Anyone tried any of the "in the ear" headsets?

[Charles]

I'd like to hear anyone's experience with one of the headsets like the
Lighspeed L1 or Mach 1, or the Clarity Aloft headset. I really like
the idea of them, if they work. Besides the obvious questions of noise
attenuation, comfort and sound quality, I'd like to know if they
interfere with glasses - it looks like some or all of them hook over
the top of the ear. I'm also concerned about hearing protection, since
I've heard that earplugs aren't the best in this regard, since sound
can transmit through the head and cause hearing loss even if it sounds
quiet.

[Mark Manes]

I bought the Clarity Aloft set at Oshkosh last year. It works OK with
glasses, that's one reason I wanted to
try it (sunglasses & a cap). And the noise suppression is better than you
would think it should be.. I still use
my Bose unless I'm going to a meeting or something where I don't want the
headset hair look. The main complaint I have is the Clarity Aloft is not
Stereo compatable, so when I listen to my XM Radio it sounds pretty bad.
They may be stereo now, if that's an issue I would ask before I buy. I only
have 3 ANR headsets and I dont hesitate to use the Clarity Aloft and let
the other pax use the ANRs if there are 4 of us in the plane

Mark


"Charles" > wrote in message
news:W5rLe.249056$_o.186023@attbi_s71...
> I'd like to hear anyone's experience with one of the headsets like the
> Lighspeed L1 or Mach 1, or the Clarity Aloft headset. I really like
> the idea of them, if they work. Besides the obvious questions of noise
> attenuation, comfort and sound quality, I'd like to know if they
> interfere with glasses - it looks like some or all of them hook over
> the top of the ear. I'm also concerned about hearing protection, since
> I've heard that earplugs aren't the best in this regard, since sound
> can transmit through the head and cause hearing loss even if it sounds
> quiet.

[Charles]

Mark Manes wrote:

> I bought the Clarity Aloft set at Oshkosh last year. It works OK
> with glasses, that's one reason I wanted to try it (sunglasses & a
> cap). And the noise suppression is better than you would think it
> should be.. I still use my Bose unless I'm going to a meeting or
> something where I don't want the headset hair look. The main
> complaint I have is the Clarity Aloft is not Stereo compatable, so
> when I listen to my XM Radio it sounds pretty bad. They may be stereo
> now, if that's an issue I would ask before I buy. I only have 3 ANR
> headsets and I dont hesitate to use the Clarity Aloft and let the
> other pax use the ANRs if there are 4 of us in the plane
>
> Mark
>


Well, in my case it's just me 99% of the time. The airplane is noisy
(Husky) and I already have a Bose Series 2. Sounds like in my
situtation, you aren't recommending the Clarity Aloft? I'm interested
because after an hour or so, the headsets start to hurt on the top of
my head and to drill my sunglass frames into the side of my head.
Plus, with glasses, the ANR doesn't always do its best.

[Bob Fry]

>>>>> "C" == Charles > writes:
C> I'm interested because after an hour or so, the headsets start
C> to hurt on the top of my head and to drill my sunglass frames
C> into the side of my head. Plus, with glasses, the ANR doesn't
C> always do its best.

Maybe the solution is different sunglass frames. I wear glasses all
the time and make sure I get thin, flexible frames. If you wear a
cap, maybe a different type? Remove any buttons on top of the cap?

[Charles]

Bob Fry wrote:

> >>>>> "C" == Charles > writes:
> C> I'm interested because after an hour or so, the headsets start
> C> to hurt on the top of my head and to drill my sunglass frames
> C> into the side of my head. Plus, with glasses, the ANR doesn't
> C> always do its best.
>
> Maybe the solution is different sunglass frames. I wear glasses all
> the time and make sure I get thin, flexible frames. If you wear a
> cap, maybe a different type? Remove any buttons on top of the cap?

Yeah, I've tried all that. Don't get me wrong, it's not horrible, but
it does bug me on long cross countries. I do have the ball off the top
of my caps... Even so, just the weight of the headset starts to bear
down after a while. The sunglass thing is subtle, but the ANR gets
very noticeably quieter if I push the earcups into my head. I think
it's the gaps around the sunglasses. Even with wire thin frames,
sometimes the big offender is the wide part at the end of the earpiece.
They make them big and flared so you don'tscrap yourself or jab your
eye out, or whatever. I've gone so far as to cut them down and smooth
off the new end with a file. It definitely helps, but if these new
headsets get around all this, that would be great.