Tell Me About Your Headset

Ventucky Red

Ventucky Red

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Jon
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So Bose A30, A20, Zulu, etc... whatcha ya using, whatcha like, whatcha ya wish they did do and don't like
 
A20s, since forever. They're getting long in the tooth but they're still better than most. My wife's Clark One-X's are awesome and I plan to switch to those if these ever die or give me a reason to replace them..
 
Started using Clarity Aloft close to 25 years ago and never looked back. Noise attenuation is better for me than any ANR I’ve tried, probably in large part because my glasses break the seal on over-the-ear headsets, but my Maule was one of the noisiest airplanes I’ve flown, and they worked well in it.

I’ve probably got a set I’ll sell now that I don’t have an airplane anymore if you want to try them for something less than retail.
 
Bose A20 for me and Lightspeed Sierra for the passengers.

Bose A20 are pretty much perfect. Especially with the recent $43 refresh kit I bought. Only complaint is that I wish the controller module lights would turn off. I don't like blinking or even steady bright-ish lights while night flying. Nothing a $0.01 strip of duct tape doesn't fix though :) . I've worn them on 12h flying days, nearly continuously, and find them to be quite comfortable.

The Lightspeed Sierras are great. Pax have never complained. My only issue with them is that when operating on the ground -- if you turn noise cancelling on -- you can hear a slight, but noticable high pitched sound. Can't hear it after takeoff while engine is blaring. Doesn't seem to bother others, but since I don't have that noise in my A20s, it irks me a little.
 
I have a CQ headset - in-ear foam plugs on tubes with a wire frame around the back of the head. It’s similar to the Halo, but the mic stays in place. I used a Halo for several years and the mic would flop out of place within half a minute, constantly. Also the wire frame broke after just a couple hundred hours of use.

The CQ has a more durable frame and mic boom, but the cables have no strain relief and have pulled loose. Also, the collar clip wore through the cable’s insulation. I’m still using it, but would love to see it made to be more robust. The sound quality - RX and TX - is excellent, it doesn’t interfere with a hat or glasses, reduces sound much more than my Lightspeed Sierra headset, and more than any other headset I’ve ever used (Clark, Bose, all the usual suspects).
 
zulu 3, heap good, long time.
 
In the summer, ear buds (Plugfones brand) with a mike boom made out of Romex and a standard mike element. The boom itself runs over the ears and down behind my cranium.
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All fits under a leather helmet. A flat cloth strap to the boom takes the weight off my ears. I have a built-in handheld radio with an 8-ohm output impedance; that's how I can use standard ear buds. The Plugfones combine speakers with foam ear plugs and give 25 dB attenuation.

In winter, I use a conventional headset to keep my ears warm. The headset itself is a Rugged Radios unit converted to 8-ohm impedance.
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Ron Wanttaja
 
I like at least one ear to work. Unless I don’t have an intercom to use, then I don’t care.

I prolly can’t understand ya anyway, so mostly, I don’t care.

Beginning to think apple ear pods and simple over ear hearing protectors and blu tooth is the way to go. Use them in my wood and machine shop making ALL KINDS of noise and they work perfect. While talking to my son wrestling roll off containers on and off a truck, both of us oblivious to the others activities. Amazing.

No $1000 headphones come close. Don’t know if the over ear hearing protectors will mess with the microphone, use them plain Jane.
 
Delta zulus. I like the co detector. I hated the boom. Lightspeed came out with the Zulu 4 with a longer boom. Contacted lightspeed and they put the longer boom on my dz under warranty claim. Updated software, new ear cups and headband. Free of charge. Then extended the warranty 3 years.
 
Bose A-20’s with a few thousand hours on them. They had developed an intermittent crackle in one of the wires. I checked out all the new Bose and Lightspeed offerings at Oshkosh and didn’t like any of them better than my A-20’s. Dropped them off at the Bose tent and picked up them same day, completely repaired and reconditioned at no charge.
 
Tools said:
Beginning to think apple ear pods and simple over ear hearing protectors and blu tooth is the way to go. Use them in my wood and machine shop making ALL KINDS of noise and they work perfect. While talking to my son wrestling roll off containers on and off a truck, both of us oblivious to the others activities. Amazing.
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Basically what I did. Aircraft Spruce sells the U-173/U connector for $3.35, this plugs right into the microphone element that costs about $60-$80, depending on whether you want the brand-name type. I cut up a flexible USB light for some bendy tubing, and interfaced it with the Romex for the over-the-ear mike boom.
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(This shows my original home-made mike connector; using the U-173 now.)

