[Kurt Selbert sent this message to Telex, and copied the web site. This is the only feedback I have received so far on the ANR 500. Ed.]
Well I purchased a new ANR 500 headset and have been using if for a short time. I don't know if you want my input, but since I was the person who ran the ALPA ANR headset study for the first year it was running I have had the opportunity to try out all the TELEX, Sennheiser, and Lightspeed products during that study plus BOSE and David Clark ANR units that belonged to other pilots.
While I was very happy with the ANR 200, it has since stopped working properly, causing a major high pitched hum when the ANR is switched on and seeming to have a grounding problem. When I touch anything metal in the airplane I hear a "snap" and the hum stops until I release the metal object. Very annoying and distracting. But the microphone was always fantastic and the headset very comfortable. My complaints were that the thing looked goofy and that the battery switch, being mounted on the outside of the battery pack, would turn on inside my flight bag all the time often resulting in dead batteries when I'd try to used it.
Anyway, the new ANR 500. Looks great, has a great microphone, speakers sound great. But the ANR circuitry is barely noticeable. I turn it on and really don't hear much of a difference. Unlike the ANR 200 which makes a very large difference, using the 500 turned on is not much better than the 200 used "off". Now I know the ear cups aren't as large on the 500 but the noise level just doesn't change when you turn the ANR on. Another of our pilots also just purchased a 500. We compared his and mine and they sound the same. But he's never used another ANR headset and thinks his is great.
It also clamps my head quite hard and is not as comfortable as my old 200, although I have spread the 200 out a bit to make it clamp less forcefully.
In addition, the volume control module on the 500 is located too close to the headset itself. It hangs in front of you and the clip provided is totally ineffective. The cord slips through the clip and you then have this weight hanging off the side of the headset. A much better location would have been down another two feet or so with a clip like the battery pack has. That way you could clip it onto some part of the aircraft and not have the interference of movement that is now present with the current location.
The other pilot who owns a 500 did complain that not only was his delivered with a dead battery, but that he has to change batteries every 20 hours or so, far from the 50 that was advertised.
Please don't take this as a harsh criticism, I though you might like some observations from a person who is a self professed "headset junkie" (I have lots of them and have tried many many more). I have yet to find the perfect headset for me. But my overall opinion of the new ANR 500 has me packaging it back up and returning it today.
I'm disappointed, I really was looking forward to getting it and was hoping it would be so much different.
Capt. Kurt Selbert
Atlantic Coast Airlines
Canadair CRJ
I'm a military
pilot flying the Cessna Ultra and Encore. Our unit acquired a few of the Telex 500's and I've been
using it for over 6 months. Here's my take.
The headset is far too tight (had to
spread the headband) and the ANR is very subtle, both as noted by Kurt
Selbert. This is my first ANR headset and I don't find it to be a worthwhile
or substantial improvement over my David Clark. I had hoped that this
headset would be a "keeper" as I find the whole ear coverage of the David
Clark to be too hot in the summer. The Telex 500 looked promising with the
smaller ear cup. It has been cooler, but the trade off has been sore
ears. The smaller cup sits on the ear instead of around it and my ears get
hotspots from the pressure after a short while and I am constantly shifting
the headset around to ease the
discomfort.
Also, due to the smaller cup, the
noise attenuation is much less than my David Clark, so I was flying with
earplugs to try and offset the noise increase. I found that with
earplugs the headset was not working for me and without them was not working
either. I should state that I have a hard time with earplugs over long periods (ear
canal irritation) as well as having pronounced hearing loss now (too many
years in helicopters), so noise
attenuation is critical to keep what I have left. The Telex is
one headset that I just can't
seem to find a happy medium with. I've given it a fair shake and have gone back to my old David
Clark.
The battery life seems to be around
the 25 hour level, but that's just guessing. The battery pack can be
unplugged from the headset, which is a good habit to get into so that if you
forget and leave the switch on you don't drain it (9 volt)
prematurely. A double A battery setup would be better in my opinion, since they are
readily available in rechargeables. The build quality seems good, but not
with the tank like feel of a David Clark.
Recommendation: try it before you
buy it.
Jake Primgaard
If you use this headset, please send your .