ANR headset - which one??

The Bose headsets become less than worthless if the ANR dies. Their passive
sucks big time. Also, their connector wiring is really winpy quality IMO. I
think they're really targeted at people who just feel a lot better if they
spend more. Their ANR response seems to be tuned to knock out piston and
prop sounds. They dont cancel turbine and MR frequencies nearly as well.

The high end lightspeeds are good headsets but their big fluffy earcup size
makes them kind of clumsy sometimes. Their comfy, but sometimes a little too
loose. You cant use them in an open cockpit unless you keep your head
inside. Overall a pretty good value though.

I use the heavy duty ANR DC H10-56HXLs with the NATO plugs and coiled cords
in the Jet Ranger, and the lighter duty H10-13XLs in the piston plane.
They're both good headsets and except for the gell earseals, these things
can take some serious abuse. The earseals on the 13XL's dont seem to want
to stay on the headset as well as they do on the 56s, not sure why, but
theyre easy to put back on if they fall off. Passive and Active modes are
really good on helicopter headsets. You'll hear a pumping kind of sound from
the 2PER in the chopper if the batteries get weak. It can be annoying, so
you just turn off the active and you still have a darn good headset.

For an extra stupid amout of of money. DC will sell you the other pigtail
for the helicopter headsets that will allow them to be used in standard the
GA dual phono jack arrangement. They also sell an adapter thatll power them
from a Bose plug if your aircraft is so equipped.

Bart


"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net wrote in
message ...
A friend of mine let me try his Bose ANR headset yesterday while we
were out flying.. I've got to say the ANR sure made it a lot more
"comfortable" without the wind noise and other assorted rumblings you
get at 90 knots with the doors off...

As such, I want to pick up an ANR headset for myself.. Is Bose the
way to go? How to the David Clarks stack up? Or the Litespeed etc
etc...

I looked at getting the ANR inserts from www.headsetsinc.com but don't
want to deal with an external battery pack and the associated
wiring...

The Bose was nice in that the ANR power was contained in a nice
in-line control unit within the cord... Pretty comfy as well...

Suggestions? Opinions??