Peltor ANR Headset deepsixed

[Maule Driver]

I'm at the end of my rope for these headsets. I bought them about 5
years ago and they worked pretty well. I particularly liked the
workmanship and the way they folded up. 9v battery in the ear cup was
nice too.

This it the second time I've sent one of the them in when the ANR
function just stopped working. This time both are on the blink. First
time they fixed it and billed me something much less than $100. This
time $714 for the pair.

I think not.

Interestingly, the radio shop who sold them to me, commented that my
experience seemed to be typical and he was sorry he sold them (I owe him
on that one).

I'm in the market for a pair of ANRs and busily searching the archives
for past discussions.....

Thank the aviation gods who allowed my Maule's previous owner to
bequeath a pair of non-ANR DCs to me. They work like a charm, have
traveled in the Maule's bilge for 7+ years, and been used by every
less-than-desirable passenger I've taken for a ride.

So why am I looking for another brand?

[dave]

I can't imagine why you're looking for another brand. I went from DC
10-20's to DC anr's about two years ago. The anr's are great. Some
complain about comfort but I don't have any problems. Mine are the
newer models with the 9v battery packs. I really need to get the panel
mounted power supplies installed.

Dave
68 7ECA

Maule Driver wrote:
> I'm at the end of my rope for these headsets. I bought them about 5
> years ago and they worked pretty well. I particularly liked the
> workmanship and the way they folded up. 9v battery in the ear cup was
> nice too.
>
> This it the second time I've sent one of the them in when the ANR
> function just stopped working. This time both are on the blink. First
> time they fixed it and billed me something much less than $100. This
> time $714 for the pair.
>
> I think not.
>
> Interestingly, the radio shop who sold them to me, commented that my
> experience seemed to be typical and he was sorry he sold them (I owe him
> on that one).
>
> I'm in the market for a pair of ANRs and busily searching the archives
> for past discussions.....
>
> Thank the aviation gods who allowed my Maule's previous owner to
> bequeath a pair of non-ANR DCs to me. They work like a charm, have
> traveled in the Maule's bilge for 7+ years, and been used by every
> less-than-desirable passenger I've taken for a ride.
>
> So why am I looking for another brand?

[Dan Luke]

"Maule Driver" wrote:

> So why am I looking for another brand?

Because DC's hurt, that's why.

My experiences:

o DC - extremely durable, extremely painful. Haven't tried their ANR's.

o Lightspeed 25- *very* comfortable, quiet, easy on batteries, not a great
microphone, great customer service (which is nice because mine needs it
often).

o Telex ANR-1D- comfortable, quiet, hard on batteries, good microphone,
sensitive to any seal leak due to glasses, fair customer service (needed it
once).

o Bose X - superb in every way, absurdly expensive.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

[George Patterson]

Dan Luke wrote:
>
> My experiences:
>
> o Bose X - superb in every way, absurdly expensive.

Agreed. One more -
o Sennheiser - nearly as good as the Bose. Costs about 60% as much.

George Patterson
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

[nrp]

I retrofitted DC H10-40 with the Headsets Inc ANR unit some years back.
I also modified our RST Intercom adding a 9 V zener power supply for
the ANR headset so no battery is required to power everything. The RST
Intercom comes with a full circuit diagram (horrors!) so it was easy to
figure out all of this. The RST intercom is connected via a short
cable and a Bendix 6 pin PT series connector adjacent to the fuel
selector, to the aircraft electrical/electronic system and sits on the
cabin floor a couple of inches behind the 172M's fuel selector.

[Jay Honeck]

> So why am I looking for another brand?

I'll second the notion that DC's hurt. And they're heavy.

(And I've always thought Peltor seemed awfully flimsy for the price, BTW.)

My experience:

- Flightcom. Junk. Owned two pairs, and they literally fell apart. And
they hurt almost as much as DCs

- LightSpeed/Old. Old versions (15s, 20s, 25s, 25XLs) were very
comfortable, and not durable. ANR worked great, when it was working.
Outstanding customer service, which I used way too often.

- LightSpeed/New: Twenty 3G models (and up) are outstanding AND durable.
I now have three of them, and they are wonderful.

- Bose. Outstanding, and absurdly over-priced. People who own them rave
about them, but then, who would say anything bad about anything after
parting with a thousand bucks (plus tax!) for what amounts to a pair of
glorified stereo headphones?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[john smith]

Dan, you need to check the TELEX 50D ANR headset.
Best all round.

[Alan]

My experience has been exactly the opposite over the same time period.
Went from non-ANR Peltor to ANR Peltor about 5 years ago and they've
worked perfectly. Very comfortable and reliable. Sorry to hear
about your problem.

A friend loaned me his Bose ANRs while he was on hiatus from flying.
My wife immediately appropriated them because they were so comfortable
and I could only use them when it was just me and the dogs flying. I
was sorry to give them up when HIS wife began her pilot training.