When using commercial products (such as ear pods) for the headphone portion, you have to be aware of the impedance difference. Aircraft headsets are 150 ohm, commercial products are 8 ohm, and will probably not work properly when connected directly to the radio. You need an impedance matching transformer...just $5 or so, but you'll need to work it into the circuit somehow. I've made adaptor boxes.

Far more information on this subject than you EVER wanted to see at: http://www.bowersflybaby.com/tech/amplitude.html

Ron Wanttaja
 
When I flew the 737 I used the UFly Mike QC-15. For the last 7 years for GA and in my 91K/135 job I’ve been usingbthe David Clark One1-X
 
Used to be a big fan of the old DC head clamps. Then, I tried the in-ear Clarity Aloft headset a few years ago. I like the concept. But I seem to have an atypical ear canal in my left ear that makes it hard to get anything other than the cheap yellow foam earplugs to stay in. So, I bit the bullet about 5 years ago and bought a Bose A20-BT.

I liked it so well I bought a 2nd Bose A20 from a guy on VAF. Then, my son gave me his Bose Proflight2 to try. But I had the same problem with it that I did with the other in-ear headsets. He said that he'd thought it would work better than the Clarity Aloft. He said he'd prefer to use the ProFlight but his squadron had standardized to all A30s so he had no need for them.

I still like the A20 best. Probably won't be switching to anything else anytime soon.
 
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My top headset is a Clarity Aloft. It’s the best if you want to wear a hat or sunglasses. I flew with some warbird guys and they swear by Clarity Aloft in their loud planes. Good enough for me. The main disadvantage is that I can’t quite get the microphone to stay where it needs to be and have compromised transmit sound quality when I don’t hold it in place, à la Monty Python’s Sir Bedivere. A second disadvantage is that the wires are delicate.

My wife uses a Halo. It’s nice because she can wear it upside-down, resting on her collar rather than her ears.

I inherited a Bose A20. I got four refurbished Lightspeed Zulu 3 sets that mostly live in the 310. I don’t think there’s much difference to point to between these two types. I like them both.
 
ateamer said:
It’s similar to the Halo, but the mic stays in place. I used a Halo for several years and the mic would flop out of place within half a minute, constantly. Also the wire frame broke after just a couple hundred hours of use.

The CQ has a more durable frame and mic boom, but the cables have no strain relief and have pulled loose. Also, the collar clip wore through the cable’s insulation. I’m still using it, but would love to see it made to be more robust.
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I guess YMMV. I don't think I'm particularly hard on my Halos, but I don't baby them either. I've been using them for close to 10 years now and physically they're as good as new.

As for stability while wearing them, the mic stays put for me unless I move my head around enough for either the headband to contact my clothing or to put tension on the wires that causes the headset to move, but most of the time just returning my head to its original position causes the headset (and mic) to settle back to where they were. And if it happens more than once, then adjusting where the wires are or maybe adjusting the collar of my clothing to eliminate the contact usually solves the "problem".

Biggest "problem" with my Halos was finding the optimal eartips to use. I tried the original yellow foamies, and they were okay but a little finicky to insert, and got dirty with earwax quickly. Tried the triple-flange silicone tips, and they were easy to insert and easy to clean when they got dirty, but they weren't too comfortable. Newer Halos come with smaller black foamy tips that are comparable to the soft foamy tips you find on some earbuds today, and those have been easy to insert, easy to clean, and all around a good, easy tip to use, so that problem's pretty much solved for me.

I love my Halos. I fly where it's hot, and any "clamping" headset was just way too uncomfortable--it's like wearing a blanket on my head secured by a rubber band: It's hot and it hurts after a while. With the Halos, I can almost forget that I'm even wearing a headset.
 
Halo, great headset but the bluetooth needs more volume.
 
I have both Clarity Aloft and HALO.wife like the HALO the best.It doesent matter for me.They are both great.
The clamping force on the other type and heat/sweat got to me.
It's hot in the SE !!!
 
I've used DCs for ever. Still have my 13.4s as extras for the times someone goes with us. I've had no problems with my ONE X headsets.

I've flown with some friends that have Bose. Obviously good headsets or they wouldn't be so common. But I don't see them as "better" at all, just different than the DCs. So try a few and see which ones you like.
 
Lightspeed Zulu 3
Bose A20
DC One-X
Bose X
Lightspeed Sierra

Which one I use depends on who else is in the cockpit.
 
