Pilot USA PA 17-79T ANR Headset

Pilot USA
    • Item #2088
    • PN: PA-1779T
  • In Stock
  • Item #2088
Qty

This is the same as the PA 17-79 but it also includes a built-in cellular phone interface.

Originally designed for the military, the new PA 17-79 DNC XL headset is now available for general aviation and is positioned to be the leading ANR headset for the quality conscious consumer. Taking full advantage of closer tolerance mil-spec components the Independence provides an additional 18-22 dB of active noise reduction at 100 Hz. A panel mount version of the Independence is also available. The new PA 17-79 XLP was designed to be used on the International Space Station and is now also available for general aviation use.

Enhanced Voice Intelligibility (EVI)
The Independence headset has incorporated into its integrated circuitry a proprietary DSP circuit which enhances all audio within the speech frequencies. The result is more intelligible incoming ATC transmissions. Incoming speech frequencies are amplified 2-4 dB for more clarity and intelligibility. This is particularly favorable for pilots who may have suffered some hearing loss over the years.

Modular Flexible Design
The PA 17-79's modularity includes some unique features. We have designed the Independence headset to be modular with the introduction of a detachable comm-cord and microphone boom. This modularity makes the unit "field repairable". Pilots can use the headset without the comm-cord when they are doing their preflight around the aircraft. The detachable comm-cord enables the user to use the headset in different applications by simply purchasing the appropriate comm-cord. Industrial users can wear a modified version with or without a microphone and protect their hearing as well as have the flexibility to walk around without worrying about a power source. The user can adjust the microphone boom from left to right by plugging into the 3.5 mm jack on either the left or right ear cup. One can remove the microphone boom by fully extending the headband to its largest size so approximately only ¾" of the headband is passing through the rubber bushing located in the center of the ear cup. Then grasp the tip of the headband and slowly pull/twist the headband through the rubber bushing. To reattach, line up the molded rubber pieces and headband and snap the rubber molded piece back onto the pivot.

Comfort Features
The headset is fitted with a breathable sheepskin headpad which is attached to the headband with a Velcroâ closure. This headpad virtually eliminates all complaints of hat spots caused by non-breathable synthetic headpads used by other manufacturers. The natural headpad combined with the wide single pivot suspension of the headband assures a comfortable fit. The foam ear seals are extra soft and generously proportioned and fit around the ear to distribute pressure. Silicone gel ear seals are available as an accessory.

Mono/Stereo Selector Switch Individual Ear Cup Volume Adjustments
The Independence DNC headset can be used in either monaural or stereo modes. A selector switch (M/S) and individual right and left ear cup volume adjustments are placed conveniently on the comm-cord for easy access. Each ear cup's audio volume can be individually adjusted in either mono or stereo mode. This allows users who may have suffered previous hearing loss in one ear to have perfect audio adjustment in both ears.


Features

  • 31 dB Noise Reduction at 100 Hz
  • Totally self-contained unit
  • Electret noise canceling microphone
  • Digital signal processor IC
  • Enhanced voice audio-in
  • Surface mount technology
  • Very lightweight: 15.5 oz. (440 grams)
  • 100% closer tolerance military components
  • Mono/stereo switch
  • Dual volume controls
  • Rechargeable NiMH battery pack
  • Detachable microphone & boom
  • Battery life: @1000 charges or @5000 hours total usage
  • 10.15 VDC "Smart" battery charger w/LED
  • Sheepskin headpad
  • ISO 9000, 9001 PCB
  • Tamper-proof circuit board
  • Gel coated circuit board for added reliability
  • Field repairable design
  • A custom padded protective case
  • 5-Year factory warranty
  • Made in the USA of domestic and foreign components

OPTIONAL:  Enable wireless streaming Bluetooth music and/or cell phone to this headset with our Bluetooth Aviation Headset Streamer.

Lowest Price Guaranteed!

If you find a better price elsewhere on this product we will Match that price and beat it by 10% of the difference. See Details.