Alan Bloom
'60 C182
Dogs can fly.
http://www.flyingmutts.com


On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 17:18:41 GMT, Maule Driver
> wrote:

>I'm at the end of my rope for these headsets. I bought them about 5
>years ago and they worked pretty well. I particularly liked the
>workmanship and the way they folded up. 9v battery in the ear cup was
>nice too.
>
>This it the second time I've sent one of the them in when the ANR
>function just stopped working. This time both are on the blink. First
>time they fixed it and billed me something much less than $100. This
>time $714 for the pair.
>
>I think not.
>
>Interestingly, the radio shop who sold them to me, commented that my
>experience seemed to be typical and he was sorry he sold them (I owe him
>on that one).
>
>I'm in the market for a pair of ANRs and busily searching the archives
>for past discussions.....
>
>Thank the aviation gods who allowed my Maule's previous owner to
>bequeath a pair of non-ANR DCs to me. They work like a charm, have
>traveled in the Maule's bilge for 7+ years, and been used by every
>less-than-desirable passenger I've taken for a ride.
>
>So why am I looking for another brand?

[Dan Luke]

"john smith" wrote:

> Dan, you need to check the TELEX 50D ANR headset.
> Best all round.

Hah! Like I need another headset!

Seriously, the Bose is so wonderful I'm not even curious, thanks anyway.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[BTIZ]

I had a great LightSpeed XL15 (??Ithink that was it) ANR.. worked great
until someone took a 5 finger discount on my truck late one night.

BT

"Maule Driver" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm at the end of my rope for these headsets. I bought them about 5 years
> ago and they worked pretty well. I particularly liked the workmanship and
> the way they folded up. 9v battery in the ear cup was nice too.
>
> This it the second time I've sent one of the them in when the ANR function
> just stopped working. This time both are on the blink. First time they
> fixed it and billed me something much less than $100. This time $714 for
> the pair.
>
> I think not.
>
> Interestingly, the radio shop who sold them to me, commented that my
> experience seemed to be typical and he was sorry he sold them (I owe him
> on that one).
>
> I'm in the market for a pair of ANRs and busily searching the archives for
> past discussions.....
>
> Thank the aviation gods who allowed my Maule's previous owner to bequeath
> a pair of non-ANR DCs to me. They work like a charm, have traveled in
> the Maule's bilge for 7+ years, and been used by every less-than-desirable
> passenger I've taken for a ride.
>
> So why am I looking for another brand?

[Kyler Laird]

"Dan Luke" > writes:

>o Bose X - superb in every way, absurdly expensive.

....unless of course you buy some Peltor headsets that crap out
on you and cost over $700 to repair. If your time is worth
anything then they start to look like quite a bargain.

--kyler

[Thomas Borchert]

Maule,

I agree to the other poster: DCs hurt!

> First
> time they fixed it and billed me something much less than $100. This
> time $714 for the pair.

They BILL you for repairs??? Wow! I've never heard of any of the "newer"
headset manufacturers do that, except if it is obviously the clients fault
(immersion in water, driving over them) - and even then not always. For
that alone, Peltor should be a no-no.

I like my Lightspeed 20 series.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Dan Luke]

"Kyler Laird" wrote:

>>o Bose X - superb in every way, absurdly expensive.
>
> ...unless of course you buy some Peltor headsets that crap out
> on you and cost over $700 to repair. If your time is worth
> anything then they start to look like quite a bargain.

You don't have to sell me; I don't regret paying the price one bit. This is
a fabulous headset.

As to reliability, I haven't had it long enough to know. Haven't heard any
squawks in the newsgroups, though.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

[Jon Kraus]

I have both Pilot Aviaoncs 1776 and DC 20-10XL's. The Pilot Avionic's
are ANR, lightweight and work well. I am not crazy about the microphone
but I never wear them anymore.

My 20-10XL's are great. I don't find the David Clamp moniker accurate at
all. All those professional and military pilots can be wrong in my book.
I did have to send them in becasue the lft-side ANR module crapped out
when I first got them. I found the DC Customer Service very prompt and
professional. I can't believe that Peltor would charge such an
outrageous fee to repair their headsets. Unless of course they don't
care about Customer Service. Good luck in whatever you do and report
back. Lord knows we don't get enough headset posts here!! :-)

Jon Kraus
'79 Mooney 201
4443H @ TYQ


Maule Driver wrote:

> I'm at the end of my rope for these headsets. I bought them about 5
> years ago and they worked pretty well. I particularly liked the
> workmanship and the way they folded up. 9v battery in the ear cup was
> nice too.
>
> This it the second time I've sent one of the them in when the ANR
> function just stopped working. This time both are on the blink. First
> time they fixed it and billed me something much less than $100. This
> time $714 for the pair.
>
> I think not.
>
> Interestingly, the radio shop who sold them to me, commented that my
> experience seemed to be typical and he was sorry he sold them (I owe him
> on that one).
>
> I'm in the market for a pair of ANRs and busily searching the archives
> for past discussions.....
>
> Thank the aviation gods who allowed my Maule's previous owner to
> bequeath a pair of non-ANR DCs to me. They work like a charm, have
> traveled in the Maule's bilge for 7+ years, and been used by every
> less-than-desirable passenger I've taken for a ride.
>
> So why am I looking for another brand?

