PIREP: Crazed Pilot $199 ANR headset

[Canuck]

I promised to post a PIREP after I tested my new backup ANR headset from Crazed Pilot in the Warrior:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/st/manu_crazedpilot/crazedpilot11-13315.php

I tried it out side-by-side with my Bose X (just back from repair), both with a portable, battery-powered intercom at home, and in the plane with the engine running. Here are my initial observations:

• Both headsets gave me clear audio with a significant reduction in background noise, and UNICOM reported hearing me 5/5 from both. Both also work in PNR mode if the battery is dead.
  
• The Bose X feels considerably lighter on my head than the Crazed Pilot, which would be important for a long flight (3–4 hours).
• Despite having a higher nominal noise-reduction rating, the Crazed Pilot headset did not block quite as much engine roar as the Bose X, but it did come close.
• The Crazed Pilot mic performs slightly better than the Bose X (much better on a battery-powered portable intercom, but only slightly over the radio).
• The Crazed Pilot headset turns ANR on and off automatically when it detects an intercom. The Bose X requires turning ANR on manually, but will eventually turn off automatically if it's not being used.
• Neither headset supports Bluetooth, but the Crazed Pilot headset includes a 3.5mm audio port and some nice cables (cloth rather than vinyl).
• The Crazed Pilot headset uses a 9v battery instead of 2 AA batteries, and presumably runs a bit longer on a single battery change (not tested). It's not a bad use for those left-over 9v batteries after you put new ones in your smoke detectors.

Verdict: If you don't fly long legs and aren't willing drop over $1,000 for a high-end ANR headset, or if you just want something better for your pax than a cheap PNR headset, then the $199 Crazed Pilot headset seems like a good choice: it's sturdily built (so it should tolerate a fair bit of dropping, shoving, and being sat on), and turns itself on/off based on being plugged into an active intercom, so you don't have to worry about pax leaving it on and draining the battery. The Crazed Pilot is basically 75% of the headset for 20% of the price.

Adding Bluetooth: For Bluetooth (e.g. to hear warning audio from Garmin Pilot), I use the Crazed Pilot pass-through Bluetooth adapter, which works well with both headsets:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/crazedpilot11-14137.php

The only downside of this (as far as single-pilot BT solutions go) is that it doesn't automatically mute when it detects audio coming through the main feed. Still, if you combine this with the Crazed Pilot headset, you have a $250 ANR Bluetooth headset solution, which isn't bad.

 

[Av8rTech]

 

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