David Clarks?

Cooter

Cooter

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I see a lot of discussion about headsets on here but David Clark headsets rarely seem to be part of the discussion. That is all I have ever flown with, and have been happy enough not to seek out a replacement yet. I've considered getting new ones and was planning on buying DCs again, but no one here appears to be using them. Am I missing something? Are they considered low-grade, or are the others better for the price or what? Any reason why I shouldn't just stick with what I know?
 
DCs are good, basic, mid priced, reliable, well built, well supported. Not exciting or state of the art, but a good value that will last a very long time.

They don't get many mentions because they are kind of boring, but that doesn't mean they are not good.

Kinda like Tom Hanks. He doesn't make the headlines very often, but he's very good, year after year.
 
There is a decent sized very vocal contingent of the Internet pilot population who seem to complain about the comfort. Those same people are probably lucky to log 50 hrs per year.

I have never had a problem with DCs and use a DC ENC headset for most of my flying wth the exception of the biplane where I use Clarity Aloft. I've used them coast to coast and have no complaints.

I give my pax the Bose and I am plenty happy my with DCs!

Very hard to beat the customer service too.
 
Yep, David Clamps work very well. My wife likes hers just fine. I have several hundred hours with my Halos, and love the light weight, no clamp performance. Pricing is about the same for both.
 
Nothing wrong with DC's. I used an old DC pair for years. They are built like tanks.
 
I think the people who have the new fancier high dollar Bose and Clarity Alofts, etc. are huge proponents of their fancy gear.

The people who have DC's are just like "meh." They're not particularly attached to them as audiophiles, but the headset is more of a utilitarian piece of equipment that performs its task without being prohibitively expensive.

You know... like the dudes who work out at regular gyms don't have to extol the virtues of their gyms on a constant basis. But the CrossFit bros can't NOT tell you about how great CrossFit is.
 
Still have the first DC H10-30 headset I bought used in the 1980s. Only repair to it in all the time since is a new mic.
Over the years have added a used H10-13.4 and then a used DC noise cancelling headset (don't recall model). No failures or component repairs to either of these.
Upgraded the wear parts with some Oregon Aero bits on each of them when they needed it for some added comfort.
Finally treated myself to a new (!:) ) DC last year - a Pro-X. WIth each upgrade the others get relegated to passengers.
I value the durability and reliability of the DCs. They are just not something I need to fuss with or worry about.

Also have a Quiet Technologies Halo - rarely use it because I can't be bothered fussing with the in-ear foam plugs but it serves as a compact back-up or for passengers (usually non-pilots) that find DCs uncomfortable. The Halo seems more fragile than a DC so I tend to treat it with more respect perhaps. The listening audio quality of the Halo in the voice range (ATC) is exceptional.
 
Thanks everybody. Mine are a definitely a testament to their longevity, one set goes back at least 25 years and probably much longer. I like to stick with what I'm used to but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on something great. For now, new ear seals and mic covers will keep me going for a little while longer.:)
 
GRG55 said:
Also have a Quiet Technologies Halo - rarely use it because I can't be bothered fussing with the in-ear foam plugs but it serves as a compact back-up or for passengers (usually non-pilots) that find DCs uncomfortable. The Halo seems more fragile than a DC so I tend to treat it with more respect perhaps. The listening audio quality of the Halo in the voice range (ATC) is exceptional.
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I just got added to the waitlist for a pair of halos. I want to be in that club too. =D

My first set were cheapy Ruggeds. They were fine. Then the next step up Ruggeds were good too. Only problem is they clamped on SUPER tight. I got a pair of hand me down DC's ... and after ear and mic covers, thing performs beautifully. I do want the Halos only because I prefer to wear sport style sunglasses in the cockpit and don't want to worry about having to fiddle with the over ear positioning to make it sit right on the arms of the sunglasses.
 
Have a pair of H10-13.4s, get the job done and happy with them. Plus they last a long time and great support from the DC Co.
 
Well in the military they're the standard. That's why you don't hear about all the other brands out there. Plus DCs have been around forever and developed a following like Cessna or Piper.

Personally I don't see anything that separates them apart from the crowd. I've used DCs, Bose, Telex and Marv Goldens for personal flying. Haven't seen any noticeable difference between my $1,000 Bose and my $240 Marv Goldens. I'll never go back to passive again but all these ANRs sound and feel mostly the same to me.
 
