Yes the bose are nice, just not worth $1000.

I'm like hotelmode, in that I'm not a prima donna and get away A-ok with the DC "head clamps." In more than my fair share of 8+ hour days, I've never had a problem with them. I keep the individual ear volumes at their lowest setting and often find myself having to turn down the DAP volume from the previous guy's setting.
Put in a pair of earplugs, use the company-provided headset, and put that extra $700 into your retirement account.

I use a Lightspeed 30 3G headset in a Shorts 360. It is so much better than the David Clarks I had before that. I routinely fly 3+ hour legs and the head vice was not acceptable. The Lightspeeds are very comfortable and quiet ,but they take up more space than the Bose X and they look kind of stupid. I haven't tried Lightspeed Zulus yet, but I'll bet they are pretty nice. An FO at my company loves them. He uses the bluetooth on the Zulus to listen to music from his cell phone.

One more issue with Lightspeed headsets is their durability. My microphone stopped working after a year. Parts were shipped out quickly and at no cost to me, but I still had to buy a crappy $125 headset at an FBO to finish the trip.

In a turboprop you will need ANR. It is probably just a question of Lightspeed or Bose.

Then get a gently used pair on eBay for 800.

That is a pretty good deal, but aside from the ANR I would like it to be some what comfortable. The DCs are great, but after wearing them for a long time they get a little uncomfortable.

That does look like a pretty neat headset, and seems to cancel out the noise pretty well. They do look somewhat uncomfortable and "hard" though.. how is the fit and feel of them? I wish I could demo all these headsets first lol. The noise reduction is similar to the clarity alofts in the plugs are jammed in your ear the whole time?


Are the earplugs hard? Or somewhat comfortable? Reason I ask is anytime I have a headset, even some headfones that go in your ear it starts to hurt my right ear after a while.. don't know why. So I don't know if the ear-dick would be a good idea, although it seems like a cool head-set.

It's soft rubber and they have several sizes. They are comfortable for quite a few hours but I can't say how they do in jets. They are good in piston airplanes where size, weight, and noise, and cockpit heat are a factor. I borrowed a pair once and liked them. Actually, if anybody reading this wants to sell some lightly used Claritys PM me and I'll buy them from you.

Bose X, you cannot go wrong. The price sucks but when those props start spinning up and you hit the noise canceling button you'll be glad you bought them.






Most Bose stores will let you try them out for awhile, maybe you should do that and see the difference.......

I know you wont get them:D

Tried out my QC2 in a Bose store before buying. I fly 4-5 hour lifts in a Chieftain doing aerial mapping and it beats a DC hands-down in comfort and noise reduction. I've tried the X and, while it is just a little quieter, it doesn't seem worth the extra $500 to me. I always carry a couple of spare batteries in my case (which is considerably smaller than the case for the X) The headset gives you plenty of warning before it gives up the ghost. It is also nice when you're traveling as a pax and don't want to listen to your seatmate tell you about their latest ailment or share pics of the grandkids.