Can anyone explain the qualitative difference between a less expensive ANR headset such as Lightspeed and the more expensive models such as David Clark and ultimately Bose?
Thanks,
Cary Rodin

• RE: ANR Headsets,Ben_Chiu, 22:22z, 06-11-02
  • RE: ANR Headsets,DHamblin, 15:31z, 06-12-02
• RE: ANR Headsets,Patty_Wagstaff, 02:12z, 06-12-02
  • RE: ANR Headsets,Mike_Greenwood, 04:20z, 06-13-02
    • RE: ANR Headsets,DHamblin, 12:06z, 06-13-02
      • RE: ANR Headsets,Mike_Greenwood, 02:49z, 06-14-02
• RE: ANR Headsets,aboyd, 02:36z, 06-21-02
  • RE: ANR Headsets,CRodin, 14:41z, 06-21-02
    • RE: ANR Headsets,aboyd, 03:12z, 06-23-02

Greetings Cary:

> Can anyone explain the qualitative difference between a less expensive
> ANR headset such as Lightspeed and the more expensive models such as
> David Clark and ultimately Bose?

I'm sure you've seen all of the decibel numbers used in the ads etc.. In the end, because personal items like headsets and jockey shorts are so subjective, the best recommendation I can give you is to try them all and see which set has the best price/performance/fit/value for you. Most of the higher end manufacturers offer free trials or will accept returns within a certain period. So that's really the best way to go if you don't mind them holding your money while you decide.

We use the Denali ANR's exclusively. We did the trial thing with several sets from manufacturers from LightSpeed to Sennheizer(sp?) and found that while some "sounded" better, they didn't sound hundreds of dollars better. For us, we found the Denali's to be the best value on the price/performance curve. Just FYI, we sell them in the Pilot Shop.

Good luck and let us know which you finally decide on.

Ben

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Dave Hamblin
(formerly DaveH on old site!)

My personal set is a Dave Clark non-ANR (H20-10). My friend has Telex ANR in his Luscombe.

Perhaps it just takes some getting used to them but I like the non-ANR better.

I will have to say that neither the Luscombe nor my C150 are overly loud, so perhaps in a noisier enviroment it would work out to the ANR's side.

Hi Cary

I cannot explain the difference, but I can say that I would never skimp when it comes to protecting your hearing. It's very easy to get hearing damage when flying small aerobatic airplanes.

Patty

>>It's very easy to get hearing
damage when flying small aerobatic airplanes.<<

...or using power tools, or attending loud concerts, or riding loud motorcycles...

Bottom line is to do whatever you can do to protect yourself. That includes, hearing, sight and limbs.

Just my humble 2 cents <g>.

--Greenie
**6 miles SSE KSJC**

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Dave Hamblin
(formerly DaveH on old site!)

Don't forget riding in (or near) cars with 140 dB stereos blazing away.... (a pet peeve)

Hi Dave,

>>Don't forget riding in (or near) cars with 140 dB stereos blazing
away.... (a pet peeve)<<

One of my pet peeves as well!

--Greenie
**6 miles SSE KSJC**

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When evaluating a headset, you look at dB of attenuation, both passive and active.

Generally, passive-only headsets have more insulation than ANR headsets, and not surprisingly, do a better job of passive attenuation at the high frequencies.

However, an ANR headset really excels in the low frequencies, say below 200 Hz, as compared to a passive headset.

So, it really depends upon what kind of cockpit you're going to be flying in - high or low frequency noise?

I've tried the Headsets, Inc kit, and the David Clark ANR, and I wasn't impressed by either. The conversion kit requires that you remove so much insulation, the higher frequency attenuation is noticeably inferior.

I fly in very noisy cockpits: Maule, Pitts, etc. I use the Bose Series 2, which has superb active and very good passive attenuation for an ANR headset.

Unfortunately Bose doesn't make the series 2 any more, it has a completely new version (series X?) which has hardly any passive attenuation compared to the series 1 and 2, but is much lighter.

People complained about the weight of the series 1 and 2, I guess.

One thing I do which improves the headset performance, is to keep replacing the ear seals and I also have a chin strap which is admittedly for negative G, but also improves the seal when I'm at +1 G, too.

I should mention that I was instructing on a Cessna 180 recently and the guy had Lightspeed ANR headsets. I forget the model (25?) but they worked very, very well. Probably almost as good as the Bose. I'm not sure they'd be as durable as the Bose - mine have lived a very hard life and still work perfectly - but geez, for the money they sure sounded good.

Lightspeed has a new, low-price ANR headset out (cross-country QFR ?!) which is what I'd look at closely if I was buying another ANR headset on the cheap - $250.

Thanks for the input. I fly a 250 h.p. Skybolt with an enclosed canopy but the cockpit is still very noisy. I tried a Daneli (sp?) but finally decided on the Lightspeed 15 model which was $500 Cdn. I'm quite happy with it, but I'll need to figure out how to attach a chin strap.

How to attach a chin strap ... you could try glueing straps and maybe velcro, but what I did was go to the local sports store and get a kit for hockey helmets.

I drilled a hole on each side of the headset which allowed me to put a metal snap in, and then got a strap and fed it thru a plastic thingie on each end, which snaps onto the metal.

I'm pretty sure Dave Clark sells a kit to do this, too.

Most other people go the route of the "Snoopy Helmet" but I am reluctant to go that path for pretty much inexplicable reasons. I didn't shave my legs when I used to race bicycles, either. I guess I make a lousy acolyte