Which headset ?

How to keep the Cessna 170 flying and airworthy.

Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher

User avatar
flat country pilot
Posts: 230
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:46 pm

Which headset ?

Post by flat country pilot »

Looking at a new headset. I would like ANR and wireless phone connection.
What do you like better, Bose or David Clark?

Bill
Flat Country Pilot
Farm Field PVT
54 C170B
User avatar
pdb
Posts: 466
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2002 3:39 am

Re: Which headset ?

Post by pdb »

Lightspeed Zulus. Zulu 3 is the current production model. Great trade in program if you currently use brand X.
Pete Brown
Anchorage, Alaska
N4563C 1953 170B
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2366/2527 ... 4e43_b.jpg
User avatar
daedaluscan
Posts: 497
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:03 pm

Re: Which headset ?

Post by daedaluscan »

I bought a used pair of Zulu 1 and sent them to be refurbished. Love them. Under $300 total.
Charlie

1956 170B C-GDRG #27019
swixtt
Posts: 206
Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2014 6:49 pm

Re: Which headset ?

Post by swixtt »

Charlie, i have an older original LS zulu and find the volumes sliders don't work as well as they once did. one side will get scratchy and fade until i move the volume a few times. probably those contacts need cleaned up. where did you send them for refurb? direct to LightSpeed?
Bill, i bought used ones as well and have been very pleased the Zulu's. I even tried their Cordless ones but find they aren't as refined as they could be... nice not having cords though:)
Pdogace
Posts: 73
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:57 pm

Re: Which headset ?

Post by Pdogace »

I love the Lightspeed Sierra, that is the budget ANR from LS. It has the Bluetooth for music and phone now. I traded in old David Clark and got it for $450 dollars. I think they changed the trade in value from $200 to $150 now though. I liked the sierra so much I have 4 of them now. I only fly my 170 50 hours a year or so, and they have held up for about 4 years now with no issues. With us needing 4 headsets the price difference added up a lot compared to the Zulu or Bose. Both my sons are wearing them too so it they can withstand a 2 year old and a 4 year old I'd say they are pretty durable. I think they have a 5 year warranty to go with the sierra.
Preston
1954 C170B "Sweet Caroline"
User avatar
daedaluscan
Posts: 497
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:03 pm

Re: Which headset ?

Post by daedaluscan »

swixtt wrote:Charlie, i have an older original LS zulu and find the volumes sliders don't work as well as they once did. one side will get scratchy and fade until i move the volume a few times. probably those contacts need cleaned up. where did you send them for refurb? direct to LightSpeed?
Bill, i bought used ones as well and have been very pleased the Zulu's. I even tried their Cordless ones but find they aren't as refined as they could be... nice not having cords though:)
I sent then to Lightspeed, I had actually dropped them and the noise cancelling had stopped working. They do a complete service for a flat fee, $140 I think, and maybe a few more bucks for pads. They came back looking new and work great.

Im guessing the slider could be fixed with contact cleaner though?
Charlie

1956 170B C-GDRG #27019
User avatar
nippaero
Posts: 399
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2016 1:05 am

Re: Which headset ?

Post by nippaero »

I have two Zulu 2's and a Zulu 3! They are great. I used to use the Bluetooth all the time to listen to music and receive phone calls. Know I have a Bluetooth audio panel but the ANR on the Zulu's still work great.
1952 170B
N8180A s/n 25032
User avatar
Ryan Smith
Posts: 1210
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:26 am

Re: Which headset ?

Post by Ryan Smith »

Bose A20s.

No question. I've flown them about 500 hours in the past year and they are worth their weight in gold.
User avatar
DaveF
Posts: 1516
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:44 am

Re: Which headset ?

Post by DaveF »

I've been using Zulus since they came out. They're fantastic. I've also tried Bose A20s, and they're also fantastic. Super high quality. Lighter and easier on the head than the Lightspeeds, maybe slightly better noise reduction, but not as good audio quality and a few hundred more expensive. If I were buying headsets today I'd probably be leaning toward the Bose, but only if the extra cost wasn't too painful. When I was shopping a few years ago I needed three, so the extra money was significant.
hilltop170
Posts: 3481
Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 6:05 pm

Re: Which headset ?

Post by hilltop170 »

I'm old school in many ways. One of them is I have used David Clarks since my first set of 10-40s in the late 1970s. I used nothing before that, not even ear plugs, as others would question your manhood in those days if you did. I have continued to use DC to this day and would not trade my current favorite model, H10-56HX, ENC (ANR) helicopter headsets for any LS or Bose. My current sets are 15+ years old and still working perfectly. I even had after-market ANR kits installed in my old 10-40s that work very well as spares but installation of the ANR guts requires removing some of the passive noise reduction rating (NRR) material reducing the passive NRR.

