When testing the Bose, Bryan actually covered the "Ombient" sensing mics of the headset with his fingers and decreased headset noise reduction performance. A20 has inside the earcup mics and outside ones to "listen" to the noise.
One thing you failed to mention was the spectral frequency response of the mike used to measure attenuation of the headset. Various different materials and methods of noise reduction do not reduce noise uniformly across the audio frequency spectrum. In particular, active noise cancelling headsets are designed to provide most attenuation selectively, in the frequency band known to be most injurious to hearing. So if that is not what you are measuring, the results are compromised. Perhaps that is why some headsets which seem to be strong attenuators measure out to be much less so. Just sayin...
I fly 6-9 hrs in the Saab 340 wearing the Bose A20 wearing reasonably thick sunglasses all wrapped around a 61cm head. No complaints, ATC comms are crystal clear and I hear enough ambient noise to maintain good situational awareness of the engines, props and forward galley.
Great job, Dan and Bryan! I don't fly piston airplanes, but I fly a very loud jet...the Boeing 737. I'd say 90% of the people I fly with use some form of a noise cancelling headset and we have an intercom for communications between the two pilots. The 737 noise is generated by wind and not the engines (and of course, not the propeller). I've been on the airplane for just over a year and have a touch over 500 hours in it. I started off with the Bose A20s. They did a great job at noise cancelling, but they're very bulky and we do long legs/long days in it. It gets a bit much after a 6-8 hour day. I switched up to the David Clark DC Pro-X. It's a lightweight, on-ear model that was pretty much designed for the 737 to cancel out the wind noise. It's super comfortable and and gives me plenty of noise cancelling. I can definitely tell a reduction in fatigue at the end of the day. I know it probably wouldn't work in the Centurion (beautiful plane, by the way), but it works great in the 7-3! My favorite headset of all time is the molded earpiece with a boom mike hanging off of it, but this airplane is way too loud for that! Love the videos! Keep up the good work! -Fellow DFW aviator!
I know lots a professional pilots use a qc 35 bose or a ufq or a sony w3 combo with a plug mike. About half the price and u can ride home and use them when commuting. The day of paying this amount of money for crap is slowly coming to a end.
Have you considered trying out the Bose pro flights, they are super lightweight and getting more popular with 737 pilots. A20 owner here, only used in flight training and GA so far but once I progress to larger aircraft Like a 737 or a320 I may switch to the Bose proflights.
Great video guys! I started with an ASA head set and this year I up graded to a Bose A 20 .. when I turned on the noise canceling feature it was a next level experience! I have posted the question many times about what head set people prefer and it always comes down to light speed and bose.
I realize this is an old video, but I still use my 45 yr old Avcomm headsets...they still work...they cancel noise very well...they're comfortable ...and I'd buy them again.
I actually do have that avcomm heaset in same color. I got it secondhand but my daughter never complained and we could hear each other fine. When I tried it on, only one ear was producing sound. Otherwise, it worked for short flights in a Cub.
finally a decent aviation headset comparison of proper headsets ,, thank you Taking off. by the way wonder if you guys can do one of these top end noise cancelling headset Vs something like Sony 1000mx3 with nflightmic or avee.. maybe thats the way to go
I use the David Clark’s and they seem to work great (I haven’t tried any higher end headsets before).. except after about 2 hours of flight I’ll start to get that head squeezed feeling around the ears.
The Bose A20s are by far the best and reduce the most noise and are hyper comfortable given how light they are...they are expensive but they are worth it.
When I bought my ANR headset I tested before buying (go to SNF or Oshkosh!). The ANR seemed about the same between Bose A20 & Zulu 3. I chose Lightspeed Zulu 3 because they were more comfortable for me. At that level you just have to decide what fits/sounds the best for your head and ears. As for passengers, they get my old ASA headset that does a pretty good job, but there is no beating ANR!
Cool test. It’s nice to see something a little different in the way they were tested. I noticed that you were pressing your fingers on the ear cup while taking some of the readings. There are microphones on the outside (at least on the Bose) where you were putting your fingers that are used to cancel the sound. Your fingers being over them or even nearby may have affected the ANR performance.
I'm a retired electronics engineer with some background in experimental psychology. To me, the demonstrations depicted in this film are not tests in any scientific sense of the word. There are so many uncontrolled variables as to make these comparisons fairly meaningless. Among the uncontrolled variables are leakage around hats and eyeglass frames, and the position and orientation of the so-called decibel meter mics within the earmuffs.
I would agree, interesting but multiple times I saw Brian applying pressure to the ear cups as he was taking readings which doesn’t mean he would get real world clamping force. I think the video was rushed due to the weather and I think another more scientific video needs to be done when they don’t have “get the results-itus” 😂 also would like to see a Bose QC35 with Nflightmic as well as the new Lightspeed Delta Zulu.
I've been using the Faro G2 ANR for about 8 months. No complaints so far and the price is great compared to the others. Battery life has been really good as well. I'm going to try the decibel meter thing next time I'm up and see how they perform. This video has gotten me curious.
i've been using my Sennheiser HD-25 for 25 years. It's wonderful.. I used it for years in the DC-3s I was flying. The company provided David Clark vises. I can't wear those for longer than an hour. The HD-25 is noise cancelling, but I rarely use that. Sometimes the first indication of engine trouble is something you hear. The Sennheiser HD-25 cuts the noise well enough without using the noise cancelling, besides I don't have to buy a lot of AA batteries. By the way, I'm also a professional photographer/videographer. If you want the prop to look like it should, don't use a shutter speed faster than 1/60th second, or turn off the shutter. You'll get better depth of field with the lens stopped down to compensate for the slow shutter speed. The default on video cameras should be 1/60th. At least, it was with the professional Betacam cameras I was using.
