AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 97

The effectiveness of the active and passive headsets are similar in the mid and high frequencies, but
the ANR technology proves its value in reducing the lower frequencies, where the bulk of cockpit
noise such as engine and propeller noise exists.
If you've ever been to an audiologist
One of the primary issues we
as pilots face is that risk of
noise-induced hearing loss is not
only dependent on the level of
the sounds around us, but also
the amount of time we spend
subjected to those sounds.
" most susceptible " does not mean " only
susceptible. "
The final thing we need to consider
is that hearing perception is totally
subjective and can vary widely from
person to person. My ears are different
than your ears, and there's no way for
me to experience sound in the exact
same way that you do. Fortunately,
the characteristics of headsets are
measurable, and so with some applied
science, we can provide fuel for your FBO
debate. Headsets are designed to attenuate
(reduce or " turn down " ) noise differently
in different ranges of the frequency
spectrum, so after some experimentation,
we can draw some conclusions about their
ability to protect our hearing. I performed
an experiment in my attic comparing a
couple of popular aviation headset styles
and their respective abilities to protect
hearing across the frequency spectrum.
and had your hearing tested, odds are
you're familiar with an audiogram. In an
audiogram, the subject is given calibrated
headphones to wear and is presented with
tones at various levels to measure where
the " floor " of their hearing is across the
frequency spectrum. For this experiment,
I gave myself a modified audiogram, using
a speaker in place of headphones, and an
oscillator to generate pure tones at octave
centers (beginning at 63 Hz), turning the
level up until audible, and then made note
of that level for each octave tone. I then
repeated the experiment with different
headsets, and charted the comparison
between the base hearing response and
the attenuation of the headset below.
(For the testing purists, the noise floor
of my experiment area was measured at
39 dB LAeq10, and the experiment was
replicated five times and averaged to
eliminate error).
Presented here are two aviation
headsets: a commonly used passive
headset, and a commonly used active
headset, tested with ANR activated
and deactivated. For comparison, I also
tested a pair of disposable foam in-ear
plugs (often called foamies) you may
have encountered before. For those
unfamiliar, a passive headset has no
electronic noise cancellation built in.
Instead it relies on physical isolation via
AOPA PILOT / October 2021
97

http://efirc.com/PILOT

AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021

Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 10
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 28
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 30
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 32
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 34
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 36
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 38
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 102
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 106
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 107
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 112
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201103_test
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201011demo
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot0308
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com