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

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.
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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?
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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.
 
I haven't seen my headset mentioned, the David Clark H10-13X. They're the normal DC's, with great passive hearing protection, plus they have electronic noise cancellation in a little 9V-powered box. The ANC isn't as good as Bose or Lightspeed, but it doesn't need to be since the passive protection is so good. I've got the DC gel earpads which seal very well, but I've noticed sweaty ears after 2 hours of flight. (There's no bluetooth so I guess this set is out of the running for the original poster.)

Of the brands mentioned, only DC gives numbers for the passive noise reduction on their active headsets, and not the newest One-X models. On my H10-13X they claim 23dB of passive noise reduction and an additional 17–22dB low-frequency attenuation from ANC (they call it "ENC," Electronic Noise-Cancelling). I've only used the Lightspeeds once but I was not impressed with how quiet they were with the ANC turned off.

I wish Bose and Lightspeed would say what their headset's oops-I-ran-out-of-battery NRR is.
 
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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Bad news - you'll need to spend about 1k (A20) or 1.3k (A30) especially with your military experience and existing loss. A20 is slightly quieter due to higher clamping forces, but A30 is almost as good and can be worn for much longer periods without pain. I used to switch to the Lightspeed Zulu on long flights when only had the A20s, but no longer need to with the A30s. BT needed for music and phone calls on the ground.

The plastic/rubber on the Lightspeeds turns to sticky crap after a while, so I'd be careful about a used pair of those. I'm going to send my back to them in fact to see if they can do something about that for a reasonable fee and use those as rear seat sets for the twice a year I have rear seat passengers.
 
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.

Likewise for the logic "more $$ = better for your ears".
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Agreed.

For what it's worth, I've accumulated ~1000 hrs in my Cherokee over the last ~15 years (39-54). I get a hearing check as part of a required work physical every year.

Data indicates I've had no appreciable hearing loss. I use in-ear Halo headsets, no ANR. I've used two different foamy insert designs as well as the triple-flange silicone tips during that time.
 
Late-start student pilot here - going to restart after retirement (early next year). If you are on a budget, start with the best value and buy expensive later. I chose the ASA HS-1A's three years ago when they were $129. They have a lifetime warranty. The earcups are large enough to easily accommodate my hearing aids. It does have an external input jack that I've never used, and is stereo. My phone streams directly to my hearing aids, so I use that for ATIS/AWOS. I have the training fields I fly out of on "speed dial" just for that purpose. While they are not as fancy as those ANR setups, they are still quite functional. Most of my hearing loss can be attributed to the time spent in a 688-class engine room without hearing protection. That was in the early 80's. They were more worried about heat stroke so there were salt tablet dispensers everywhere, but no hearing protection to be found!

Check Aircraft Spruce prices: ASA HS-1A Air Classics, $129.00 .

I also ordered some cloth covers for those steamy hot Texas afternoons: David Clark Brand, Rugged Radios Brand
 
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