Buy with Confidence!

Purchase today and you can return it in the original condition through Saturday, December 07, 2024 ! See our return policy.

At a Glance

Pilot USA PA 17-79T ANR Headset

  • In Stock
  • Item #2088
  • PN: PA-1779T
Qty

Pilot USA PA 17-79T ANR Headset Overview:

This is the same as the PA 17-79 but it also includes a built-in cellular phone interface.

Originally designed for the military, the new PA 17-79 DNC XL headset is now available for general aviation and is positioned to be the leading ANR headset for the quality conscious consumer. Taking full advantage of closer tolerance mil-spec components the Independence provides an additional 18-22 dB of active noise reduction at 100 Hz. A panel mount version of the Independence is also available. The new PA 17-79 XLP was designed to be used on the International Space Station and is now also available for general aviation use.

Enhanced Voice Intelligibility (EVI)
The Independence headset has incorporated into its integrated circuitry a proprietary DSP circuit which enhances all audio within the speech frequencies. The result is more intelligible incoming ATC transmissions. Incoming speech frequencies are amplified 2-4 dB for more clarity and intelligibility. This is particularly favorable for pilots who may have suffered some hearing loss over the years.

Modular Flexible Design
The PA 17-79's modularity includes some unique features. We have designed the Independence headset to be modular with the introduction of a detachable comm-cord and microphone boom. This modularity makes the unit "field repairable". Pilots can use the headset without the comm-cord when they are doing their preflight around the aircraft. The detachable comm-cord enables the user to use the headset in different applications by simply purchasing the appropriate comm-cord. Industrial users can wear a modified version with or without a microphone and protect their hearing as well as have the flexibility to walk around without worrying about a power source. The user can adjust the microphone boom from left to right by plugging into the 3.5 mm jack on either the left or right ear cup. One can remove the microphone boom by fully extending the headband to its largest size so approximately only ¾" of the headband is passing through the rubber bushing located in the center of the ear cup. Then grasp the tip of the headband and slowly pull/twist the headband through the rubber bushing. To reattach, line up the molded rubber pieces and headband and snap the rubber molded piece back onto the pivot.

Comfort Features
The headset is fitted with a breathable sheepskin headpad which is attached to the headband with a Velcroâ closure. This headpad virtually eliminates all complaints of hat spots caused by non-breathable synthetic headpads used by other manufacturers. The natural headpad combined with the wide single pivot suspension of the headband assures a comfortable fit. The foam ear seals are extra soft and generously proportioned and fit around the ear to distribute pressure. Silicone gel ear seals are available as an accessory.

Mono/Stereo Selector Switch Individual Ear Cup Volume Adjustments
The Independence DNC headset can be used in either monaural or stereo modes. A selector switch (M/S) and individual right and left ear cup volume adjustments are placed conveniently on the comm-cord for easy access. Each ear cup's audio volume can be individually adjusted in either mono or stereo mode. This allows users who may have suffered previous hearing loss in one ear to have perfect audio adjustment in both ears.


Features

  • 31 dB Noise Reduction at 100 Hz
  • Totally self-contained unit
  • Electret noise canceling microphone
  • Digital signal processor IC
  • Enhanced voice audio-in
  • Surface mount technology
  • Very lightweight: 15.5 oz. (440 grams)
  • 100% closer tolerance military components
  • Mono/stereo switch
  • Dual volume controls
  • Rechargeable NiMH battery pack
  • Detachable microphone & boom
  • Battery life: @1000 charges or @5000 hours total usage
  • 10.15 VDC "Smart" battery charger w/LED
  • Sheepskin headpad
  • ISO 9000, 9001 PCB
  • Tamper-proof circuit board
  • Gel coated circuit board for added reliability
  • Field repairable design
  • A custom padded protective case
  • 5-Year factory warranty
  • Made in the USA of domestic and foreign components

OPTIONAL:  Enable wireless streaming Bluetooth music and/or cell phone to this headset with our Bluetooth Aviation Headset Streamer.