Me too, they were made using Peltor housings, with Sennheiser noise cancelling electronics inside. I run mine off of aircraft power instead of batteries.
Great video, guys. I rather suspect that the size of the Avcom child's headset caused high clamping forces, which lead to a better noise reduction, but beyond that, not something I would own.
I started with the Sigtronics ANR. Didn't like that they squeel like a stuck pig when the battery voltage drops, so I switched to Faro G2. Correction: I started flying when headsets (GA) didn't exist --- used the speaker above my left ear. Went into the miltary and used GI headsets (before they switched to DC headsets in the 90s). I like the Faro, but after 4 hours of continuous use, they become uncomfortable (hard to assess comfort on a 5 minute test --- need to go for multiple continuous hours) $0.02 I did transition training on my present aircraft and was provided with the A20s during the training. Didn't like them --- not comfortable for wear or for reception -- also didn't like the price. (another $0.02) -
Hey you guys, Great video. What is also interesting: How do die ANR Headsets perform, when batteries are empty (passive noise canceling performance)? And you might add the DC One-x in whenever you do jour next check. Allways happy landings:-)😀
A difference of 2 dB is almost not detectable by the human ear. 1 dB difference is not detectable. The decibel scale is logarithmic not linear. Between the Bose and Lightspeed the best metric will be comfort (weight and clamping pressure) and cost.
Qset aviator headset is the best value headset out there. Noise cancelling blue tooth. Highly recommended them over others. Small company great service.
@@TakingOff I fly an open cockpit gyrocopter with Comtronix headset. Try these out. They work well in an open environment, maybe even better in a closed cockpit. Thankx for doing this testing. We are rotor-craft enthusiast and you know how loud these craft can be.
David Clark ear clamps protect your ears just fine. I grew up on them before $1200 headsets were the norm. You also don’t want noise cancelling that’s so incredibly good you can’t hear the pitch changes in engine sound. Otherwise you’re going to be staring at your engine gauges continually during approach and landing. I can land my 767 on sound alone but if one ear isn’t uncovered during approach I have to keep looking at the EICAS.
Speaking from a shooting sports background. 40% of hearing loss comes from outside the ear channel. So over the ear headsets offer much better hearing protection than inside the ear sets.
Great comparisson and very useful. Would love to know, how come nobody ever compares the David Clark ANR options? Are they not even worth considering? I am renewing my PPL this year, and want to upgrade from my David Clark H10-13.4 passive (they were OK - comfortable, but never really considered them to be great at noise reduction in a DA20 or 172). I am looking at the Zulu 2 over Sierra mainly because of physical design features. I cant justify the Bose for a monthly VFR pilot as myself.
I have a Zulu 3 with blue tooth and won a set of a20’s at sun and fun . And imo i can’t tell the difference between them expect the way they ride on my head. The zulus seem to be more comfortable than the a20’s. But both are worth the money hands down.
Lucky chap winning a headset! Good to hear your comments re the comparison. I'm pretty much settled on either A20 or Zulu 3s, but I noticed that the review set of the latter had a dent in them?! I've used Sierra's and they seemed great although there were some quality control issues with them.
My understanding is that active noise reduction does not protect your hearing, it just provides a perceived noise reduction And your ears are still subject to The higher noise level. In other words, noise canceling is not the same as noise reduction. Therefore, would really love to see an extra data point and see what reduction was achieved for each headset with passive only (anr off).
Headset technology "secret" nowadays? No way. Bose is brand, we all know that. Lightspeed is doing a great job. I Love the fact that they have basically the same performance. But, price quite different. It would be nice to see you guys testing these headsets with two criteria: PNR and ANR on the same headset, it would be nice to see how much noise reduction difference between PNR and ANR. Anyways, thanks for doing the test and sharing it.
Thanks Brian and Dan. I think it's all about measured frequencies. I picked up a comment from Bryan saying the attenuation seemed better in perception than sometimes the drop in meter reading. A "human" index may be better % wise, using the ear as a sensor, and say, taking the mid range set as a baseline. Possibly? :)
This finally came up on my suggested video list. I got a set of the green David Clamps.... not long after I started using them, they became a left ear only, so I upgraded my Pilot USA to a new set of gel ear muffs and a new cord. I just got a kit to upgrade my old David Clark’s to ANR from Active Headsets Inc. it’s a kit that replaces the original speakers with a pair of speakers, one for ANR and the second for sound. This plus new gel seals and a new pillow top to complete the refresh.
I just ordered the kit to retrofit. I’ll let you know once I’ve tried the upgraded headset out. I’m thinking I’m going to like it enough to perform on my other headset...
Goid enough, but placing mic cords under the seal does effect sound reduction. Also you were pushing with hands on ear cups. Yes clamping pressure helps.
