Aviation headset model - suggestion

[imcool]

hi,
i am planning to buy David Clark aviation headset but I am not sure which model to buy. I see one David Clark has Analog capability other has Stereo capability.

Q1 Which model of David Clark to buy please share link or name of website as well to buy from

Q2 Has anyone tried cheap 200$ headphones from amazon. how long they last. are they as good as david clark

q3 whats the advantage of buying stereo over mono?


q4 if you use any other brand than david clark please share link and model

Q5 I am buying a CX3 flight computer as well. Which company should i buy from
1 pilotshop.ca
2 avcanada.ca
3 aircraftspruce.ca

thank you for your time.

[fish4life]

hi,
i am planning to buy David Clark aviation headset but I am not sure which model to buy. I see one David Clark has Analog capability other has Stereo capability.

Q1 Which model of David Clark to buy please share link or name of website as well to buy from

Q2 Has anyone tried cheap 200$ headphones from amazon. how long they last. are they as good as david clark

q3 whats the advantage of buying stereo over mono?


q4 if you use any other brand than david clark please share link and model

Q5 I am buying a CX3 flight computer as well. Which company should i buy from
1 pilotshop.ca
2 avcanada.ca
3 aircraftspruce.ca

thank you for your time.

Are you planning on becoming a commercial pilot or just get a private license and fly once a month?

A good headset is a game changer and I would never buy a cheap shitty Amazon headset. If it was going to be used for lots of flying or a commercial license I’d suggest light speed Zulu 3 or Bose A20. The David Clark one x is a headset people like but more geared towards jets and not piston pilots, the other noise cancelling DC’s are just too much of a clamp on the head.

If you fly once a month can’t go wrong with a David Clark H10-13.4

Bluetooth is also an awesome feature

[North Shore]

Headsets are like partners: some like blondes, others brunettes - in the end, all of the top end headsets are pretty much the same, and it's all personal preference.
FFS, !!DONT!! buy the $200 Amazon cheapies! in a year, you'll end up buying the headset that you should have bought now, and you'll have spent $200 more than you should have.

If you are thinking of a career, buy the best noise-cancelling headset that you can. You only get one set of ears, so be nice to them.

Personally (pro pilot, light jet) I use the LeoSounds AvMike with a Bose QC35ii headset: https://avmike.leosounds.de/en-gb/home
I was going to spring for the Bose ProFlight2, but couldn't afford them.
In a past job (heavy T-prop) I used Bose A20s and was pretty happy after 4 hours in the seat.

Support your local shop; if you don't have one, then go for the cheapest price online.

Likewise for the CX3.

Safe travels!

[RedAndWhiteBaron]

Personally I bought the Bose A20s, and I have to say the noise cancelling and comfort are top notch. Now, personally, I don't think they're worth the $1400 they're generally listed for, likely more like $300 or $400 worth of electronic wizardry in there. They're priced according to what the market will bear. But I digress.

If you ever foresee the need to make a phone call from the air, the bluetooth is indispensable. As for sterero vs. mono, I actually find my headset can be used for video games in many cases (and the noise cancelling makes it awesome), in which case the stereo is kinda important.

Definitely get something with noise cancelling - it's not just a matter of better noise abatement. They also require far less clamping pressure on your head and so are far more comfortable to wear. Especially if you wear glasses under them you will notice a huge difference with noise cancelling.

As for the CX3 (well, for that matter, all of it), I agree with North Shore - buy it in person from somewhere local, if you can. Pilot shops are hurting too in these times.

[7ECA]

If possible, find a local shop that handles a variety of headsets and try on a few (this may be frowned upon nowadays, but it used to be the best bet for the right "fit"). Most of the high end headsets are virtually identical when it comes to specifications, in the end it's going to come down more to personal preference than anything - or price, if a few hundred dollars in either direction matters to you.

Years back I had the opportunity to borrow someones Bose (what ever was the top of the line ANR headset at the time), and while the sound quality was very good, I couldn't stand the ratcheting mechanism on the headband. Went to a shop, and after trying on a Zulu2, bought it without any hesitation. Lightspeed also has a great warranty - you can get a Zulu2 and pay $300USD to get it upgraded to a Zulu3.

A cheap headset seems like a good idea when you're working on your PPL, but that $120-ish ASA headset isn't as great a deal when you can't stand wearing it for more than a few hours...