 

12 CUSTOMER REVIEWS

  • Pilot USA PA 17-79T ANR Headset

    12 Reviews

  • Average Customer Review:

Filter

Select a row below to filter reviews by star rating.

Top Reviews
  • Verified Purchase

  • By Robert Ward from Minnesota on Wednesday, April 28, 2021
  • Pros: Functionality and price.
  • Review: Works well, lasts a long time. Comfortable easy to use and durable. I read a review before I purchased these headphones, where the reviewer described them as the ugliest things they have ever seen, but to me they embody perfect function over form.

  • Verified Purchase

I would buy this headset again.

  • By Gale from Staples MN USA on Thursday, December 05, 2019
  • Pros: Battery is rechargeable and is in the headser. NO MORE DANGLING BATTERY BOX!
  • Review: Headset is comfortable, noise cancelling is very good and the voice
    clarity is excellent both receiving and transmitting!

  • Verified Purchase

Amazing product and customer service

  • By Pat from SLO from San Luis Obispo, CA on Tuesday, December 20, 2016
  • Pros: quality; price; customer service & backing of their product; longevity of model
  • Review: Bought a Pilot PA 17-79 as my very first headset, back in 1999 (I think they had just come out, one of the first ANR headsets out there). I still use it today. About 10 years after buying it, I sent it back to replace the battery, and the guy who answered the phone (no machine!) talked me into 'overhauling' the headset for essentially the same price as the new battery. I got brand new gel ear cups (a really nice upgrade) along with the battery, and a headset that looked brand new when it came back. I don't see why you'd ever want to buy anything else. Love that headset. I'm not sure, but I think they are even made in the US, and priced competitvely. Go figure.

  • Verified Purchase

Solid Peformance

  • By A Customer from Tucson, AZ on Sunday, August 14, 2016
  • Pros: No battery box--Good passive and active ANR- Clear audio
  • Review: I've been flying with this headset for over 10 yrs in a older and noisy turbo normalized Mooney and I'd be hard pressed to find a better performing headset without spending double the price. As the batteries are in the headset, yes it's a bit heavier than some other ANR's, but you don't have a battery box dangling from the cords and you can detach the cable and use them as hearing protection during preflight. The rechargeable batteries last around 10hrs on a charge.
    The headset and mic audio is crisp and intelligible. Comfort hasn't been an issue for me, even on longer XC's. I've flown with a few bargain ANR's and both the older and newer Lightspeeds and Bose models. The bargain ANR's were clearly inferior. The ANR performance of the late model LS's and Bose may be marginally better, but if you lose the ANR on those sets their passive attenuation is so poor you'll have very little hearing protection. If your looking for a moderately priced ANR headset with above average performance I'd seriously consider the PA-1779.

  • Verified Purchase

Really Quiet and Really Ugly

  • By Chip from DuPage, IL on Wednesday, January 29, 2014
  • Pros: Very quiet and comfortable
  • Review: Starting with the out of box experience, this is one darn ugly headset, and the POH is rather thin. Getting past the ugly factor, the design philosophy of this headset is to make it field repairable. The cord is detachable and easily replaced, the power switch is a standard plunger on the earcup, the microphone boom has a replaceable cord on the earcup, the charger jack doubles as the boom input and the auxiliary input is also a standard 1/8 jack on the earcup. All of this gives you a handful of jacks and cables on the earcup which looks pretty ugly, but remember, cables are the weak spot on every headset. Even if you take good care of your headset vibration will likely take its toll, so I believe the replaceable cables are a good solution, despite the ug factor.

    After charging up the headset it was time to give it a test drive. The headset is comfortable, although a little taller. So tall that I was scrapping the headband on the ceiling and had to lower my seat. Even without using ANR the headset is very quiet, and with the ANR running the headset made for a very different and cozy flying experience. This is, indeed, one very quiet headset. One reason for the noise reduction is that this headset also limits the frequency response of the microphone, so everyone on the intercom will appreciate hearing less prop wash, but the downside is that voice sounds a little muddier. The music input frequency response is not limited, but keep in mind that this headset is not designed for the recording studio.