It is a challenge. All I can say is, that your hearing is important and the more expensive brands have long standing warranties, plus good parts availability, hopefully last for years. If you spend £300 or $300 on a headset, then you might as well have put that to more expensive set to start with - depending how far into your training you are. In the US Lightspeed and Bose used to do trade in discounts. Or you could keep your cheep headset and use it for passengers. But as I say, I think you get what you pay for, small caveat, you are paying for a warranty/peace of mind in the purchase price. And as with a lot of prestige brands, one does pay a premium for branding etc. However both Bose and Lightspeed are very good, industry leaders.
Muso Seven yea I think I’m going to get a set of the light speed sierras, that should do just fine until I land a job flying with a airline, eventually. By that point I could always upgrade to what ever newer mode they’re on
When I started my training, I bought the cheapest noise cancelling set I could find, which was the Lightspeed Sierras. Five years later, still using them.
Taking Off I just got the Sierra’s , bought that for $450 used on FB market place. The seller sold his plane and he had two pairs for his passengers so I think I got a pretty good deal , that’s bout ~25% off
I'm new and getting my PPL, but didn't want to spend a lot on a headset just yet, so I bought the Rugged Air's for $85. Apparently they are cheaper than all those you have tested, but they worked great for me on my first flight. They seemed to have blocked out the noise and I could hear/transmit just fine with my CFI. They didn't get uncomfortable at all after 1.5hr. I'll need more seat time to determine if these are durable and won't fall apart on me. However, I could easily replace them every year or 2 and still come out ahead of the more expensive $1k sets. I haven't tried on a better set to compare, but until then I feel like these are the best bargain for me. Or can be spares should I win the lottery and want A20's.
Hi everybody flying!!! I'm an Antonov 2 Russian pilot and I have to use soviet GSH-A-18 headsets)) I think, that it doesn't decrease the noise at all! Be stronger! 😂 Hopefully, I'll be an owner of Zulu 3 and enjoy my work)
I'm a Zulu guy and I have 80 hours with my Zulu 2 and I absolutely love it. Last week I took a friend flying who has the A20 and we decided to swap for the trip to test the other's out because I wanted to try the A20 and he wanted to try the Lightspeed. Even though I love my Zulu, I can honestly say the A20 is more comfortable. The Zulu is still very comfortable but the A20 just barely beats it in comfort.
You know what they say about opinions....I have a set of Zulu 3's and A20's. I easily prefer my Zulu's. I will say this...These are the only two headsets I would own and would recommend a prospective buyer to compare them side to side for comfort to make that final decision. No two heads are the same. Nor are two sets of ears.
@@AviNerd Since I take care of my equipment that's a difficult question to answer. But I think build quality and durability are equal. Bose thinks everything they make is worth more than anything else. I disagree. I chose Sony ANR Bluetooth headset over the Bose for comfort and sound quality. I prefer my Zulu because of comfort. It's really a personal thing between these headsets on the comfort opinion.
@@TakingOff Because we're dealing with a lot of low frequencies in the cockpit, and those are the hardest to stop (we need mass and density). Low frequencies cause plenty of bad things (stress, vibration-related effects), but not hearing loss. Human ear perceives them as quieter than they are (that's how our hearing works - it's more sensitive in the mid-range). Once you measure ambient noise, you get a sample figure, you put your headset on - you get attenuation, but the dB meter still sees 'low end' of the spectrum, that is not evenly reduced compared to the rest of audio spectrum. There's an easy way of testing isolation characteristics on the ground - get an audio speaker, put white noise through it, and do exactly as you did in the cockpit, but with A-weighted curve, 3 feet from the speaker at all times - that's how manufacturers get their 30-40dB noise reduction that looks great on paper :D. What is the most important thing - the dB's don't matter at all in this case - what you and Bryan did was a practical test - which ones FEEL the best? And that's the right answer. Keep up the great work!
Great video guys! I bought two sets of Bose A-20 Blue Tooth headsets for my Cub when I finish it. 😁 I LOVE’EM!!! I have been restoring my late Grandfathers 1946 J-3C Cub that he bought in 1968. And it flew pretty much every year until major tear down in 2017 for this major restoration. Feel free to check out my videos. 😁👌🏼
I currently have a David Clark H20-10 and have been happy with it. I bought a Clarity Aloft at Sun an Fun and while they are quieter the the DC they are not as comfortable. I will soon be upgrading to the Zulu 3. I tried the A-20 and the Zulu 3 and for me the Zulu 3 was more comfortable so that is what I will buy.
Hello buddy, could you explain how you record headphone (ATC)/mic (both of you) audio at the same time with video? (I'm a student pilot, so I love to record audio conversation with ATC/Instructor with video) 🙂🙂🙂🛬🚁🛫✈️🛩️
I’m almost ready to go solo in my flight training to be a private pilot, is it a good idea to jump in and buy some earphones or wait until you pass your check ride?
You get what you pay for. If you fly professionally - multiple hours a day- get the Bose. The band is metal now, and if you have LEMO plugs, you don’t need to worry about the AA batteries. The sound quality and the mic performance are the best. They are also the most comfortable.
How is this a “scientific” test? You are testing passive models against noise ANR models. Why not Test the less expensive brands’ noise cancelling models?
Yeah, we know. We tested what we had. We'll try to do more soon. And we made sure to denote which were ANC so you could decide. But we wanted a baseline of what the dB is with non noise cancelling.
Hello gentlemen, I was looking forward to watching this video. But you were not clear with WHAT headset was what. I guess I was hoping at the end, you would have held up each seperare headset to talk about it. Unless a person or new pilot knows what is what...people aren't going to know what headset you are talking about. Thank you anyway. I'll keep watching.
