Anyone gone back to a passive headset after using noise cancelling?

Lndwarrior

Lndwarrior

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I've been flying with the same Zulu NC headset for a number of years. The noise cancelling effect seems to diminish with age (yes, I tried new ear seals, didn't help).

Now that I'm flying a lot the poor performance of the Zulus means I need to make a change. I threw on very old set of DC's this weekend and was surprised how quiet they were compared to the current state of my Zulus. And this DC set was not the newer 13.4 model.

I've never used the Bluetooth function on the headset and the aggravation of batteries has got me thinking about going back to a passive set of 13.4's. Simple, quiet, bullet proof - no batteries and no electronics to deteriorate.

Was wondering if others had made this choice and are happy with?
 
The only time I've used passive since getting my first ANR headset was when I had no other choice.

Haven't had any issues with deteriorating performance with my any of my Bose headsets.
 
I’ve not notice any diminished capability of the Lightspeeds with age.

Have you talked to them about sending them in for a checkup?

They’ll refurbish them cheap/free (not sure) if there’s something wrong with them.
 
P.S. And I think something is very wrong with them if a passive DC is quieter than the Lightspeeds.

I keep my old DCs at the hangar for those days when I just get a desire to go flying and the flight bag is at home. They’re never quieter than any of the ANRs I’ve ever worn.
 
Try turning them on and off and seeing if the ANR is actually working. Sounds like it’s not.
 
I've never had an ANR start losing noise cancelling ability without there being something wrong. That's about 23 years now. Have you contacted LightSpeed? Even if out of warranty, $100 is a pretty good price for analysis and repair.

The only time I've heard of people going back to PNR on a regular basis is a switch to an in-ear headset like Clarity.
 
Since it is all electronic I would imagine that there is something wrong/broken and would be easily repaired. At worst if it is unrepairable or not cost effective to repair they will give you credit towards a new one.
 
midlifeflyer said:
I've never had an ANR start losing noise cancelling ability without there being something wrong. That's about 23 years now. Have you contacted LightSpeed? Even if out of warranty, $100 is a pretty good price for analysis and repair.

The only time I've heard of people going back to PNR on a regular basis is a switch to an in-ear headset like Clarity.
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That is what I have done. I still use my Bose A20 in my 180 but use a Clarity Aloft at work.
 
I have flown exactly once with my old DC headset after getting my A20s just because I forgot my headset and didn't want to bother going to get it. I ended that flight early because I couldn't believe how much louder and uncomfortable it was. Can't believe I flew like that for so many years. Now I'm spoiled.
 
Me.
I need to be able to hear every nuance of plane noise. Especially in the old, original Cubs, etc. It's a become paranoia thing.
Not the Cub, but a very new plane: A few years ago I was wearing my Bose and the batteries failed. Without the ANR I could hear an odd, soft, rhythmic, fluttering sound, almost like bird wings. No other indication anything was wrong with the plane.
After about 15 more minutes, I decided to divert and see if I could find out what was making the noise.
When I landed I checked the plane, stem to stern. Nothing.
Until I leaned on the horizontal stabilizer and it moved down 3 inches.
The bearing assembly on the flying stab was in the process of coming from together.
With the ANR active the sound was completely canceled.
 
Put about 3000hrs on my Zulu 1s, over 600ish on my Zulu 2s, if a pair of passive DCs are performing better you have a major problem with the electronics on that headset.

I'd call light speed, they have been really good to me, though the only issues I've had were cords getting slammed in a doors and the occasional seal or head pad.
 
I found the Clarities were quieter for me than NC.

And I'm still not convinced that the sound the NCs make to cancel noise isn't still noise.
 
Old ANR headsets aren't nearly as good as the later models. Trying to restore a pair is throwing good money after bad. Take un upgrade deal and get some newer model ANR and you'll know why none of us wants to go back to passive.
 
My headset (ANR, Headset, Inc) is 14-15 years old. I have replaced every electronic part except the mic. Last time I called to get a part and I gave them the serial number, they tell me they can't believe that headset is still being used.

I promise I will up date to a new one soon.