I fly several aircraft that are very noisy. One of the best selling points for the DC headsets is even if the power to the ENC/ANR fails, there is a passive NRR of 23dB which is good, plus an additional active noise reduction of 17-22dB with the ENC/ANR working for a total of around 40dB which is outstanding. The LS and Bose have virtually no NRR without power, not good in noisy airplanes. Batteries last 25hr in the DC, don't know about the LS or Bose but I would guess not as much.

As I stated before, I have used DC for around 40 years. In that time I have sent a total of ZERO DC headsets back for service. They are tough. If taken care of, they just keep on working with no problems. Replace ear seals after many years, yes, having to work on them because of failures, no. I have friends who have sent back LS and Bose because they just fell apart or the cables came apart. YMMV

I regularly fly all day long on ferry flights. I do not have any complaints about wearing the DC all day. They have an annealed section in the spring steel headband that can be manually bent to adjust clamping force on the head. I have thin wire frame glasses which do not cause discomfort. If you wear heavy frame horn rim glasses that might be a concern but I never have so don't know. The only time I have had any problems with my DC headsets is in high-G operations, which I try to avoid, they tend to slide down but I would guess the lighter ones would as well to a lesser degree.

Cost is also a consideration. DC do cost a lot but figure in not having to repair or replace after a couple of years and the investment is worthwhile. You get what you pay for with DC.
Last edited by hilltop170 on Mon Jun 12, 2017 9:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
User avatar
ghostflyer
Posts: 1390
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:06 am

Re: Which headset ?

Post by ghostflyer »

A couple of years ago I won a headset Sennheiser at Oshkosh and have found it very good but unfortunately Sennheiser have pulled out of the aviation market. They are very comfortable and very clear . Would love to buy another set but find them nearly impossible to find. Have used Bose but found them problematic and can't take wear and tear. Another thing that's is a issue with the DC is The silicone ear pads leak down the back of your neck . Yuk. Still looking for the perfect headset.
User avatar
flat country pilot
Posts: 230
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:46 pm

Re: Which headset ?

Post by flat country pilot »

Finally someone who likes the David Clarks, thanks Richard. I've been leaning towards the D.C. Because I have three pairs and have had no trouble with them, and I have been happy with them. But for about $200 more I can buy the Bose. I don't know if that's worth it to me and now I need to read up on the Zulus. To me the David Clarks are bullet proof, I don't know that they're the best in any categorie but not the worst either. Just good all around.
Flat Country Pilot
Farm Field PVT
54 C170B
User avatar
DaveF
Posts: 1516
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:44 am

Re: Which headset ?

Post by DaveF »

There are so many differences in size, weight, earcup shape, clamping force, adjustability, noise reduction effectiveness, price, etc., that you need to try them to know what works for you. It's as personal a fit as a pair of shoes.
User avatar
KG
Posts: 493
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:14 pm

Re: Which headset ?

Post by KG »

I use Bose at work and Lightspeed Zulus in my 170. Both are very good at noise reduction ... the Zulu is a little cheaper. I have had to tape up the cord on one of my Lightspeeds because the insulation simply cracked. Like Richard said, I've never even heard of anybody sending DCs back for service.

I have also tried the David Clark ANR with the small ear cups (DC-Pro I think it's called). They don't have quite the noise reduction as they fit "on" the ear rather than "over". They also didn't fit snugly enough to hold them on very well. I didn't care for them.

Whatever the brand, I am sold on ANR noise canceling. I am convinced that part of my hearing loss came from the older headsets with the radio volume turned up blasting directly into my ears. While the passive noise reduction might have been good, the radio volume will make you just as deaf as engine noise. One of the first things I noticed when I got the ANR headsets wast that I immediately turned the radio volume down.
53 170B
User avatar
Ryan Smith
Posts: 1210
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:26 am

Re: Which headset ?

Post by Ryan Smith »

I've got two pair of DC H10-40s that are older than I am...about 32 years old. Not surprisingly, they work flawlessly after all these years, but they DO have quite a bit less circuitry than a modern ANR headset. Maybe my melon is soft, but I did a couple of 8-hour days in them in my younger years, and I found myself with a headache afterward.

I have done quite a few 10-hour days in airplanes with my A20s, and I am comfortable at the end of the day. I am a bit the contrarian to Keith in that I wonder if some of my really high-frequency hearing loss has been from ANR headsets. It could be natural hearing loss with age as I still can hear frequencies typical of someone in their mid-20s (I'm 31), but it could also be all of the loud concerts I have been to. If I were to take absolute stock in what an audiologist would tell me, I would probably think that my A20s have had more than a contributory effort into me losing some of my high-frequency hearing.

I'm still a huge fan and have enjoyed every second of using them. I wouldn't be averse to trying some of the One-X headsets sometime, or Clarity Alofts.
Post Reply