Quote:
Originally Posted by Normann
I did think of getting the uflymike but I am afraid I won't hear the other guy when he is not on the headset. I can wear the 850 throughout the whole flight and still have a conversation in cruise. At our company nobody uses their own headset so this is an issue.
I use the UFlyMike on the A320 series, works fine, I hear the other guy in normal conversational talking too. Those guys who mumble and whisper into their side window will be an issue no matter what headset you use, or even if you don't use one at all.
ANR doesn't really reduce the sound of the voice of the other pilot, only the background noise (mostly wind and/or AC blowers on jets), and the Bose QC2 and/or QC15 don't have much passive NR - the ear cups are mostly for comfort. It's probably a
tiny bit harder to hear normal conversation in cruise (seriously, I've had no issues), but I'm willing to forgo that for the added comfort and NR of the UFM set-up vs. the 850. Any headset is going to be less comfortable and make it harder to hear vs. no headset, but the 850 sacrifices NR and comfort for better conversational hearing, while the UFM strikes a better balance for me, and has more uses outside the flightdeck (I use mine while mowing my lawn!).
As for the need for ANR on an A320 series, use ANR and then look @ the volume settings of the guy who's not using one. The guy using the 750 (or speaker in cruise) usually has the volume @ 75% of max. You'll only need 25%. The difference, over a career, can cause major hearing loss. $400 for a lifetime of hearing is a good investment. Be it the 850, the UFM, or just earplugs - use something. No matter how quiet the cockpit seems, its still loud.