ANR headsets

Turningfinal said:
Yes, it absolutely is true in most cases, with properly worn deeply inserted foam plugs. Plenty of research on the subject.
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Please cite this research.

I'd be very interested because it is absolutely contrary to everything I've seen from the medical community, and I've been involved in the Navy's hearing conservation program (both as a participant and program administrator) for the last 15 years.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Please cite this research.

I'd be very interested because it is absolutely contrary to everything I've seen from the medical community, and I've been involved in the Navy's hearing conservation program (both as a participant and program administrator) for the last 15 years.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16964737
http://aearo.com/pdf/hearingcons/earlog13.pdf (Note Muff #4 tested here, damped with lead, was designed specifically for this test and weighed 7lbs)

I also just sent a message to a friend who is very well respected in the audiology world.(http://www.etymotic.com/)

His message back was
"foam earplugs deeply inserted (so you have to work them out with your fingernails to remove) 40dB.

most muffs 25dB. A new Pelton is 35+ dB."

He's also a pilot, and recommends the Clarity Aloft for similar attenuation reasons. It's making me re-think my current Zulu 2s.
 
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Turningfinal said:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16964737
http://aearo.com/pdf/hearingcons/earlog13.pdf (Note Muff #4 tested here, damped with lead, was designed specifically for this test and weighed 7lbs)

I also just sent a message to a friend who is very well respected in the audiology world.(http://www.etymotic.com/)

His message back was
"foam earplugs deeply inserted (so you have to work them out with your fingernails to remove) 40dB.

most muffs 25dB. A new Pelton is 35+ dB."
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Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Do you know what type of plugs they were using in that study?
 
Fearless Tower said:
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Do you know what type of plugs they were using in that study?
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No. But every foamie I've seen with an NRR higher than 30 is typically bell shaped for a better fit in the canal.

howard-leight-max-uf-foam-ear-plugs-nrr-33-22.gif
 
Segue:

Based on comments made during the thread, I decided to do an experiment:

I have noticed a problem on one of the aircraft that I rent.
During take-off and climb-out and with specific (?) controllers, their announcements/calls/chatter (whatever) becomes extremely garbled and unintelligible.

Comments were made about the ANR manufacturers tuning their headsets to emphasize attenuation of specific (low) frequencies, so I thought, "Is this controller speaking at frequencies that my headsets are attempting to attenuate?

I flew yesterday when that same controller came on and had the same garbled result.
So, I decided to switch the ANR Off to see if it made a difference.

I'll be damned, but his unintelligible garble instantly turned crystal clear.

So, if anyone else might be experiencing garble problems, you might want to consider switching the ANR to see if it makes a difference.
 
denverpilot said:
Same thing at the shooting range when someone is forking around with the .50 cal S&W rental revolver, or a short barreled big bore rifle. Still feel the massive thumps through your bones, but it makes the range session a lot more comfortable.
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I always double up at the range. I have a pair of the electronic muffs and they do a good job of letting me hear and cutting out the report from the firearm. The plugs help tone it down even more.

The .500 S&W is a monster. My friend has one and let me try it. Holy Crap.
 
oldShar said:
Segue:

Based on comments made during the thread, I decided to do an experiment:

I have noticed a problem on one of the aircraft that I rent.
During take-off and climb-out and with specific (?) controllers, their announcements/calls/chatter (whatever) becomes extremely garbled and unintelligible.

Comments were made about the ANR manufacturers tuning their headsets to emphasize attenuation of specific (low) frequencies, so I thought, "Is this controller speaking at frequencies that my headsets are attempting to attenuate?

I flew yesterday when that same controller came on and had the same garbled result.
So, I decided to switch the ANR Off to see if it made a difference.

I'll be damned, but his unintelligible garble instantly turned crystal clear.

So, if anyone else might be experiencing garble problems, you might want to consider switching the ANR to see if it makes a difference.
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Which headset do you have? ANR methods differ amongst the different manufacturers.
 
TangoEchoAlpha said:
I've had my (four) eyes on Lightspeed Sierras so I would like to give them a shot. I think Lightspeed has a 30-day moneyback guarentee and a 5 year warranty and with, I hear, great customer service, it seems well worth the price. Ear pads and glasses is a concern however.

