Best batteries for today's ANR headsets.

Ditto on the Eneloops. Gone through too many instances of battery leaks including one that fused the battery holder to the body of an expensive aluminum flashlight. I use Eneloops now and carry spares in the flight bag... mostly for the Bluelink adapter. I switched to using an ANR headset with a LEMO plug to avoid the hassle of batteries.
 
asicer said:
Certain Internet forums nickname them "Dura-leaks". Not just the re-branded stuff but all DuraCells.
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Internet forums, huh? How could anyone refute such compelling evidence?
 
MacFly said:
Internet forums, huh? How could anyone refute such compelling evidence?
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I just checked my battery recycling tub. Here's a fresh picture off of my desk for you (the red coppertop in the foreground is a Duracell Quantum).

duracell.jpg
 
The Project Farm guy does a lot of good comparisons. They are not scientific molecular comparisons or anything of the sort, but I really enjoy watching his videos.
So many to choose from, and I hope he's making a little money because I can bet it's a lot of time/work involved.
Probably fun too.

 
bgmac said:
When I’m done flying I usually take one battery out. Seems to make the batteries last longer.
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Me too.

I take the batteries out of almost everything ( handheld radio, ANR headset, wireless microphones but not flashlights) when I'm done with the device. I think this improves battery life and reduces the chance that a leaky battery will damage the equipment.
 
I went decades without a battery leak. Suddenly, everything was getting damaged by leaking batteries. I blamed myself for picking them up at Harbor Freight. Then I had a bunch of leaky Duracells.

What’s going on? Anything?
 
asicer said:
OK, so you're a leak-denyer. Got it.
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No no...not at all. I mean...anecdotes from the internet....what could be more definitive?

This thread is about opinions. I appreciate hearing yours.
 
MacFly said:
This thread is about opinions. I appreciate hearing yours.
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OK, if you're willing to be more civil about it then my opinion is that although older NiCD and even NiMH systems were terrible, modern NiMH is a better alternative to alkalines for frequently used items. For infrequently used items, lithium primary batteries (e.g. Energizer Ultimate) are better than alkalines.

As it relates to this thread, I use Eneloops in my ANR headsets. I keep Energizer Ultimates (lithium) in the flight bag, spare flashlights and handheld as backups in case the Eneloops die mid-flight and the backup Eneloops aren't charged.
 
Also why do these thousand dollar headsets suck with the ANR off?

I have zulu, Sierra, and Bose.
They are all worse than my 20 year old passive DCs without their ANR turned on.
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Sort of a side issue here, but still worth addressing. When I first learned to fly, in 1980 when I was in college, I flew a C-150 with a good old fashioned speaker overhead. The thought of using a headset, let alone owning one, never even crossed my mind back then. That said, the "suck factor" here is pretty relative and personal. I've used over-the-ear and in-ear ANR headsets, and had batt failures -- and ahem -- forgotten to even turn them on. I find the in-ear Proflights, which Bose says provide less PNR than their A20s, quite useable even with the ANR off. Probably has to do with the earpieces working pretty well as plain old ear plugs too. In fairness, I haven't tried any of the other over-the-ear ANR models with ANR off. Forced to choose, I'd take a deactivated Proflight over an old clamp-force-reliant PNR any day. IMO, of course.
 
I use the Energizer lithiums. I found them in little 4-pack boxes (Amazon probably) that is perfect to toss into the headset bag.

It's not so much about value, although they seem to last forever, but a Bose A20 with dead batteries is somehow louder than just putting plastic solo drinking cups over your ears and shouting at your passengers. Avoiding that unholy din is worth the extra few bucks spent on the batteries to me. :D
 
I went decades without a battery leak. Suddenly, everything was getting damaged by leaking batteries. I blamed myself for picking them up at Harbor Freight. Then I had a bunch of leaky Duracells.

What’s going on? Anything?
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I'm no chemist, but I was doing some research (on the internet - I know...) and it sounds like the makers may have attempted to "improve" the compounds used in the cells, with a side-effect being an ever so slight increase in the amount of gas produced as the battery depletes. Internal pressure then leads to the leaks. In the last 18 months, I've had a nice "hurricane radio" (I live in FL) totally destroyed by quickly leaking AA Duracells, a 3C-cell Maglite destroyed by leaking Rayovac High Energy (the #2 in the Rayo line), and caught leaking AA Duracells in my old headset (an ANR Faro) just in time where at-home clean-up was still possible.

