What is a good inexpensive ANR headset?

BrianNC

BrianNC

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Inexpensive being relative of course. I need a headset for my wife. A couple I've found are the Faro G2 ANR for $389.99 and the Flightcom Denali D50 ANR for as little as $329. Or would you go with a better set and try to get used on Ebay? But not really wanting to spend more than a few hundred dollars.
 
Don't waste your money on the cheap low end anr's. They are garbage.
Get with me if you need a used but like new headset. I usually have several styles of Lightspeeds and sometimes Bose.
My cheapest is $565 shipped.
If you only want to spend a few hundred just get a David Clark H10-13.4 non ANR.
 
I think the Bose X’s are a good bang for the buck. Lots of them on eBay now.
 
pigpenracing said:
Don't waste your money on the cheap low end anr's. They are garbage.
Get with me if you need a used but like new headset. I usually have several styles of Lightspeeds and sometimes Bose.
My cheapest is $565 shipped.
If you only want to spend a few hundred just get a David Clark H10-13.4 non ANR.
Click to expand...

What is the $565 set? What do you have and what are your prices?
 
pigpenracing said:
Don't waste your money on the cheap low end anr's. They are garbage.
Get with me if you need a used but like new headset. I usually have several styles of Lightspeeds and sometimes Bose.
My cheapest is $565 shipped.
If you only want to spend a few hundred just get a David Clark H10-13.4 non ANR.
Click to expand...

Double thumbs up on the above. I'd suggest David Clark H10-13.4S instead for the Stereo version. It's compatible with the newer stereo panels as well.

Troll your field and get a friend to give you a busted out old headset. Use it as a mule for the $150 trade-up program with LightSpeed for a Zulu 3.
 
BrianNC said:
What is the $565 set? What do you have and what are your prices?
Click to expand...

Right now I have
Original Zulu's $565
Zulu 2's $625
Tango's $625
Hopefully next week I will also have
Sierra's $525
Zulu 3's $675
PFX's $699
I sometimes get Bose X's $565 and A20's $875
My personal opinion is the Lightspeeds are way better than the Bose. The best bang for the buck for a really good headset is the original Zulu. It makes wireless calls and will stream music where most the used Bose won't.
All the headsets have new earseals, mic muffs and come with a case. Free shipping.
 
I bought a used Lightspeed Sierra from Ebay for $425 in great condition. They have bluetooth and ANR.
 
I second the Lightspeed Sierra. Frankly I have a hard time telling the difference between its excellent noise cancellation and the Zulu 3 or the A20.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The DC H10-13.4 is among the best of the lot for passive headsets. They are my passenger and backup headsets. But they are head clamps. For ANR, it's hard to beat Lightspeed for price and good quality. I have the original Zulu it's still doing great, with only one ear seal replacement in 10 years. Cheap and quality ANR may be mutually exclusive.

What are you using? I wouldn't buy my wife any less than what I use...it's just better that way...
 
chemgeek said:
The DC H10-13.4 is among the best of the lot for passive headsets. They are my passenger and backup headsets. But they are head clamps. For ANR, it's hard to beat Lightspeed for price and good quality. I have the original Zulu it's still doing great, with only one ear seal replacement in 10 years. Cheap and quality ANR may be mutually exclusive.

What are you using? I wouldn't buy my wife any less than what I use...it's just better that way...
Click to expand...

I use a passive but it's the in ear Halo's from Quiet Technologies which according to the guy that makes them are as good as ANR, and I love them. I just want to get a good ANR, but she doesn't want to spend that much. Most of the good ANRs even used on Ebay are several hundred dollars. But she's telling me a cheap passive is OK since at this point she isn't flying with me all that much, but I just don't thing she's going to like them. Several years ago before I got out of flying and sold them, we used the LIghtspeed 25XL and 20 which I really liked. She's only ever worn ANR (the 20) so I really don't think she's going to like a head clamp.
 
Yup, used bose or lightspeed.

I have thousands of hours on my lightspeed Zulus, very happy with them.
 
I’d pony up the cash for Bose or Lightspeed. I’d never submit my passengers to the horrors of DC 13.4s lolol
 
I’ve been using 2 if these for the past 10 years and have been very pleased. Personally, I prefer my $900 Bose but I cant tell much of a difference between the two. Like them better than my $350 Light Speeds I bought years ago. Used ANR DCs in the military and wasn’t very impressed with those either.

http://www.marvgolden.com/mg-anr-headset.html
 
FWIW, I've been using the Gulf Coast $250 ANR headset and it has worked well for occasional flying. Obviously, if you have the cash and will get good use out of them, the Lightspeed/Bose will be superior. But don't automatically dismiss lower-end offering as junk. They can get the job done.
 
