I spent 3 seasons flying beavers using my David Clamps with the headsets inc ANR kit and thought it was pretty good. Then in season 4 (2011) our little pilot group swapped around some Bose X, the aforementioned David Clamps, and the then new lightspeed Zulu.

Lightspeed won hands down, been using them ever since.

Thanks for the quick feedback!

Call me what you will but I've been using DC's for 40+ years, I'm old and to stubborn too change now.

I've tried the big 3 brands and I think the DC OneX are my favorite,

Bose has better sound quality but isn't quite as comfortable as the DC and I think the DC is built a bit more robust. In the the Stinson with the IO360 the DC's can't handle takeoff but other than that they're every bit as quiet as the A20's. I tried the DC ProX, which is their on ear model and was really surprised. Not as quiet, by a small margin, but they were more comfortable than both and for some reason they cancelled the noise just fine on takeoff.

Besides the physical differences I like David Clark more as a company since they're an aviation company whereas Bose is an audio company.

Didn't like Lightspeeds at all, there is almost no clamping pressure and even on my large head they felt like they'd fall off, the earcup seal gets ruined when you turn your head.

I got the UFQ ( U Fly Quiet) ANR in ear headset and use that about 80% of the time (over my DC OneX). It's $300 on amazon and crazy comfortable, light weight, doesn't interfere with sunglasses or a hat and barely weighs anything. The sound quality and noise cancellation isn't up to par with the big boys but it's a seriously convenient headset.

I’ve used DC headsets since my time in the Navy. Great products, and great people (they also make G Suits).
I fly commercially (own a patrol company) and I find DC are the only headsets robust enough to stay together in my kind of flying.
I personally use ProX headsets because of the light weight. Decent ANR and super tough. I can’t keep Bose and Lightspeeds going for me. To delicate.
I do tear up DC stuff too, but their service is unmatched.
I can’t say enough about them. Good US made equipment and great service.
They have my business

nickelb wrote:.... I was wondering if anyone has experience using the following:- David Clark with ANR Upgrade Kit.....

I had Headsets Inc convert a DC 10-20 to ANR for me about 5 years ago.
They sell a kit but having them install it was only an extra $50 so went that way.
I'm pretty happy with it, better noise attenuation than my non-ANR headsets.
But I've never flown behind a 985 with it so I can't speak to that.
Looks like kit prices have gone up some.

https://www.headsetsinc.com/product-category/anr-kits/

They also have their own line of ANR headsets, that seem more reasonably priced than the name brands.

https://www.headsetsinc.com/aviation-headsets/

I used David Clark headsets for many years, in working airplanes. Then, ANR started appearing. I used the early Bose (very heavy) headsets for a while, and they were fine. When the Bose X came out, one of our pilots put them in his assigned airplane. I flew that plane one day, and within an hour I literally had to take the headset off....earcups are too small for my ears.

I went to Lightspeed, and have now graduated to Lightspeed Zulus...three, I think. I have used them in work airplanes for years, and in my personal airplanes. I much prefer them to any other brand.

Being a long time admirer of David Clark company, I purchased a pair of their latest ANR headset a couple of years ago. It was awful, and after using it for ten hours or so, I called DC and got a return authorization. They refunded my purchase price. They are that kind of company, as others have noted here. I just didn't like the fit of the headset, and the ANR wasn't anywhere near as good as the Lightspeed Zulu in my experience.

So, frankly, that's the problem with headsets: Our heads and our ears are NOT all the same. You are going to have to figure out what works for you.....ALL the major headset manufacturers make great headsets....Bose, David Clark and Lightspeed, in my experience.

But differences in head shape, ears, and, importantly, the Aircraft you're flying, all contribute to what works best for YOU.

So, I can tell you what works for me. You'll have to try the headset and decide if it's what you prefer.

I can tell you, however, that both David Clark and Lightspeed offer some of the best customer service in any industry. Hands down. I had a problem with a Lightspeed Zulu cord set at OSH. Went to their exhibit booth to ask about it. They said bring the headset to them. They took a cord set off a headset they were using as a demo, and installed it on my headset....no charge.

But, what works for you.....you'll need to figure out. You won't go wrong with either DC or Lightspeed, though.

MTV

I use DC proX in the jets I fly at work and agree it’s a superior headset, low clamping pressure and good ANR. ProX would not work in a beaver, there’s no way they could keep up with the noise at take off power.

I did 8 full flying seasons with lightspeed Zulu and only had to send them in once for a bad cord, not sure why people have so much trouble keeping them together.

Regarding the Lightspeed cords...the Zulu 3 has a braided kevlar cord. Best cord in aviation. Earlier versions seemed to have cord problems.

Hey there! That's great to hear you've found a headset you're happy with in the Lightspeed Zulu. It's always interesting to compare different models and see how they stack up. I personally had a good experience with Seht products and their headsets as well; they also have a variety of models with different features and price ranges. Happy flying!

Ive been using Lightspeed since the first set of Zulu’s came out, so I don’t have a lot of different perspective. They are a local company and the product is great, the customer service is outstanding, these people stand behind their product. I’m now using LEMO plug Zulu 3’s, no batteries to replace, headsets always in the plane, couldn’t be happier.

I have been running Zulu’s since the Zulu 1, all the way up to my custom 3s, I fly turbo props, jets, helicopters, my 185, they are great and a good company to deal with

I started with David Clark’s then bought Light Speed Pfx and used them for a couple years. Pfx where quiet loved how flexible the cord was but the controller was big and in the experimental I had there was no room for it so I bought a set of Bose. The Bose where also nice the bluetooth would now connect to IPad for Foreflight and connect to my iPhone at the same time I don’t like the stiff cord. In December I decided to spend more of my kid’s inheritance and purchased a set of Lightspeed delta Zulu I haven’t used them enough to give a good review but so far I like the flexibility cord small controller and they have a feature where you can at home adjust your own hearing profile by adjusting 12 frequencies for each ear. I assume it’s the same process they use to tune a hearing aid. They fit nice their quiet and are very clear.

MTV's advise is spot on; too many hours on heavy equipment and other load noises and at 70, now wearing hearing aids (sucks) and shooting ANRs. Protect your hearing. Been wearing Lightspeed since first built- just because they fit me. Any ANR with ear cups is good.