Doctor Headset
New Member
This headset appeared on the market in Fall 2007, and we were excited to obtain some of the first in stock. I was able to use this headset in the B737-800, on a leg from Atlanta, GA to Sacramento, CA, then on a leg from Atlanta to Mexico City. The headset itself is very lightweight. The battery pack is part of the cable, approximately 8 to 10 inches from the jack plugs. This is an improvement over past designs, which had the battery pack dangling by a third cord. The unit uses two AA batteries which will last at least XX hours – that’s how long they lasted in our lab. The batteries are placed end to end in the battery box, which explains why the box is around 6 inches long and only 1 inch wide.
The battery box contains the controls for the unit. On the front panel are controls for volume, power, stereo/mono operation, and boom mike orientation (left ear/right ear). Inside the battery box is a APO On/Off switch. This switch is a life saver; it detects whether the unit is plugged into the aircraft or not, preventing the battery power from being drained while the power is on. Having this function switched is a great idea when you look at the biggest functional change – the MP3 player and cellphone inputs.
The MP3 player input requires a standard 1/8” stereo plug, so you go to the electronics store and buy an cord with the plug on BOTH ends! Music quality through the headset is excellent, as would be expected from Sennheiser’s musical experience. The music audio is fully muted whenever ANY signal comes in on your headset – ATC, VHF Guard, interphone, or whatever you are monitoring on your comm. Panel. The music resumes around 2 seconds after the audio interruption goes away.
With the APO switch, you could now switch on your HMEC46 in the back of the aircraft while deadheading/commuting, and, using the MP3 player adapter cord with an adapter for airline movies, watch the movie or be entertained – all while enjoying the ANR function. We were not able to evaluate the cellphone function, as there are only 3 cellphones supported at this time; mine is not one of them!
Now, to brass tacks – comfort level. I found the unit very comfortable; the ear cushions are 3” wide – wider than my ears, and covered with a very soft cloth-like foam material. My ears were “cradled” into the cushions, and opposed to “pressed” to my head. Fit around my sunglasses and “cheaters” was very good as well.
Normally at cruise, I like to remove my headset and use the speaker. I forced myself to wear the headset for the 4:30 flight to Sacramento. I found at times I forgot I had it on; the light weight and comfort was very acceptable. Cross cockpit speaking required me to move the speaker off of my ear on the side of the other pilot at times to hear him better, but that is pretty standard with ANR headsets. I found it comfortable with the one ear piece not centered on my ear in that situation.
Overall, this is a great unit – the low points are still the size of the unit in your flight kit. Unlike Telex heasets, Sennheiser does not allow for the earpieces to be turned sideways on the headset bar, which means a larger footprint in the flight kit. At our low sales price, the unit is still more than $150 over the Telex unit (Airman 850 ANR), and requires you to keep a second set of batteries handy. You have to ask yourself if having the “bang” of the MP3 function is worth the extra money or not.
The unit comes with a soft case, and the standard clothing clip. I thought the cord was a bit long, and should have a second clip on it, but you can always make one yourself, or buy a second clip. Sennheiser offers a 5 year warranty on this unit, and after it runs out, you can come see us for repairs, or send it to Sennheiser for their $99.95 Flat Rate Repair.
The battery box contains the controls for the unit. On the front panel are controls for volume, power, stereo/mono operation, and boom mike orientation (left ear/right ear). Inside the battery box is a APO On/Off switch. This switch is a life saver; it detects whether the unit is plugged into the aircraft or not, preventing the battery power from being drained while the power is on. Having this function switched is a great idea when you look at the biggest functional change – the MP3 player and cellphone inputs.
The MP3 player input requires a standard 1/8” stereo plug, so you go to the electronics store and buy an cord with the plug on BOTH ends! Music quality through the headset is excellent, as would be expected from Sennheiser’s musical experience. The music audio is fully muted whenever ANY signal comes in on your headset – ATC, VHF Guard, interphone, or whatever you are monitoring on your comm. Panel. The music resumes around 2 seconds after the audio interruption goes away.
With the APO switch, you could now switch on your HMEC46 in the back of the aircraft while deadheading/commuting, and, using the MP3 player adapter cord with an adapter for airline movies, watch the movie or be entertained – all while enjoying the ANR function. We were not able to evaluate the cellphone function, as there are only 3 cellphones supported at this time; mine is not one of them!
Now, to brass tacks – comfort level. I found the unit very comfortable; the ear cushions are 3” wide – wider than my ears, and covered with a very soft cloth-like foam material. My ears were “cradled” into the cushions, and opposed to “pressed” to my head. Fit around my sunglasses and “cheaters” was very good as well.
Normally at cruise, I like to remove my headset and use the speaker. I forced myself to wear the headset for the 4:30 flight to Sacramento. I found at times I forgot I had it on; the light weight and comfort was very acceptable. Cross cockpit speaking required me to move the speaker off of my ear on the side of the other pilot at times to hear him better, but that is pretty standard with ANR headsets. I found it comfortable with the one ear piece not centered on my ear in that situation.
Overall, this is a great unit – the low points are still the size of the unit in your flight kit. Unlike Telex heasets, Sennheiser does not allow for the earpieces to be turned sideways on the headset bar, which means a larger footprint in the flight kit. At our low sales price, the unit is still more than $150 over the Telex unit (Airman 850 ANR), and requires you to keep a second set of batteries handy. You have to ask yourself if having the “bang” of the MP3 function is worth the extra money or not.
The unit comes with a soft case, and the standard clothing clip. I thought the cord was a bit long, and should have a second clip on it, but you can always make one yourself, or buy a second clip. Sennheiser offers a 5 year warranty on this unit, and after it runs out, you can come see us for repairs, or send it to Sennheiser for their $99.95 Flat Rate Repair.
