In-ear headsets

I first saw these headsets at the Aero-exhibition this year but was rather sceptical about sticking plugs into my ears (I do not like the speakers which come with e.g. an iPhone). Also, the price they were asking for is rather steep.

I have both the Zulu and the latest Bose and I am quite happy with them but for longer flights I start to sweat underneath the ear covers, my glasses get pressed into my temples and overall I do not like the pressure even very expensive active headsets apply to my head. Put on top of that the hassle with the tubes for oxygen having to somehow be fitted around the headset.

Some of the German pilot supply stores offered a 30-day trial period (no questions asked money back) which I believe is now no longer available so I thought I give it a try and bought the FreeCom 7000 which is the active version. The headset comes with a set of instructions of how a mold of one’s ear canals is to be taken (which can be done by any shop selling hearing aids. The cost for this is not included in the price of the headset but it is rather low. I think I paid EUR 10 for having the molds taken), the molds are then sent off to Phonak in Switzerland in a box which is included in the stuff coming with the headset. It took about three weeks for the custom ear plugs to arrive and they fitted perfectly. One then simply plugs the speakers and the speaker/microphone combination into the ear plugs and is good to go.

I did a couple of flights with them and really liked them. Once you have discovered the best method for yourself to insert them into your ears it takes hardly more time to get them on than a normal headset. Audio quality and noise reduction are on a par with the Zulu and Bose-models IMO. They are mono-only so maybe not for the audiophiles among us. I was initially worried that I might not like having something in my ears but once the plugs are inserted correctly that feeling quickly vanished.

All in, I prefer them over traditional headsets and decided to keep them.

Link

FreeCom 7000 which is the active version.

Is that really ANR? How can they possibly get that into the tiny speaker component? ANR works by having a mike next to the speaker and driving the speaker to achieve a “zero” sound pressure level at the mike, but with the audio signal injected as a signal which is summed with the reference (which is normally “zero”). It works only over a limited frequency range, due to echoes and all kinds of crap in the speaker chamber (of a normal headset). The point is that the mike needs to be right next to the speaker… it can’t be say 10cm away.

I’d give them a try for the cost of custom ear inserts, but not at the total price.

I start to sweat underneath the ear covers

I think that is a common complaint about the Bose A20, relative to the Bose X, due to the former’s larger foam “ring”. I find the same.

How can they possibly get that into the tiny speaker component? ANR works by having a mike next to the speaker

The ambient microphone is included in the “tiny speaker”. At least that is what their user manual states. If you follow the link I put into my earlier post, then go to downloads and open the user manual on page 4.

Yes, there is a microphone in the tiny component even with a tiny wind screen.
I had the mold taken in Munich and the earpieces arrived 2 weeks later.

I’ve just noticed that the plug options are only the twin jacks, XLR-5 or the multiple U174 single jack. The last two are not relevant to aviation unless you have those unusual connectors fitted. The U174 is used in helicopters, I believe.

So there is no “aircraft powered” Bose plug version. One would have to get a converter of some sort.

So there is no “aircraft powered” Bose plug version.

That’s correct. They do claim, however, that the single AAA- battery required in the unit will last for 150 hours.

OK but that just means you get a nasty suprise after 150hrs. Not why you paid the extra money for the Bose sockets to be installed

OK but that just means you get a nasty suprise after 150hrs. Not why you paid the extra money for the Bose sockets to be installed

Not really. The headset will inform about a low battery and if the battery should be completely dead will still work as a passive headset with very good protection.

And the Bose sockets are still fine for use by my wife and daughter

Is that really ANR?

I tested and reviewed the phonak headset last year for a magazine. I remember advising to buy the non active one. I would have to get my notes back to remember every detail, or at least the article.
No it is not a really ANR system such as what pilots are used to. Consider it rather as a system which limits signal peaks. I saw no point in having it and was unable to guess what advantage it gave to the headset. there is a cheaper version without the “ANR” stuff and in my opinion it works as well as the 7000 one.
Indeed, the thing is useless without the custom made ear plugs. The weight of the microphone makes it turn in the ear and the headset is not really soundproof. The custom made earplug change it completely. The sound proofing is very efficient, the plugs stays in the ear and so on. Also, it is very nice to wear, you feel no weight at all, no compression on your ears like what you get with classical headsets.
To make the earplugs, at least in France, you have to go to an audio prothesist which will take a 3D print of your ears. The plugs will then be made directly by phonak. In France (I don’t know elsewhere) this (visit to an authorized audio prothesist and making of the earplugs) is included in the price of the headset.
Also, you have to change the custom made earplugs every 5 years. Not because of them but because of you. Your ears become slightly wider when you age.

This year at the Aero Expo in Friedrichshafen I finally saw the Phonak people and asked them how I can get and test one of their headsets. They took the print of my wife’s and my ear and prepared the personal earplugs. I got them a couple of weeks later together with two headsets to test. So today was the day I could do the flight.

Let me start with the nice things:

• The headset is really light and does not move when you use the custom made earplugs (I didn’t even try the universal ones as even Phonak said they are rubbish).
• It isolates the noise just like a normal passive headset (I had the 7000 “active” version). I changed headsets in flight with my usual one (an average Sennheiser) and there was almost no difference.
• You can wear any kind of sunglasses with it as it doesn’t interfere with them.
• It doesn’t press your head.

There were several serious issues with the headset as well:

• The customized earplugs need some getting used to. They go practically inside your ear and for me were a bit uncomfortable in the beginning. After several minutes I didn’t notice that any more. My wife had no problem at all, so this is probably individual.
• The mic holder is very soft. It is so soft that it starts going down and in about one minute it is already below your mouth. Note that that was on the ground as well as in the air in a perfectly calm weather, no turbulence or wind at all. I can only imagine what it would be in the kind of turbulence I made my IR training flights a couple of months ago or in an aerobatic flight. I think this might even endanger safety if you have to adjust your mic in short final because it doesn’t stay where it should.
• The mic is very insensitive. I had to turn on high sensitivity on the G1000 but I don’t always have that (not available in older airplanes). Also even with the high sensitivity I had to keep it almost inside my mouth and shout in order to activate it. With the same settings on the audio panel my Sennheiser worked perfectly all the time.
• The noise isolation is the same as a passive headset (mentioned also by others in the thread). I want a headset that is quieter and this one just isn’t.
• The twin plug cable is really long. That might be considered positive or negative but in the planes I fly I don’t need 150-170cm cables, they just stay in the way.

We had these same issues with both headsets, so it wasn’t a problem of one specific headset for sure.

I would probably pay about 400 CHF for this headset and be OK with that. However at the price tag of 1100 CHF (including an Aero Expo discount) I think I will go for a Bose A20. I suppose you might be able to get them a bit cheaper in the rest of Europe but still not at a price I am willing to pay. So these Phonak headsets go back to the shop tomorrow morning.