Go back to PNR..??? No way.
 
A while ago Lightspeed told me that the repair would be $200.

I just can't see spending $200 To repair a nine year old headset.

The responses here have got me thinking about a new anr headset. Probably not Zulus though, because of this problem.
 
As far as wearing passives, they are so uncomfortable to my ears after extended periods of time. I keep a set in my plane just in case the Bose batteries die on me mid flight.
 
Lndwarrior said:
A while ago Lightspeed told me that the repair would be $200.

I just can't see spending $200 To repair a nine year old headset.

The responses here have got me thinking about a new anr headset. Probably not Zulus though, because of this problem.
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What did they say was wrong?

I've nearly cut the cord in half with a caravan door and they fixed them for free, also put them in a new carry case as I guess mine wasn't nice enough lol

They've also sent me a few new seals and pads for free

I was willing to pay for the above stuff but they just said pay shipping to them.


Another time I traded in my old Zulu 1s after they got destroyed, as in non rebuildable pieces (long story), they still have me full trade for a new Zulu 2.
 
Lndwarrior said:
A while ago Lightspeed told me that the repair would be $200.

I just can't see spending $200 To repair a nine year old headset.

The responses here have got me thinking about a new anr headset. Probably not Zulus though, because of this problem.
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You might check again. I bought a used model on eBay and checked with Lightspeed first. $100 bought me a lot of new stuff, including the correction of a mistake I made when I bought the wrong model. Of course, that doesn't include "soft goods" like earpads and mike muffs, the stuff which wears out normally.
 
I use ANR but when I had my engine stop (stupid pilot trick with fuel selector) it took me some time to realize it because there was no change in noise. I thought about going back but decide to do a better job of fuel management instead.
 
Lndwarrior said:
The responses here have got me thinking about a new anr headset. Probably not Zulus though, because of this problem.
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Weird. Most of the responses have been either “no, this doesn’t happen” or “they fixed mine for free”. LOL. :)

Was the $200 just a deposit in case of obvious physical damage?

As an aside, someone I know sent a pair in recently. I don’t know if he paid anything for it but when his headset came back it was upgraded all the way to the top of the Zulu 3 line electronics-wise and also had the new Kevlar cord on it.

So maybe they’re charging $200 and you’re getting a serous upgrade? New cord, new electronics?
 
rbridges said:
As far as wearing passives, they are so uncomfortable to my ears after extended periods of time. I keep a set in my plane just in case the Bose batteries die on me mid flight.
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An extra set (or two) of batteries takes up less space.:) I leave a Clarity Aloft headset in the plane to swap out during extended flights. I've never liked Clarity as much as A20s, but you can wear a bigger hat to keep the sun off.
 
I have had ANR and Clarity Aloft. To say that one is "quieter" is to gloss over a lot. Clarity used to have some test data on their web site showing their headset vs an ANR (Bose?). The comparison showed that the ANR set was quieter in the low frequencies but the Clarity was quieter in the frequency range of voice communication. This is consistent with my experience, where the Clarity sets make hearing and understanding ATC much easier than I find it with conventional headsets. In fact the higher frequency attenuation is so good that I can't hear the stall horns in some airplanes.

It would be interesting to know what the new Bose in-ear product's frequency attenuation characteristics are vs their head-clamp ANR.
 
James331 said:
Another time I traded in my old Zulu 1s after they got destroyed, as in non rebuildable pieces (long story), they still have me full trade for a new Zulu 2.
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We got time, cough up the long story.... might be the best story of the day...:lol::lol:
 
My wife prefers her gel seal PNR set to her DC ANR set.
 
I have an old, old Dave Clark, no ANR; I tried a noise cancelling one a buddy loaned me, and it was nice enough, but not $800 or more nicer.
 
I wore the David Clarks in the RJ the past few trips just for the sake of not having to lug my own headset along for the commute. It wasn't quite as bad as I remembered.

I also took my DCs with me to the local airport to bang around in the old Cessna. Again, not as bad as I remember.

