ANR Headset Recommendations

[mike.smith]

I'm looking to replace my old passenger headset with a new one that has ANR. Any recommendations that won't break the bank? I like to be able to plug the ANR headsets into ship's power, rather than having a battery box.

[Murray Parr]

I am using Lightspeed Tango. They are wireless which I love. If you convert to the Lemo plugs, they are wired to the ships power, or you can just plug the panel interface into the ships charge socket (which I wired during construction). I just recharge mine at home though and they last many hours on each charge, but I also have the option of charging in flight. Not sure what the current price is but when I bought mine a few years ago, they were far cheaper than the Bose and are comfortable and light weight, ANR works great and seem to be good quality.

My other ANR set is Lightspeed Zulu purchased 20 years ago and still going strong except the wires from the headset are starting to fray the outer casing, been really happy with those too.

[WaiexB22]

They aren't cheap, but I have the lightspeed delta zulu and I love it. It has the CO monitor which can be nice depending on what you are flying. Personally, I have always upgraded my set and kept my old set for anyone that wanted to go on a ride.

[Tnhelm]

I have two Bose A20’s and two Zulu’s. One of the Bose I bought preowned online from one of the pilot supply stores which is a good value. Both the Bose I bought not blue tooth because I rarely ever used the feature. Buying preowned can save some dollars.
The Bose microphones do a little better in a noisy experimental type cockpit. In my opinion, the Bose has a very slight edge on noise canceling. That maybe more due to fit than electronics, I am not sure.
Regarding the Zulu, one advantage is it has an adjustable gain control on the microphone that the Bose does not have. I have found that the gain needs to be substantially reduced in noisy cockpits to minimize transmit noise. My MGL V16 Comm also has a microphone gain adjustment which needed to be reduced to minimize transmit noise, especially with the Zulu.
Bang for the buck, Zulu, however the Bose has a slight edge on noise control.
I have the Zulu’s in my 172, the Bose in my Onex. Regardless, they are both good.

[Jester504]

I know I'm ignoring the "ANR" part of your question, but I have a Bose A20 and a QT Halo and I vastly prefer the QT Halo. The Halo is also vastly cheaper...

[builderflyer]

I know I'm ignoring the "ANR" part of your question, but I have a Bose A20 and a QT Halo and I vastly prefer the QT Halo. The Halo is also vastly cheaper...

I'll second Jester........I've used both the lightspeed zulu and the QT Halo in my Sonex and much prefer the Halo for noise reduction. It also requires no batteries and being "in the ear", doesn't bang against the side of the canopy.

Art,,,,,,,,,,,Sonex taildragger #95,,,,,,,,,,,,Jabiru 3300 #261

[DCASonex]

If you sit a bit tall in the saddle (long waisted) The Clarity Aloft headsets provide more clearance to the canopy, are very lightweight and the ear pieces which are much like standard ear plugs, do a good job of blocking sound. Had a set for myself and an conventional ANR headset for my wife. She did not like the idea of the little ear plugs, -- until she tried mine one day. Then had to get a set for her.

David A.

[daleandee]

If you sit a bit tall in the saddle (long waisted) The Clarity Aloft headsets provide more clearance to the canopy, are very lightweight and the ear pieces which are much like standard ear plugs, do a good job of blocking sound. Had a set for myself and an conventional ANR headset for my wife. She did not like the idea of the little ear plugs, -- until she tried mine one day. Then had to get a set for her.

David A.

Agreed on the Clarity Aloft! I've had ANR sets and I personally find the Clarity Aloft to be naturally quieter than the ANR sets I've tried (microphone is excellent also). I don't need batteries and I can wear my large full brim sun hat when I'm flying. I wasn't crazy about the supplied in ear tips that came with the headset (they worked well enough) so I ordered some of the triple flange,"tree type" from here:

https://earphonesplus.com/

Easy to insert/remove, they work well, and tend to stay cleaner ...

Dale
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

[Archer123]

I've used these for years... love em, Great price as well

https://www.quiettechnologies.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=66_59