What's on Your Noggin? aka My Headset Oddysey

[Cheechako]

Well, I've done it again.

I went and bought yet another headset.

Those of you who know me are merely shaking your heads, but not all that surprised, are you?

Here's the rundown of what's been on my noggin:

1989 - Telex Pro 2000 or something like it. I was watching that cinema classic "Hunt for Red October" and remember Jonsey the sonor operator? Yeah, he was wearing the same headset as was muffing my ears during my primary training.

1993-ish - Pro CFI's only wear David Clark headsets! So at the Sun 'n Fun 1993 I bought the David Clark 10-13.4. I also bought the big bug-eye Serengeti Aviators! What a dork!

1998 - I jokingly put the David Clark 10-13XL on my Christmas list going to my in-laws.... They must have wanted to impress their new son-in-law for his first Christmas in their family because my Christmas wish came true!

2002 - Jet pilots don't wear big, bulky headsets! I went through three different headsets in about as many months looking for the perfect setup: The Telex 5 X 5 Pro (hated that ear plug and only sound in one ear), the Telex 750 (not enough noise attenuation) and the Telex ANR 500 (why did I ever get rid of those?)

2003-ish - Awed by the light-weight noise cancelling ability of the Sennheiser HMEC-45's I bouht a set off ebay from a Southwest guy. Great headset, only I still found my irritation level hightened at the end of a trip.

Six months ago - Took the Bose plunge! Bought the Bose X. Loved them.... until....

Last month - www.uflymike.com I think I may have found the ultimate headset for the CRJ. It's the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones with an aftermarket mic boom. It's awesome! Enough noise cancelling for the jet, plus I can pull out the mic and use the headphones on those deadheads!

So there you have it! I still have my original Telex, the 5 X 5's and the Sennheisers down in the basement in a box marked "headsets!" My David Clark ENCs are in my locker at the airport. I never know what I may be flying some day! I sold my DC 10-13.4s to a coworker, the Telex 750s went to one of my FOs, and the Telex ANR 500s went to FlyChicaga (still got 'em?).

And, now, my Bose X is up for sale on ebay. Here's the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=4593837800

How can you say no to a face like that??

I'll knock off 5% to any JCer who wins the auction! Just PM me here when it's over!

[jtrain609]

That's classic, Chris

I love my Lightspeeds for GA stuff! Can't beat 'em.

[stuckingfk]

Originally Posted by John Herreshoff

That's classic, Chris

I love my Lightspeeds for GA stuff! Can't beat 'em.

I had two sets of those and didn't abuse them at all. The one set (Twenty 3G) only had 20 hours on it and started having mad vibration prolems. The other set of 20XL's had one fried ANR box, and the whole left earcup fell off. All of this and only 200 hours on it. The customer service at Lightspeed is great but I think their product is junk. I hope you have better luck than me John.

Now I have David Clark (with ENC) and they're great. I beat the crap out of them in and out of many different airplanes. I love DC's. But now I'm looking for a helmet. Anyone know where I can get a decent priced helmet with mic? I don't really want one that goes over my current headset, so if anyone had any suggestions that would be great.

[MQAAord]

Mine is a DC-H10-13.4 I love it, but it's probably not what you're looking for

Bill's is a Planetronics (sp?) I think? I dunno, it's small, fits over his ear and he likes it a lot. I'll ask him when he gets home what model it is.

[Cav]

Right now I'm wearing the Telex 850 ANR in the ERJ. I still have to wear ear plugs like 60% of the time depending on the age of the aircraft I flying since some of our ERJ's are louder than others for some reason. I used to wear the Bose and liked it a lot however I got sick of trying to find somewhere to put it in my flight case so I sold it on Ebay. I'm pretty happy, the ear plugs don't bother me too much since I'm not overly picky as long as the headset fits in the flight case and is light weight. If I had to do it all over again I would buy the Telex 750 and wear ear plugs all the time...less $$$$$.

[viper548]

I've had an Avcom AC-900 since I was a student pilot. When I got into the CRJ I bought the Telex 850. It knocked out all the static noise but there was still a lot of wind noise and after a couple hours they hurt my ears. After a month I got the Bose X, and they are awesome.