At the end of the day you get what you pay for.if you want the best you’ll be looking at a large investment..I have used H10-30s for years these are medium priced..possibly discontinued now,but they were more than adequate for my needs. I use to hire light aircraft but I used my own headsets..you can have the best headsets in the world,but if the radio in your aircraft is poor like in many training/hire aircraft then this defeats the object of paying top money..retired now flew for 3o years..Happy landings all..
I would think that specific frequencies are more harmful than others. A decibel meter lumps all frequencies together. Talk to a specialist and bring in his or her knowledge would be helpful.. Thanks for the Vlog..
Agreed! From my understanding, ANR cancels out the low frequency best, which is the damaging frequency. Because of where the sensors are, and how the ANR works, perhaps there is a further reduction in perceived noise in the ear canal as compared to the meter? One thing I have been curious about, is that you can hear changes in sound, as in when changing power or if there's a 'problem'. How does that sound? Does it get annoying?
I have tinnitus from going to rock concerts without hearing protection and shooting guns without hearing protection (just a few times).... its not fun, you don't want it
I like the sound of the mic on the Bose A20, but come on, $1,095! I smell unnatural “aviation” price increases. For me, a very poor pilot, I use the Faro G2 ANC that is priced at $224. And i suppose it’s fine because I don’t ever think about my headset during flight.
Hi Jim-- I can't disagree. I love Bose and their products, but could never bring myself to pay that. But I love riding in someone's plane that has them.
Was Daniel’s meter doing an average since the meter started, or a moving average over a recent short period of time? If the former, the results are skewed by the previously tested headsets.
Unfortunately for aviation, the safest (best) products are always WAY more expensive than anything else. Bose and Lightspeed are surely the best. And, hearing ATC is very important. But at $6 a gallon for fuel, what the heck are we supposed to do? The day is coming when the aviation industry will crater..... It's getting close.
That was a silly unscientific test. Totally bogus! The slightest leak in the ear seals will give you a 20 dB different reading. My David Clark DNR headsets make my 114 dB 200 mph homebuilt perfectly quiet. However what about the microphones? All brands have similar passive noise cancelling mics, that is a problem in my airplane; the noise opens the intercom squelch and makes it hard for ATC to hear me.
So the bottom line is the $1000 Bose didn't do any better than a $90 Knock off for ANR. These guys are truely garbage and never admitted that you are paying for a name brand, not performance.
When testing the Bose, Bryan actually covered the "Ombient" sensing mics of the headset with his fingers and decreased headset noise reduction performance. A20 has inside the earcup mics and outside ones to "listen" to the noise.
One thing I have noticed with my personal experience, they mic on the Bose is way better than any other headset I have tried.
One thing you failed to mention was the spectral frequency response of the mike used to measure attenuation of the headset. Various different materials and methods of noise reduction do not reduce noise uniformly across the audio frequency spectrum. In particular, active noise cancelling headsets are designed to provide most attenuation selectively, in the frequency band known to be most injurious to hearing. So if that is not what you are measuring, the results are compromised. Perhaps that is why some headsets which seem to be strong attenuators measure out to be much less so. Just sayin...
I fly 6-9 hrs in the Saab 340 wearing the Bose A20 wearing reasonably thick sunglasses all wrapped around a 61cm head. No complaints, ATC comms are crystal clear and I hear enough ambient noise to maintain good situational awareness of the engines, props and forward galley.
Great job, Dan and Bryan! I don't fly piston airplanes, but I fly a very loud jet...the Boeing 737. I'd say 90% of the people I fly with use some form of a noise cancelling headset and we have an intercom for communications between the two pilots. The 737 noise is generated by wind and not the engines (and of course, not the propeller). I've been on the airplane for just over a year and have a touch over 500 hours in it. I started off with the Bose A20s. They did a great job at noise cancelling, but they're very bulky and we do long legs/long days in it. It gets a bit much after a 6-8 hour day. I switched up to the David Clark DC Pro-X. It's a lightweight, on-ear model that was pretty much designed for the 737 to cancel out the wind noise. It's super comfortable and and gives me plenty of noise cancelling. I can definitely tell a reduction in fatigue at the end of the day. I know it probably wouldn't work in the Centurion (beautiful plane, by the way), but it works great in the 7-3! My favorite headset of all time is the molded earpiece with a boom mike hanging off of it, but this airplane is way too loud for that! Love the videos! Keep up the good work! -Fellow DFW aviator!
I know lots a professional pilots use a qc 35 bose or a ufq or a sony w3 combo with a plug mike.
About half the price and u can ride home and use them when commuting.
The day of paying this amount of money for crap is slowly coming to a end.
Have you considered trying out the Bose pro flights, they are super lightweight and getting more popular with 737 pilots. A20 owner here, only used in flight training and GA so far but once I progress to larger aircraft Like a 737 or a320 I may switch to the Bose proflights.
Great video guys! I started with an ASA head set and this year I up graded to a Bose A 20 .. when I turned on the noise canceling feature it was a next level experience! I have posted the question many times about what head set people prefer and it always comes down to light speed and bose.
I realize this is an old video, but I still use my 45 yr old Avcomm headsets...they still work...they cancel noise very well...they're comfortable ...and I'd buy them again.
Wow!
I actually do have that avcomm heaset in same color. I got it secondhand but my daughter never complained and we could hear each other fine. When I tried it on, only one ear was producing sound. Otherwise, it worked for short flights in a Cub.
