I'd be glad to throw in my $0.02 here. I have owned/used many headseats, as I'm sure many of you have. Let me just state, for the record, that we are big fans of quality and will stretch our budget to accommodate that taste. We'll skimp and save to get 'the good stuff.' Musically, we run a full set of Cerwin Vegas at home and take great pleasure in our California made system.

I used a pair of FlightCom's for my entire PPL training. I don't recall the model, but I borrowed them a friend, new. They were midgrade, comfortable, heavy, had good quality and I know he didn't pay a lot for them. There was no ANR and they had no bells and whistles.

I frequently used my husband's (boyfriend then) LightSpeed 25xl set. The weight, feel, ANR and quality was phenomenal. I LOVED them. However, as a small woman, I found that they slipped forward when I looked down at charts or similar. My husband never had this problem and I've never heard of other folks with it. I'm just weird, I guess. When the earcup stirrup broke, out of warranty, LS sent out a replacement sooo fast, your head would spin....free of charge.

When I completed my instrument, I decided to get LightSpeed's brand-spankin' new QFR Cross Country set. They were in my budget and seemed promising. They are so unbelievably comfy, light and quiet, it doesn't seem possible for them to be that inexpensive. My QFR XCs are now nearly 7 years old and suffer no wear, no degraded performance or other complaints. They get used regularly, abused occasionally and just keep putting up with my crap.

Then, my husband used mine a few times. He found that the very thin skull-top strap was a killer feature for his tall stature and short cockpits. He stopped hitting his head constantly when he used my headset. Several years after he bought his 25xl, he sold it for a great price and went with another pair of QFR XCs for himself.

When he took his first corporate gig, we flew together in a Chieftain. In the cockpit we put yet two more QFR XCs. For the passengers' DVDs and music, they got QFR Solos (non-ANR). We got frequent compliments on the choice we made.

I have used Bose headsets on several occasions, including a few long trips. I am completely unimpressed. Sure, they sound good. Better enough to justify the difference in price? I just don't hear it. I, again as a woman with a 'small' head, don't find them to be comfortable either. The spring joint at the top pinches the crap out of my head. Not direcly pinching my skin, just a squeezing the life out of you after a while feeling. I despise the things, honestly. If you buy them and they make your day brighter, wonderful, really! But, I just wanted to add the other side of the opinion...I don't personally see any reason to get them.

Anyway, I've also used basic DCs and found them to be similar to the FlightCom's. I used a Denali once, thought it was great, considered buying it back before my QFRs.

For those of us who stay primarily in one or two aircraft, I'm curious about the new LightSpeed L1 and other in-ear devices. How good are they at keeping our hearing intact for old age?