[Philip]

the same H10-30 clark I've been wearing since the mid 90's. haven't even replaced the gel cups! Amazing since it lived in the trunk of my car through 4 ND winters.

[Ophir]

Do I get a bowl of soup with that?


See, I just took the Bose plunge from the beginning and I have never looked back. But I like this idea for afordability and deadheading on Brasilias can be NOISY.

[aloft]

Bose Corp. does NOT recommend the QC2 headphones for pilot use. Instead, they recommend another model headset specifically for pilots which is already equipped with a permanently attached microphone (see FAQs on this website).

Hahahaha....of course they don't! Goes to show ya just how much of the Bose X's price is pure profit! I'll bet you a dollar Bose hardwires the input cord on the next version of those headphones solely to defeat these guys!

Chris, how'd you generate the nice eBay listing?

[Cheechako]

Sheer ebayin' talent!!

Ophir, I don't think the Quiet Comfort 2's will quite do enough in the Brasilia! They're not as good as the Bose X for noise cancelling. When you make the jump to the RJ, I say go for it!

[aloft]

Speaking of....which do ya think will happen first for Ophir: his seatlock expiring, or getting off reserve? It could be close! :P

[JaceTheAce]

I hate anything related to Bose. Bose did and still does a wonderful job in created word-of-mouth marketing hype to get people to say "oh you have a Bose hometheater system?" or "Well the Jones' just bought one of those small hidden Bose home theater systems with big sound". ...and FINALLY they've reached the pilot market to make people say "Oh wow! You've got Bose headsets?"

Now I know that me talking about Bose's home theater systems (which is what they're mainly known for) is not realated directly to this post, but it is indirectly related because it has to do with people buying from this overhyped company...and to be aware that it's easy to be persuaded and taken advantage by their excellent marketing tactics...and to PLEASE consider other headset brands!...so here goes...

In reality, people don't realize that when their buying a Bose home theater system they're getting a triple bandpass subwoofer enclosure. The highlighted problem is this: While highly efficient in producing bass, bass punches in bandpass enclosures are muffled and very delayed. Bass will sound too boomy, compared to an audiophile's choice of ported or sealed enclosure. Bandpass enclosures are best left for bumpin' Nelly in your Chevy Tahoe with 24" spinnaz. The advantage to using a bandpass enclosure this is reducing costs. If Bose can make the subwoofer as efficient as possible, they don't have to use an amplifier to propel the subwoofer....and sell it at a cost comparable or higher to true amplified ported sub enclosures...which equals even higher profit margins... What a wonderful idea!

Also, the Bose sub/satellite home theater combos have a large dead medium low-mid range frequency becuase their tiny satellite speakers are too small to attempt to defy the laws of physics (which Bose claims to do) and the bandpass enclosure leaves out important upper bass frequencies. To top it all off, your low powered receiver/amp (most Bose owners aren't audiophiles therefore they usually will have a lower-powered cheap amp) isn't enough to propel both the subwoofer and satellite speakers, resulting in high levels of distortion in the mid to high frequencies...because the amp-less sub is draining all the power from the receiver/amp.

Ask any audiophile (like me or anyone else) and they will tell you something similar about Bose. All audiophiles hate Bose. Though they may sound decent, they're way overpriced. When there are other companies that can leave them in the dust in a blindfolded test, it's sad that if someone sees the "Bose" logo they automatically think "QUALITY". Additionally, pricing the speakers into a extra premium price will make consumers falsely associate their products with quality. Bose's marketing department did an excellent job in getting you to think this! And it works!

So please, don't let friends buy Bose.

Sorry if I offended anyone who paid $2000 for a new Bose hometheater system.

[BZNflyer248]

Take the bose for a 30 day test and I doubt you'll be saying the same song about their aviation headsets. I recently took the plunge and its simply amazing. I had the headsetsinc ANR add on to an AVCOMM for many years and loved it, so I know what quiet is - and I"ve tried many others but the comfort level of the Bose is unsurpassed IMHO. I loved the fact that I could swing my head and not feel like theres a pendulum of a headset up there - in fact even on long XC's I barely even remember I'm wearing a headset! Its just THAT comftorble. And QUIET. Just my 2 Cents.

