Elecraft

Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

Classic

List

Threaded

10 messages Options

Robert 'RC' Conley

Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

After this past week ends NAQP contest and receiving several notices
about distorted audio on my K3/10 using a Telex MRB2400 aviation
headset. It might be time to up grade my head set to either one of the
above. Frankly the Telex becomes rather heavy after about 6 hours.
Since I operate pretty much equally between contesting and general DX
chasing and/or QSO I need a good all around headset. I would like to
hear from someone who has operated with all of them.
Thanks RC kc5wa
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

AD4C2009

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

Your best choise will be the already well known Yamaha CM-500 that me and many other group users has purchased as well,you will pay no more than $45 and even less depending on which store you will buy it at,its freq response is from 100 to 18,000Hz on TX and 20 to 20,000Hz on RX,having the K3 EQ you can equalize it to have either sweet ragchew audio or high punch dx/contesting audio,the headphones are big enough to cover your whole ear and confortable for hours of listening,the mic audio is so high that you have to reduce the mic gain at least half,go for it,its a keeper.

AD4C

"For a refined ham it is compulsory to own a k3"

--- On Tue, 1/19/10, Robert 'RC' Conley <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: Robert 'RC' Conley <[hidden email]>
Subject: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500
To: [hidden email]
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 2:36 PM

After this past week ends NAQP contest and receiving several notices
about distorted audio on my K3/10 using a Telex MRB2400 aviation
headset. It might be time to up grade my head set to either one of the
above. Frankly the Telex becomes rather heavy after about 6 hours.
Since I operate pretty much equally between contesting and general DX
chasing and/or QSO I need a good all around headset. I would like to
hear from someone who has operated with all of them.
Thanks RC kc5wa
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Jim Brown-10

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

In reply to this post by Robert 'RC' Conley

On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:36:25 -0600, Robert 'RC' Conley wrote:

>I would like to hear from someone who has operated with all of
>them.

I've never owned a Heil headset because I think they are wildly
overpriced and many sound bad. I've used Heil headsets at the N6RO
contest station when others brought them. I found them moderately
comfortable, but the headphones in the active ones (noise
cancelling) picked up transmitted RF from antennas that were 100-200
ft from the shack.

I bought two CM500s as part of a group purchase by our local contest
club two months ago (Altogether, I think we bought about two dozen),
and I have used one extensively in a half dozen contests. I'm a
serious contester, so that often means 24 hours or more in a
weekend. I find them to be as comfortable as my Sony MDR7506s, they
sound nearly as good, and the mic gives me VERY competitve, good
sounding audio. I've listened to other club members using these
headset mics, and they sound much better than most of the Heils I've
heard.

73,

Jim Brown K9YC

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

w0mu

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

The new noise cancelling Heil's are supposed to be better at not picking up
transmitted rf. I have one of the old ones which pick up the transmitted rf
and really annoying.

I have always used the Heil headsets and elements. My voice seems to work
well with them. I always get excellent reports. I would agree that their
prices are high.

Mike W0MU

CC Packet Cluster W0MU-1
W0MU.NET or 67.40.148.194

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Jim Brown
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 8:54 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:36:25 -0600, Robert 'RC' Conley wrote:

>I would like to hear from someone who has operated with all of them.

I've never owned a Heil headset because I think they are wildly overpriced
and many sound bad. I've used Heil headsets at the N6RO contest station when
others brought them. I found them moderately comfortable, but the headphones
in the active ones (noise
cancelling) picked up transmitted RF from antennas that were 100-200 ft from
the shack.

I bought two CM500s as part of a group purchase by our local contest club
two months ago (Altogether, I think we bought about two dozen), and I have
used one extensively in a half dozen contests. I'm a serious contester, so
that often means 24 hours or more in a weekend. I find them to be as
comfortable as my Sony MDR7506s, they sound nearly as good, and the mic
gives me VERY competitve, good sounding audio. I've listened to other club
members using these headset mics, and they sound much better than most of
the Heils I've heard.

73,

Jim Brown K9YC

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

srife

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

In reply to this post by AD4C2009

Where do you find them for 45 bucks? Everything I see so far says 58
to 60 bucks.

Stan Rife
W5EWA

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Hector Padron
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:25 AM
To: Robert 'RC' Conley
Cc: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

Your best choise will be the already well known Yamaha CM-500 that me and
many other group users has purchased as well,you will pay no more than $45
and even less depending on which store you will buy it at,its freq response
is from 100 to 18,000Hz on TX and 20 to 20,000Hz on RX,having the K3 EQ you
can equalize it to have either sweet ragchew audio or high punch
dx/contesting audio,the headphones are big enough to cover your whole ear
and confortable for hours of listening,the mic audio is so high that you
have to reduce the mic gain at least half,go for it,its a keeper.

