Sunday, June 22, 2008
Excellent Headset
by Jeffrey from Fairfax IA USA 
Pros: High quality, effective
Cons: Moderately Expensive
Review: Love this headset. Great features, outstanding ANR, comfortable. High quality components. I have not had any problems with the strength of the clamp, I never break the seal during taxi, runup or flight. Overall worth the cost.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Great product at decent price
by Etienne from Oxford Great Britain 
Pros: Excellent noise supression, comfortable, lightweight
Cons: none
Review: It performed as expected - I love it

Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Big Bang for the Buck
by Yvonne from Lapeer MI USA 
Pros: Exceptional sound quality and comfort.
Cons: I haven't found any yet.
Review: The active noise reduction is outstanding, as is the sound quality. Its light weight makes it very comfortable to wear. The ear cups are soft and flexible even in cold weather - important features in Michigan. I appreciate that it doesn't slide off my head or give me a headache, unlike a few other brands I've worn. The HMEC-460 has exceeded my expectations.

Monday, January 21, 2008
Excellent Headset
by Isabella from Vienna . Austria 
Review: I love this headset! It's light, soft, perfect + easy in handling... you get your money worth.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Not Bad
by Brian from Las Cruces NM USA 
Pros: Nice comfortable headset
Cons: Cell phone interface does not work. Only reason i purchase it rather than the Bose was for this feature
Review: Comfortable to wear for long periods. cant seem to get the phone interface to work.

Thursday, September 20, 2007
I found out that you get what you pay for!
by Butch from Mountain Home , Idaho 
Pros: input for Ipod and cell phone, Very comfortable for long periods of time
Cons: The power cord for the remote power supply is cumbersome
Review: I was having ( what I thought was radio problems with the Xmitting portion of my new Icom radio) when I borrowed a set of my friends older model Sennheiser headsets. I found out that it was only my cheap headsets that weren't transmitting thru the mic well enough. AS soon as I used the Sennheiser I was sold! The radio not only worked but I actually had side tone that was understandable and with the ANR activated I was able to actually enjoy flying without the noise. I tossed my other headsets and purchased the HMEC-460 ANR and have been useing them ever since.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Only one con...
by MTSU CFI from Murfreesboro, TN 
Pros: Great ANR, The most features, Cheaper than Bose, Hardly any clamping force...
Cons: which may lead to reduced ANR performance
Review: The HMEC-460 and the Bose Aviation X are clearly the leaders in the ANR market. After trying both, I don't see much difference in the ANR or the comfort. This headset has a few added features such as the cellphone/iPod interface and the power cord adapter (which can be annoying but is easily forgotton). As you know, this headset is also $250 less than the Bose.

My one complaint with this headset is one that you see often: the light clamping force does not provide enough of a seal for the ANR to work properly. Slight turns or bumps disrupt the ANR, and this can (and will) get very annoying. They say that different people like different headsets, and I know that this is not a problem for everyone. My advice is to buy this headset, fly with it on a few different flights, and if possible compare it to the Bose, Lightspeed, or any other ANR that you wish. You may love it...if not, you always have the 30 day return policy. The price and features alone make it worth the trial.

FYI - I flew with this in a PA-28, PA-44, and a DA-40

Friday, August 31, 2007
Streamline and Simple Design
by Sean the Geography Pilot from Auburn, CA 
Pros: Light, compact, quiet
Cons: dangling cigarette XLR plug
Review: I decided to upgrade from the passive headsets to the ANR 460 because I like the excellent transmission clarity, comfort and simplicity from Sennheiser. The simple control unit rests on my lap or in the side pocket, which is not too heavy or bulky. The cord length is just right. The fit is perfect, even for a small head, with light cupping pressure. I wear tight fitting sunglasses to assure proper cupping, and the ANR really cut out lower frequencies on take-off, leaving higher frequencies, such as conversation. In fact, I could now discern poor transmission in the pattern, assuring a safer flight. When on the ground, they fit nicely in my flight bag's side pocket.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007
by David from Friday Harbor, WA 
Review: My overall impression with the Sennheiser HMEC-460 ANR headset is very good. The sound clarity is particularly outstanding. The cans while large feel comfortable on the head. I like the adjustable microphone to work from either the left or right side. I haven't tried the other inputs for cell phone or iPod. My only negtive is that the volume control needs to be set to max along with my intercom volume set to max in order to get decent volume from the headphones, but this could be function on my plane's audio setup.

Saturday, June 23, 2007
I have used their audio headphones for years.......
by Mike Cozart from Bryant, Arkansas 
Pros: very comforatble, light for all it does, neat fetures for phone and portable audio, iPod, etc., very clear audio!
Cons: because of the light clamping force a quick turn of the head will
Review: This new headset is very comfortable because of the lack of clamping force against the head, which seems to be the trend with newer headsets. What sets this headset apart is that rather than utilizing clamping force to "mold" a headset to fit the wearers head, it's orientation relative to the wearer can be set for a perfect seal of the cushions where it the headset "holds" this geometry without hardly any presuure at all. The electronics are good enough to give good noise attenuation without depending on accoustic attenuation through thick ear-seals and more pressure on the head. Nice Product!

