I know we have discussed headsets a lot but most of it has been about ANR sets. I'm not in a position to buy a $600+ set but my current set is horrible and I'd like to upgrade. I've looked over ANR sets and am up to speed on those but what about passive. I've got batteries galore in my plane and to not add to that would be great. Which are the best? I assume DC are the best but which DC? I'm borrowing a friend's H10-13.4 for my fight to IDA next week so I'll be able to check those out.

Remember this is a discussion about passive sets only

whee wrote: ...which DC? I'm borrowing a friend's H10-13.4...

Passive you say ... that's the headset I have and I didn't know they were anything spacial it does keep the nosie out well not all the way. But there is a big difference when you take them off. I thought that was the same with all headsets. I guess not.

I'd like to hear how you like the DC H10-13.4 headset because I am considering the same. I have the Telex Echelon which I thought were great but they are falling apart quickly. I paid $149 for those and they're junk so the DC's at $300 are what I should have bought in the first place..

Let us know what you think.

I use the H10-60's. I put the Oregon Aero upgrade on them and I like them a lot. Quiet, super comfy and will last a long time.

I wear the DC 20-10. Very comfy with good sound, and quiet, but not super quiet. I also have Lightspeed QFR Solo that are super quiet, but a little small for my head. I would get tired of them clamping my head after about 1.5 hours. My wife, with her small head , loves them. They have good sound as well. I have had no problems, so I give them both a thumbs up.
http://www.davidclark.com/HeadsetPgs/h20-10.htm
http://www.lightspeedaviation.com/content.cfm/Products/QFR-Series/QFRSoloc-Headset

I bought a set of 13.4's brand new about 8 months ago. They are nice, more cushion on top than my older 10-20's. I actually like the way my old ones feel though, and use them still as my primary set. the 13.4's I carry in my flight bag for pax. Good PNR on both - I really like the gel seals covered by the DC muffs. I would like to try the Oregon Aero kit just to see if it is any better.

Not sure how long you might want to wait to buy a set, or if you might want someone local to check them out, but I see DC's on the Sacramento and SF Bay Craiglist regularly, very slightly used in the $125 - 150 range. Might be able to get a BCP'er to check them out for ya.

Flynengr

I, too, am unwilling to pay hundreds of dollars for ANR. I figured I could build my own, and I found this pdf article where a guy builds a set for $50 by adding a mike to a set of Harbor Freight ANR headphones:
http://www.eaa79.org/File+Downloads+Parent/Misc+Downloads/Downloads_GetFile.aspx?id=168

The article is a bit dated, and Harbor Freight no longer carries the headphones, but Walmart has several sets available.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=4480

Methinks I might experiment around with the idea this winter.

Somebody offers an ANR mod for David Clarks--- Headsets Inc? I have a set of 10/13.4's that I've owned for about 10 years. I've probably had them wrapped around my head for 1600 or 1700 hours, & they're still in great shape.
DC has great customer service -- if I was buying new, I might be inclined to buy a set of DC ANR's but thyey're sorta spendy. If I do decide to go ANR, I think I'd probably upgrade the 13.4's I already have.
I just checked out the DC offerings in my Chief catalog, they've got about 6 or so different models of passive headsets and I have no idea what the difference is between them all. ??

Eric

I have an AvComm AC900 PNR as a spare. I used it for some of my flight training (and most of this summer) and found it more comfortable than the flight school's David Clarks. The noise reduction is good (same or better than the DC's I looked at), it is cheaper than a DC, and I have had no problems with it.

Regardless of which headset you end up getting, also wearing ear plugs is a very simple and cheap way of improving the noise reduction.

I also use the DC 13.4 's with the Oregon aero kit and they are great. The Oregon kit put them over the top on comfort.

Thanks for the replies...I'll let ya know what I think about the 13.4. I also borrowed his Flightcomm Denali's which are ANR just to see the difference. I put them on and the DC is way more comfortable...but my wife likes the Denali better.

I think MTV said the Headset inc ANR upgrade lets off some sort of high frequency.

Seems that the 10-60 or 10-13.4 are the high end of passive sets but most common are the 10-30. I'll have to check out the Avcomm...I'm not stuck on the DC's but I only hear good things about them.