I too noticed the same phenomenon. I don't recall a batt leak incident during the previous 20+ years, and now, all of a "sudden," I've had three. The "practical economic" implication is why I decided to post. I just don't see pushing maybe "dangerous" super-cheap alkalines to the max life span, and at the same time, risking an expensive, important piece of flying gear.
 
I have been using Amazon basics battery for about 2.5 years now. Buy in 48 packs and they last for a while. I get about 12 here a of PFX usage, once they start beeping in the headset I change them. That beeping usually means there is still 25% charge remaining. I couple of times I ran them till they were dead, never again. They tend to die in the critical phase of the flight and these ANR headsets in passive mode really sucks.

So far no leaks, fingers crossed.
 
I just tossed another battery powered device today after finding a leaked Duracell battery. A few days ago it was a Costco battery. Energizer the week before.

Surprisingly, I opened up an old voltmeter a few weeks ago after it sat 20+ years and found an old, dead Radio Shack battery inside.... with zero leakage at all.
 
wsuffa said:
I just tossed another battery powered device today after finding a leaked Duracell battery. A few days ago it was a Costco battery. Energizer the week before.
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Hope those devices didn't have value. Otherwise, you could have submitted a claim to Energizer/Duracell for device replacement/reimbursement. I'm not sure what is the policy with Costco/Kirkland regarding device replacement.
 
Somewhat related:

On a Bose A20 headset, what is your first indication that your batteries are going dead? I was flying with my daughter a couple days ago and noticed that in MY ear, when she talked, it sounded like she was in a helicopter. She told me that when I talked she heard me loud and clear. I turned the noise cancellation off and then back on. It fixed it for a minute or two then went right back to how it was. Same with approach and tower on the radio for me, loud and clear for her. I ask this because I've never let the batteries die in that headset.
 
On a Bose A20 headset, what is your first indication that your batteries are going dead?
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At least on the Bluetooth versions, when the headset decides that the batteries are down to about two hours life left, the LED indicator turns red, AND IT SHUTS OFF THE BT FUNCTION, without regard to switch position, so that should be your first indication (along with the BT-off "bloop-bloop" aural tone). In the non-BT versions, or if operating with BT off, the LED color change (from amber to red) is your two hour warning. I've only let the batts in my Proflight run to full exhaustion once, and the ANR shutdown seemed abrupt, although it could have been "creeping up" unnoticed for some time. Not sure if the A20s exhibit similar behavior, FWIW.
 
Hope those devices didn't have value. Otherwise, you could have submitted a claim to Energizer/Duracell for device replacement/reimbursement. I'm not sure what is the policy with Costco/Kirkland regarding device replacement.
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I've heard about these replacement guarantees, but I've not tried to recover under one myself. Has anyone else? I would be VERY interested in knowing if anyone has had a batt maker pony up for something truly expensive. I have a nagging suspicion that it would be A LOT easier to convince the Duracell folks to pay for or replace a $30 Maglite, than would be the case with a $1,000 aviation headset.
 
I don't have the bluetooth version and I didn't notice the light because of the way it was positioned in flight. I'll change the batteries and see if it changes things.
 
Revenant said:
I've heard about these replacement guarantees, but I've not tried to recover under one myself. Has anyone else? I would be VERY interested in knowing if anyone has had a batt maker pony up for something truly expensive. I have a nagging suspicion that it would be A LOT easier to convince the Duracell folks to pay for or replace a $30 Maglite, than would be the case with a $1,000 aviation headset.
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I've had success with Duracell reimbursing something in the $50 range. I too would be interested to know about something expensive.
 
Generally, I have not had batteries leak unless they have been sitting in the unit in the charging position for a long time. So one thing I do is store them in the wrong direction. I have no idea if there's any reason to it, but I have had $1 flashlights sit for a couple of years and be raring to go.

For headsets, I have been using NiMH for at least 10 years.
 
Revenant said:
At least on the Bluetooth versions, when the headset decides that the batteries are down to about two hours life left, the LED indicator turns red, AND IT SHUTS OFF THE BT FUNCTION, without regard to switch position, so that should be your first indication (along with the BT-off "bloop-bloop" aural tone). In the non-BT versions, or if operating with BT off, the LED color change (from amber to red) is your two hour warning. I've only let the batts in my Proflight run to full exhaustion once, and the ANR shutdown seemed abrupt, although it could have been "creeping up" unnoticed for some time. Not sure if the A20s exhibit similar behavior, FWIW.
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On my BT version, it goes amber, then red.
I used AAA Lithium batteries as they supposedly have a longer shelf life.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Also why do these thousand dollar headsets suck with the ANR off?

