In article ,
"Paul" wrote:
I am a student pilot hoping to take my checkride within the next month
(PPL/A).

I am after a David Clarke Headset but am not sure which one to buy.
Does anyone know of a good website that has independent reviews on all the
Dave Clarke models, the only reviews I can find are either on the David
Clarke website or on pilot supply websites but none of these seem to be
independent or detailed enough to make my decision.

I am not really interested in the detailed specifications, I am after
reviews from pilots who have used them (comfort, features, weight etc..)
ideally comparing the pro's and con's between the different models.


David Clark's aren't the most comfortable, but they are probably the
most durable and are backed by a company with a legendary reputation for
customer service. I have a relatively old model, the H10-20, and prefer
it to the newer H10-13.4 (I think that's it) model.

Bose is definitely the way to go if you have the money and want active
noise cancellation. My Cherokee just isn't loud enough to warrant any
type of ANR... I've tried many of them, and the extra quiet wasn't worth
the price paid to get it. However, airplanes with larger engines or
less cabin insulation would probably cause me to re-evaluate.

I've tried the LightSpeed sets and they are an excellent value for
active noise cancellation. They are comfortable and work well, and
although the noise cancellation and audio quality isn't quite as good as
the Bose, they're also about $700 less expensive. However, they are
pretty much an all-plastic headset and -- the deal-killer for me -- they
are just too darn big for my airplane. It was easy enough to lower the
seat and work around scraping the top of the cabin, but my lateral space
is at a premium as well, and the large cups with the thick foam made the
headset just too bulky for my airplane.



JKG