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by BZNflyer248

Take the bose for a 30 day test and I doubt you'll be saying the same song about their aviation headsets. I recently took the plunge and its simply amazing. I had the headsetsinc ANR add on to an AVCOMM for many years and loved it, so I know what quiet is - and I"ve tried many others but the comfort level of the Bose is unsurpassed IMHO. I loved the fact that I could swing my head and not feel like theres a pendulum of a headset up there - in fact even on long XC's I barely even remember I'm wearing a headset! Its just THAT comftorble. And QUIET. Just my 2 Cents.

I tried them for about an hour. Didn't justify the $1000 plunge!

[Looking4Lower]

Originally Posted by JaceTheAce

I tried them for about an hour. Didn't justify the $1000 plunge!

I have over 1000 hours wearing Bose X's at the previous flying job. Loved them, wouldn't know what I would have done without them, especially on some of the long 10+ hour flying days.

To each his own...

[blee256]

Have u tried the Telex 850s?

[bLizZuE]

just bought my bose headset, love it.

[Ophir]

Originally Posted by aloft

Speaking of....which do ya think will happen first for Ophir: his seatlock expiring, or getting off reserve? It could be close! :P

If things don't change with DAL it will be about a tie. They just cut us back from 45 to 40 lines.

Bose for the Bro! That's my motto.

[Window_Seat]

I have a pair of H-10-13.4 that I bought over 4 years ago and used maybe 20 hours at the most. I'll trade or sell them before I enroll into a flight school and get a newer more advanced pair, possibly one that is listed here. Any ideas on how much they might be worth?

Erik.

[Cheechako]

Welp, just sold the Bose X! It gets FedEx-ed tomorrow.

Good-bye old friend. It was nice.

[Dj To Rule]

I agree with Jace the Ace. Dont get me started on Bose. They just try to satisfy the home-theather market with their small compactness and yes it is overmarketed and rated. Its kind of like one day when I went to the shop, DIGITAL HEADPHONES.. oh great so you will be listening to a bunch of clicks and beeps, great music isn't it.

I think for me a headset should be comfortable, and Enr is good to have, but not worth paying $1000 on some overmarketed equipment. I know I am not too familiar with headsets since I owned one since 5 years and am happy with them (except I have wear in the cable).

I don't even want to get into Live Audio topic and Bose. AND YES never underpower a sub, one of the worst damages to speakers occur due to underpowering and distortion and clipping of signal.

[FlyChicaga]

I've jumped around headsets as well. Started with the ol' David Clark for a long time. Moved to the FlightCom Passive Denali when I was a CFI, and used it for a while at Chicago Express. Until I purchased the Telex ANR 500 from Chris, which was an awesome headset (yeah, still have it! Have all my headsets actually). Used it in the Saab, then in the jet. Only thing was, when flying three and four hour legs, it would irritate my big ears a bit.

So I switched to the Planetronics with molded earpieces. I loved that headset. Comfortable on long legs, lightweight. Just wish I had the earpiece clip for the mic, rather than the headband. Had the dual tube too, so I could use it in both ears. Kept getting complaints from Captains though for the background noise it would pick up. I didn't care, the actual headset cost $10 band new on E-bay!

But finally gave it up for the Bose X. I used it for one trip, and just didn't like it. It was too fragile, and not worth the $1000 to me. Yeah, it was comfortable, clear, etc., but just not this magical headset I expected it to be. Plus, it was too difficult to store in my flight kit, and I really didn't want to leave a $1000 headset in the weather room in EWR!

So I picked up the Telex 750. Use it now with earplugs, and I love it. I don't like having to use earplugs, but that's fine. It's very quiet, clear, and comfortable on the longest of legs. I flew a four-hour leg yesterday (after a diversion) and didn't bother me once. Lightweight.

I just can't wait to fly a jet that I don't need a headset like this. Or I can use the 750 without earplugs. That would be nice.

[Ophir]

I keep wondering if this will be the direction we will go. http://www.ultimateears.com/custom/i..._prod-955.html This is a custom made, to your ear, headphone with ANR. The problem then becomes the mic. But imagine wearing these all the time for music, quiet, or flying. Hmmm.......