Luke,

But, if the ANR headset really is worth the extra expense and hassle,
I'd rather get the right headset the first time.

If at all possible, do not go without ANR. It is a must-have in a decent
headset. Even if the passive reduction is lower, the overall reduction will
be higher.


I have several questions:
1. Has anyone here flown both models?

Yes.

2. Do the numbers in the sales-literature mean anything in real life?

Yes. The passive reduction of the XCc is a noticable tad lower than that of
the SSc, but when you switch on the ANR, the overall reduction of noise
with the XCc is well noticably lower. Also, depending on your preferences,
keep in mind that the XCc has a music input.

3. I know that the Decibel scale is logarithmic. Does the ANR noise
reduction reduce noise in such a way that I can compare headsets by
adding the passive and active ratings together -- or is the cumulative
affect that you hear when you turn on the headset require more subtle
math to calculate?

The latter. On Lightspeed's web site, you can find two ANR tutorials (ANR
1o1 and 2o1). The link is on the right side of the home page. Good reading,
which explains a lot more detail about those questions.


--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)