Headsets and ANR

I'm thinking about upgrading my Sigtronics S-20 headset. Right now, I'm
considering the Lightspeed QFR SOLOc and Lightspeed QFR XCc (with ANR).

I like the price of the passive headset and I also like that it has a
pretty high amount of muffling (28.7 db according to the selasfolk).

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

I have several questions:
1. Has anyone here flown both models?
2. Do the numbers in the sales-literature mean anything in real life?
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?

Thanks,
-Luke

Imagine sitting in a car with a blaring loud stereo.

Putting on headset takes away some of the noise passively, as expected.

Turning on the ANR is like cutting the wire to the stereo's subwoofer..
it takes a LOT of the lower frequency noise out.. and yea.. the effect
is additive.. you can add passive to active dB suppression.

I have not personally used the Lightspeed product so I will withhold
comment on them.

In any event, ANR is worth the money. I have 3 conversion headsets and
one factory Telex ANR. All perform great.

Dave

Luke Scharf wrote:

I'm thinking about upgrading my Sigtronics S-20 headset. Right now, I'm
considering the Lightspeed QFR SOLOc and Lightspeed QFR XCc (with ANR).

I like the price of the passive headset and I also like that it has a
pretty high amount of muffling (28.7 db according to the selasfolk).

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

I have several questions:
1. Has anyone here flown both models?
2. Do the numbers in the sales-literature mean anything in real life?
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?

Thanks,
-Luke

Luke Scharf wrote:

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

Dave S responded:

Turning on the ANR is like cutting the wire to the stereo's
subwoofer.. it takes a LOT of the lower frequency noise out..

Correct.

.... and yea.. the effect is additive.. you can add passive to active
dB suppression.

Only when measured at the same frequency. For a full explanation of
this issue, see my post on "$259 headsets" from March 20th, 2001 to
rec.aviation.homebuilt.

--
Marc J. Zeitlin
http://marc.zeitlin.home.comcast.net/
http://www.cozybuilders.org/
Copyright (c) 2005

Are you going to Oshkosh? You could try a few there. From my experience,
though, all the sound demos are pretty good. I couldn't perceive differences
among the products offered.

FWIW, a year ago I switched to the Clarity Aloft headset and am now using my
Softcomm C-90 ANR as a passenger/spare unit. Although the Clarity headset is
very slightly less attenuating at the low frequencies, it has more attenuation
overall. This is apparently due to the design of the ear pieces. Plus, the
thing weighs nothing and the audio quality is spectacular.

I can actually hear the stall horn and the gear warning horn better with my
Softcomm headset than with the Clarity unit. I think this is because these
sounds are in that higher frequency range where the Clarity attenuation is better.

http://clarityaloft.com/index.htm

Truth in posting: The president of Clarity is a friend of mine BUT --- I
enthusiastically paid the $500 for mine after being given an opportunity to
test-fly the product. I am now worried that my wife will figure out how good
they are and make me buy her a set to replace her Softcomm ANR set.




On 6/24/2005 7:18 PM, Luke Scharf wrote the following:
I'm thinking about upgrading my Sigtronics S-20 headset. Right now, I'm
considering the Lightspeed QFR SOLOc and Lightspeed QFR XCc (with ANR).

I like the price of the passive headset and I also like that it has a
pretty high amount of muffling (28.7 db according to the selasfolk).

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

I have several questions:
1. Has anyone here flown both models?
2. Do the numbers in the sales-literature mean anything in real life?
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?

Thanks,
-Luke

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)

"Luke Scharf" wrote in message ...
I'm thinking about upgrading my Sigtronics S-20 headset. Right now, I'm considering the Lightspeed QFR SOLOc
and Lightspeed QFR XCc (with ANR).

I like the price of the passive headset and I also like that it has a pretty high amount of muffling (28.7 db
according to the selasfolk).

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

I have several questions:
1. Has anyone here flown both models?
2. Do the numbers in the sales-literature mean anything in real life?
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?


I've flown with the QFR X-C's for a couple of years. I like them quite a bit. Sometimes I forget to turn them
on, and as such they're about equivalent to my non-ANR Avcomm headsets. After the flight I notice that I
forgot to turn them on and think "so THATS why I felt 'off' this flight!"

The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't play well with glasses' earpieces-- it seems to break
the audio seal around the head and causes humming or squealing noises. I think its because of the stiffness of
the padding. The higher priced Lightspeeds come with softer "gel" earpieces (or at least they used to), so I
think they are less vulnerable to this problem. I have taken to tilting my glasses such that their earpieces
rest up on my head above the headphones' earpieces. Works "ok" for sunglasses and/or my reading half-glasses.
(Yes, I do sometimes wear both at once!)
--
Cheers,
John Clonts
Temple, Texas
N7NZ

You may already know this, but you can get the soft "Comfort Seals" for
the Solos and XCs. They're not as thick though. -Steve

"John Clonts" wrote in message
news
The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't play well with
glasses' earpieces-- it seems to break
the audio seal around the head and causes humming or squealing noises. I
think its because of the stiffness of
the padding. The higher priced Lightspeeds come with softer "gel"
earpieces (or at least they used to), so I
think they are less vulnerable to this problem. I have taken to tilting
my glasses such that their earpieces
rest up on my head above the headphones' earpieces. Works "ok" for
sunglasses and/or my reading half-glasses.
(Yes, I do sometimes wear both at once!)

John,

softer "gel" earpieces (or at least they used to),


Actually, it's not gel but ConFo foam which gets softer with body heat.
Conforms very well around glasses.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I'm in the 'Don't go w/o ANR' club.

I use Bose X's (not really worth the difference) and Lightspeed 30XL's. The
Lightspeed ($350) ANR route is the way to go.

You can goggle the threads where Lightspeed products vs support has been
beat to death.

FWIW, {|;-)

Victor J. (Jim) Osborne, Jr.
"Luke Scharf" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking about upgrading my Sigtronics S-20 headset. Right now, I'm
considering the Lightspeed QFR SOLOc and Lightspeed QFR XCc (with ANR).

I like the price of the passive headset and I also like that it has a
pretty high amount of muffling (28.7 db according to the selasfolk).

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

I have several questions:
1. Has anyone here flown both models?
2. Do the numbers in the sales-literature mean anything in real life?
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?

Thanks,
-Luke

I got aQFR XCc for my wife as a birthday present. As a result she
likes to ride with me on long trips a lot more. She really likes the
ANR.

I however found ANR annoying and I perfer passive only headsets. I
can't explain why I found ANR annoying. From a hearing protection's
perspective a good passive headset is more than enough to reduce the
noise to a level that's not harmful to hearing. The cabin noise level
in my Grumman Traveler is around 91 db at high power cruise. A 21db
reduction drops it down to 70db and it's a very safe noise level for
100hr a year. I use a Flightcom 4DX, a cheap utilitarian headset.