ANR headset worth it for CFI?

I adore my A20s. Went back to my X's the other day, and I have to say that the A20 is a significant upgrade. Tried a friends "knock-off" ANRs, and another friend's Zulu's... I like the A20s better than the zulus, and the knockoffs were awful.

A20. It's an investment, in a way.

-Fox
 
Haven't read any posts here, only the subject.

Not exaggerating in the least....My Bose was and still is the single best thing I have ever spent money on. I spent ~6 years as a cfi in singles and light twins. I also did some teaching in mid size twins and had a few(great) months at Capeair. My first 2 years of that time was spent with an old ASA headset that I bought during training. I literally slept better and felt better after leaving work while wearing Bose vs my old ones. I could not imagine wearing my old headset flying a 402, it would be awful.

I am in no way pushing you to buy a Bose. Any ANR set that is light and not super clampy will work. My experience with them was great though. I had the X....hear the A20 is even better.

Save your money and buy a pair.
 
How much is your hearing worth in the long run? Sorry, can you speak up? I can't hear you.

I've gone DC (Non-ANR), Telex (Non-ANR), Bose X, and now Bose A20. Much happier now that I did. Thinking about going Clarity Aloft next, the Bose is too heavy when flying acro, it really sucks when it pops off your head during negative G.
 
Acrofox said:
I adore my A20s. Went back to my X's the other day, and I have to say that the A20 is a significant upgrade. Tried a friends "knock-off" ANRs, and another friend's Zulu's... I like the A20s better than the zulus, and the knockoffs were awful.

A20. It's an investment, in a way.

-Fox
Click to expand...
I had Zulus for a long time and really liked them. Then I tried the Bose A20's and never went back. They are a vast improvement over the X's. They are by far the best headsets I have ever used. They don't clamp my head at all and they stay in place, they have a little spring thing in the headband, they are lightweight but very very sturdy, 5 year warranty, the adjustable mike is terrific, very well balanced sound,(and the sound is crisp, clean, and very clear) the ear pieces are very comfortable and have room for your ears in them with no issues and the noise reduction is just superior than any other headset that I have used/tried IMO. They have all the bells and whistles and then some. Even the case for them is great.
 
Roger Roger said:
Clarity doesn't seem like it would have the durability to be taken on and off 14 times a day, 5 days a week. Zulu puts up with that abuse pretty well.
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True, they are also not the best in cold climates.

A good alternative are the QT Halos.

Acrofox said:
I adore my A20s. Went back to my X's the other day, and I have to say that the A20 is a significant upgrade. Tried a friends "knock-off" ANRs, and another friend's Zulu's... I like the A20s better than the zulus, and the knockoffs were awful.

A20. It's an investment, in a way.

-Fox
Click to expand...

I have flown about 50 hours with the X and 50 hours with the A20 on the same airplane (right seat had a X, left an A20), I felt no difference in terms of noise reduction, I guess comfort is a more personal thing but to me they both felt the same.

I had to use a cellphone while flying to report position to ATC, in that case the A20 was great....
 
After flying over 1500hrs with DC13.4 I just upgraded to Bose A20...all I can say..WOW!!! I should have done it over a year ago.

Also, if you join NAFI ($50) your Bose will be $100 off
 
I owned 2 different pair of Bose X's when I was a CFI, and in the G1000 172 there was always a clicking noise in the background of my headsets, clicking at the same interval. But if I moved my head left or right I couldn't hear it anymore, and it didn't happen in the non-G1000 airplanes. I assume it was some kind of EM interference.
At that point in my life I'd assumed I'd be in those airplanes for a few more years, so I sold em and just stuck with my DCs.

Now if fly in a GA plane, typically my friend Erika's Mooney M20, I use my nonANR Telex's whilst also wearing earplugs. my UFlyMikes pop and crackle from the onslaught of noise hen the power is set on takeoff and I odn't wanna damage the anti-noise speaker.
 
jwp_145 said:
I owned 2 different pair of Bose X's when I was a CFI, and in the G1000 172 there was always a clicking noise in the background of my headsets, clicking at the same interval. But if I moved my head left or right I couldn't hear it anymore, and it didn't happen in the non-G1000 airplanes. I assume it was some kind of EM interference.
At that point in my life I'd assumed I'd be in those airplanes for a few more years, so I sold em and just stuck with my DCs.
Click to expand...

Weird never had that problem in the G1000, the only annoying thing was the interference with my cellphone.
 
I have significant hearing loss due to flying for 30 years, tinnitus in the right ear from shooting without hearing protection 25 years ago, and bad genetics from my mom's side of the family. I've had hearing aids for five years ($6,000/pair cash - almost no insurance policy pays for them), and I wear them every day. I also keep foam roll-up hearing protectors in my pockets at all times - I used them at a very noisy play last weekend, and on recent commercial flights to/from Europe (in conjunction with Brookstone ANRs). My otolaryngologist is also a pilot and hard-of-hearing, and we both fly with the Bose AHX-32-01.

It isn't just that hearing loss simply makes everything harder to hear, studies are showing that it results in early dementia & Alzheimer's. An excellent, recently-published book on hearing loss and cognitive loss is "Shouting Won't Help" by Katherine Bouton. I've given a half-dozen copies to friends.

Do everything you can to protect what you've got.
 
I've been flying with a Bose now for several years and recently sent them in because they needed to get fixed up. Their customer service was absolutely top notch and the turn around was fast. After having to fly a few days under David-Clarks again the difference was night and day. I was grateful we had a spare to use but I'm near ecstatic that my Bose is back.You won't regret going ANR.
 
Zulu or A20, I've had both and they are fantastic, a Zulu isn't quite as quiet but for a CFI half the price is a big deal. Either way spend the money, much like putting on glasses for the first time, the difference leaves you dumbfounded as to why you didn't do it sooner.
 
As a CFI you'll fly the noisest airplanes in your career (hopefully). Get yourself a nice ANR headset such as LightSpeed or Bose and be happy. It'll make you less tired at the end of the day, too !
 
I'll add, if you order from Bose.com, they do 12month 0% interest with no credit check. You just have to set up auto pay when you order, then it's like $90 a month or whatever for a year.

Bose really does make the accessible... It's part of the reason they sell so well!


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I've turned down flights just because I didn't have my ANR headset with me, if the previous 30+ replies weren't enough...get an ANR headset.
 
Thanks for all the responses everyone!! I greatly appreciate it. I have definitely decided to invest in an ANR headset, most likely the a20. I don't instruct full time right now, about 1 hour a day. However, once I graduate I will be so I will definitely invest in one then.
 
Acrofox said:
A20. It's an investment, in a way.
-Fox
Click to expand...

What?
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