+1 for the Halos. Been using them for over 15 years. They’re durable and lightweight. Still using the pre-Bluetooth model but that’s fine.

But for open cockpit, a DC with the after-market ANR mod works better. The DC mic is the best I’ve found for open-cockpit.
 
Own A20, A30, and One-X. Have pretty much settled on One-X as primary headset. Most comfortable; allows slightly more rumble in through the seals compared to Bose. A30 definitely was more comfortable than A20, but neither top the One-X on 5-8 hours flying days in SEL and MEL (loud) aircraft.
 
About 1982 to 2010 I had two personably modified David Clarke H10-40s with the Headsets Inc kit in our C172M. All was powered from the 12V aircraft. The intercom box was from RST and laid on the carpet floor with a short cable and was easily connected to the aircraft via a 6-pin Bendix mini-connector located just below the fuel selector. The audio from the ARC RT528 was excellent, but the 2nd radio Narco 12 audio was poor and had bandwidth and frequency accuracy problems. Overall, the Analog ANC from the modified H10-40s seemed very effective and drew comments from others for the system clarity. I always wanted to compare the analog Headsets Inc ANC with the then-newer all-digital ANC intercoms but was never to get the two systems side-by-side. As a MechEngr I had a 1960s technical background in analog active noise suppression. I was surprised at the relative performance of analog vs digital and was surprised to see the digital take over as it has.
 
lightspeed zulus pilot, lightspeed sierra copilot, lightspeed 20xl and dc onex spares.

all are absolutely great, wish the lightspeed soft parts lasted longer in the texas heat
 
Zulu 3 for autumn, winter, and spring. Halo for summer. I like the Zulu's much better, but make the switch because in summertime my sunscreen comes off my ears and the side of my face onto the foam earcups of the Zulu's (and every other enclosed ear headset I've tried).

I clip the cord of the Halo headset to my shoulder belt to keep some slack in the cord and limit the tendency for the mic to shift position when I move my head. My choice for the earpiece are the silicone Christmas trees based on their ease of insertion. I'm very satisfied with their noise blocking.
 
I have a LightSpeed Zulu 3 (sort of - long story) that’s great, but I purchased an Axis in-ear a few years ago because they allow me to wear a wide-brimmed hat in my club’s DA40 to help block the sun. It turned out the passive Axis was also quieter in that environment. That surprised me since the DA40 is a very noisy airplane

I still use both. Yesterday I did a test. As part of a cross country training flight in an A36 Bonanza, which has a very different noise profile from the Diamond, I wore my LightSpeeds outbound and the Axis on the flight back. The Axis won again. The difference was noticeable.

BTW, @bkspero, it was the Halo mic’s tendency to shift position continuously that led me to the Axis after trying and returning a Halo.
 
Clarity aloft are great. No battery to replace, lightweight, no head clamp... Be aware that they made some with the volume control about a foot from the headset and others with it about a foot from the plugs. In my plane it's much more accessible near the headset.

Lightspeed Zulu 2 cords would fall apart. The Zulu 3 fixed that problem with much nicer cords. Zulu 3 cords are sold on Alibaba for under $100 all in with shipping.
 
I just ordered another Clarity Aloft. As noted above, the wires are quite delicate. The old one still works, but would like to have one for flying and get the other pair refurbished if possible.
The comply tips should be OK for most people, but I switched to molded ear plugs a few years ago. Very comfortable. We have A20s in the C210 and they are very good, but for my Dumbo ears, the cups are a bit small. Flying a lot of aerobatics I turn my head a lot and in my experience that tends to mess up the ANR a bit on non-passive headsets.
 
FIT & COMFORT:

How it fits on your head is as important as how it works. The Bose, David Clark, and LightSpeed can each feel different, with one perhaps being more comfortable than the other.

Before buying, I went to a shop and tried on all three. Had each on for at least 5 minutes to see if any hot spots, etc developed. The Light Speed 3 was the most comfortable so I went with that model.
 
wilkersk said:
But I seem to have an atypical ear canal in my left ear that makes it hard to get anything other than the cheap yellow foam earplugs to stay in.
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With Clarity, the speakers are in the earpieces which limits they types of eartips that are compatible. And to some degree, whether they will fit your ear at all. I started my search with the UFQ clone and ran into that issue; I could not get them to seal at all. The fact that the speakers are in the eartips also probably accounts for some of the complaints about the wires being delicate.

