% of all earmolds leak somewhat. The noise spectrum that enters the ear canal with small leaks are the low frequencies...engine noise.
3. IF you get a good seal, that means it is pneumatic and cannot equalize pressure at various altitudes
4. they cost range from $80 to $200 / pair making the experiment an expensive one.

Stick with the foams if at all possible.

[gsxrpilot]

Yep, I've seen it. And I've been using the foam tips for years. I really liked the bright orange foam tips that Phil doesn't have anymore. 

Of the four reasons Phil lists, two are just because it's a hassle, one is because they might not work well, and only one is that it might cause a problem. 

The problem that Phil mentions is a real one and one that I've experienced last week. Descending out of the flight levels my left ear didn't clear properly. This is easily solved by reaching up and breaking the seal on each ear mold during the descent. 

All I can say is that they are more comfortable and quiet than any headset I've used in the last 10 years.

[Danb]

Agreed Paul I didn't think I'd keep them after a flight got or two, now both sets of Bose are in there cases planes picking up $2000 worth of dust. The halos have some faults like the control and long cord buy the comfort is to good to let little stuff like that matter. 

[aviatoreb]

I like the Bose A20.  I owned a clarity aloft for 2 years and it was ok, but I fell out of love with it and used it less and less and eventually sold it.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, gsxrpilot said:

Halo's with custom molded ear pieces. I've tried them all and have a Zulu2 set knocking around in the back seat. The Halo's were easily the best, but now with custom ear molds, there is no comparison.

I wish I had tried that before I gave my Halos away, oh well.

Clarence

[ArtVandelay]

I would think about what it’s like having plugs stuck in your ears for hours, personally it would drive me nuts after an hour.

[peevee]

14 minutes ago, teejayevans said:

I would think about what it’s like having plugs stuck in your ears for hours, personally it would drive me nuts after an hour.

I don't like listening to myself talk that much. Lol

[201er]

I find it funny how some people can still wear those big clunky, hair messing, ear sweating, glasses pinching, canula blocking, head squeezers!

This Bonanza guy on the right sacrificed ever using sunglasses, canula, hat, and having hair on his head just so he could get the active noise cancellation.

[Hector]

Zulu 3s for me. Zulu 2 before that. I don’t like ear plugs and the Zulus work great in my C. I think you will find choice of headset is pretty much a personal preference. Lightspeed has good customer support. I ran over the cord with my seat once and they fixed it quick and a no cost.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[aviatoreb]

59 minutes ago, 201er said:

I find it funny how some people can still wear those big clunky, hair messing, ear sweating, glasses pinching, canula blocking, head squeezers!

This Bonanza guy on the right sacrificed ever using sunglasses, canula, hat, and having hair on his head just so he could get the active noise cancellation.

oxygen is one of the several things that can be better with a real headset....  oxyarm is fantastic.

http://www.mhoxygen.com/index.php/face-masks/cannulas/82-ez-breathe-ii

as far as sweaty - if I get hot - I climb. Turbo.

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, peevee said:

I don't like listening to myself talk that much. Lol

That was my problem - I was constantly aware of something stuck in my ears and after 30-60 minutes it was driving me batty.

[Bob_Belville]

You should have seen some more recent threads on this topic. 

I'll only observe that real pilots still use DCs. I like the ONE-X.

http://www.davidclarkcompany.com/files/literature/19549P14.pdf

[flight2000]

16 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

oxygen is one of the several things that can be better with a real headset....  oxyarm is fantastic.

http://www.mhoxygen.com/index.php/face-masks/cannulas/82-ez-breathe-ii

as far as sweaty - if I get hot - I climb. Turbo.

I've never had any issues with my fake mustache....and I can still wear glasses and a hat comfortably...

As I mentioned in my post above, totally get the fact that some folks just don't like having things in their ears. 

As for Bob's comment, all the cool kids are wearing the Halo's now...

Brian

[Hank]

29 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

as far as sweaty - if I get hot - I climb. Turbo.

At some point, you gotta descend and land. Around here, half the year that's hot and sweaty . . . .

[peevee]

17 minutes ago, Bob_Belville said:

You should have seen some more recent threads on this topic. 

I'll only observe that real pilots still use DCs. I like the ONE-X.

http://www.davidclarkcompany.com/files/literature/19549P14.pdf

I bought a onex and didn't care for it, sent it back and got the Bose. Can't remember what I didn't like.

[JoshMan]

I vote for bose A20s.  However, a cheaper alternative if you don't want to drop 1k is to buy the quiet comfort bose head phones and then add the UFlyMike. I have two of each and honestly the A20s are only marginally better IMHO.

Edited December 20, 2017 by JoshMan

[Bob_Belville]

8 minutes ago, peevee said:

I bought a onex and didn't care for it, sent it back and got the Bose. Can't remember what I didn't like.

Sorry to hear that. Nancy would have bought it from you.  Hers is the older Pro-X model.

[Zwaustin]

A20 for me and very happy