AD4C

"For a refined ham it is compulsory to own a k3"

--- On Tue, 1/19/10, Robert 'RC' Conley <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: Robert 'RC' Conley <[hidden email]>
Subject: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500
To: [hidden email]
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 2:36 PM

After this past week ends NAQP contest and receiving several notices
about distorted audio on my K3/10 using a Telex MRB2400 aviation
headset. It might be time to up grade my head set to either one of the
above. Frankly the Telex becomes rather heavy after about 6 hours.
Since I operate pretty much equally between contesting and general DX
chasing and/or QSO I need a good all around headset. I would like to
hear from someone who has operated with all of them.
Thanks RC kc5wa
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

AD4C2009

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

In reply to this post by w0mu

I have been using the CM-500 for 3 days already,always using 1KW from my AL-80B on 40M with a dipole and on 20M with an AV3 vertical antenna and so far I don't have any RFI anywhere,they are RF safe for me.

AD4C

"For a refined ham it is compulsory to own a k3"

--- On Tue, 1/19/10, W0MU Mike Fatchett <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: W0MU Mike Fatchett <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500
To: [hidden email]
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 4:01 PM

The new noise cancelling Heil's are supposed to be better at not picking up
transmitted rf. I have one of the old ones which pick up the transmitted rf
and really annoying.

I have always used the Heil headsets and elements. My voice seems to work
well with them. I always get excellent reports. I would agree that their
prices are high.

Mike W0MU

CC Packet Cluster W0MU-1
W0MU.NET or 67.40.148.194

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Jim Brown
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 8:54 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:36:25 -0600, Robert 'RC' Conley wrote:

>I would like to hear from someone who has operated with all of them.

I've never owned a Heil headset because I think they are wildly overpriced
and many sound bad. I've used Heil headsets at the N6RO contest station when
others brought them. I found them moderately comfortable, but the headphones
in the active ones (noise
cancelling) picked up transmitted RF from antennas that were 100-200 ft from
the shack.

I bought two CM500s as part of a group purchase by our local contest club
two months ago (Altogether, I think we bought about two dozen), and I have
used one extensively in a half dozen contests. I'm a serious contester, so
that often means 24 hours or more in a weekend. I find them to be as
comfortable as my Sony MDR7506s, they sound nearly as good, and the mic
gives me VERY competitve, good sounding audio. I've listened to other club
members using these headset mics, and they sound much better than most of
the Heils I've heard.

73,

Jim Brown K9YC

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Joe Subich, W4TV-4

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

In reply to this post by srife

> Where do you find them for 45 bucks?

WWW.bhphotovideo.com

The one issue with the microphone in the CM-500 is that
it has much more low frequency response than either the
HC-5 or the HC-4. Unless you want to waste a lot of power
in useless low frequency audio response, the CM-500 will
require a significant amount of TX EQ while the HC5/HC4
can be used without eq.

73,

... Joe, W4TV

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of
> [hidden email]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 1:53 PM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500
>
>
> Where do you find them for 45 bucks? Everything I see
> so far says 58 to 60 bucks.
>
>
> Stan Rife
> W5EWA
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Hector Padron
> Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:25 AM
> To: Robert 'RC' Conley
> Cc: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500
>
> Your best choise will be the already well known Yamaha CM-500
> that me and many other group users has purchased as well,you
> will pay no more than $45 and even less depending on which
> store you will buy it at,its freq response is from 100 to
> 18,000Hz on TX and 20 to 20,000Hz on RX,having the K3 EQ you
> can equalize it to have either sweet ragchew audio or high
> punch dx/contesting audio,the headphones are big enough to
> cover your whole ear and confortable for hours of
> listening,the mic audio is so high that you have to reduce
> the mic gain at least half,go for it,its a keeper.
>
>
> AD4C
>
>
>
> "For a refined ham it is compulsory to own a k3"
>
> --- On Tue, 1/19/10, Robert 'RC' Conley <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>
> From: Robert 'RC' Conley <[hidden email]>
> Subject: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500
> To: [hidden email]
> Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 2:36 PM
>
>
> After this past week ends NAQP contest and receiving several
> notices about distorted audio on my K3/10 using a Telex
> MRB2400 aviation headset. It might be time to up grade my
> head set to either one of the above. Frankly the Telex
> becomes rather heavy after about 6 hours. Since I operate
> pretty much equally between contesting and general DX chasing
> and/or QSO I need a good all around headset. I would like to
> hear from someone who has operated with all of them. Thanks
> RC kc5wa
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Kyle Chavis-3