Nice test. One variable may be the hat. I saw a couple times where the eat piece was on the hat.
finally a decent aviation headset comparison of proper headsets ,, thank you Taking off. by the way wonder if you guys can do one of these top end noise cancelling headset Vs something like Sony 1000mx3 with nflightmic or avee.. maybe thats the way to go
We can try!
I use the David Clark’s and they seem to work great (I haven’t tried any higher end headsets before).. except after about 2 hours of flight I’ll start to get that head squeezed feeling around the ears.
I second that!
The Bose A20s are by far the best and reduce the most noise and are hyper comfortable given how light they are...they are expensive but they are worth it.
When I bought my ANR headset I tested before buying (go to SNF or Oshkosh!). The ANR seemed about the same between Bose A20 & Zulu 3. I chose Lightspeed Zulu 3 because they were more comfortable for me. At that level you just have to decide what fits/sounds the best for your head and ears. As for passengers, they get my old ASA headset that does a pretty good job, but there is no beating ANR!
And the Zulu's quite a bit less than the A20's.
Cool test. It’s nice to see something a little different in the way they were tested.
I noticed that you were pressing your fingers on the ear cup while taking some of the readings. There are microphones on the outside (at least on the Bose) where you were putting your fingers that are used to cancel the sound. Your fingers being over them or even nearby may have affected the ANR performance.
I'm a retired electronics engineer with some background in experimental psychology. To me, the demonstrations depicted in this film are not tests in any scientific sense of the word. There are so many uncontrolled variables as to make these comparisons fairly meaningless. Among the uncontrolled variables are leakage around hats and eyeglass frames, and the position and orientation of the so-called decibel meter mics within the earmuffs.
CF86301 but it all got the same test thus the difference. Good enough for a rough draft.
I would agree, interesting but multiple times I saw Brian applying pressure to the ear cups as he was taking readings which doesn’t mean he would get real world clamping force. I think the video was rushed due to the weather and I think another more scientific video needs to be done when they don’t have “get the results-itus” 😂 also would like to see a Bose QC35 with Nflightmic as well as the new Lightspeed Delta Zulu.
I've been using the Faro G2 ANR for about 8 months. No complaints so far and the price is great compared to the others. Battery life has been really good as well. I'm going to try the decibel meter thing next time I'm up and see how they perform. This video has gotten me curious.
i've been using my Sennheiser HD-25 for 25 years. It's wonderful.. I used it for years in the DC-3s I was flying. The company provided David Clark vises. I can't wear those for longer than an hour. The HD-25 is noise cancelling, but I rarely use that. Sometimes the first indication of engine trouble is something you hear. The Sennheiser HD-25 cuts the noise well enough without using the noise cancelling, besides I don't have to buy a lot of AA batteries. By the way, I'm also a professional photographer/videographer. If you want the prop to look like it should, don't use a shutter speed faster than 1/60th second, or turn off the shutter. You'll get better depth of field with the lens stopped down to compensate for the slow shutter speed. The default on video cameras should be 1/60th. At least, it was with the professional Betacam cameras I was using.
Me too, they were made using Peltor housings, with Sennheiser noise cancelling electronics inside. I run mine off of aircraft power instead of batteries.
I have the SIERRA... BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK! the noise cancelling is good, intercom works perfectly and confortable enough for average (2hr) flights.
thanks guys this is very helpful,,but i think the test is less accurate due to holding it against the ear...
Finally some sound advice! And you guys are awesome! :-)
"They are calling you right now" - - that is ringing in your ears :-)
#1 question on the forums - "How much does Bryan charge for flight lessons?" followed by "Does Bryan really use a Green Screen, or is it all real?"
The Wright Brothers used 2 tin cans on a string.
Great video, guys. I rather suspect that the size of the Avcom child's headset caused high clamping forces, which lead to a better noise reduction, but beyond that, not something I would own.
Missed the CrazedPilot ANR1 at $197 for Active Noise Reduction.
I started with the Sigtronics ANR. Didn't like that they squeel like a stuck pig when the battery voltage drops, so I switched to Faro G2.
Correction: I started flying when headsets (GA) didn't exist --- used the speaker above my left ear.
Went into the miltary and used GI headsets (before they switched to DC headsets in the 90s).
I like the Faro, but after 4 hours of continuous use, they become uncomfortable (hard to assess comfort on a 5 minute test --- need to go for multiple continuous hours)
$0.02
I did transition training on my present aircraft and was provided with the A20s during the training. Didn't like them --- not comfortable for wear or for reception -- also didn't like the price. (another $0.02) -
What model David Clark headset did you test?
Hey you guys,
Great video. What is also interesting: How do die ANR Headsets perform, when batteries are empty (passive noise canceling performance)?
And you might add the DC One-x in whenever you do jour next check.
Allways happy landings:-)😀
A difference of 2 dB is almost not detectable by the human ear. 1 dB difference is not detectable. The decibel scale is logarithmic not linear. Between the Bose and Lightspeed the best metric will be comfort (weight and clamping pressure) and cost.
Qset aviator headset is the best value headset out there. Noise cancelling blue tooth. Highly recommended them over others. Small company great service.
We'll have to test them.
@@TakingOff I fly an open cockpit gyrocopter with Comtronix headset. Try these out. They work well in an open environment, maybe even better in a closed cockpit. Thankx for doing this testing. We are rotor-craft enthusiast and you know how loud these craft can be.