    So its ugly, and voice is a little muddy sounding, but the headset is comfortable and very quiet.

  • Verified Purchase

Not so good

  • By A Customer on Friday, July 26, 2013
  • Pros: Good hearing protection when batteries go flat
  • Review: There are some good qualities about this headset, but it is a heavy heatset compared to some that are coming out. Clamping was a bit tight still after adjusting out. Ears ache after an hour. Band adjustment for your head side keeps slipping to maximum. It squeals with noise cancelling on after an hour or so. I have seen others with the same issue on other forums. Main wire going into head broke easy, one ear piece only working now. Buy a Bose A20, if you are worried about your Bose battery going flat, take a spare with you when flying.

  • Verified Purchase

Best I have tried so far...

  • By Be1900 and Q400 Pilot from Seattle, WA on Monday, January 09, 2012
  • Pros: Comfortable, quite, still good with dead batteries.
  • Review: I used this headset for 2 years of commercial flying in regional turboprops so far. I have also had Lightspeeds, David Clarks, and Bose, and I like these best. One good thing about them is that if the battery dies, you still have a great headset that you can use just fine, unlike the Lightspeeds, that turn into a complete pile of junk with dead batteries. They are super comfy, provide great noise reduction. Perhaps not the best active noise reduction, but they are within 95% of the others, and still being useful after the battery dies, that makes them the best choice that I have used so far.

  • Verified Purchase

  • By Robert Ward from Minnesota on Wednesday, April 28, 2021
  • Pros: Functionality and price.
  • Cons: haven't found any problems yet.
  • Review: Works well, lasts a long time. Comfortable easy to use and durable. I read a review before I purchased these headphones, where the reviewer described them as the ugliest things they have ever seen, but to me they embody perfect function over form.
  • Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 4 Other people found this review helpful.
  • Verified Purchase

I would buy this headset again.

  • By Gale from Staples MN USA on Thursday, December 05, 2019
  • Pros: Battery is rechargeable and is in the headser. NO MORE DANGLING BATTERY BOX!
  • Cons: None
  • Review: Headset is comfortable, noise cancelling is very good and the voice
    clarity is excellent both receiving and transmitting!
  • Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 6 Other people found this review helpful.

Amazing product and customer service

  • By Pat from SLO from San Luis Obispo, CA on Tuesday, December 20, 2016
  • Pros: quality; price; customer service & backing of their product; longevity of model
  • Cons: none
  • Review: Bought a Pilot PA 17-79 as my very first headset, back in 1999 (I think they had just come out, one of the first ANR headsets out there). I still use it today. About 10 years after buying it, I sent it back to replace the battery, and the guy who answered the phone (no machine!) talked me into 'overhauling' the headset for essentially the same price as the new battery. I got brand new gel ear cups (a really nice upgrade) along with the battery, and a headset that looked brand new when it came back. I don't see why you'd ever want to buy anything else. Love that headset. I'm not sure, but I think they are even made in the US, and priced competitvely. Go figure.
  • Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 6 Other people found this review helpful.

Solid Peformance

  • By A Customer from Tucson, AZ on Sunday, August 14, 2016
  • Pros: No battery box--Good passive and active ANR- Clear audio
  • Cons: Slightly heavier - No bluetooth
  • Review: I've been flying with this headset for over 10 yrs in a older and noisy turbo normalized Mooney and I'd be hard pressed to find a better performing headset without spending double the price. As the batteries are in the headset, yes it's a bit heavier than some other ANR's, but you don't have a battery box dangling from the cords and you can detach the cable and use them as hearing protection during preflight. The rechargeable batteries last around 10hrs on a charge.
    The headset and mic audio is crisp and intelligible. Comfort hasn't been an issue for me, even on longer XC's. I've flown with a few bargain ANR's and both the older and newer Lightspeeds and Bose models. The bargain ANR's were clearly inferior. The ANR performance of the late model LS's and Bose may be marginally better, but if you lose the ANR on those sets their passive attenuation is so poor you'll have very little hearing protection. If your looking for a moderately priced ANR headset with above average performance I'd seriously consider the PA-1779.
  • Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 16 Other people found this review helpful.

