Headsets, Inc - PIREPS?

Matthew

Matthew

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Matthew
The "What headset do you use thread" reminded me of this: A couple years ago I looked into the Headsets, Inc. upgrade to my DC13 headset.

Most of my flights are less than 2 hrs, but a couple weeks ago I was on a 4 hr XC with a break at the 2 hr mark and learned 2 things - I need to look into something like a QT Halo or Clarity Aloft style (by hr 3.5 I was really wanting to remove that DC set), and I need to look again into ANR for my DC set.

Anybody have any reports on the Headsets, Inc. ANR conversion for the DC? Did you do it yourself? Any horror stories about messing anything up? If you did it over again, would you change anything?

Thanks.
 
Installed the ANR in a 15 year old set of Softcoms. Added gel earseals. Works better for me than the wife's Bose. I did install a power port in the panel but still have the battery pack for backup
 
I did it myself. Anyone with basic soldering skills should be able to do it no problem. However, it's not somethingI'd do if I've never tinned a wire before.

As for quality, it is really impressive when, after engine start and avionics master -on, you put your headset on and then turn on the ANR. I like mine. And, with new DC gel ear seals and pad, I forget I have it on.
 
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I bought the complete headset something like 13 years ago. Since then I have replaced the cord once, a speaker once and switched to the thick gel ear seals.

I keep thinking I might want a new different headset, but mine still works good so why change? Just be sure to always have a spare battery if not hardwired in or using cigar lighter port.
 
wilkersk said:
I did it myself. Anyone with basic soldering skills should be able to do it no problem. However, it's not somethingI'd do if I've never tinned a wire before.

As for quality, it is really impressive when, after engine start and avionics master -on, you put your headset on and then turn on the ANR. I like mine. And, with new DC gel ear seals and pad, I forget I have it on.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing, except I put it in my DRE 1001, since it's a whole lot more comfortable than my DC.

When I finished it up, I tried it out in the dining room. It completely tuned out the running dishwasher, yet I could hear my wife's conversation clearly.

It works fine, and I've put over 200 hours on it.

Get the auto-shutoff battery case. You WILL leave it on. And always carry a spare 9 volt battery. They last some 20+ hours, but the sound quality isn't great in passive mode.
 
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Did it on one of my headsets 20 years ago. The headset is long gone now but it worked great. I had them do it; not interested enough to do it myself.
 
I converted my SoftComm about 22 years ago and still use it. The battery pack was a pain so I attached a 9-volt battery clip and connector to the headband above one earcup and installed a subminiature toggle switch in the earcup to turn the power on and off. I tape a spare battery to the other end of the headband. It all works fine.

Dan
 
I have converted two headsets with their stuff - exceptional, excellent. Spend the extra for the auto-off battery box, and the one-piece cable.
 
I hear the louder the airplane the better the setup works. The Bose and Lightspeed will not keep up with the high noise aerobatic planes. The headsets inc will. I still prefer my Clarity aloft....
 
I'm reasonably competent at wiring and soldering, and for the cost of a lunch I have access to someone way better at it, so I'll be able to do the work myself.

I didn't look into the single cable approach. It puts the mic/speaker/ANR power into a single cable with 3 plugs at the end? This method doesn't require drilling a hole into the ear cup?
 
Matthew said:
I'm reasonably competent at wiring and soldering, and for the cost of a lunch I have access to someone way better at it, so I'll be able to do the work myself.

I didn't look into the single cable approach. It puts the mic/speaker/ANR power into a single cable with 3 plugs at the end? This method doesn't require drilling a hole into the ear cup?
Click to expand...

Exactly. Much neater, no tie-wrapping power cable, all that. Includes stereo plug, so if your headset's mono, it will be stereo (you need to buy an additional volume control for the headset cup without one). Headsets, Inc. will sell you all that for very reasonable money.
 
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My current DC-13.4 set is stereo, so already have 2 volume controls.

I do think the DC plugs are high quality, compared to some of the plugs I've used on lower end headsets. Are the new plugs from Headset, Inc. pretty good?

edit: On the normal DC stereo setup, there is a small slide switch that sets the headset stereo/mono operation. My rental planes are mono only, so that switch always stays in the "M" position. Is there a comparable switch on the Headset cable? (I know, I need to check with them to make sure.)

edit edit: The single AMP cable does include a stereo/mono switch.
 
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I've had a kit on my old peltors for several years now. Went with new ear cups, the single cord, and auto shutoff battery box. I highly recommend it, although I do tend to wade around constantly in new and used 9 volt batteries. The intercom uses them too though, so it doesn't hurt to have a ton of spares.

I'm blown away every time I forget to turn it on or run the batteries down. Huge improvement over passive noise reduction alone.
 
This sounds more and more like a pretty good deal.