I have zulu, Sierra, and Bose.
They are all worse than my 20 year old passive DCs without their ANR turned on.
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Money. No reason to make them good at passive noise cancellation when a $5 board from China covers it. LOL.

Also makes them heavier and such and they’re all competing to make them as light and “comfortable” as possible with stuff like the Clarity Alofts in the market.

But mostly... money. LOL.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Somewhat related:

On a Bose A20 headset, what is your first indication that your batteries are going dead? I was flying with my daughter a couple days ago and noticed that in MY ear, when she talked, it sounded like she was in a helicopter. She told me that when I talked she heard me loud and clear. I turned the noise cancellation off and then back on. It fixed it for a minute or two then went right back to how it was. Same with approach and tower on the radio for me, loud and clear for her. I ask this because I've never let the batteries die in that headset.
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Yeah that. Most ANRs start to “pump” or “thump” as the voltage falls and their circuitry can’t figure out the weird signals that it thinks it’s getting from the mics as the voltage bounces down then up then down then up.

Pretty common, even in non-aviation active ANR.

Really annoying too if you’re not in a phase of flight where you can reach for the spare batteries and do a battery swap.

Turning ANR off (along with the instant noise level increase bashing your brain) alllws the battery to slightly “recover” and the ANR will work for a brief time after turning it back on, until the voltage falls and it all starts pumping again.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Generally, I have not had batteries leak unless they have been sitting in the unit in the charging position for a long time. So one thing I do is store them in the wrong direction. I have no idea if there's any reason to it, but I have had $1 flashlights sit for a couple of years and be raring to go.

For headsets, I have been using NiMH for at least 10 years.
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Reason is that the vast majority of battery operated devices have a software power switch — not really a hardware switch that truly disconnects power.

So a sleeping microcontroller is always waking up, checking status of the power button, then going back into a “deep sleep” mode. (It’s really an “interrupt” in most designs but close enough for a description of why the battery slowly dies when inserted normally.)

When inserted backward the vast majority of battery operated devices have an inline diode to protect against voltage reversal so no current flows from the battery at all. The chances that diode fails in a shorted state vs open circuit at the voltages and currents of a typical battery powered device are nearly nil, but technically battery removal is “perfect” safety vs the incredibly small chance of a shorted diode failure.

Exciting electronics design details, eh? LOL.

The power switch is really just a signaling switch to wake up the microcontroller. Some have a wake up feature that wakes them (so they don’t need to cycle constantly) whenever a voltage is applied to an input pin that’s set to Special wake-up/interrupt triggers in their firmware. Depends on the specific chip used.
 
To feed my Bose A20(s), I buy the DuraCells bulk packs at Costco or other places. Well I don't know if one brand is better than another but because of having so many AA batteries, I decided to "standardize" as much as I can all my battery devices (ex. flashlights, etc) on AA batteries to optimize my battery sourcing and availability.
 
denverpilot said:
Money. No reason to make them good at passive noise cancellation when a $5 board from China covers it. LOL.

Also makes them heavier and such and they’re all competing to make them as light and “comfortable” as possible with stuff like the Clarity Alofts in the market.

But mostly... money. LOL.
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I used to fly with a Telex 50D. Still have it for passengers or loaner. Weighed almost a pound but they did an incredible job of weight distribution and cushioning so they were still comfortable. The result was the quietest headset I've ever worn with ANR on and a good passive headset with ANR off.
 
On my BT version, it goes amber, then red.
I used AAA Lithium batteries as they supposedly have a longer shelf life.
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Just to clarify, on the Proflight w/BT, the display provides three colors. Per the manual, in front of me now, the colors indicate: GREEN: 8+ hours remaining; AMBER: 2-8 hours remaining; RED: 2 hours or less remaining. And as I indicated above, once you hit RED, the headset kills BT automatically, whether you like it or not. The other IMPORTANT CATCH: the system is calibrated to the discharge curve of alkaline batteries. If you dig around on the Bose site (FAQs, etc.), and some of their troubleshooting stuff, you'll find they discourage the use of NiMH rechargeables since their flat-to-steep discharge curve will "trick" the headset into giving you far less warning time, especially after the light goes RED. How much warning -- I have no idea -- yet.
 
