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Posted: 10/22/2015 7:26:03 AM EDT
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hey all,
Thinking about cross posting this in the Ham section as well, but the "gear guys" reside here, so I'll ask. If you where going to take a Mil-Spec comm headset and adapt it to civilian radio use, what would you use and why? I am not seeking technical, how-to, answers, just asking for preferences. Peltor Com-Tacs, MSA Sordins, TCI Liberators, etc. Weigh in with the pros and cons of each as all I have used are the Lib IIs. Thanks, ka |
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MSA's are uncomfortable as all hell. Every version. Maybe they've upped their game in the last 3 years, but everything ive tried by MSA felt like a Walmart brand of Bose or Peltor.
Peltor is pretty nice, as is the Lib 2. I slightly prefer the Liberator 2 because it is far more comfortable under a helmet. Downside is that the batteries are a bitch to put in at first. Great noise reduction and sound clarity though. Peltor has been the gold standard for a while though. The only cons I can think of for the Peltors are that they aren't as comfortable with a helmet on, and if you gotta change batteries out at night, you have to be EXTRA careful with the battery covers or you'll lose em. A small thing with them too is that the beep to remind you to change your batteries is loud as shit and is really damn distracting if you're in the middle of doing shit when it decides that it's time to remind you every 90 seconds that the batteries are low. If it's within your tech expertise to convert a standard mil radio cable plug, then consider the Bose ones. Fantastic clarity, comfortable, but the ones I had were designed specifically for vehicle use. By damn they were nice |
| I have dual comm Peltor Comtac IIIs for work and I like them a lot. They work fine under my ACH and are pretty comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. Comm-wise they sound good and the microphone does a pretty good job of blocking wind and transmitting. I know that if the plane can't hear me it's because of my radios, not my headset. |
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Quoted:
How will you be wearing them? Stand alone or with a helmet? If with a helmet, underneath or are rail mounts an option? Don't know how I'll be wearing the new ones. My work ones get worn "stand alone" most of the time and are the "neckband" setup. Not all that bad, all things considering. For my "home" setup, it'll probably be head band, convertible to a rail system. I understand that is one of the drawbacks of the MSA/TCI setup…more difficult to convert back and forth. ka |
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You will have the same issue with Peltors. You will have to cut up the headband to put them on a rail set-up.
If you go with rails but think you will still need them standalone too, then the best option is to buy 2 sets. 1 for your helmet with rails, and 1 for use as standalone. That's what I ended up doing. |
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Quoted:
You will have the same issue with Peltors. You will have to cut up the headband to put them on a rail set-up. If you go with rails but think you will still need them standalone too, then the best option is to buy 2 sets. 1 for your helmet with rails, and 1 for use as standalone. That's what I ended up doing. While I agree one set for stand alone and one for a helmet is ideal, I also think that most of the time if you are not wearing your helmet you are also not needing comms so a non wired Sordin or Comtac is preferable. Either set can be converted back and forth from rail mount to headband. Iron forged concepts adapters allows you to mount back to headband. As far as Sordin vs Comtac, having owned the Comtac II and Sordin Supreme X, I would say they are equal in build quality, with Peltor having better battery compartment access and a lack of squelch/speaker to mic interference. Sordin is better at amplifying the highs and getting full volume up faster. This is a blessing and a curse. Sordins seem to cut the initial noise and ramp back up so fast that you hear the echo of the original noise so it sounds like it is coming from a different direction/location. You miss more overall audio with Peltor but it does not have squelch/feedback, has less hiss, and does not mess up the locations of sounds due to reflections as much. Sordin is less bulky, looks cooler, and is better at picking up high pitched noises. Peltor is easier to swap batteries, more natural sounding, and the radio works with the headset powered off (my Sordin must be powered up for radio to come through. You will also find that the add on harness to a factory non comm set is as expensive as a dedicated com set and the dedicated comm headset is more robust and less bulky. |
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Quoted:
While I agree one set for stand alone and one for a helmet is ideal, I also think that most of the time if you are not wearing your helmet you are also not needing comms so a non wired Sordin or Comtac is preferable. Either set can be converted back and forth from rail mount to headband. Iron forged concepts adapters allows you to mount back to headband. As far as Sordin vs Comtac, having owned the Comtac II and Sordin Supreme X, I would say they are equal in build quality, with Peltor having better battery compartment access and a lack of squelch/speaker to mic interference. Sordin is better at amplifying the highs and getting full volume up faster. This is a blessing and a curse. Sordins seem to cut the initial noise and ramp back up so fast that you hear the echo of the original noise so it sounds like it is coming from a different direction/location. You miss more overall audio with Peltor but it does not have squelch/feedback, has less hiss, and does not mess up the locations of sounds due to reflections as much. Sordin is less bulky, looks cooler, and is better at picking up high pitched noises. Peltor is easier to swap batteries, more natural sounding, and the radio works with the headset powered off (my Sordin must be powered up for radio to come through. You will also find that the add on harness to a factory non comm set is as expensive as a dedicated com set and the dedicated comm headset is more robust and less bulky. Quoted:
Quoted:
You will have the same issue with Peltors. You will have to cut up the headband to put them on a rail set-up. If you go with rails but think you will still need them standalone too, then the best option is to buy 2 sets. 1 for your helmet with rails, and 1 for use as standalone. That's what I ended up doing. While I agree one set for stand alone and one for a helmet is ideal, I also think that most of the time if you are not wearing your helmet you are also not needing comms so a non wired Sordin or Comtac is preferable. Either set can be converted back and forth from rail mount to headband. Iron forged concepts adapters allows you to mount back to headband. As far as Sordin vs Comtac, having owned the Comtac II and Sordin Supreme X, I would say they are equal in build quality, with Peltor having better battery compartment access and a lack of squelch/speaker to mic interference. Sordin is better at amplifying the highs and getting full volume up faster. This is a blessing and a curse. Sordins seem to cut the initial noise and ramp back up so fast that you hear the echo of the original noise so it sounds like it is coming from a different direction/location. You miss more overall audio with Peltor but it does not have squelch/feedback, has less hiss, and does not mess up the locations of sounds due to reflections as much. Sordin is less bulky, looks cooler, and is better at picking up high pitched noises. Peltor is easier to swap batteries, more natural sounding, and the radio works with the headset powered off (my Sordin must be powered up for radio to come through. You will also find that the add on harness to a factory non comm set is as expensive as a dedicated com set and the dedicated comm headset is more robust and less bulky. Now THAT is the kind of response I was hoping for. Thanks.! |
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