Headsets, Inc.

I recently decided that I needed a better headset. The main driver for this feeling was changing from the C172 to the Cirrus SR22. While the Cirrus is superior to the C172 in nearly every way, there's one place it's not: noise. Thankfully there is an easy fix for this in Active Noise Reduction headsets.

However, my old David Clark 10-13.4 headset, though it fits like a glove and works well, does not have active noise canceling. This means that I hear a nice low rumble when flying in the Cirrus. My friend John has been lending me his Lightspeed headset for a while to keep me covered as it does have ANR. However, I needed to get an ANR headset for myself.

I spent a good deal of time contemplating getting a UFlyMike for my Bose Quiet Comfort 2 stereo headphones. They have noise canceling in them and are the best headphones for music that I've ever used. They are also low profile, at least compared to an aviation headset, and are very comfortable. I even tried them in flight once and found the noise levels OK (not great, but good). However, I was concerned about a few issues with going that route:
  • When the batteries die, the headset goes with them
  • I can hear high-pitched buzzing in those headphones when a cell phone or comm radio is in use
  • The stereo vs mono issue with the UFlyMike was, frankly, confusing. I knew I'd be switching between different airplanes over time and wasn't sure what I needed to get
Then I remembered seeing a company in a magazine years ago that would take an existing headset and upgrade it to include ANR. I searched and found that Headsets Inc. would do that for me.

They offer an install-it-yourself option where they send you the electronics and you solder them into the headset yourself. While I have a lot of experience with a solder gun, I've never been all that proud of my skill with it. I decided to use the $50 option for a factory install. I sent out my headset and had it back in hand about 10 days later, ANR installed.

I tried it out in the Cirrus on Saturday and felt it worked great. I think the interior of the ear can is a little tighter fit now but I could be wrong. I didn't have any issues with the fit of the headset after 2.5 hours of use and the ANR worked well to cut out low frequencies (those are the frequencies that passive noise reduction doesn't do well with).

All in all I expect to be happy with the investment. I spent $250 buying the headset in 1994 and this extra $260 has added some great life to it. I can highly recommend David Clark's - at least the mid-range or higher quality ones in their product line.

I can also recommend Headsets, Inc as well. They seem to have done a great job with my headset, but only time will tell for sure!

Update Jan '09: it's been over a year now and I am still very happy with the purchase!

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