Are the Qset headsets available in the UK, I don't think that they are, sadly.
David Clark ear clamps protect your ears just fine. I grew up on them before $1200 headsets were the norm. You also don’t want noise cancelling that’s so incredibly good you can’t hear the pitch changes in engine sound. Otherwise you’re going to be staring at your engine gauges continually during approach and landing. I can land my 767 on sound alone but if one ear isn’t uncovered during approach I have to keep looking at the EICAS.
Speaking from a shooting sports background. 40% of hearing loss comes from outside the ear channel. So over the ear headsets offer much better hearing protection than inside the ear sets.
love my Sierras. i also can't justify paying almost double for the Bose when i can get two Sierras.
David Clark One-x?
Great comparisson and very useful. Would love to know, how come nobody ever compares the David Clark ANR options? Are they not even worth considering? I am renewing my PPL this year, and want to upgrade from my David Clark H10-13.4 passive (they were OK - comfortable, but never really considered them to be great at noise reduction in a DA20 or 172). I am looking at the Zulu 2 over Sierra mainly because of physical design features. I cant justify the Bose for a monthly VFR pilot as myself.
We didn't ry a DC ANR simply because neither one of us had one. Maybe we'll be able to borrow one for next time. Thanks for watching!!
I have a Zulu 3 with blue tooth and won a set of a20’s at sun and fun . And imo i can’t tell the difference between them expect the way they ride on my head. The zulus seem to be more comfortable than the a20’s.
But both are worth the money hands down.
I want to win a headset! That would be primo.
tasev1
Yea it was cool. I signed a little card at the booth at sun and fun and about two weeks later I got an email saying I won it.
Lucky chap winning a headset! Good to hear your comments re the comparison. I'm pretty much settled on either A20 or Zulu 3s, but I noticed that the review set of the latter had a dent in them?! I've used Sierra's and they seemed great although there were some quality control issues with them.
My utmost focus on the video was when ice was picking up on the wings. The headsets came second.
My understanding is that active noise reduction does not protect your hearing, it just provides a perceived noise reduction And your ears are still subject to The higher noise level. In other words, noise canceling is not the same as noise reduction. Therefore, would really love to see an extra data point and see what reduction was achieved for each headset with passive only (anr off).
Try a dummy head microphone next time it will be more accurate
Try the Crazed Pilot ANR -- that is what I went with during my training -- now have the Zulu3 as I wanted the Bluetooth.
Headset technology "secret" nowadays? No way. Bose is brand, we all know that. Lightspeed is doing a great job. I Love the fact that they have basically the same performance. But, price quite different. It would be nice to see you guys testing these headsets with two criteria: PNR and ANR on the same headset, it would be nice to see how much noise reduction difference between PNR and ANR. Anyways, thanks for doing the test and sharing it.
How did you record the voice and video at the same time without loud engine interference?
ANR only reduces decibels at certain frequencies.
Thanks Brian and Dan. I think it's all about measured frequencies. I picked up a comment from Bryan saying the attenuation seemed better in perception than sometimes the drop in meter reading.
A "human" index may be better % wise, using the ear as a sensor, and say, taking the mid range set as a baseline. Possibly? :)
Very good effort and review guys!!
Yeah, let’s test the kids Avcomm headset with no mic muff and call it a real experiment. These guys are geniuses! “Ombient noise”
I have to imagine that the outtakes from this video would be pretty funny!:-)
Actually, Bryan was on his best behavior. That and I was flying in ice... hard to make jokes. LOL.
@@JustPlaneSilly looking forward to that one Bryan!! Enjoyed this one for sure...
You didn't indicate what the max drop was in the zulu 3s.
can you post your Zulu Siera vs Zulu 3 results please?
Awsome headset test only thing I would have like to seen was the ear buds, I'm not sure how you would test them.
This finally came up on my suggested video list. I got a set of the green David Clamps.... not long after I started using them, they became a left ear only, so I upgraded my Pilot USA to a new set of gel ear muffs and a new cord. I just got a kit to upgrade my old David Clark’s to ANR from Active Headsets Inc. it’s a kit that replaces the original speakers with a pair of speakers, one for ANR and the second for sound. This plus new gel seals and a new pillow top to complete the refresh.
Are they working well for you?
I just ordered the kit to retrofit. I’ll let you know once I’ve tried the upgraded headset out. I’m thinking I’m going to like it enough to perform on my other headset...
Goid enough, but placing mic cords under the seal does effect sound reduction. Also you were pushing with hands on ear cups. Yes clamping pressure helps.
About to start my pilot training , wish these weren’t so much money , even the low end of the light speed are costly
It is a challenge. All I can say is, that your hearing is important and the more expensive brands have long standing warranties, plus good parts availability, hopefully last for years. If you spend £300 or $300 on a headset, then you might as well have put that to more expensive set to start with - depending how far into your training you are. In the US Lightspeed and Bose used to do trade in discounts. Or you could keep your cheep headset and use it for passengers. But as I say, I think you get what you pay for, small caveat, you are paying for a warranty/peace of mind in the purchase price. And as with a lot of prestige brands, one does pay a premium for branding etc. However both Bose and Lightspeed are very good, industry leaders.
