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.