I had the top of the line Lightspeed, which was nice and quiet, but big bulky and Hot. Bought a Bose, which was on par for Noise reduction i.e. very quiet. But not as hot or bulky to wear.
I think I have asked the same question that Reggie is essentially contending that BOSE is “duping” us with.
The question is does active noise reduction (the electronic generation of a 180 deg out of phase noise) actually reduce the physical energy that damages our ears?
We know that if we use big padded earcups or plugs that the physical energy of the sound is absorbed by the material and so the sound waves do not reach our eardrum. (Actually the energy causes the insulation material to vibrate and gets converted to low level heat)
So, the question I had was if you can get a standard noise reduction (whatever the standard is, it is measured equally) rating through fully active electronic noise reduction with say, a roomful of ANR speakers or through passive earcups/plugs, does your ear suffer the same damage either way? I thought that perhaps that since the total energy of the noise PLUS the energy to drive speaker was more, that the ANR was really only a perception parlour trick.
Otherwise where does that energy go?
I forget exactly who told me but I am pretty sure it was my friend Alan Schrader at Lightspeed that it doesn’t matter how you get there, it is what you hear in your ear.
Alan S is a frank and open guy. He does not disparage the BOSE and readily admits that the sonic quality of the Bose headsets is better than the old 30’s (that is the time frame when this conversation took place) in terms of listening to music. And even with the Tri-Port he says the Bose provides
excellent and safe ear protection. If there was a real difference I believe that the headset makers would be piling on Bose’s tri-port tech on that basis.
Reggie, I think what Bose is doing is being Bose. That means they are giving the unwashed masses enough tech talk in their ads to satisfy the consumer’s need to feel tech savvy.
FWIW… oh and I like your photography.
Reg—do you know what the market shares are for the respective headphones?
I’ve owned many headsets over the years. Flew for a lot of years with no headset, just a boom mic. Started with DCs moved to LS then to Bose. I’ve found myself pulling the LS 30s from the backseat from time to time in order to use the cell and music interface. I’m based at a remote field and using the cell to pick up void time clearances is becoming a must have for me. I’m now looking at upgrading 2 of my older LSs to ZULUs with the upgrade program they offer. ZULUs will be up front with BOSE in the middle and LS 30s in the back. Bluetooth did it for me. I can’t imagine why BOSE is ignoring an interface. When I’m solo the direct music quality is much better then what I get going through the Garmin 340.
Kids have always liked the LSs because they can listen to what they want to. DC, BOSE and LS have all provided excellent service when required.
I find the ZULUs every bit as comfortable as BOSE, They seem to have better noise reduction and then there is the interface. I’m sold.
In reply to:
Reg—do you know what the market shares are for the respective headphones?
I actually don’t know the market share of the respective headsets.
I also started with DC and now own 4 pair of LS.
What type of upgrade program are they offering at OSH?
I’m going to bring my old LSs to OSH. Hopefully get a trade-up early.
BOSE BOSE BOSE
I must say at EAA, the Bose Rep was very attentive to my question of soreness as mentioned in one of the links to the Bose headsets - of a pilot getting sore after 3 hours. I too have soreness after 1.5 hours. The bose rep at EAA gave me (free) a set of replacement cups and said it is recommended to change cups every 6 months or 300 hours.
I dont think changing the cups will make a difference, however Bose was nice to provied me with a free set. Since my flying (pre cirrus) was usually less than 1.5 hrs, I am not sure if I had soreness prior… Does the size of the cup make a difference?
In reply to:
I also started with DC and now own 4 pair of LS.
What type of upgrade program are they offering at OSH?
Not sure they are doing it at OSH, but they are doing an upgrade program. See here for more details.
I have 2 33G’s and did the pre register thing. They originally said late June, then mid July. Now they are saying early September.
All this because of some production problem and a decision to support new sales before trade ups. Not really a problem for me, I have always thought LS did a great job on support and they have been very communicative about this via emails.
Thanks for the head up. I am a happy LS customer.
Does the size of the cup make a difference?
I believe that Dennis is qualified to answer this…