Muso Seven yea I think I’m going to get a set of the light speed sierras, that should do just fine until I land a job flying with a airline, eventually. By that point I could always upgrade to what ever newer mode they’re on
When I started my training, I bought the cheapest noise cancelling set I could find, which was the Lightspeed Sierras. Five years later, still using them.
Taking Off I just got the Sierra’s , bought that for $450 used on FB market place. The seller sold his plane and he had two pairs for his passengers so I think I got a pretty good deal , that’s bout ~25% off
It would be good idea to check the passive headsets with the in-ear filters...
3:17 That voice on the radio sounds just like the guy from Friend Skies Film.
I'm new and getting my PPL, but didn't want to spend a lot on a headset just yet, so I bought the Rugged Air's for $85. Apparently they are cheaper than all those you have tested, but they worked great for me on my first flight. They seemed to have blocked out the noise and I could hear/transmit just fine with my CFI. They didn't get uncomfortable at all after 1.5hr. I'll need more seat time to determine if these are durable and won't fall apart on me. However, I could easily replace them every year or 2 and still come out ahead of the more expensive $1k sets. I haven't tried on a better set to compare, but until then I feel like these are the best bargain for me. Or can be spares should I win the lottery and want A20's.
Thanks for another great video. What mic did you use that's small enough to fit inside the ear cups?
Hi everybody flying!!! I'm an Antonov 2 Russian pilot and I have to use soviet GSH-A-18 headsets)) I think, that it doesn't decrease the noise at all! Be stronger! 😂
Hopefully, I'll be an owner of Zulu 3 and enjoy my work)
I'm a Zulu guy and I have 80 hours with my Zulu 2 and I absolutely love it. Last week I took a friend flying who has the A20 and we decided to swap for the trip to test the other's out because I wanted to try the A20 and he wanted to try the Lightspeed.
Even though I love my Zulu, I can honestly say the A20 is more comfortable. The Zulu is still very comfortable but the A20 just barely beats it in comfort.
That’s what I hear a lot
You know what they say about opinions....I have a set of Zulu 3's and A20's. I easily prefer my Zulu's. I will say this...These are the only two headsets I would own and would recommend a prospective buyer to compare them side to side for comfort to make that final decision. No two heads are the same. Nor are two sets of ears.
Douglas H when it comes to durability of the design who would win?
@@AviNerd Since I take care of my equipment that's a difficult question to answer. But I think build quality and durability are equal. Bose thinks everything they make is worth more than anything else. I disagree. I chose Sony ANR Bluetooth headset over the Bose for comfort and sound quality. I prefer my Zulu because of comfort. It's really a personal thing between these headsets on the comfort opinion.
I was so surprised by the gear I’m not kidding
Thanks for the information
I like the way you did these tests as you could also tell the difference in microphone tonality. Good Job. I also use the Zulu and Zulu 3.
Yes, in the editing, it was really noticeable and the DC's did a great job there.
Did you apply the A-weighted curve to your dB meters?
Bryan fought to apply the B-weighted curve. j/k. I have no idea what you're talking about. 😉
Taking Off it makes meter to respond more like human hearing, otherwise, it will severely over read, mainly due to low frequencies.
I figure if we use same setup across the board, if it "over reads" it will do so with everything evenly/fairly.
@@TakingOff Because we're dealing with a lot of low frequencies in the cockpit, and those are the hardest to stop (we need mass and density). Low frequencies cause plenty of bad things (stress, vibration-related effects), but not hearing loss. Human ear perceives them as quieter than they are (that's how our hearing works - it's more sensitive in the mid-range). Once you measure ambient noise, you get a sample figure, you put your headset on - you get attenuation, but the dB meter still sees 'low end' of the spectrum, that is not evenly reduced compared to the rest of audio spectrum. There's an easy way of testing isolation characteristics on the ground - get an audio speaker, put white noise through it, and do exactly as you did in the cockpit, but with A-weighted curve, 3 feet from the speaker at all times - that's how manufacturers get their 30-40dB noise reduction that looks great on paper :D. What is the most important thing - the dB's don't matter at all in this case - what you and Bryan did was a practical test - which ones FEEL the best? And that's the right answer. Keep up the great work!
Which headsets feature voice recognition?
Wish they tried the Faros.
Great video guys! I bought two sets of Bose A-20 Blue Tooth headsets for my Cub when I finish it. 😁 I LOVE’EM!!!
I have been restoring my late Grandfathers 1946 J-3C Cub that he bought in 1968. And it flew pretty much every year until major tear down in 2017 for this major restoration. Feel free to check out my videos. 😁👌🏼
I currently have a David Clark H20-10 and have been happy with it. I bought a Clarity Aloft at Sun an Fun and while they are quieter the the DC they are not as comfortable. I will soon be upgrading to the Zulu 3. I tried the A-20 and the Zulu 3 and for me the Zulu 3 was more comfortable so that is what I will buy.
I think my ears are made different- I can’t do Clarity Alofts.
@@TakingOff I totally understand. Initially I liked them but over time I went back to my old David Clark.
Hello buddy, could you explain how you record headphone (ATC)/mic (both of you) audio at the same time with video? (I'm a student pilot, so I love to record audio conversation with ATC/Instructor with video) 🙂🙂🙂🛬🚁🛫✈️🛩️
We use the NFlightcam GoPro cable that basically interrupts your headphone feed.
I’m almost ready to go solo in my flight training to be a private pilot, is it a good idea to jump in and buy some earphones or wait until you pass your check ride?
