RK Henry wrote:

My main complaint with the Bose is the price.

You and everyone else :-).

I am curious about what Bose brings to the product that makes it
worth the extra money. Or David Clark for that matter. I've
fantasized about a ANR headset but am deterred by the money. I'll
just have to make do with the old-fashioned foam-stuffed noise
attenuating headset. If someone can give a good reason to put up
the money, I'd like to hear it.

When I started riding motorcycles in 1976, Bell Helmets started
selling $60 helmets, which were 6X the price of the standard helmets
on the market. Their marketing campaign basically was "If you have a
$10 head, get a $10 helmet".

I'll say the same thing about ANR headsets - if being able to hear as
you get older isn't worth anything to you, then get a set of passive
headsets and save the $200 - $500 difference in cost. However, if you
value your hearing, both now and in the future, you should invest in a
set of headsets that protects your hearing as well as you can, and ANR
does that far better than passive.

Now, WHICH ANR headset to get is far less critical than getting a good
pair, and there are many good pair. Comfort, sound quality, and cost
will all play into the equation. Personally, I got my Bose at a huge
discount, so for me the determination was easy. I purchased a set of
Lightspeed 15XL's a few years ago, because that was MY $350 :-), and
my passenger wears that.

Many people want the best sound quality, light weight, and low
clamping force, and are willing to pay $1K to get it. Others just
want the protection, and you can get that for $300-$500, but the
headsets will be bulky, less comfortable, heavier, and have crappier
sound quality. You pays your money, and takes your choice.

--
Marc J. Zeitlin
http://www.cozybuilders.org/
Copyright (c) 2006