Anyone have any experience with that?
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My Sierras had parts constantly popping off but were otherwise functional. I upgraded to the Zulu2 and I think the extra bucks are worth it for the build quality. Wife now uses the Sierras.
 
igorek82 said:
I really like my Zulus (PFX); at first I thought the size of the battery box/volume control (it's humongous) would be a disadvantage, but in reality, after setting it, I don't even notice it. I wear them with sunglasses all the time - no issues. YMMV.
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:yeahthat:+1
 
+1 for the Quiet Technologies Halo headset. I have been flying a bunch of tube and fabric planes this summer (I was recently endorsed to be a tow pilot for our glider club). The halo headset is a dream. No a hint of ears ringing after 4 hours of towing in a supercub. One time, a fellow tow pilot let me try his Zulu's....nowhere near as good as my Halo headset. Plus, for those who wear glasses, the halo is a really nice and comfortable way to go.
 
Thanks all - I actually decided to give the QT Halos a try based on this dialog. I had been saving up for the Bose A20s. I lucked out... ordered a set on the website. Went back thinking I might order another set about 10 minutes later... sold out.
 
rtk11 said:
Thanks all - I actually decided to give the QT Halos a try based on this dialog. I had been saving up for the Bose A20s. I lucked out... ordered a set on the website. Went back thinking I might order another set about 10 minutes later... sold out.
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You won't be disappointed!
 
Hey everyone! Instead of starting a new thread I thought this might an ok place to ask for suggestions. I'm a student, and it was suggested I think about getting my own headset. I don't need anything too fancy, preferably that won't break the bank. Flipping through a sporty's catalog is about as far as I've gone. My budget is somewhere in the $100-$300 range. Sigtronics is right in there, and a few dc's as well, and an ASA HS1A. Any thoughts...don't waste your money on _____ and so forth would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 
airbornejohnny said:
Hey everyone! Instead of starting a new thread I thought this might an ok place to ask for suggestions. I'm a student, and it was suggested I think about getting my own headset. I don't need anything too fancy, preferably that won't break the bank. Flipping through a sporty's catalog is about as far as I've gone. My budget is somewhere in the $100-$300 range. Sigtronics is right in there, and a few dc's as well, and an ASA HS1A. Any thoughts...don't waste your money on _____ and so forth would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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You can go from $100 to 1k real quick.

My off the shelf suggestion is a Marv Golden. I've had two and still have on of their ANR sets. Worked pretty good. I use it for unexpected passengers.

There is also a guy here who sells used DCs for a pretty good deal. I bought a couple and they showed little ware.
 
airbornejohnny said:
Hey everyone! Instead of starting a new thread I thought this might an ok place to ask for suggestions. I'm a student, and it was suggested I think about getting my own headset. I don't need anything too fancy, preferably that won't break the bank. Flipping through a sporty's catalog is about as far as I've gone. My budget is somewhere in the $100-$300 range. Sigtronics is right in there, and a few dc's as well, and an ASA HS1A. Any thoughts...don't waste your money on _____ and so forth would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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Save $350 and get the QT Halo.

They'll have a higher NRR and your ears will be much happier with you than a regular muff style headset. And hearing aids are expensive.
 
Marv Golden...... It's kinda like a small Sporty's.
 
Marv Golden, PilotMall, SoftComm (and Squawk Shoppe? Shane, can you confirm?) all use the same Pilot-USA ANR guts.
 
I have been deaf in my left ear since 1998 (sudden sensorineural hearing loss). It's OK since I have a spare ear, but I have to take care of it. I had DCs before but now I use Bose A20s. The noise cancellation and sound quality are exceptional. Comfort is also very good. I make 3 to 5-hour cross country legs frequently and they don't hurt or get sweaty. I also have a set of Lightspeed Zulu.2 for my wife and Zulu.1s for the rear seats. The only (very slight) downside to the LS phones was the lack of battery backup on the LEMO version which would mean no ANR when flying in a non-LEMO plane. But IDGAF since I don't ever do that.

Bose is a bit of an oddball company. They only just recently released a Bluetooth audio capability for the A20s (they came with phone BT only). The upgrade costs $300. WTF, Bose? That's ancient tech and should have been included in the original A20s like every other headset.

Bose *still* doesn't have wireless Quiet Comfort headsets AFAIK. What in the hell are they waiting for? It's just a weird company that makes weird product decisions.
 
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Just got this in a Barnstormers email today. I have no experience with these but thinking of trying them at this price. I think they are the same as the Pilots and the MGs and such. If nothing else would make a decent passenger set for that price.

Anyone use these?

UBePdOvFr3rDv_B_w8wRwAKGhtJ5oI4KrDLhhFAICLFJ2xXCbx_zy13hB190hOI0U0t-H2LdyYMsVuHB2skTsE02ijCjYm6BClauUumwVFKdyxEhIw=s0-d-e1-ft
 
They look the same. I have the pilotmall-branded ones, and they are indeed fine for passengers. I'd say they're about 80% as good as my DC H10-13X but for 1/3 the price.
 
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