In article ,
john smith wrote:

Just got my tax refund and want to get a new headset. I like Telex and
am
trying to decide between the Stratus and the 4105. Is the performance of
the Stratus worth the extra $300?

Stratus 50 has the best noise cancelling in high noise aircraft of all
makes and manufacturers of headsets.

I've been using a Stratus 50 for a couple of years. It's not terrible, but
I wouldn't buy another one and would not recommend it to others.

Mine broke within a few months of getting it (I could hear, but the mike
was inop). Telex fixed it for free, but it's not a warm and fuzzy feeling
to know that something which is that expensive broke so quickly.

The ANR sometimes generates strange noises, and every once in a while gets
into a howling mode that's so loud it's painful. Some sort of feedback
loop, I guess.

The headset itself is uncomfortable. I find my old DC-13.4's easier to
wear. In the winter, the earcup foam gets so stiff and rigid, it's
actually painful until it warms up a bit. The gel seals in my DC's were
wonderful by comparison.

There's also an RF overload problem. My home field (HPN) has a radar
antenna not far from one of the runways. Every time I go past the radar, I
get a "pop" noise in the headset as the beam points in my direction.
Worse, it will often cause the whole ANR processor to crash (or something),
requiring me to power-cycle the headset to get it back. Telex didn't seem
interested when I complained about that.

The in-line battery box is also a pain. It makes putting the thing away
awkward, and it's always flopping around in the cockpit. That's not really
a Telex-specific problem, but it is a pain. It would be great if the
industry could standardize on a plug to get power and audio in/out all in
one jack, but that's probably a pipe-dream.

What is a telex-specific problem is how the battery box is built. Every
time I open the cover, I cringe, hoping I don't break it off. It just
doesn't have a rugged feel to it. I'm sure one day it will break off, and
then I guess I'll get to see how Telex deals with out of warranty repairs.
It takes 4 AA's, and the diagram showing which way to put them in is almost
impossible to see. I have enough trouble deciphering it in the daylight;
at night, it's impossible to read.

If I ever buy another headset, I'm going back to DC.