I've been using passive in ear headsets and recently started reusing my Zulu2. Overall I think I prefer noise cancelling as I can turn the volume on the radio way down compared to the in ear or DCs and over a four day trip the reduced stress from noise pollution makes a noticeable difference - note: I can turn down the radio volume a lot with the in ear headsets as well but the ambient noise is a lot higher.
 
maj75 said:
As an old guy with hearing loss,

Your hearing is priceless.
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Speaking of which, slightly off topic, but for anyone who shoots, work with power tools, loud bikes, etc, check out noise canceling ear plugs.

I got these walker silencers for shooting as I can't get a good cheek weld with muffs on.

Man these things rock! normal volume level for everything but they clip the instant you fire, even with the massive JP muzzle brake that makes quite the noise I've been good with these.

I've since started using them when working with power tools since I can have a normal conversation but the instant someone starts cutting metal or something I'm protected, side not you can also turn up the ambient volume like a bionic ear for hunting to pick up sounds further off, while still being protected when you take the shot.

Anywho thought I'd share while we are on the topic of not going deaf.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...lectronic-ear-plugs-nrr-25db-pair?color=Black

289103.jpg
 
Have you ever forgot to put on hearing protection before touching off something big with a break, ain’t fun....
 
Nine years is *way* out of warranty. Bose is 5 years, Lightspeed 7 (though was 5 when you bought it).

I recently broke a Zulu2 that was out of warranty and for $200 they upgraded it to a Zulu3 and put a year back on the warranty. I wonder if that's what the $200 quote was for?
 
1RTK1 said:
Have you ever forgot to put on hearing protection before touching off something big with a break, ain’t fun....
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That was my one issue with the nose canceling ear buds, first time using them before I got the hang of em, one worked its way out a little, cracked off a round of 223 and my left ear actually felt numb, 30 min and it was back to normal, but kinda freaked me out for a second.
 
My wife went from her Lightspeed 30-3G's to the Clarity Aloft "in the ear" ones.
 
I did my research and concluded passive headsets are more effective in the interest of hearing protection. I'm willing to live with the lack of "noise filtering" that ANR provided in the speaking range being listened to in the hardphone. I don't find the hearing protection technical claims of ANR technology to be to my satisfaction. I don't mind using them in environments of leisure, where ambient noise is not hearing damaging in the first place. But as a hearing protection device, I use physical barriers at work (foam inserts plus helmet cup), and passive headsets in my GA applications. Alternatively, if I were so interested to pay more money than my current 15 year old passive DC headset (impressive even by my cheap skate standards) I would be content with the hybrid option of in-ear foam passive barrier with headphone embedded (aka Clarity aloft et al), though I've yet to test out the passive attenuation qualities of the latter (the headphone insert is likely to degrade some of the acoustic insulation of an all-foam insert). To each their own.
 
I converted both my DC H10S... I'll never go back... Maybe it's my age but without them I can barely hear/understand ATC, or anything on Intercom for that matter.
 
I like my DC 13.4's. They ain't fancy but they work just fine for me...and they aren't all that expensive
 
I switched from light speed to faro in ear https://www.faroaviation.com/in-ear-aviation-headset.html I did not like the white noise hum. Then I gave my lightspeed to my wife, and the seals just never really sealed well. She could not stand them. So we sent them back, and I bought her clarity aloft. She is very happy and so am I. I keep asa as a backup set.

Faro claims 50 dB reduction and I believe it.
Not sure what clarity aloft claims but my wife is convinced it is much quieter.

Long trips of 4 to 6 hr flights are pleasant. I think clarity is more comfortable than faro. And faro does not include a case. The buds are about $20 for 6 pair and last about 15-20 hr of flight or arround 20 cents /hr.

Also upgraded to a garmin intercom, and the sound/squelch and clarity improved even more.
 
hindsight2020 said:
I did my research and concluded passive headsets are more effective in the interest of hearing protection.
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For the sake of others, not to convince you.

ANR is *far* more effective than passive. It is simply objectively true that it blocks more sound. Now, whether it's worth the dramatically higher cost is a legit question since ANR and passive both bring sound levels down to safe ones. But in terms of the amount of sound reaching the ear drum, ANR is the hands down winner.
 
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