If cost is no issue, what do you think the best ANR headset on the market is? Already have Bose A20 but about to buy another and maybe thinking to try something different. I do really like the Bose. I just sent back a Clarity Aloft headset I bought...didn’t end up liking it that much.

Plane is noisy so effective ANR is important as is comfort.
 
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IMO, the best headset for you may depend on the airplane you fly. My RV-7A has straight exhaust pipes and is very loud in the cabin. I tried QT Halos and liked the comfort but nobody could understand what I was saying over the noise of my engine. Sold those and bought a set of A20s and love them but the cost is high. Some of the less expensive ANR sets may not have good mic filtering but if your exhaust has mufflers, like my old Cherokee 140 that was designed to fly with no headset, they may work fine.

My passenger headset is the low end passive ASA's from Aircraft Spruce. I can tell when they are in use due to the higher amount of noise picked up by the mic. They work great, otherwise and were no problem in my Cherokee.

I'll eventually pick up a used set of A20s or Lightspeeds for the passenger seat. I wired my plane with LEMO jacks so batteries are not needed.
 
BrianNC said:
I use a passive but it's the in ear Halo's from Quiet Technologies which according to the guy that makes them are as good as ANR, and I love them. I just want to get a good ANR, but she doesn't want to spend that much. Most of the good ANRs even used on Ebay are several hundred dollars. But she's telling me a cheap passive is OK since at this point she isn't flying with me all that much, but I just don't thing she's going to like them. Several years ago before I got out of flying and sold them, we used the LIghtspeed 25XL and 20 which I really liked. She's only ever worn ANR (the 20) so I really don't think she's going to like a head clamp.
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If you get one that's comfy, blocks a lot of noise and is able to stream music or audio from an in-flight movie, she might fly with you a lot more often. :)

For your price range, that would mean a used Sierra. I've seen them pop up for around $400 on eBay and Craigslist from time to time. You'd have to be patient, though.
 
I've been flying with an ANR Denali since 2005 and have had no issues.
 
Oh well. So much for inexpensive. I just ordered a Bose A20 with bluetooth. At least I get a $199 free Bose Soundlink Revolve bluetooth speaker with it. :D
 
I wish DC had put their awesome real metal boom and better quality than most mic on the One-X.

Being a long time DC fan, I keep hoping they’ll get a newer headset right, but they can’t seem to do it.

That little bendy wire crap for mic placement just sucks on all of them. The DC “half boom/half bendy wire” they did on some models is perfect.

But they’ve never gone back to it in the new lineup. And that thin thing on the One-X is sure to be ultra-suckage.

I had a pre-order in for the Pro-X once long ago just to try them out and a confirmation number email, and then they never followed up with instructions on how to pay for the things. Kinda glad they didn’t.

Had hopes for the One-X but that mic boom and plastic attachment to the earcup is 100% fail.

Don’t truly like the bendy wire on the Zulus either but I live with it. I want my mic to stay PUT once I set it exactly where I located it, like my DC headclamps of old. None do now. Oh well.
 
I fly with the Quiet Technologies passive headset. I own two sets, and Love them !!!! Just can't say enough good things. Compared to my airplane partner who has Lightspeed I have the following advantages: cheaper, lighter, no batteries, no earcups to replace.... The only downside is that the Halo is an insertable 'in the ear' earplug. Some people don't like them; and for one-time passengers the learning curve is a bit of a hassle. But, for everyone else, if you can tolerate the little roll-up foam earplugs that guys use for working with loud tools, you'll have no trouble with the Halo. Feel free to write me if you want to know more.
 
kpsingleton said:
The only downside is that the Halo is an insertable 'in the ear' earplug. Some people don't like them;
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That's my wife and why I was looking for another headset for her. I use the QTs. But just went ahead and bought the Bose even though I was looking for 'cheap'. lol.
 
BrianNC said:
Oh well. So much for inexpensive. I just ordered a Bose A20 with bluetooth. At least I get a $199 free Bose Soundlink Revolve bluetooth speaker with it. :D
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You won’t regret that. Just bought my 2nd pair.
 
I’m really happy with my David Clark H10-13.4
I use a lithium 9v battery & get pretty good life.
 
BrianNC said:
Inexpensive being relative of course. I need a headset for my wife. A couple I've found are the Faro G2 ANR for $389.99 and the Flightcom Denali D50 ANR for as little as $329. Or would you go with a better set and try to get used on Ebay? But not really wanting to spend more than a few hundred dollars.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I have found the Faro G2 to be a good performer in the sub $400 category. Happy with my purchase.
 
Interesting that no one has mentioned Crazed Pilot CP-1 for only $200.
 
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