Anyone flying with David Clark DC ONE-X headsets?

[Steve]

We had a successful garage sale last weekend, and I am thinking about treating myself and buying a new headset with the proceeds (I have my wife's permission). I've been a loyal David Clark customer for 35 plus years (I currently have 4 of various vintages in the airplane including one of their earliest ANC models), and am considering their DC ONE-X to replace it. I'd appreciate any PIREPS from someone using one in a DA40.

One potential issue I anticipate is that the length of the cord from the headset to the battery case/control box is fairly short, and I might need to affix it somewhere on the seat back. Thanks for any advice,

Steve

[mhoran]

My co-owner and I both have this headset. It's great. No issues with the cable length, I clip the control unit to the seatbelt just fine. Only complaint is that the ear seals are a little stiff. This is only an issue for me because my sunglasses are slightly oversized, so the clamping action results in some pain over time.

David Clark customer service is incredible, which is why I went with the One-X over more popular alternatives. I've sent them in for repair twice now, and both repairs cost me $0. The last time I sent both sets in they upgraded them to LEMO for free.

[Steve]

Thanks Matt. All of my old DCs are fairly comfortable, maybe I have a small head? I wear my old Navy Randolph frames when flying, which have bayonet temples - they seal well and distribute the clamping force over a larger area, so no discomfort.

[mhoran]

Same frames here. But unfortunately I got a size too large and so they distribute the clamping at a pinpoint right at the bone behind my ears. It's subtle but over time gets unbearable. I should really get around to swapping them for the correct size.

[Steve]

Well, my gift-to-myself of the DC ONE-X arrived, and I got the chance to fly it yesterday. First impressions:

- No problems with the cord length. The control box sits next to my right leg, and the cord is long enough to allow unfettered movement to reach anything in the front cockpit.
- Way lighter and more comfortable than my old DCs.
- I didn't try the Bluetooth connectivity in flight, because my audio panel has this provision already. I did make a brief phone call to my wife in flight, which sounded fine.
- I'm still messing around a bit with the different volume levels (headset, iPad, intercom, and radios) to get them optimized to my preference.
- I'm curious to see how long the batteries last. My ancient, old DC ANC headset usually got about 10-12 hours of use out of 4 AA batteries.

[smoss]

I was considering trying this headset and was wondering if it has the noticible transponder clicking noise heard in some other ANR headsets?

[Steve]

I was considering trying this headset and was wondering if it has the noticible transponder clicking noise heard in some other ANR headsets?

My old (very old as in 25 years old) DC ANC headset had this, but I haven't been able to detect it in my DC ONE-X.

[smoss]

Just got a DC One-X headset and tried it for 2 flights. Overall, it has good potential. My particular headset has 2 issues though--first, on the ground, with the side vent open, the left speaker makes an annoying incessant popping noise which peristed on both flights, and second, the volumes in the 2 ears is a bit off, such that on max both sides one ear is a bit louder, which persists if you click each ear down 1 notch, and is such that it is about 1/2 click differnt, such that I cannot make them match perfectly even by differentially adjusting them. I may be a bit more deaf in one ear than the other, but I don't think that much. I will have my passenger try the headset next time to see if they hear the anomoly as well. I suppose the plane's comms may be unmatched in each ear as well and I just never noticed since all my other headsets have had continuously adjustable volume knobs. The good news is that the annoying transponder click is not present at all! The bluetooth worked well to my phone, but it does not appear you can connect more that one device at a time, same for the iPad, such that if my iPad is connected to the GTX345R, I can't also play music from it to the headset. Any feedback on any of this stuff from people with this headset would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Rich]

The bluetooth worked well to my phone, but it does not appear you can connect more that one device at a time, same for the iPad, such that if my iPad is connected to the GTX345R, I can't also play music from it to the headset. Any feedback on any of this stuff from people with this headset would be appreciated. Thanks.

It's very rare for any BT device to be able to connect to multiple audio devices at the same time. The only headset device I'm aware of that will do this is the BluLink II and devices that incorporate it (e.g. Clarity Aloft "Link" version). I have several ways to utilize it but except for the CA and the Pilot USA headset I have, you wind up with yet another control box to manage.