[Maule Driver]

Ouch! But well put.

Kyler Laird wrote:
> "Dan Luke" > writes:
>
>
>>o Bose X - superb in every way, absurdly expensive.
>
>
> ...unless of course you buy some Peltor headsets that crap out
> on you and cost over $700 to repair. If your time is worth
> anything then they start to look like quite a bargain.
>
> --kyler

[Maule Driver]

Thomas Borchert wrote:
> They BILL you for repairs??? Wow! I've never heard of any of the "newer"
> headset manufacturers do that, except if it is obviously the clients fault
> (immersion in water, driving over them) - and even then not always. For
> that alone, Peltor should be a no-no.
>
I'm even more surprised that they won't answer the phone for me to tell
them to send them back (2 days now). The letter said that the 'order'
would time out in 2 weeks and they'll send them back.

But the new Garmin handheld gets delivered today! So much for dreams of
Bose...

[Maule Driver]

I don't hear a great deal about Sennheiser. Will have to pay attention.

George Patterson wrote:
> Dan Luke wrote:
>> o Bose X - superb in every way, absurdly expensive.
>
> Agreed. One more -
> o Sennheiser - nearly as good as the Bose. Costs about 60% as much.

[Thomas Borchert]

Maule,

> I'm even more surprised that they won't answer the phone for me to tell
> them to send them back (2 days now).
>

What's that saying: Run, don't walk...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[nooneimportant]

"Maule Driver" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm at the end of my rope for these headsets. I bought them about 5 years
> ago and they worked pretty well. I particularly liked the workmanship and
> the way they folded up. 9v battery in the ear cup was nice too.
>
> This it the second time I've sent one of the them in when the ANR function
> just stopped working. This time both are on the blink. First time they
> fixed it and billed me something much less than $100. This time $714 for
> the pair.
>
> I think not.
>
> Interestingly, the radio shop who sold them to me, commented that my
> experience seemed to be typical and he was sorry he sold them (I owe him
> on that one).
>
> I'm in the market for a pair of ANRs and busily searching the archives for
> past discussions.....
>
> Thank the aviation gods who allowed my Maule's previous owner to bequeath
> a pair of non-ANR DCs to me. They work like a charm, have traveled in
> the Maule's bilge for 7+ years, and been used by every less-than-desirable
> passenger I've taken for a ride.
>
> So why am I looking for another brand?
>


I've got the lightspeed 20xl2 ANR headset, and love it. Lightweight,
comfortable, and not as overpriced as some other ANR brands out there. The
only beef I've had was the microphone. Had to yell into it to be heard by
ATC, so i took it home and adjusted the gain on it a bit, tested it out wiht
another headset on my portable intercom (great to have one of these for this
very purpose!) and got it working again. A couple of months later I went
out for my CPSE checkride, and yet again it quit, my spare was back at the
apartment (I carried it with me for a while till I was confident my
lightspeed was fixed) so I ran home to get it, still managed to pass the
ride. Called up the customer service number and they sent me a new mic, few
questions asked, no bill. Told me it was an easy do it yourself repair, but
i could also send it in to them and they would repair as well, no charge.
Great service. I've tried out a few other brands, have to agree with the
vice effect from DC sets, and while the Bose are comfy, I can't justify
spending a thousand bux on them, even if i had the money. Been hearing
great things about the new lightspeed series (Q3?). Heard great things
abtou Seinhieser, but haven't tried them.

[john smith]

Thomas Borchert wrote:
> I agree to the other poster: DCs hurt!

Only if you use the standard headband that originally comes with the
popular headsets.
There are optional headbands and earcups available to expand the width
of the headset.
I believe it is the 20-10 that comes with the adjustable earcups and
wider headband.
An email or call to DC Customer Service will provide you with answers
and solutions to problems you may experience.

Signed, a 25 year owner of six DC headsets (2x10-40/2x 13.4/2x13.4Y)
The two pairs of 10-40's are 25 years old. They were rebuilt/overhauled
by DC five years ago at the cost of $75/each. The only wear in 20 years
was strain relief breaks at the plugs.

[Thomas Borchert]

John,

> There are optional headbands and earcups available to expand the width
> of the headset.
>

So I'd have to spend even more money?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Kyler Laird]

"Dan Luke" > writes:

>As to reliability, I haven't had it long enough to know. Haven't heard any
>squawks in the newsgroups, though.

I bought two early Bose X headsets. My wife's had a problem when they were
upgraded but Bose eventually solved it. Mine just got upgraded and are
sitting in a box in front of me. I've flown a few hundred hours with them
and they've never been a problem. Especially on 11+ hour days I'd be hard-
pressed to use anything else. (I have Sennheiser, Lightspeed and DC
headsets in the plane too.)

--kyler