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Reviews For: Heil Pro 7

Category: Headphones & Boom-microphone Headsets

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Review Summary For : Heil Pro 7
Reviews: 79MSRP: 279
Description:
The Pro 7 offers a feature set that compliments the Heil Sound standard for headset design. Unlike copies of various aviation type headsets, the PRO 7 is not a copy.
Product is in production
More Info: https://heilhamradio.com/products/pro-7/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
54794.5
WA2AXO Rating: 2017-01-30
Pro7 Great cans Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
WOW, Let me tell you that ssb has opened up an new area because of the PRO7.
Great quality and fine audio. Thank you for your divine engineering.

Paul WA2AXO
KK6W Rating: 2017-01-03
Superb! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm 59 years old and my hearing has declined dramatically over the last several years (age loss, tinnitus, inability to concentrate or understand conversation when there's background noise). I'm new to ham and I was very excited at first about this great hobby. However, my enthusiasm had waned due to my struggle to hear and understand audio over either the built-in or external speaker on my Yaesu FTDX1200.

So, I wasted a fair amount of time and money experimenting with several less expensive headsets. They helped, marginally, but not as much as I expected them to. They were either uncomfortable, lacked decent audio clarity (which I really need), or didn't adequately isolate distracting noises (fans, phones, people moving about, etc.) Desperate for a solution, I finally took the plunge and purchased the Heil Pro 7...WOW!

After using them the very first time, I knew that I should've followed my initial instinct and purchased them in the beginning. They are perfect for me in every way and include the following positive attributes:

1. Fantastic audio clarity.
2. Phase switch - puts the audio right in the "middle" of my head, where I can understand it better.
3. Great noise isolation.
4. Super comfortable!
5. Top notch build quality. I don't think they could be built any better.
6. Complete - everything needed was in the box, plus several optional cords, adapters, etc.
7. Actual tech support. I asked Heil Sound a question via their email link on their website. Bob Heil himself answered me less than 2 hours later!

I can't come up with anything negative to say. Some might criticize their price, but believe me, they are worth every penny.

73


EA8KW Rating: 2016-11-06
GREAT headset! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been using this headset for a month. I have to say it's a great headset. The audio this mic produces is awesome, so natural and full bodied, receiving a lot of audio compliments.
Headphones sounds very good but what impress me more is its ability to isolate you from any noise. You have to get used to this using it a few days because the first days you will feel something strange, like if you were in an empty space.
Anyway a well rounded product, very robust and seems very durable. Without hesitation this is one of the best headsets for HAM radio out there.
Thanks Mr. Bob Heil for this awesome product!.
W6HDG Rating: 2016-10-22
Highly Recommended Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've been using this headset for 1 year and am extremely pleased with my purchase. The price is quite reasonable for a high end headset like this. The passive noise cancellation is superb and Bob Heil's phase switch and balance control are very useful. The headset is quite comfortable too.

The mic boom is flexible yet sturdy and my audio reports are always excellent. It was easy to dial in the EQ for very effective DX use on my FTdx3000.

Thanks to Bob for another great Heil product.

Howard W6HDG

KB3H Rating: 2016-09-29
"Acoustic Alchemy" Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I went back-and-forth on the want/need of this purchase. It has ended up being the single best investment I've made in the shack in many years. Very comfortable, and I have come to relish the 26 dB PNR outside noise reduction with the gel filled foam ear seals. Truly allows me to escape and immerse myself in "radio-land". Full stereo dual watch with Heil phase reversal is not only an acoustic pleasure, but really helps in pulling signals out of the 'QRM ether".

Thank You Bob Heil!

N6FFC Rating: 2016-07-28
GREAT Headset Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I also have had Several Headsets since being licensed in 1994, and was Extremely Impressed with the New Pro-7 Headset that I purchased in June. I currently have it paired with a "New" ICOM ProIII that had less than 40 hours of running time of use on it, The Pro-7's are nothing short of Amazing! The headset is a "Little" bit heavier than my Last Headset, However, once I got used to the Differebnce in Weight, and the Exceptiobnall Perforance if the Headset, Both the Earphones And the Great Microphone, elements, which I am getting "Excellent Audio Ol'Man" from stations that I couldn't even Hear with my old Rig and an Older ICOM 730 circa 1985...What a Difference the New Rig And headphones have made in My Making Contacts!
Kudos to Bob Heil and the Amazing People in His Employ!
These Headsets are a "Game Changer" when it comes to anyone looking for a "New" Headsets!
WT8WV Rating: 2016-07-28
I can HEAR again! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Dear Dr. Heil:

I have used Heil microphones and followed you for at least 25 years as a ham operator and love watching all of you on Ham Nation. I wanted to share something with you that has made a difference in my life. It is your Pro 7 Headset.

I am now 57 years old, and so are my ears. Over time, I made dumb choices about protecting my hearing when I was mowing with lawn tractors, lawn vacuums and on the shooting ranges for more than 45 years. Like most, I thought I was indestructible in my youth. Acknowledging recently that I had a significant problem, I went through the doctors hearing tests and discovered I had lost over 50% of the higher frequencies in both ears. Typical “industrial noise hearing loss” was what the frequency loss on the charts showed to be the culprit. You don’t get that back.

