[TenTec] Headset Reccomendation

[Richards]

  On 1/4/2014 8:35 AM, steve jobes wrote:
>
>          I have a set of radiosport headphones that Ilove. V
>
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Yep... headphones like those those are typically used in aviation and 
auto racing because they employ very dense padding and  thick plastic 
earphone receiver cup for serious sound attenuation.    The beauty of 
the radiosport and KOSS and similar aviation sets is the addition of 
passive noise attenuation - you have not LIVED unless you have tried 
that - I simply cannot hear the sound of cooling fans, or the XYL, or 
anything once those are on.

However, I the radiosport model appears to cost $209 for the headset, 
and another $90 for a TT compatible cable...  ouch!   That is if he 
charges separately for the cable... still it seems a bit steep against 
the competition.  YOU DO however, have the advantage that he says it 
will work with your transceiver.   But a $90 cable is just plain 
excessive in my opinion.   Shure, AudioTechnica, BeyerDynamic, 
Sennheiser, AKG all make expensive broadcast and aviation sets, and they 
don't charge that much for cables!

Now, if you just wanted a super headphone, with that 30 dB passive noise 
attenuation, you could find a pair of KOSS Quiet Zone  QZ-99  which AES 
sells for $59 - those are super rugged - as rugged as the aviation sets 
and with as much or more passive noise attenuation and they also sound 
good - you can get them for even less on eBay from many vendors, 
probably as low as $40 -45 from some reputable vendors.

If you want a full headset, you can buy similar and equivalent cans from 
various pilot and aviation vendors, and can easily cut the cost to 
around $$100-120, but you might have to install your own foster 
connector.   Wiring an 8 pin foster connector is not too hard... the 
part cost is around $5.   HEIL makes one that is a bit bigger and easier 
to solder and is very well made and machined.  Two for $7 typically.

The KOSS x3000 headset I mentioned is a mere $42 delivered, but you must 
add you own connector as it comes with a commercial type Kenwood 
connector.  I have two of these now... probably the best buy in a 
headset I have ever seen - I like them better than the fabled Yamaha 
CM500 - much better commercial grade build, commercial grade microphone, 
and 30 dB passive noise attenuation - but like the aviation sets, they 
are a bit heavier than most other headsets - the attenuation provides a 
weight-mass tradeoff.

If I was going to spend $250 on a headset, I would buy the AudioTechnica 
BPHS-2,  or the Sennheiser HMD-280,  or the new Shure Shure BRH440M, 
Shure SM-2,  Superluxe MHD-660, which all have superior dynamic 
microphones that match really well to the radios.  If I spent less, I 
would easily buy a lesser expensive pilot headset from any number of 
eBay vendors that sell similar headsets for around $100, or I would buy 
one with a brand called  "ASA"  or  "Pilot"  and maybe "Avcomm" from one 
of these guys, or one of several others you find and prefer.   I would 
suggest a dynamic mic element, but the electret models should work fine, 
but some of the aviation mic elements claim to be "amplified" and 
require between 9 and 28 volts - my Omni VII and Orion II supply 10v on 
pin 2...  you be the judge.

http://www.austinflightcheck.com/

or

http://www.Pilotshop.com

or

http://pilot-usa.com/


Just MY take...  your mileage may differ....

-----------------------  JHR  ------------------------------