I bought my Lightspeed Sierras at the beginning of my flight training and still use them today five years later.
You get what you pay for. If you fly professionally - multiple hours a day- get the Bose. The band is metal now, and if you have LEMO plugs, you don’t need to worry about the AA batteries. The sound quality and the mic performance are the best. They are also the most comfortable.
What microphone did you use for the test?
Crazy pronunciation of "ambient" noise by the guest
I know, right????
Doesn't David Clark have a noise cancelling headset? Pro X2. Why wouldn't you compare those to the Zulu and the A20?
We didn’t own any.
Samsun mx4 with crystal mic attachment. Amazing
The Kid Knockoff looks like the Razer Blackshark Headset😂
Cool video!
How is this a “scientific” test? You are testing passive models against noise ANR models. Why not Test the less expensive brands’ noise cancelling models?
Yeah, we know. We tested what we had. We'll try to do more soon. And we made sure to denote which were ANC so you could decide. But we wanted a baseline of what the dB is with non noise cancelling.
I can't decide what to buy!! Anyone use the UFQ L2's?
Hello gentlemen, I was looking forward to watching this video. But you were not clear with WHAT headset was what. I guess I was hoping at the end, you would have held up each seperare headset to talk about it. Unless a person or new pilot knows what is what...people aren't going to know what headset you are talking about. Thank you anyway. I'll keep watching.
We will probably do a new headset review in the very near future.
Cory Couch I totally agree we needed a summary and throw the names back at us
At the end of the day you get what you pay for.if you want the best you’ll be looking at a large investment..I have used H10-30s for years these are medium priced..possibly discontinued now,but they were more than adequate for my needs. I use to hire light aircraft but I used my own headsets..you can have the best headsets in the world,but if the radio in your aircraft is poor like in many training/hire aircraft then this defeats the object of paying top money..retired now flew for 3o years..Happy landings all..
I would think that specific frequencies are more harmful than others. A decibel meter lumps all frequencies together. Talk to a specialist and bring in his or her knowledge would be helpful.. Thanks for the Vlog..
Agreed! From my understanding, ANR cancels out the low frequency best, which is the damaging frequency. Because of where the sensors are, and how the ANR works, perhaps there is a further reduction in perceived noise in the ear canal as compared to the meter? One thing I have been curious about, is that you can hear changes in sound, as in when changing power or if there's a 'problem'. How does that sound? Does it get annoying?
Dude wtf... Why doesn't anyone ever test the DC one-x?!
It’s a travesty (and we couldn’t get our hands on any in the moment). Next time.
Love this channel. Come on subscribers get with the channel fan
No DC One X??? I dunno man...
I have tinnitus from going to rock concerts without hearing protection and shooting guns without hearing protection (just a few times).... its not fun, you don't want it
The word is "ambient" like "I am"
LOL. That's okay, Bryan probably says "Ont" not "Ant" for "Aunt."
LOL. That's okay, Bryan probably says "Ont" not "Ant" for "Aunt."
LOL. That's okay, Bryan probably says "Ont" not "Ant" for "Aunt."
Bose A20
hahahahaha love that Brian guy
I like the sound of the mic on the Bose A20, but come on, $1,095! I smell unnatural “aviation” price increases. For me, a very poor pilot, I use the Faro G2 ANC that is priced at $224. And i suppose it’s fine because I don’t ever think about my headset during flight.
And ATC has never commented on poor audio, so I suppose the Faro is Okay. I could buy 5 brand new Faro’s for the price of 1 A20
Hi Jim-- I can't disagree. I love Bose and their products, but could never bring myself to pay that. But I love riding in someone's plane that has them.
does It bug anyone else that he can’t pronounce “ambient” correctly?
Yes.
Was Daniel’s meter doing an average since the meter started, or a moving average over a recent short period of time? If the former, the results are skewed by the previously tested headsets.
Moving. THere was a lot more time to reset than what's shown in the editing.
just buy the BOSE a20 buy nice or buy twice
Unfortunately for aviation, the safest (best) products are always WAY more expensive than anything else. Bose and Lightspeed are surely the best. And, hearing ATC is very important. But at $6 a gallon for fuel, what the heck are we supposed to do? The day is coming when the aviation industry will crater..... It's getting close.
Ambiance 😂🤣
Was wondering if someone would pick up on his pronunciation. Haha!!
It was very distracting!
Im not paying 800 bills for a fucking head set!!!!
Wright bros used bose? Was bose even born then? Must be a joke i suppose.
That was a silly unscientific test. Totally bogus! The slightest leak in the ear seals will give you a 20 dB different reading. My David Clark DNR headsets make my 114 dB 200 mph homebuilt perfectly quiet. However what about the microphones? All brands have similar passive noise cancelling mics, that is a problem in my airplane; the noise opens the intercom squelch and makes it hard for ATC to hear me.
Bose
So the cheap one works the best, but you figure out a way to throw it out.
Not sure I understand? The cheap ones did not work the best. The one that worded the best was the Lightspeed Tangos.
Ambience 🤔
And you ignore the David Clark DC One-X? A Bose, three Lightspeeds and that all for the ANR's? Pathetic.
Lol! Send me one for next time! We tested those we owned on this first round.
So the bottom line is the $1000 Bose didn't do any better than a $90 Knock off for ANR. These guys are truely garbage and never admitted that you are paying for a name brand, not performance.