It was at the point that crowded rooms would force me to lean into conversations or cup my ears to hear. The low frequency rumbling sounds I still possess often confused my ears. I was told I needed not one, but two hearing aids. (I haven’t reconciled my vanity and wallet yet to get them … but know the day is coming.) I recently got back into amateur radio after a 15 year pause. I was astounded to discover how difficult it was for me to actually weed through the noise levels and pile ups on the bands and I was truly sad that my foolishness in not protecting my precious hearing had now impacted my favorite hobby.
A year ago at the Dayton Hamvention I stopped by your busy booth and waited patiently in line to shake your hand and I briefly mentioned my hearing loss and to ask if you might make a suggestion about a possible headset. The time you uncomplainingly took with me to see what might be a possible solution amazes me to this day! I know you talk to thousands of people every year but want you to know you made a difference in my life with your helpful conversation. The first time I plugged the Pro 7 in became an emotional event; I got a little misty when I could HEAR so much better with the assistance of your invention! The magic of the Heil Phase Reversal system is nothing short of awesome and difficult to describe until you actually flip the switch! I guess the best way to describe it is instead of hearing in each ear, you now hear between and in front of your eyes. I can now switch between the modes of hearing when I am trying to sort out the noise, as needed. I can’t thank you enough for giving me the fun back in amateur radio.

I want you to feel free to share my story with your staff and audiences as an encouragement to them, because while working at Heil or on Ham Nation might feel like just a job at times, your folks make a difference in people’s lives in unseen and often unrecognized ways. I can hear my radio again! Please tell them to protect their gift of hearing, too! You don’t appreciate some gifts until you lose them. I think of Bob Heil, Heil Sound and Ham Nation as gifts, as well.

God Bless all of you!

Spence Graham
WT8WV
Morgantown, WV
N7GH Rating: 2016-06-27
FD '16 & Heil... WOW Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had a half dozen or so "cheaper" headsets and heave never been satisfied. I've been looking at Heil's for quite a while, but when I saw the new Pro 7's I decided it was time to take the plunge. I purchased a pair for FD '16 and they are nothing short of remarkable. Comfort beyond my most hopeful expectations, even over my glasses' ear pieces; unbelievable sound quality; and the ability to shape the sound with the balance and phase shift was sweet! My first group of contacts for FD '16 had 5 people talking over the top of each other, the phase shift and balance allowed me to work 3 of the 5 contacts on that 1 frequency. We were in an acoustically very bright room, painted drywall and no acoustic deadening, with 2 other radios set up, and they suppressed/muffed the other sounds in the room so I cold easily work the S1 and S2 stations. I'm completely sold on these things!
W5SEW Rating: 2016-06-11
Great Product In Every Respect! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have some experience with headphones. In fact, a good deal of experience. A full career in signals intelligence collection in the USAF. Graduate of NSA cryptologic school. Videography later in life, with much time recording voice talent for video voiceovers. Video editing with Sennheiser cans glued to my ears in the wee hours of the morning, balancing music, sound effects, etc. So, with some trepidation, I bought the Pro 7iC to connect to an Icom 7600. Amazing! Comfortable! Adjustable to my needs! I could go on and on. I flat love these headphones and the engineers at Heil have outdone themselves.

Let’s talk customer service. Knew that I’d also be operating on a Yaesu UHF/VHF radio, so I sent an email to the “info” address at Heil. Got an answer back from Bob Heil himself about 90 minutes later, completely answering my question about the need to use a different mic insert and why! Is he interested in my usage? Yes. Is he interested that I have a great experience with his product? Yes. Did he personally provide specific information on who to deal with to discuss the cable, adapter, and insert to fit my exact radio? Yes, he did. Even Joe Walsh could not get better customer service than I did.

Finally, there’s the “I look good in these” factor. Our club radio shack is in a room off a busy hallway, so there is a great deal of foot traffic going by. With the door open and with my snazzy red Heil Pro 7’s on my head, I look good. I look professional. People stop by and ask me what I’m doing and who I’m talking with. Bottom line: GREAT product; GREAT service; and GREAT “WOW” factor. Buy yourself a pair and have a wonderful Heil experience!
K0HB Rating: 2016-05-28
Update/Correction Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I got a nice note from Bob Heil, designer/manufacturer of the Pro7. In it he corrected a couple of my misconceptions. In the interest of accuracy, I will share some of his comments to correct and expand my first review of a couple days ago.

First, the Pro7 isn't based on the FARO as I thought, but uses the "mechanical parts" (my term, not Bobs') from the David Clark aviation headset line. Perhaps FARO does too, because they are remarkably similar.

Second, the speaker acoustics are not the original, but a design by Bob. Here are a couple of excerpts from his email.

"The speakers are exceptional as you have discovered. I was blessed in my early career to have been taken under the wing of the great Paul Klipsch, the father of the hi-fi industry and the folded horn speaker system. Paul taught me how to tune an enclosure to the speaker."

"I have always wanted to design a headset with that technology I learned from Paul but never had enough room in a headphone enclosure - until now. After spending nearly a year selecting just the right speaker, not some off the shelf - off the wall as all other headsets outside of Heil Sound, I took the speaker outside and did a free air cone resonance. Then I was able to mold and tune the enclosure to that speaker.."

About the phase reversal, he says...

"….and the phaser reversal…. Hans, we are the ONLY company on the planet to do this and it is THE number one feature that the serious DX/Contest operators love. It also is a great ‘tool’ for the casual operator as after long hours, changing the phase direction reduces listener fatigue. Makes things easy to listen to. Listening to a pileup, the Phaser Reversal moves signals around in your head - acoustically. Weak signals will pop out in front while others go behind. Truly a remarkable technology that I learned years ago from my days in the early Home Theatre days working with Ray Dolby and the THX group at George Luca’s Skywalker ranch."

And finally he gave me a great solution (should have been obvious to me!) to the "balance" issue that I mentioned...

"The Left Side balance was done for the many requests I get. Hans, since the boom can be move 180 degrees you can turn it to the right side and the Left Side side control now controls the right side. Simple? Of course. To do a dual control ‘balance’ would require many more wire runs left to right and I try, Hans to keep things simple to eliminate any wire breakage after years of use. You have it right, Set the radio level and THEN set the Left Side balance…. works great, Hans."