DAVID CLARK X11

Save to de.icio.us

PRICE £509.99
DAVID Clark has been the mainstay headset choice of pilots for years. The success of Bose has forced the American company to develop something new – the X11.

Without those trademark green coloured ear cups, you'd have difficulty recognising the X11 as a DC product because the company has moved things that far.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
THE X11 is certainly is a step forward in design for DC. Gone is the metallic frame and in its place is a carbon fibre headband with neat sliding adjustment built in.

The X11 is extremely light and the most eye-catching feature is the ear seal material. It looks like a bin liner but is in fact an ultra strong plastic-type fabric that feels very unusual to the touch but is very comfortable.

The control box is located a good length along the lead and has an easy on/off switch with green LED to show when the ENC (Electronic Noise Cancelling) is active.

IN A CIRRUS
THE shape of the DC over the ears is extremely comfortable - your whole ear feels as though it is surrounded by its own acoustic chamber. Even with the ENC switched off, the audio quality is superb and I can hear myself, Russ and ATC with crystal clear clarity.

It's only when you listen with this kind of upmarket headset that you begin to appreciate the extra cost. The magic of the ENC working definitely brought a grin to my face; it also had the most noticeable change. Russ summed it up by saying, "it's definitely DC's best attempt at a headset to date."

IN A PA28
EVEN when used with an old radio system in the PA28, the modern X11 worked superbly. For its size and weight, even with the ENC off, the headset gave above-average audio quality. Again, it was when the ENC was switched on that everything became crystal clear. Even that background radio hiss was reduced.

VERDICT
DC has a cult following and long-standing tradition with headsets and it's good to see the company at the top of its game with the X11. A headset of this size and weight surprised me with its comfort and excellent audio quality.

Looks-wise, the dull green and bin liner-look ear seals may not be everyone's cup of tea but the X11 does the job and will give many years of fatigue free use. With DC's unprecedented customer support and a five-year warranty, your £500 will be well spent.

FEATURES
Weight: 340g
Total NR: 22dB
Power Source: 2 AA batteries or from aircraft
Battery life: 30 hours
Auto shut-off: Yes
Microphone type: Noise-cancelling
Mobile phone jack: Yes
Music interface: Yes
Warranty: 5 years
w. www.davidclark.com/x11

Send To A Friend