Velocity173 said:
I've used DCs, Bose, Telex and Marv Goldens for personal flying. Haven't seen any noticeable difference between my $1,000 Bose and my $240 Marv Goldens. I'll never go back to passive again but all these ANRs sound and feel mostly the same to me.
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I have a H10-13x. My only complaint was that the cord was too long, but DC happily shortened it for me. If I had a do-over, I probably would have bought the pilotmall anr and gotten 80% of the performance for 1/3 of the cost.
 
I have Clarity Aloft for myself and girlfriend. All other passengers get David Clark. I have 4 DC's and I'm sure they'll last forever. Can't go wrong with them.
 
As a non DC user to present, I would say that I have utmost respect for them, perhaps above all others. However, there's one reason, and one reason only that makes me pass them by. They're ugly.
 
GeorgeC said:
I have a H10-13x. My only complaint was that the cord was too long, but DC happily shortened it for me. If I had a do-over, I probably would have bought the pilotmall anr and gotten 80% of the performance for 1/3 of the cost.
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I did that... once. Bad mistake. Turn your head and it screeches, doesnt block out much noise. Sold it and bought a 10-13X. MUCH better. You get what you pay for. Now my girlfriend has my 10-13X and I bought the new ONE-X and couldn't be happier with it. It is new and hi-tech and competes with Zulu's and Bose's and I think its better.

DC_one-x_aircraft_wing-2.jpg
 
I typically wear headsets 3 or 4 hours or more without taking off and then maybe another several hours. I have a larger head 7 3/4 and they are very tight on me and hurt my head after a short time. The dc,s are very well built though and last a very long however. I've been having trouble with my lightspeed Zulus cords deteriorating lately though for some reason and haven't seen that happen on a set of dc,s
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I did that... once. Bad mistake. Turn your head and it screeches, doesnt block out much noise.
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I have a pair that I use for passengers, and whenever I've used it, it seemed fine. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
OkieFlyer said:
As a non DC user to present, I would say that I have utmost respect for them, perhaps above all others. However, there's one reason, and one reason only that makes me pass them by. They're ugly.
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I've always preferred the look of DCs, but that is probably because that's all anybody had when I wanted my own but couldn't get them. I made it all the way through my private and about my first 3yrs of flying before I got a headset. I shudder at the thought of flying into a Class B on speaker now, but that's all I knew at the time. My first 2 sets of DCs were Helo hand-me downs that really are ugly to me now, but they still work fine.
 
OkieFlyer said:
As a non DC user to present, I would say that I have utmost respect for them, perhaps above all others. However, there's one reason, and one reason only that makes me pass them by. They're ugly.
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Meh. If they work. They're good enough for me.
 
My wife and I both wear DC'c. Solid no-frills headsets. The longest XC we've been on has been about 2.5 hrs and no complaints from either of us. I'll spend the money I've saved over Bose or Lightspeeds on AvGas!
 
Beats the crap out of an SPH-4 or an IHADS...all I use and sort of indestructible...but inching for ANR...
 
I have 2 DC H10-76s with the helicopter single jack that I have had since 1984.

I recently sent them (one at a time) to DC for refurbishment. I had one converted to double plug airplane jacks.

They came back with all new components and cost $150 each. New DCs for $150 bucks. Can't beat that.
 
Cheap Passive headsets = last about 300hrs before cable begin to fail, have poor noise canceling microphone, may work ok in quieter airplanes but tend to pick up a lot of background noise in noisier airplanes.

Medium Passive headset = last about 300hrs before cables begin to fail, but generally have decent microphones cost between $130-$180

David Clarks passive = last 3000+hrs with good microphones, (except maybe the the older ones with the Dynamic microphones) actually only failure I have had was the ear cup got broken while being stored in my car.

Love Zulu ANRs for noise cancelling and Bluetooth capability, but concerned about cost and durability, I am pretty hard on headsets, as they live in my car and get moved to different aircraft almost daily at times. I understand support is excellent I am eventually spring for a set, although the new DC ANRs with Bluetooth look promising also. But then I am also concerned about having to mess with batteries all the time also.

Brian
 
dillardrg said:
I have 2 DC H10-76s with the helicopter single jack that I have had since 1984.

I recently sent them (one at a time) to DC for refurbishment. I had one converted to double plug airplane jacks.