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

In reply to this post by srife

Got one today for $44.39 at:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/375558-REG/Yamaha_CM500_CM500_Headset_with.html

On 1/19/2010 1:52 PM, [hidden email] wrote:

> Where do you find them for 45 bucks? Everything I see so far says 58
> to 60 bucks.
>
>
> Stan Rife
> W5EWA
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Hector Padron
> Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 9:25 AM
> To: Robert 'RC' Conley
> Cc: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5& Yamaha CM500
>
> Your best choise will be the already well known Yamaha CM-500 that me and
> many other group users has purchased as well,you will pay no more than $45
> and even less depending on which store you will buy it at,its freq response
> is from 100 to 18,000Hz on TX and 20 to 20,000Hz on RX,having the K3 EQ you
> can equalize it to have either sweet ragchew audio or high punch
> dx/contesting audio,the headphones are big enough to cover your whole ear
> and confortable for hours of listening,the mic audio is so high that you
> have to reduce the mic gain at least half,go for it,its a keeper.
>
>
> AD4C
>
>
>
> "For a refined ham it is compulsory to own a k3"
>
> --- On Tue, 1/19/10, Robert 'RC' Conley<[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>
> From: Robert 'RC' Conley<[hidden email]>
> Subject: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5& Yamaha CM500
> To: [hidden email]
> Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 2:36 PM
>
>
> After this past week ends NAQP contest and receiving several notices
> about distorted audio on my K3/10 using a Telex MRB2400 aviation
> headset. It might be time to up grade my head set to either one of the
> above. Frankly the Telex becomes rather heavy after about 6 hours.
> Since I operate pretty much equally between contesting and general DX
> chasing and/or QSO I need a good all around headset. I would like to
> hear from someone who has operated with all of them.
> Thanks RC kc5wa
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>

Jim Brown-10

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

In reply to this post by Joe Subich, W4TV-4

On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:47:03 -0500, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:

>The one issue with the microphone in the CM-500 is that
>it has much more low frequency response than either the
>HC-5 or the HC-4. Unless you want to waste a lot of power
>in useless low frequency audio response, the CM-500 will
>require a significant amount of TX EQ while the HC5/HC4
>can be used without eq.

Are you basing this on actual observations, or on frequency
range numbers on a datasheet? All I'm doing with mine is
cutting the bottom two octave bands to minimize breath
pops, and I would do that with ANY mic. This setting was
arrived at by critical reports from audio-conscious hams,
and by listening to others and helping them adjust their
TXEQ.

73,

Jim K9YC

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Joe Subich, W4TV-4

Re: Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500

> Are you basing this on actual observations, or on frequency
> range numbers on a datasheet?

Based on posted spectral displays the CM-500 appears to have
somewhat extended low frequency response with a slightly
falling characteristic where the HC5 has a slight rising
characteristic (about 3dB/octave) and the HC4 has a more
strongly rising characteristic (about 5dB/octave) with a
sharper low frequency roll-off.

> All I'm doing with mine is cutting the bottom two octave
> bands to minimize breath pops, and I would do that with
> ANY mic.

Killing both the 50 and 100 Hz bands is a given with nearly
any mic due to the proximity effect (bass boost) when they
are "close talked" as they are in a headset. However, given
what I've seen of the CM-500, I would be tempted to start
with a +6 at 1.60, +10 at 2.4 and +10 at 3.2 (6 dB/octave
from 1000-2400 with a shelving response above that). I will
know for sure when mine arrives later in the week. BTW, I
also like to drop 800 Hz by 6-10dB to reduce noise in the
interformat gap.

73,

... Joe, W4TV

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Jim Brown
> Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 5:17 PM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heil HC-4, HC-5 & Yamaha CM500
>
>
> On Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:47:03 -0500, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
>
> >The one issue with the microphone in the CM-500 is that
> >it has much more low frequency response than either the
> >HC-5 or the HC-4. Unless you want to waste a lot of power
> >in useless low frequency audio response, the CM-500 will
> >require a significant amount of TX EQ while the HC5/HC4
> >can be used without eq.
>
> Are you basing this on actual observations, or on frequency
> range numbers on a datasheet? All I'm doing with mine is
> cutting the bottom two octave bands to minimize breath
> pops, and I would do that with ANY mic. This setting was
> arrived at by critical reports from audio-conscious hams,
> and by listening to others and helping them adjust their
> TXEQ.
>
> 73,
>
> Jim K9YC
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html