Oh trust me the Bose are worth every cent! I've had mine for about a year and a half and put some where around 17-1800 hard hours on them flying freight in some of the most good awefully loud piston twins out there. But the Bose quite those 520's right down. The best thing about them though is they are THEE most comfortable headsets available. I can fly all day and all night and never feel uncomfortable at all, unlike all the other head vises out there, particularly the David Clamps. As a matter of fact aside from having to move the mic out of the way to eat and drink I forget they're even there. I figure I'll buy a new pair when the 5 year warranty runs out, buy then I'll probably have in the neighborhood of 6,000+ hours on them so It'll be time. You have to remember that headsets are one of the most important tools in a pilots tool chest. Just as any other skilled trades man will tell you it never pays to buy cheap tools. If you where some new kid just getting into training I might recommend something like Avcomms or Flight Coms, but now that your well past that and a professional it's time to step up to the plate and buy the right tool for the job.