Avionics News June 2018 - 25

Combine a viable EFB running on a Bluetoothconnected tablet with a wireless headset and an audio
panel with Bluetooth and a pilot can handle ATC calls,
stream music and call for clearance delivery - all
without removing the headset or wrapping themselves in
cabling.
Naturally, prices vary by manufacturer,
model and performance
An informal survey of headset prices, using outlets
commonly known to most aviators, range from less than
$200 for low-end, passive headsets and rise quickly to
the middle level - $350 to $600 - onward to the upper
end of the ANR product lines - where a pair, or set, can
cost as much as $1,000 or more.
In-the-ear models can range from less than $500 to
nearly $800, depending on the vendor and the model.
Bluetooth, of course, will add to the tab.
More equals less
Where aviation headsets are concerned, the
prospective buyer should focus on performance, as well
as comfort and costs. And noise or sound attenuation
is certainly an area in which more is less: The greater
the drop in decibel levels, the lower the noise coming
through the headset's barrier action.
Sound, as measured in decibels, doubles with every
3-decibel increase - or, conversely, falls in half for
every 3 decibels of attenuation.
So a headset with a 29-decibel noise-reduction level
is letting past one-ninth the sound pressure present. A
44-decibel reduction blocks all but 1/15th of the sound
pressure present.
Here, the higher the measured decibel reduction, the
lower the amount of noise that gets through.
Consider some of these options in headsets, or
headphones, as some call them.
A sampling of modern headset
technology
A lengthy review of the options available in headsets
drove home that the list runs long - too long for this
article - and absent an opportunity to try most of them,
we'll leave the reviewing to another time.
So, we look at options in various price ranges: up to
about $200; from $201 to $500; $501 and more.
Up to $200
A good selection exists here, ranging from about $80
to $200, with noise reduction levels of about 24 decibels

nominal. Otherwise, these are generally passive sets,
many of them with stereo capability when connected to
a source capable of producing stereo output.
One particular surprise was a passive-reduction model
priced under $125 - with Bluetooth.
$200 to $500
As prices rise into the $200 to $500 range, more and
more of the available options offer stereo sound and
ANR in packages as low as $350.
The majority of the headsets available fall into this
price range, most of them with ANR and stereo, and
some with Bluetooth as an option.
Above $500
In this spectrum, more and more of the features
become standard equipment, with the full spectrum
often available: ANR, stereo, Bluetooth and wireless
connectivity. Some of the highest-priced models don't
offer all three, while several between $800 and $1,000
include all these options. This is also the price range
where you'll most often find variations on the in-theear models, which, absent ANR, still run into the higher
prices.
Priority setting: protection
and comfort as equal partners
No one can direct a pilot into a set of headphones
that aren't comfortable. When the user may need them
for hours at a stretch, it would be easy to pontificate
on how comfort should top the list. After all, if it's not
comfortable, a pilot may avoid using it.
And any level of sound attenuation beats no
attenuation at all.
But the happiest pilots of my acquaintance found their
headphones in balance: Necessary sound attenuation
with necessary comfort - comfortable enough to wear
for all full-range flights.
While sound chambers and aircraft cockpits may
help a buyer decide whether the attenuation and sound
quality meet the buyer's needs and expectations, there's
no simulator for checking fit and comfort. Well, none
outside the prospective buyer's head.
A test flight - preferably in the prospects regular
aircraft - is the best place to decide whether a model of
aviation headsets offer the fit and comfort that prospect
desires.
Finding the perfect match may take a few demos, but
to the pilot, they're all worth the time since he or she
will live with that choice for years to come. q
avionics news

*

june

2018

25



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News June 2018

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Avionics News June 2018 - No label
Avionics News June 2018 - Cover1
Avionics News June 2018 - Cover2
Avionics News June 2018 - 1
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Avionics News June 2018 - Cover3
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