Active noise reduction
Wed Oct 05, 2005 1:54 pm
Any of you pilots out there fly with ANR in your helmets? I am thinking of installing it in mine, and I am wondering if it is worth the $300 investment.
Wed Oct 05, 2005 5:44 pm
While I don't have a helmet ANR, I do use the Lightspeed ANR on my Citabria. 
It is amazing.... I say go with it. It'll make that Big Doug sound like a purr! 
Seriously, If you can try a set you'll like them. Will you go with a conversion on a present helmet set? $300 sounds like a pretty good deal. The only thing I don't like about the Lightspeed is the boom mike cannot be fixed in one place like a David Clark since it's a flex wire type. I really prefer the type that stay in one place and you don't have to touch. Hope this helps, Tailwinds, Steve.
It is amazing.... I say go with it. It'll make that Big Doug sound like a purr! Seriously, If you can try a set you'll like them. Will you go with a conversion on a present helmet set? $300 sounds like a pretty good deal. The only thing I don't like about the Lightspeed is the boom mike cannot be fixed in one place like a David Clark since it's a flex wire type. I really prefer the type that stay in one place and you don't have to touch. Hope this helps, Tailwinds, Steve.
Wed Oct 05, 2005 6:43 pm
I have never used ANR, and probably won't for now, but I know it works great. I was flying the C-46 and my copilot had a ANR David Clark headset and I had a regular David Clark headset. I turned the volume up all the way on my headset and turned it up in the airplane so I could hear over the engine noise. Well, my copilot said it was turned up too loud because he had ANR. He solved the problem by turning it down on his headset.
That whole experience told me that ANR must work pretty good if it can block out the noise of two Pratt & Whitney R-2800s.
If protecting your hearing is a high priority for you, I think it would be worth it to add ANR.
Eric
That whole experience told me that ANR must work pretty good if it can block out the noise of two Pratt & Whitney R-2800s.
If protecting your hearing is a high priority for you, I think it would be worth it to add ANR.
Eric
Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:27 pm
Yes its worth it. Get the kit to hardwire it into the airplane. Its easy to do and saves having to buy 9-volt batteries all the time.
Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:40 am
Another vote for ANR but try a few different headsets out before buying. I found a Pilot ANR set pretty useless, with no improvement in ATC clarity and a constant hiss. Same hiss with some Sennheisers. My David Clark set have much clearer ATC coming through, almost no hiss and much better battery life than the others.
Thu Oct 06, 2005 6:48 am
The ANR's are great as long as the noise levels are relatively low. .I have used Bose, Lightspeed and Peltor and none would cut it in the B-25. The Lightspeed 20 worked pretty good in the T-6 at 30" or less, at take-off power they would 'pop'. Try a pair in your airplane before you buy, if the cockpit noise doesn't overpower the electronics you'll love them, but if they start popping you'll want to throw them out the window.