Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Heil Proset

Category: Headphones & Boom-microphone Headsets

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Heil Proset
Reviews: 84MSRP: 130.00
Description:
Headphones with boom microphone.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.heilsound.com/ProSet.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00843.7
K8AC Rating: 2001-03-26
A bad set of headphones! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The HC-5 mic cartridge works perfectly with my TS-850 and 940. The mic is well positioned and easy to adjust. The earphone design is horrible and those who think it's good have clearly never used a well-designed headset. To begin with, you'd think that since this is the larger and more expensive of the Heil headsets, the cushions would fit completely over the ear. If you have pixie ears, this may be the case, but for most of us the cushions will contact the ear over a large portion of their circumference. Over a long period of time in a contest, this translates to pain and uncomfortable perspiration. In this price range, I expect to see a full-size cushion design. Check out the top of the line Sony headsets at your nearest audio dealer. Even my inexpensive Signal Corps headset from Fair Radio is vastly superior in this respect. If you simply must have a Heil mic, buy a good headset elsewhere and mount a Heil cartridge on a stiff piece of copper wire fastened to the headphones. If you already own a pair of these and think they're great, you've got a lot to learn!

One bright spot - the connector layout with the jack for a footswitch is novel and effective. And - Heil sells replacements for the fragile cord at their website.
K0ABE Rating: 2001-03-19
Nice piece of work Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Heil Proset is a nice piece of equipment. The sound quality of the headphones are pleasing to my ears. I've used the headphones for listening to my stereo component system and my protable CD player, and they sound fine. I get great audio reports with the HC-4 mic. element. I've even used my Proset on the computer (with Pal Talk) and have received good audio reports. I don't find the construction any better or worse than anything else on the market. My Proset has been dropped on the floor and kicked, and it didn't break. Besides, Bob Heil says he has replacement parts. I originally purchased the Proset for DX'ing and contesting but I find myself using it for everthing. The only thing I worry about with the Proset is not being able to hear the approaching thunder storm in time to shut things down and disconnect the antenna. I would recommend the Heil Proset to anyone who wants a high quality, lightweight boom mic. headset.

73 Mike KØABE
M0CQG Rating: 2001-03-13
Good head-set Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought a Heil Proset with the HC-5 insert to use with my Kenwood TS950SD (now sold). From day one I wasn't happy with the way these units worked together - I had to wind the mic gain all the way up on the 950SD to get enough drive from the Heil, and winding the mic gain up introduced background noise during breaks in speech. I had pretty much given up on the Heil until recently, when I bought a Kenwood TS570DG(E). The Proset works *superbly* with this rig. I am getting numerous excellent unsolicited audio reports, and I'm delighted! So, now I'm happy with the Heil Proset, but I would warn others to try one with their rig *before* handing over any money!

It's also worth mentioning that these headsets are very comfortable during long periods of use, but quality of construction is not as heavy duty as you might expect. Lots of light-weight plastic!
N2CKH Rating: 2001-03-13
good for a year Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the BM-10 and Heil Pro. They are good for about 1 year or less then they start to fall apart.

The materials need improvement.

When they work, they work well. The flimsy cabling and ear cushioning are the downfall
of the design.
K4TBN Rating: 2001-01-24
exceeds expectations... Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have been using this particular Heil headset for about a year and it exceeded my expectations. I have used Heil headsets over the years with the Drake T4XC/Magnum 6, TS140, IC735, TS450, TS850, and now a FT1000MP. The Heil elements make a mediocre transmitter sound great.
AC4SR Rating: 2001-01-22
Fantastic mic element...cheap headphones Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have the Heil Pro-micro headset with the #4 element and I love it !! I get great audio reports and when used with the foot switch, it's a breeze to operate and log at the same time. One complaint: the headphones seem to be built cheaply and "feel" very fragile. They are light, but it seems if you dropped them something is sure to break. Sound quality in the headphones is "flat" and "tinney" and do not have a well rounded sound. I would buy another pair in a second and highly recommend them, but just be careful with them.
K8DXX Rating: 2000-09-10
Nice addition! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just acquired the Proset with HC5 at the recommendation of an HRO salesman. He said they were very comfortable. He wasn't kidding. Even during these warm, humid days of late summer, they are neither hot nor heavy. Sound reproduction is accurate and of communications quality. I consistently receive positive audio reports in conjunction with my FT1000MP. Another positive is sound isolation. I hear little distracting outside noise. Think I'll buy the Kenwood adapter for my '870. Nice job, Bob Heil!
KK5VN Rating: 2000-08-19
Great Audio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Great Audio! is a comment that I hear ALL the time. My little Ft-840 never sounded so good. I tried several mics on my 840 and FT-980. If I could count how many times I heard "you are only an s-3 but the audio really comes through". The earphones are comfortable and get used and abused daily. I have the HC-5 cart. in this pair, and am going to put an HC-4 into a Radio Shack boomset that I have fo DX'ing. Hats off to Heil Sound. Best money I ever spent on radio.
K2MME Rating: 2000-05-01
Nice mechanics,poor cans Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had the Proset for years and never use it anymore. I kept trying for years but always the headphones disappointed me. They are dead. You have to overdrive them to hear anything and what you get doesn't come close to a beat up pair of stereo phones. I have stopped at the Heil booth every year for a lot of years and every year they tell me there is nothing wrong with them.Only reasonI haven't thrown them out is they are very comfortable and the mic is set up very nicely. Now that I know I'm not alone, I'm gonna refit the ear phone elements with something else.

73 Howie k2mme
K5TR Rating: 2000-04-27
Great mic - headphones are a joke. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The mic element in the Heil Proset is very good - either the HC4 or HC5.
I have used them both over the years and I currently use an HC5 on my
homebrew headset. The headphones are not very good. I wish Heil
had spent half as much time selecting headphone elements as they did
selecting mic elements. The headphones do not sound good. I want
the headphone to reproduce all of the audio coming from my radio as
fathfully as possible - these just don't do that. The physical construction
of the Proset is subpar - headsets take alot of abuse over time and I have
seen more broken Prosets then I can count. The most common failure
is for the ear cup to break off of the headband. I have used/abused
other quality headphones and never had them come apart like the
Heil Proset I have owned. It is too bad there are not more choices
for headsets. My solution was to make my own headset - by getting
some high quality headphones and combining them with the Heil
boom mic from my dead Heil headsets. If it were not for the good mic
element I would give this product a 1 or 0 rating.