Speaker and ear plugs is my go to. I’ve found when I do that combo I feel much better after the end of a long flight. It’s amazing how loud the flight deck actually is when you pop out the ear plugs for a bathroom break.

The only concern is takeoff/landing when communication is critical. I guess if they have gotten away with the design for nearly 40 years, than I can deal with it. Earplugs are cheap.

Some people act like anything louder than sitting in a parked car is unsafe, uncomfortable, and something short of the gates of hell. The 737 is loud compared to something like the 787, but it isn’t the torture chamber that people make it out to be. ANR headsets are nice, but not the necessity that some imply. Simply speak up when calling for checklist or asking for flaps and gear. If you do that, an ear mold and earplug that you pick up in flight ops work just fine. Most of us are old enough that much of our hearing is gone and we talk loud anyway. At least that’s what my wife says when we’re in a crowd and I think that I’m whispering.

What?.....

I had those same feelings until I caved and got the Bose Proflight.... I never realized how loud it was until wearing the ANR, and then taking it off. I also feel much less fatigued after a long day.... Most capts I fly with also have one but I recently flew with someone who didn’t. Wasn’t a big deal until we had a medical issue and were trying to communicate with medlink. Capt just had the ear dick and was constantly having to ask them to repeat themselves, while I could understand them perfectly fine. Also they were having a hard time hearing him because of the tIn can sound that some of the aircraft boom mics have...... Again I shared your sentiment until I converted and now I wonder what took me so long and would definitely never go back.

How is that preflight?? Some of the reviews I read said it was hard to get the mic to pick you up. I wanted the pro flight but settled for the A20 due to the perceived mic issue but would love to have a light headset vs the heavy A20

I love it.... Now... it took a couple of trips to get used to. I’ve never had any issues with the mic but I had a hard time at first getting it to fit comfortably. It seemed like it was either too tight or so loose that it felt like it was constantly going to fall off. But it has a 30 day guarantee so I gave it a few trips. Once I figured out the fit and placement, it’s been great. It’s lightweight and I much prefer the earbuds over the over-ear. Has enough noise cancelling for the guppy when on the high setting. If I moved to a quieter airplane I would still probably use it because You can choose lower ANR settings. I don’t really use the pass-through tech but I like that it’s easy to just pull out an earbud and there’s a little clip so it doesn’t swing around. So even when flying with someone who doesn’t have one, it’s super easy to tuck up the earbud without affecting how you wear it.

Great thanks for the info, might have to try it out!!

It is kinda nuts that in this day and age, we're flying around aircraft that don't have some sort of standard internal hot mic for comm.

Between aircraft that have very loud internal cockpit noise, and either low talkers or hard of hearing pilots.. I'm still amazed that that FAA, the Union and the company haven't stepped in.

Then again, we have a fleet of 4 types that have different audio control panels and hell, even 2 different types of clocks?!

What year is it again?!

Motch

Agreed. Completely unsat.