Inexpensive headphones for flight training...

Quietest headset evar is the QC-15 with u fly mike. comes out to 500 total. waaaaaay better than dropping a grand for the aviation X
 
motoboy said:
Congratulations, want a cookie?

I understand what he was asking, and I was just lending a suggestion. I asked my instructor the same question during ppl training, and he recommended me spend some extra money and go with anr. I had my mind set on David Clamps, but I ended up getting the Flightcom Denali anr and haven't regretted it.
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;) i am actually thinking of getting the denalis. do they still make them in bright yellow? i liked those.
 
I have a big mellon (size 8) and the DC's fit great. They only got unformatable after about 7-8 hrs of flying. The Bose X hurt my head after 5 min.
 
TXaviator said:
reading comprehension fail.

the guy wants a inexpensive set. not gonna get active noise reduction for cheap.
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Sure you will!

I've still got a Pilot USA PA-1779 for sale. ANR, cheap.

Look in the trading post archive. Should still be there. Let you have it for $200 shipped.
 
The thing I've noticed about the 'cheap' headsets that some of my students buy. They can't hear things well and their mics are really poor.

A good headset is going to do a lot more than just be quiet. Being able to hear transmissions and not be distracted or fatigued by loud aircraft noises students are going to have an overall better learning experience. It is well worth the extra $$ to get something good the first time.
 
If you can't find a good deal on Ebay for some David Clarks, you might want to give the low end Sigtronics a shot. Not the best out there by any means, but will do the job. I used a pair of the Sigtronics s-20's this last weekend as a loner pair while I am waiting for my new ones to arrive. They were not bad at all. They cost around $150.00 new, and will get you by until you can afford a better set. Your opinion may differ of course.
 
Go with the best Lightspeeds you can afford. When you get ready to upgrade Lightspeed will let you trade in your less expensive set for the Zulus.
 
mokulele said:
I bought the FlightCom 5DX ($180) for my flight training. It lasted me a good 3-4 years. The only problem I had with this headset was the amount of pressure - I eventually relieved most of the tension on the headband by flexing it back. The mic boom also needed some tightening after a while, but this wasn't a big deal. All I needed to do was take out the foam on the inside and find the screw to tighten. For $180 you really can't go wrong.
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I still have mine that I bought about 9 years ago, and they still work great. It is now my spare headset as I bought a Halo in the ear set last year (MUCH more comfortable and much more quiet).

About the only real issue with them is that the mic cover has disintegrated, and the ear gels are not quite as firm as they were when new. Speaking of the ear gels, that is what sold me on that headset. Compared to most of the other cheap sets that use the foam ear pads, which usually don't seal well and are uncomfortable, the 5DX uses gels, which are far more comfortable on a longer flight.
 
tprops4me said:
If you can't find a good deal on Ebay for some David Clarks, you might want to give the low end Sigtronics a shot.
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If you aren't sure what you want, it is hard to go wrong with David Clarks. They will last forever. If you ever want something else, you can sell them for about what you pay for them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy used ones.

ANC is great, but you really don't need it starting out.

I've had my 13.4's for 10 years, they are great. You are going to spend $250 or so on them. That's like 1.5 dual these days.

Trying to save $100 getting a cheap headset ain't worth it.
 
Just to reiterate what I already said, see if you can bum a pair off a friend or someone that has a hanger with a bunch of junk in it... I was able to get a pair of ANR's from a friend of mine that had recently upgraded to Bose. Used, old, but work just fine and as I always say, if it's free, it's for me.
 
Used pair of DC's with some earplugs.
Should be able to sell them for a little less than what you paid for them if you do decide you are rich enough to continue flying and want to upgrade the ear goggles.
 
Hootie said:
Used pair of DC's with some earplugs.
Should be able to sell them for a little less than what you paid for them if you do decide you are rich enough to continue flying and want to upgrade the ear goggles.
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Does using the earplugs interfere with being able to hear at all? I've been thinking about using that technique since I've got a really cheap headset and can't really spring for a nice ANR just yet. I'm already worried enough about my hearing being around APUs all day.
 
JordanD said:
Does using the earplugs interfere with being able to hear at all? I've been thinking about using that technique since I've got a really cheap headset and can't really spring for a nice ANR just yet. I'm already worried enough about my hearing being around APUs all day.
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Think of it this way, you now have two layers of hearing defense from cockpit/aircraft noise. All you have to do is turn up your volume a little louder so that you can hear at the same level. Even though the radio is indeed louder it does not matter because it is evened out by the decrease in allowable noise in your ears due to the earplugs.
 
DCs are invincible and used ones are cheap. If it ain't broke...

Also, I got the "head clamp" from them for the first few months, but either I toughened up or they loosened up...the last 15 years they've been great.
 
killbilly said:
Sure you will!

I've still got a Pilot USA PA-1779 for sale. ANR, cheap.

Look in the trading post archive. Should still be there. Let you have it for $200 shipped.
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I had a pair of those for awhile too. Pretty good headset. Just have to remember to charge them.
 
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