David Clarke Reviews

Stu Gotts wrote:

That's why you should never rely on bean counters when it comes to
safety, security or comfort.

It was actually the medical department that killed the program, not the
bean counters. The financial people would have been delighted if there
was any benefit, since payouts for occupational hearing loss are quite
high.

There is some question of the value of ENR (Electronic Noise Reduction)
in avoiding future hearing loss. Our company investigated supplying ENR
headsets in a high noise area, but decided not to, since there was no
demonstrated value. In short, ENR only works on lower frequencies, and
those frequencies typically don't affect hearing as much as higher
frequencies.

With DCs the passive attenuation is on par with other (non ANR) headsets.
The ANR is ADDITIONAL attenuation, with main benefits being increased
clarity of speech and less fatigue. They're really designed for aircraft
type noise levels (which in the big picture of things aren't really that
noisy inside) - they wouldn't be sufficient for such things as daily
chainsaw useage. If you need high frequency protection from relatively high
noise environments then an aviation type headset isn't the right tool for
the job.

James Robinson wrote:

Our company investigated supplying ENR
headsets in a high noise area, but decided not to, since there was no
demonstrated value. In short, ENR only works on lower frequencies, and
those frequencies typically don't affect hearing as much as higher
frequencies.

ANR can be designed to work on any frequency. I suggest your company might want to
check out the Bose ANR headphones (nonaviation). They seem to block out all
frequencies. Great hearing protectors in a noisy environment.

George Patterson
This marriage is off to a shaky start. The groom just asked the band to
play "Your cheatin' heart", and the bride just requested "Don't come home
a'drinkin' with lovin' on your mind".

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote:

ANR can be designed to work on any frequency. I suggest your company might want to
check out the Bose ANR headphones (nonaviation). They seem to block out all
frequencies. Great hearing protectors in a noisy environment.

We were told by the manufacturer that they wouldn't make them for higher
frequencies, since there was risk of increasing noise levels at certain
frequencies. As the wavelengths get shorter, there are problems with
resonances within the earcups.

As far as headsets for noisy environments, the earcups themselves
attenuate higher frequency noises. The idea of ENR is to provide
attenuation at the low frequencies the passive earcups won't handle.

Well, I have six pairs of DC's.
My first two were acquired in 1981, two pairs of H10-40's (electret
mic, wire bales).
Then, in 1995, I bought a pair of H10-13.4Y's for the kids.
In 1997, a buddy gave me a pair of H10-13.4's when he sold his airplane.
These headset are comfortable if you have a narrow head.
For wider heads, you will feel "clamped".
So DC came up with the H20-10 series.
The H20-10's have bigger earcups with an adjustment that has three
positions to adjust the width.

My original H10-40's were sent back to DC for overhaul two years ago. I
was getting stress-relief breaks in the cords at the plugs (pre-molded
relief design).

I have gel seals and "comfort covers" on all six pairs.

I have worn them for up to 14 hours with only slight discomfort at the
end of the flight.

I always use an intercom, but wish PM Engineering would modify one of
their existing portable units to accomodate six headsets.

"Paul" wrote in message
...
Hi

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.

Thanks


Wore a pair to Vermont and back from Austin, Texas once; "David Clamps" is
apropo.
OTOH a solid, well engineered product suitable for military use.
Blue skies
H.
CP AS&MEL IA
ex N2196B, N739CD, N502TB

I use the 13XL which is an ANR model. I switched over the DC after several
failures of my Lightspeeds. I have owned the LS 20XL and then the 20-3G both
when they worked well. My wife's LS QFR also had broken, so I was unwilling
to deal with their low quality any longer. Yes LS has good customer service
but their product quality is poor.

As for the DC 13XL. I have the newer version with the smaller battery pack,
undercut ear seals and extra padded head piece. I have found these to be
more comfortable than the LS. I like the smaller size of the DC over the LSs
too. When I would wear the LS it felt like I had giant Mickey Mouse ears on.
Quality is excellent for this headset and DC is well known for good customer
service even though most people never use it.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Scott F. Migaldi, K9PO
MI-150972
PP-ASEL-IA

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www.hamwave.com


**"A long time ago being crazy meant something, nowadays everyone is
crazy" -- Charles Manson**
-------------------------------------
"Paul" wrote in message
...
Hi

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.

Thanks