Thursday, June 14, 2007
by Chad the runway pig from Little Rock, AR 
Pros: Features
Cons: Seals
Review: As one of the pilots for an insurance company, our company does quite a bit of flying. I currently own and use a headset that isn’t ANR. I have used some ANR headsets before, and I am also personally shopping for one. My boss has recently purchased the Sennheiser HMEC-460 and asked me to evaluate them. The first thing I enjoyed about the headset was all the features that it gave a pilot. The dual controls were very nice as well as all the other features that one can read about on the website. The overall experience was pleasant and I would give them a 9 in ranking. The only problem I had with them was that the ear seals were difficult to seal. I was wearing sunglasses, like every pilot should, and the seals would not complete themselves to allow the ANR to work appropriately. Taking the glasses off, the cups sealed and the headset performed excellent. The Sennheiser 460 would be a very wise investment for anyone interested in an ANR headset; in fact I am presently looking into them a little harder after the test flight!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007
A new generation.......
by Jeff from Denver, Colorado 
Pros: Excellent flying and music headset in one. Long warranty period.
Cons: I noticed some intermittent earcup seal to skin gapping during taxi, which reduces the effectiveness of the ANR, but it wasn't annoying because I knew what caused it. A tighter clamping force would probably eliminate it, but then I'd have a vise on my head....
Review: I tried this headset because there aren't many (any?) other headsets with the music interface feature. The reviews I read were mixed, so I talked with a salesman who has this headset, and he indicated there were some early production problems with the headset that had been fixed. With the 30 day trial in mind, I took the plunge and purchased one. I am pleasantly surprised at how much I like this product. I fly 757s, which have a pretty high cockpit noise level due to the air conditioning system, and you can hardly hear yourself think in some of our planes. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to hear normal cockpit conversation with the headset on, but that worry was unfounded. You can have the radio volume set so low because of the noise reduction that there is no problem in hearing normal cockpit conversation. I brought an IPod on my trip, and discovered that with ATC volume set below music volume, there was no reduction of music volume when ATC transmitted. With ATC volume set close to music volume, music volume was cut to a low level during the ATC or other aircraft transmission. I think this is a great feature in that you can listen to music without missing radio calls, or you can take a break from radio calls and listen to music by simply turning the radio volume down. The headsets work very well as a music headset. I have regular Duracell Coppertop AA batteries in the headset right now, and they're still good with about 10 hours on them. Overall, I'm very happy with this headset.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007
by Neil Dunn from Queensland Australia 
Pros: Comfortable, very clear R/T, good volume and controls
Cons: Phone input not working, wind noise, attenuation could be better.
Review: My co-pilot and I both bought a set and have mixed concerns about their performance. We fly a radial engined Yak 18T. The comfort, speech clarity and intellegibilty is exceptional but the attenuation on the engine is only just adequate. Worse, is there appears to be a sound of wind noise which I did not expect. Clamping force is perhaps a little too light! The biggest disappointment is that the cell phone input does not function, which is the item that most attracted us to this product. There is only a loud squealing noise and we have tried it on the ground with engine off as well!! No troubleshooting section or how to use section in the handbook refers to the phone use. I have a very ordinary Nokia 2600, but absolutly useless. Maybe Australian cell phones only work with 'smoke & mirrors'. Hav'nt tried the music input as yet, but hope it works!! Anybody offer advice??

Thursday, February 08, 2007
by Corey from Aurora, CO 
Pros: Everything - it's great.
Cons: None
Review: I've tried many passive and ANR headsets in the past from David Clark, Bose, Lightspeed, Flightcom, and others. I have yet to find one that even comes close to the HMEC460 from Sennheiser. It's lightweight, super comfortable, and has crystal clear sound qualities. The ANR is hands down better than the Bose, DC, and Lightspped that I've used in the past. Quiet, comfortable, and crystal clear. I'm a fan.

Saturday, January 13, 2007
Worth the Wait!
by docardio from Tri-Cities, TN 
Pros: Superb ATC clarity and hearing protection coupled with great comfort and fit
Cons: None but be aware that engine noise is filtered greatly thus altering what you are used to hearing during rpm changes, stalls and the like.
Review: Received it just after Christmas as they were on back order from Germany. Nonetheless, worth the wait!! Great headset! Very comfortable (no headache or ear pain even with several hours of consecutive wear) with superb noice cancellation and clarity. ANC can be powered from the plane with proper connection or batteries. Very simple. Interfaces easily with a cell phone and MP3 (very good music headset). Very competitively priced (couple of hundred $$ less expensive than Bose)

Saturday, January 13, 2007
by Erik, Bonanza M-35 from So Cal 
Pros: Extremely Comfortable/ Lightweight, Good passive for such little clamping force
Cons: ANR not up to par with Bose/Lightspeed
Review: By far the most comfortable headset I've ever worn, even better than Bose X, but there seem to be some quality control issues. I was eager to try them out but was dissapointd when the ANR did not even work in the right earcup and the loud poping noise in the left actually amplified engine noise. Needless to say my first flight with them was right back to the pilot shop without ANR which actually wasn't that bad. Now on my second set and not very impressed, they are probably going back again. On the gound the ANR is absolutely non-existant, and in a climb/decent, it keeps going in and out. In cruise flight with a complete earcup seal, which is difficult with such little clamping force, the ANR cuts nearly all of the engine noise but wind noise is a big problem, and with any turn of my head or even light turbulence, noise reduction is completely lost. Even a slight push on the earcups greatly improves the sound quality, so maybe sealing is the problem. I have worn both the Bose X and Light speed 30 3G on the same flight, and they are far superior to the Sennheiser as far as ANR goes.