That's what's interesting about the Axis and I think a few others. The speakers are in the headband. Audio is sent to the ears with the type of audio tubes that connect to those cheap yellow foam earplugs. IOW, no wires. With adapters that come with the headset, there are a whole bunch of eartips which work with it, from Comply to generic foam and silicone to those cheap yellow 3m E-A-RLink tips. I went through several different types until I settled on the ones which work best for me. Yep, turned out to be the yellow foam.
 
I’ve tried quite a few passive and a couple of in-ear.

Many of the passives gave me a headache after the 4th hour/2nd leg.

The in-ears were inconsistent depending on the grooming condition of my hairy ears (yeah, TMI). I made a set of molded ear plugs and drilled them for the Halo tubes, same inconsistency. I still loved the Halos; got out of the plane twice with them still attached.

Tried the A20 and love them more now.

Wife still rocks the DC clamps. She’s tried all the others as me.
 
I bought a Lightspeed Sierra recently. I've only flown with it a few times but so far I like it. Comfortable, good sound quality.

Previously I was using a Gulf Coast Avionics ANR headset. Worked pretty well, but after 7 or 8 years the strain relief on the cable broke and it was just a matter of time before the wires would break. Repair would cost as much as replacement, so I just went ahead and picked up the Lightspeed.

My first headset was an ASA HS-1A passive. Worked great, still works great, has a lifetime warranty. I use it for passengers. It clamps pretty tightly and becomes uncomfortable for me after a couple of hours, otherwise I'd probably still be using it.

SWMBO has a DC OneX and likes it. I've tried it and it's okay, but I think my Sierra sounds better. I had a problem with a flimsy plastic part breaking on it, but DC was great about it and sent me new parts at no cost. Excellent customer support.
 
I've had the DC One-X's for close to 10 years now. I'm rough on equipment, so I like a company with good customer service and David Clark is it. I've send them in for a couple of repairs over the years, from cut cords to the control board dying... I always get it back promptly and very rarely for a charge. Overall it's been extremely reliable and very comfortable. That reminds me I'm due for some new ear seals on them, they're pretty well worn out at this point.

I tried the Lightspeed Delta recently during one of those repairs, and sent it back to Sporty's. I did not like it at all. I found the board to be clunky and the comfort to be poor. I would like to try a Bose one day.
 
Lightspeed Delta Zulu is the main one. Love all but one thing about it - When I'm in my plane and can have it powered from the LEMO plug, it's great.

But, no LEMO plugs at work, so I bought the adapter from the LEMO to the dual GA plugs. And then... Then, we get to deal with the UAC connector that Lightspeed chose. I kinda get it, it has a lot more capability than just charging, such as, for example, an analog audio input. But, that connector SUCKS. It's somehow tight and loose at the same time, hard to get plugged in correctly, in an awkward spot, and forces me to carry another non-standard cable with all of my stuff. It'd be OK if I could just charge it from my battery bank that I use in the plane, but I feel like it needs to be not bounced around to keep the connection from breaking.

I've even been thinking about making my own battery pack design with a USB-C port on the battery pack, just to get away from that dumb UAC connector.

But if you've got LEMO... It's great. And while it does charge on LEMO, if you've ever seen the size of the pins in that connector you know it doesn't carry much current, so it takes a REALLY long time to charge. If I had LEMO at work and dual-GA in my personal plane, it'd be fine. Alas, as it is, it makes a fantastic headset just OK in my use case.
 
A20’s best headset ever. Period.. A30’s, actually a downgrade slightly. Wonderful headset but they are not A20.

I love my DC One X’s as well.

I used to be a Lightspeed fan, but just don’t enjoy them anymore, they are just too bulky. BT interface doesn’t work as good either.
 
Clarity Aloft.

They are so comfortable I once forgot I was wearing them and tried to leave the aircraft without unplugging the wires. I do wish I had a modern version with Bluetooth for music and calls. It has a 3.5mm Aux input, but that is audio in only. Besides, I'm on my second generation of phones without a 3.5mm jack.

YMMV very much depending on whether you are comfortable with compressible foam tips in your ear canal. I'm used to them and don't mind the feeling.
 
I tried Clarity Aloft, for me it just didn't work well. First set went bad in 6 months, replacement set went bad as well. I found using it was a bit of a pain as well. I switched to the LightSpeed Zulu, and found the sound protection with the ANR to be much better.

BTW - I've owned non ANR David Clark, the Clarity Aloft, and LightSpeed. Because of how it worked out, I just tossed the Clarity Aloft in the trash a few years back. I traded the non ANR David Clark in to get a discount on the LightSpeed.

But.... use what works for your head and situation. Lot of folks like each of the different types.
 
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