First day of flight training in a week and I still need a headset—what are your suggestions?

VN_mE said:
So I am a little older than most of my peers in my flight program and have some hearing loss from over a decade of military work.

I really would like to get an ANR headset with Bluetooth, but don’t want to spend over $700. I have a friend offering up his moderately used A20’s (no BT) with LEMO $650, another friend (helicopter pilot) offering his brand new Zulu 3’s for $600, (that requires a helo to Lemo adapter) or I can buy a brand new set of Sierras for $700.

Which way would you guys go and why?
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I've been shopping for a plane. One model for sale, I asked for logs, was checking out what I could find out about the owner online. What I found out was that the guy was likely an audiologist. When talking about the plane, I asked about A20 vs the Bose model that goes in ear, is lighter weight, might give me more head room. He stated he would never fly without the ANR and that he flies with A20.

Why after some hearing loss is your budget limited? Is it not the kind of thing where hearing protection is priceless and the best product available is worth the price? This is coming from someone that uses lots of loud equipment that had a few months of tinnitus thinking I was going cray cray. Testing showed 4k hearing notch loss.
 
4RNB said:
I've been shopping for a plane. One model for sale, I asked for logs, was checking out what I could find out about the owner online. What I found out was that the guy was likely an audiologist. When talking about the plane, I asked about A20 vs the Bose model that goes in ear, is lighter weight, might give me more head room. He stated he would never fly without the ANR and that he flies with A20.

Why after some hearing loss is your budget limited? Is it not the kind of thing where hearing protection is priceless and the best product available is worth the price? This is coming from someone that uses lots of loud equipment that had a few months of tinnitus thinking I was going cray cray. Testing showed 4k hearing notch loss.
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I completely agree. Everyone's hearing is a non-renewable resource. You should get the best noise reduction that you can afford. I cheaped out when I first started lessons and I will pay for that the rest of my life with tinnitus and having to be careful about being in loud environments. Once your hearing is damaged, it is more susceptible to damage at lower volumes.
 
Crashnburn said:
I completely agree. Everyone's hearing is a non-renewable resource. You should get the best noise reduction that you can afford. I cheaped out when I first started lessons and I will pay for that the rest of my life with tinnitus and having to be careful about being in loud environments. Once your hearing is damaged, it is more susceptible to damage at lower volumes.
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ANR is not inherently better than PNR for hearing loss. That depends on the specific headsets compared and the circumstances of use.

Likewise for the logic "more $$ = better for your ears".
 
Ed Haywood said:
ANR is not inherently better than PNR for hearing loss. That depends on the specific headsets compared and the circumstances of use.
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I've been very impressed with my Clarity Aloft (passive) in ear headset. They work even better now that I use different inserts than came with them. I've used a few ANR sets that, to my ears, were not as efficient as my CA headset. Just one old man's opinion ...
 
Daleandee said:
I've been very impressed with my Clarity Aloft (passive) in ear headset. They work even better now that I use different inserts than came with them. I've used a few ANR sets that, to my ears, were not as efficient as my CA headset. Just one old man's opinion ...
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It's true of a number of passive in-ear headsets. My Axis headset is quieter than my Lighspeed Zulu.
 
4RNB said:
What I found out was that the guy was likely an audiologist. When talking about the plane, I asked about A20 vs the Bose model that goes in ear, is lighter weight, might give me more head room. He stated he would never fly without the ANR and that he flies with A20.
Click to expand...
OTOH the (in-ear PNR) QT Halo was invented by an audiologist.
 
VN_mE said:
So I am a little older than most of my peers in my flight program and have some hearing loss from over a decade of military work.

I really would like to get an ANR headset with Bluetooth, but don’t want to spend over $700. I have a friend offering up his moderately used A20’s (no BT) with LEMO $650, another friend (helicopter pilot) offering his brand new Zulu 3’s for $600, (that requires a helo to Lemo adapter) or I can buy a brand new set of Sierras for $700.

Which way would you guys go and why?
Click to expand...
If you are truly as broke as you say you are…(remember most folks on here are older and already well into their careers). I would recommend you become very good at using foamies. You can combine them with a relatively cheap headset and they will magically transform both the noise protection and clarity of communication. Foamies, combined with almost any passive headset will get the job done well.

Now is probably not the time to over indulge in the latest tech, just because that’s what the cool kids are doing. You are paying your own way through. Once you land that first airline gig you can exhale and upgrade your personal kit to what you really want. Good luck! It’s great to see ex-mil folks utilizing their benefits to break into this career. We have a few infantry types at my airline and all are good guys.
 
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