The fact that ANR headsets generally have crappy passive NR is more important than people think. ANR works primarily at low frequencies. Passive NR is better at high frequencies. Low frequencies are where the fatigue comes from, but high frequencies are where the damage comes from. So, it seems possible to me that ANR headsets give us a false sense of safety because they seem so quiet, but they really aren't all that quiet in the more damaging frequencies. Maybe the distribution of frequencies in airplanes is such that this doesn't matter. But I'd trade all of my current headsets on good ANRs that also gave good passive protection.
 
WannFly said:
I have been using Amazon basics battery for about 2.5 years now. Buy in 48 packs and they last for a while. I get about 12 here a of PFX usage, once they start beeping in the headset I change them. That beeping usually means there is still 25% charge remaining. I couple of times I ran them till they were dead, never again. They tend to die in the critical phase of the flight and these ANR headsets in passive mode really sucks.

So far no leaks, fingers crossed.
Click to expand...
Same here. Half price of Duracell/ energizer and seem to last just as long in my experience. I get about 60 hours out of a pair in my Zulu 3's. What more can I ask for?
 
OneCharlieTango said:
The fact that ANR headsets generally have crappy passive NR is more important than people think. ANR works primarily at low frequencies. Passive NR is better at high frequencies. Low frequencies are where the fatigue comes from, but high frequencies are where the damage comes from. So, it seems possible to me that ANR headsets give us a false sense of safety because they seem so quiet, but they really aren't all that quiet in the more damaging frequencies. Maybe the distribution of frequencies in airplanes is such that this doesn't matter. But I'd trade all of my current headsets on good ANRs that also gave good passive protection.
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They do make active ANR retrofit kits for the old David Clark head clamps... if someone really wants the “best of both worlds”. Or worst as the case may be...

Usually DIY, you disassemble the ear cups, drop a board in, solder a couple wires, and there’s usually an in-line battery box.

Clunky but they do (pretty much) work. I wouldn’t rate them highly against a proper active ANR design though but you end up with better protection and at least the simulation of equal active ANR.
 
Jim K said:
Same here. Half price of Duracell/ energizer and seem to last just as long in my experience. I get about 60 hours out of a pair in my Zulu 3's. What more can I ask for?
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that is a lot of hours!! I should turn my headsets off after flights more often. the PFX has a auto cutoff - i am not entirely sure how long it waits before switching off though
 
WannFly said:
that is a lot of hours!! I should turn my headsets off after flights more often. the PFX has a auto cutoff - i am not entirely sure how long it waits before switching off though
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Yeah...scared the crap out of me the first time they went dead lol. I was on my last solo xc before my checkride...so probably more like 50 hours...thought the engine had blown up. I'm shocked the PFX eats batteries that fast. I rarely use the bluetooth, so I'm sure that would drain them faster.

One of the things I really like about the zulus is that they aren't bad passive. When the batteries die, it's not bad, just less nice. So I run them until they die, and it's easy to change in flight, but if I'm too busy like on an approach or something it's not so loud as to be distracting. My CFII uses the itty bitty DC ones that go on the ear....when the battery dies in those you might as well take them off.

Now that I'm done training for a while and won't be flying as many hours, I probably need to start checking the batteries for leaks every month or so.
 
OneCharlieTango said:
The fact that ANR headsets generally have crappy passive NR is more important than people think. ANR works primarily at low frequencies. Passive NR is better at high frequencies. Low frequencies are where the fatigue comes from, but high frequencies are where the damage comes from. So, it seems possible to me that ANR headsets give us a false sense of safety because they seem so quiet, but they really aren't all that quiet in the more damaging frequencies. Maybe the distribution of frequencies in airplanes is such that this doesn't matter. But I'd trade all of my current headsets on good ANRs that also gave good passive protection.
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I flew a bunch recently with a guy who swore by Clarity Alofts for essentially these reasons, but of course, they're passive, relying totally upon deeply inserted plugs for full spectrum protection. Not quite what you're seeking, but if you can tolerate the deep plugs you can get pretty close to the best of both ANR & PNR. And as an added bonus - no battery headaches.
 
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