Here's a place that sells ANR kits:

http://www.anr-headsets.com/Html_folder ... rder.shtml

I've heard a few testimonials saying they were happy. I've got no experience with them, but I'd be tempted to add them the my DC knockoffs. Prices range from $170 to $190.

tom

I have a pair of DC H10-30's that I have had since 1973 or so. I did the Oregon Aero head band and ear seal upgrades and these ol' gals work pretty darn well.

At one time one of the speakers became scratchy and DC replaced it for shipping costs.

I have a set of DC H10-56 helicopter phones I inherited from a friend of mine.

They are a lot heavier than the 30's and have a bit more cancellation.

Bottom line is I don't think you are going to do much better than DC for passive headsets.

Both of them beat the hell out of the ANR sets when the ANR is not working ( battery dead).

TD

Both of them beat the hell out of the ANR sets when the ANR is not working ( battery dead).

This is one of the big reasons why I switched back to passives. I don't like the idea of throwing away batteries that still have some life in them, so I probably didn't switch them out as often as I should in the old Lightspeeds. Almost without fail, they'd give out right at the most inopportune moment (during the flare) and the sudden noise would scare the crap out of me.

I scraped and scrapped all the money I had and took credit out on the rest to by the Bose X headsets in 1998. Since then, I have put on over 3,600 hours flying everything from C-150's to B-99's with them and my hearing is still (mostly) there. And I think I just paid them off. My point is, don't compromise your hearing. You can never get it back (without hearing aids).

Just my opinion. Take it for what its worth.

CHEERS!

I don't like the idea of throwing away batteries that still have some life in them, so I probably didn't switch them out as often as I should in the old Lightspeeds.

I discovered Ray-O-Vac Hybrid rechargeable batteries ( Target and Walmart) which will hold their charge for quite awhile ( month or more?) in the flight bag. I can recharge them at home or with a Solar charger in the back country.

TD

Oregon Aero has some interesting test data on David Clarks with their upgrade, comparing them to ANR headsets:

http://www.oregonaero.com/p5859_2001.html

I'm a musician/recording nut, so I definitely care about my hearing, too.

Is Oregon Aero's DC upgrade to add ANR, or just ear seals & headband? On long trips where I didn't figure to do much radio work, I have worn earplugs plus headsets. I could still hear the radio if I turned it up (eh??) and I figure the added noise muffling kept fatigue at bay a little better.

Eric

hotrod150 wrote: I have worn earplugs plus headsets. I could still hear the radio if I turned it up (eh??) and I figure the added noise muffling kept fatigue at bay a little better.

Eric

Did just exactly that for more than 20 years flying Army helicopters, most everyone did/does. There is even an ear plug with speaker transducers that go in the plugs. CEP's they are called. http://www.anr-headsets.com/Html_folder/CEP.html supposedly work better than ANR, but the fact that the Commander of USAARL's wife owned the company that makes CEP's may have screwed the results a little.
Sennhauser (sp) has a good $500 ANR. www.headsetsinc.com has an excellent headset for only $400, and it comes with the gel ear pads and the big soft wool headband. The battery box is auto shutoff and if you don't want to play with batteries, just unplug the box and plug in the power supply. I've had one for years and it is a real quality headset. I have broken two Bose's in less time.
I just bought a Lightspeed Zulu, and on an eight hour ferry flight from Ft. Pierce fl. to Costa Rica, they were real comfortable and the quality of music is excellent. I was in a Thrush, which has no sound insulation and is LOUD inside, and the Zulu is much better than Bose.
I would tell you to buy a good passive headset, comfort being the most important thing, and then in the future, buy an ANR conversion. A good passive headset with the conversion is the best of both worlds.

a64pilot wrote: I would tell you to buy a good passive headset, comfort being the most important thing, and then in the future, buy an ANR conversion. A good passive headset with the conversion is the best of both worlds.

I know you said passive only...but this is pretty good advice. Are your current headsets trashed in the speaker / mic department or just all around junk? With a conversion you will be getting new speakers anyway. Maybe they can be "spruced up" some?

I have the headsets inc in several headsets and helmets and like them a lot. A lot of the outfits selling helmets with and without ANR just add headsets inc to their helmets.

One plus abouth thier kit is you can order the hard wire kit, and buy a battery box for the times you use your stuff in someone elses plane.

I have 10-13.4's, I installed the largest OA earseals. They are the most comfortable, but they loose a little passive over their med. or thinner ear seals. Same goes for using their "hush cups" in a helmet.

Take care, Rob