They came back with all new components and cost $150 each. New DCs for $150 bucks. Can't beat that.
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I'm going to look into that. I've got a very old H10-66 that I haven't used in many years. I let the kids use it to play with around the house, but it worked last time I checked it. That will probably be worth sending in for an update. Thanks for the idea.
 
O.K. if you drive a stake through a DC, bury it at a crossroads, at midnight, on the autumnal equinox, you might kill it. I clean the contacts every few years, and change the pads every decade or so. It. Will. Not. Die.
 
jordane93 said:
Meh. If they work. They're good enough for me.
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They really should be good enough for me too. To tell you the truth, my airplane is kind of ugly too, but it's rugged and dependable. Come to think of it, I'm pretty freakin' ugly myself....rugged....dependable. In retrospect, DCs should be the natural choice. I think I love them now! Thanks jordane93 for inspiring this epiphany!
 
OkieFlyer said:
They really should be good enough for me too. To tell you the truth, my airplane is kind of ugly too, but it's rugged and dependable. Come to think of it, I'm pretty freakin' ugly myself....rugged....dependable. In retrospect, DCs should be the natural choice. I think I love them now! Thanks jordane93 for inspiring this epiphany!
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My pleasure:D
 
DC's were the first pair of headsets I ever owned. Infact my first pair from 2005 I still have as a passenger pair in my plane. They were great, and build tough, and in my opinion aren't ugly, they have the classic aviation look. My problem with them was I hated how I was limited with what glasses I could wear (I need prescription lenses) that always added a large pressure point on my head and broke the seal which was uncomfortable and not practical. I fly 70-90 hours a month and that's something I couldn't deal with especially with that much flying, so I eventually determined the only way to get rid of that was an in ear headset so I got clarity's. Besides that point comfort is so unsurpassed I'd never go back to any over the head headset.

However All 3 of my passenger headsets for my 182 are David Clarks, it was a no brainer to get them for a passenger set, classic looking, durable, and great value for the cost.
 
I have a DC set, a Flightcom set, and some other off brand set. The DCs are the old H10-30 which have only required one set of ear seals, and about 3 or 20 mic muffs. In about 30 years. I bought the Flightcom set used, about 16 years ago, and have put about 3 mic muffs on them in that time. The off brand went kaput about 6 months after they were given to me, I have know idea how old they are.
 
I've tried Bose,Zulu and just about every other one, bought a new 10-13x to replace my 10-60's that some scumbag wanted more than me. I have 4 pairs of dc's

Bob
 
Since this was revived, I did send the old set that my kids played with. They were made in 1982 and had a rough life. For $115, DC replaced everything and now they work great. I bought new ear seals and mic covers for some other sets I had so now I've got a working set for everyone in the family. I'm pretty happy with DC overall, so I just picked up an ENC set on EBAY. I haven't tried them in the plane yet but they seem like a good buy.
 
My main pair is a lightspeed Zulu

My backups are DC 46s with the comfort kit.

For ANR it's lightspeed or Bose

For passive DC is king, like a good ol zippo lighter.

Like others said, depends on how much time you're spending in the cockpit and what you're flying.
 
I fly with a pair of H10-13.4 I bought back in 2003 after they stole my telex echelon 100. I've never given headset selection or longevity a second thought. Those DCs have never given problems. That's a lot of flying, and most importantly, years upon years of rough handling getting shoved into and ripped out of an overpacked jeppessen PPL training flight bag. This thread actually made me think about just how durable those things have actually been in hindsight.

Good enough for this utilitarian pilot.
 
I have DC H10-13.4 and love them. While I've only used them for about 100 hours in a plane, the Army uses the same model for the evaluator station on the Abrams gunnery simulator and I've logged hundreds of hours on that thing with no complaints. Well, not about the headsets at least....
 
We have 2 10-13.4 spares. Several years old and look and work good.
We love the ANC on the Lightspeed Zulu (have 2) but we are getting increasingly annoyed by the lack of quality of the plastic parts and cables. Both Lightspeeds have been to factory to replace cables and controls. They are 3 years old. The controls are made of some crappy plastic that start to deteriate and become sticky as the housing self destructs. Lightspeeds cost too much to put up with this. We are going back to David Clark and use their new Pro-X and One-X.
 
I have a pair of DC 10-30's since '84 and I have no intention of replacing them.
 
I've flown with DCs a few times. They work great and are built like tanks. But for me, I get a headache within about 1/2 hour because of the clamping pressure.

Your head may vary....

John
 
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