Can somebody smarter than me tell me why headsets are so expensive? -30db ear muffs(for mowing etc) are $20. Ear buds are $20. Maybe the $$ is all in the mic?
Aviation headset prices are based in their electronic components - up to a point, and down to a point. As far as electronic noise cancellation, it again, has to do with the type of components used.
Using us as an example, our Arcus ANR runs, on average, about $550. Now that price has nothing to do with the fact that its for a pilot. It has to do with several factors.
1) Everyone forgets that an aviation headset requires side tone (hear yourself). That requires a specific setup.
2) Your firearm/lawncare/home ear protection, ANR or otherwise doesn't need to integrate with an electret microphone system or an external radio transmitter.
3) We use american made hi-fi ported speakers.
4) We use an exclusive internal ANR system (very similar to LS and Bo's).
5) All 3 of us use advanced microphone systems.
There are a few more, but thats the main ones. So I said "up to a point". So a Bose, you would think, has some special Bose speakers. Nope, they use the same speaker company we do. They must have a fancy mic. Nope its the mic that Telex developed in the 90's. Youre paying for the name. Well and their headset design is very pleasing. That is worth some additional value.
The Lighspeeds have that weird mic and they say "magnesium". Must be really advanced... nope. They use a touch of magnesium in the paint on the aluminum ear pieces. The mic has a pretty cool cardioid disc though, but its cosmetic only and doesn't improve sound quality. However, they also have a beautiful headset design.
All of our ANR systems are almost identical, just delivered differently. The new adjustable ANR is not new, they're just giving you access to the adjustment screws basically.
DC has been using the same components forever and hasn't really advanced anything because, well, they don't have to. They have robust - albeit - antiquated components that are well built.
Having said all that, the electronics we all use are not cheap. In fact, they are advanced for their application. My margins on a headset are less than 25%, period. So saying we're "gouging pilots" is the biggest bunch of malarkey on the planet. Now the "$100 headset" that is always talked about is made from very low quality - chinese made - components knocked off and designed for very low time usage. Which means, they work, but not well, and not for long. There's a reason they're all over eBay and Craigslist.
Hopefully that answers some questions and keeps the propaganda posters to a minimum.
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