[fish4life]

Oh regarding Bluetooth if it’s a Bose make sure it’s the one that lets you listen to music not the make phone calls only one.

[Bede]

I use a Bose QC25 with uflymic in the jet and a Bose A20 when flying light aircraft. The QC25 isn’t good enough for loud light aircraft and the A20 is too heavy for long days when it’s not necessary.

I also really like David Clark’s for their durability (I know of one set that fell out of a Pitts during aerobatics and landed in a farmers field. The next spring it was found and still worked.) DC is like the Snap On of headsets. I have a couple DC headsets that are close to 25 years old now.

Don’t bother with cheap headsets. Like others mentioned, they’ll last a year and then you’ll break down and buy a decent headset anyways.

[pelmet]

I think my new Bose A20 is great but I am coming from a non-noise cancelling headset so I can't compare to other noise cancelling. The only thing that bothers me a bit so far is the placement of the battery pack on the cord as it pulls a bit on the headset and in some aircraft I don't really have a good place to place it(such as the side pocket of a Cessna as it is not placed far enough down the cord from the earpiece.

I haven't worn it for very long flights yet.

[altiplano]

hi,
i am planning to buy David Clark aviation headset but I am not sure which model to buy. I see one David Clark has Analog capability other has Stereo capability.

Q1 Which model of David Clark to buy please share link or name of website as well to buy from

Q2 Has anyone tried cheap 200$ headphones from amazon. how long they last. are they as good as david clark

q3 whats the advantage of buying stereo over mono?


q4 if you use any other brand than david clark please share link and model

Q5 I am buying a CX3 flight computer as well. Which company should i buy from
1 pilotshop.ca
2 avcanada.ca
3 aircraftspruce.ca

thank you for your time.

You don't really day what you're doing... I'll assume GA or starting training toward a career flying. David Clarks are proven and a good choice. They don't break and work well without gimmicks.

I'd get noise cancelling for sure, H10.13X is a good choice, I used one of those - or an older version of one - for years, beat the hell out of it day in and out and it always worked well.

https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/a ... 10_13x.php

Maybe a lighter one like this is a good choice? More expensive though...

https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/a ... rkonex.php

Your other questions...
I wouldn't buy cheap.
I wouldn't care about stereo/mono/bluetooth, I'm not listening to music or playing video games at work. Durable, comfortable, good NC is all.
-
?

[imcool]

Thanks a lot for replying, I am targeting PPL, I should have said that earlier in first post with piston engine planes.

I definitely do not want something which creates pressure on my ears all the time.

please re-suggest

[ayseven]

DC One X. I have only used a few times (thanks covid...) but I love it compared to the old vice grips DC used to make. Absolute silence with the NR on. BT works great too.

[bbingham]

I started off with a set of $250 AvComms. Those came with a bag along with gel ear seals. They were great for my Commercial and Multi ratings, along with the first couple years of aviation career. I've still got them today as my backup headset, though I got active noise cancelling wired in when the cord finally wore through.

Right now, I'm running a set of Lightspeed Tangos. They're fantastic in both a turbo-prop and jet, extremely comfortable, and have the benefit of being wireless while still being very lightweight. Batteries charge really quickly as well. As far as I remember, they were within $100 of the cost of a set of Zulus or A20s. Only downside is the case is slightly bulky, as it contains the headset along with all required cords and a block for charging, but I just attach it to my flight bag with a carabiner and it's taken care of.

[piperdriver]

I would recommend the Lightspeed Sierra. I recently completed the 300nm cross country flight needed for the CPL with my Sierra headset and I have no complaints. My Sierra headset is about 5 years old and they still work like new. Also they are very comfortable and do not clamp my head like the David Clark’s. I used DC’s on my PPL cross country and it felt like my head was in a vice after about 2 hours of flight time. I wanted to throw the damn things out the window.

[Flightgame]

Lightspeed Zulu3 owner here. One thing I can say about it- its rugged. Those kevlar wires have been stuck and pulled out of so many 152 , 172 doors, loose fairings, seats and what not. still going good after 2.5 years.

I feel that the ear cushions are softer on the A20s. but slightly smaller. I felt the top of my ear touch on the inside of the A20s.

Wearing big framed sunglasses will mess up the noise cancellation in the zulu 3 as the sealing will not be good.