At current list price:
$169 for the kit
$22 for the single cable option
$15 for the auto shutoff battery box option

$206 total

They say you also need gel ear seals - I will have to check to see if that's what I already have. Otherwise it's another $22 for a grand total of $228.

I think I'll do this as a winter project.

What kind of battery life do you typically see?

--

On the other hand:

QT Halo = $359
Clarity Aloft Classic = $525
 
Matthew said:
My current DC-13.4 set is stereo, so already have 2 volume controls.

I do think the DC plugs are high quality, compared to some of the plugs I've used on lower end headsets. Are the new plugs from Headset, Inc. pretty good?

edit: On the normal DC stereo setup, there is a small slide switch that sets the headset stereo/mono operation. My rental planes are mono only, so that switch always stays in the "M" position. Is there a comparable switch on the Headset cable? (I know, I need to check with them to make sure.)

edit edit: The single AMP cable does include a stereo/mono switch.
Click to expand...

As you note, there is a stereo/mono switch.

I believe the plugs are good quality, and I have some electronics background from long before I was relegated to the practice of law.

Matthew said:
What kind of battery life do you typically see?
Click to expand...

A long time; I have never tracked the hours, but many flights. Do get the auto shut-off box, though.

All that said, of course, I still love my Headsets, inc. conversion - but my usual headset, now, is a QT Halo.
 
Matthew said:
This sounds more and more like a pretty good deal.

At current list price:
$169 for the kit
$22 for the single cable option
$15 for the auto shutoff battery box option

$206 total

They say you also need gel ear seals - I will have to check to see if that's what I already have. Otherwise it's another $22 for a grand total of $228.

I think I'll do this as a winter project.

What kind of battery life do you typically see?

--

On the other hand:

QT Halo = $359
Clarity Aloft Classic = $525
Click to expand...
I had been considering the Headsets, Inc kit for a while... Ultimately bought a set of QT Halos and am completely satisfied. DCs are now backup and pax set.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
I fly with a Gentex SPH 5 helicopter helmet with the Headsets Inc. ANR conversion.

I have used the conversion for around 800 hours.

I am very pleased with the Headsets Inc. ANR conversion in both the open and enclosed gyroplanes I fly. They also sold me the civilian speakers and microphone for my military helmets.

I purchased the gel ear seals and it helped to reduce wind noise a lot in the open gyroplane.

One feature I like is that it boosts the volume 15% making the tower and ATIS easier for me to understand with both my radios.

The ANR seems to work well.

I recently flew the enclosed gyroplane with a Bose ANR head set and in my opinion the noise level was comparable.

I have panel power in my open gyroplane and run batteries in the enclosed one.

It seems I can count on a battery life of around 6 hours although I have had them last much longer than that for no reason I can identify.

I have had dealings with Headsets Inc. three times and each time I found the customer service first rate.

Everything I have purchased from them appears to me to be high quality.
 
MAKG1 said:
I did the same thing, except I put it in my DRE 1001, since it's a whole lot more comfortable than my DC.

When I finished it up, I tried it out in the dining room. It completely tuned out the running dishwasher, yet I could hear my wife's conversation clearly
Click to expand...

Sounds like it still needs some work!
 
I just did a 4.2hr cross country with a Duracel 9v of unknown age in my Headsets, Inc ANR conversion. It now has at least 6 hours on that battery, no problems.
 
I went to all the headset vendors at oshkosh this year and had trouble finding anything that worked as well as the headsets inc conversion in the same general price range. I bought a conversion kit this afternoon and found a battery powered soldering iron in the fly mart. It took me less than 45 minutes to convert my David Clarks over and that was doing it sitting in a camp chair in camp scholler. I won't know how well they really work until the flight home but so far I am impressed. The conversion was very simple. I'm thinking of getting another kit for my pilot Inc headset tomorrow. They are running a show special where you get the kit, the amp cable, and the gel ear seals for $204. The auto shutoff battery box is another $15 if you want that option.

Keith
 
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kmacht said:
I went to all the headset vendors at oshkosh this year and had trouble finding anything that worked as well as the headsets inc conversion in the same general price range. I bought a conversion kit this afternoon and found a battery powered soldering iron in the fly mart. It took me less than 45 minutes to convert my David Clarks over and that was doing it sitting in a camp chair in camp scholler. I won't know how well they really work until the flight home but so far I am impressed. The conversion was very simple. I'm thinking of getting another kit for my pilot Inc headset tomorrow. They are running a show special where you get the kit, the amp cable, and the gel ear seals for $204. The auto shutoff battery box is another $15 if you want that option.

Keith
Click to expand...

Nice report. I had figured this would be winter project for me but now I think it's going to be a project for next month.

From their list prices:
$169 kit
$22 AMP cable
$20 gel ear seals (I think...)
----
$211 - You saved a couple bucks at $204 with no shipping charges, and you got it done same day and had them right there for questions. Good deal.
 
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