Really Quiet and Really Ugly

  • By Chip from DuPage, IL on Wednesday, January 29, 2014
  • Pros: Very quiet and comfortable
  • Cons: Rather ugly and muddy voice
  • Review: Starting with the out of box experience, this is one darn ugly headset, and the POH is rather thin. Getting past the ugly factor, the design philosophy of this headset is to make it field repairable. The cord is detachable and easily replaced, the power switch is a standard plunger on the earcup, the microphone boom has a replaceable cord on the earcup, the charger jack doubles as the boom input and the auxiliary input is also a standard 1/8 jack on the earcup. All of this gives you a handful of jacks and cables on the earcup which looks pretty ugly, but remember, cables are the weak spot on every headset. Even if you take good care of your headset vibration will likely take its toll, so I believe the replaceable cables are a good solution, despite the ug factor.

    After charging up the headset it was time to give it a test drive. The headset is comfortable, although a little taller. So tall that I was scrapping the headband on the ceiling and had to lower my seat. Even without using ANR the headset is very quiet, and with the ANR running the headset made for a very different and cozy flying experience. This is, indeed, one very quiet headset. One reason for the noise reduction is that this headset also limits the frequency response of the microphone, so everyone on the intercom will appreciate hearing less prop wash, but the downside is that voice sounds a little muddier. The music input frequency response is not limited, but keep in mind that this headset is not designed for the recording studio.

    So its ugly, and voice is a little muddy sounding, but the headset is comfortable and very quiet.
  • Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 7 Other people found this review helpful.

Not so good

  • By A Customer on Friday, July 26, 2013
  • Pros: Good hearing protection when batteries go flat
  • Cons: Squealing issues, even after they had been sent back for repair. Side bands slip when adjusted, have to keep readjusting
  • Review: There are some good qualities about this headset, but it is a heavy heatset compared to some that are coming out. Clamping was a bit tight still after adjusting out. Ears ache after an hour. Band adjustment for your head side keeps slipping to maximum. It squeals with noise cancelling on after an hour or so. I have seen others with the same issue on other forums. Main wire going into head broke easy, one ear piece only working now. Buy a Bose A20, if you are worried about your Bose battery going flat, take a spare with you when flying.
  • Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 4 Other people found this review helpful.

Best I have tried so far...

  • By Be1900 and Q400 Pilot from Seattle, WA on Monday, January 09, 2012
  • Pros: Comfortable, quite, still good with dead batteries.
  • Cons: Not the best ANR you can buy, but still great.
  • Review: I used this headset for 2 years of commercial flying in regional turboprops so far. I have also had Lightspeeds, David Clarks, and Bose, and I like these best. One good thing about them is that if the battery dies, you still have a great headset that you can use just fine, unlike the Lightspeeds, that turn into a complete pile of junk with dead batteries. They are super comfy, provide great noise reduction. Perhaps not the best active noise reduction, but they are within 95% of the others, and still being useful after the battery dies, that makes them the best choice that I have used so far.
  • Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 9 Other people found this review helpful.

0 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

Bluetooth Enable Your Aviation Headset
Bluetooth Enable Your Aviation Headset

Stream music and cell phone to your aviation headset with a 3.5mm stereo input via Bluetooth wireless.

Customers who bought this also considered:

Lowest Price Guaranteed!

If you find a better price elsewhere on this product we will match that price and beat it by 10% of the difference.

Buy with Confidence!

Purchase today and you can return it in the original condition through Saturday, December 07, 2024 !  See our return policy.

Sign up for our newsletter and stay updated on special offers.