I've got a recent experience to add to this thread. I had been curious about the radio headphones from Stihl. My local Stihl dealer had a set in stock, so I tried them out. I'll do a comparison to the Peltors (both analog and digital tuners) I've owned.
Firstly, the analog Peltors: These were the worst of the three. The analog tuning, was very picky to tune in, and drifted often. FM reception left a lot to be desired, and AM was darn near non-existent. The sound procuced is low quality, but for tractor work I guess it is OK. I would not recommend these to anyone.
Secondly, the digital Peltors: The digital tuner should have made tuning in stations much easier, but on mine the LED readout was off from the station frequency by about a half step. On FM, these never seemed to really lock in a station, unless that station was a high powered one. Maybe that was just the ones I had? I'm not sure. Again, AM was not received well at all. As with all of these (to some extent) reception was quite directional, so you had to plan your mowing pattern (as an example) so that you were facing the proper direction for any AM reception. The sound was still not very good, but OK.
On both versions of the Peltors, the antenna is placed very close to the headband. Most times I found that when the headset was fit to my head properly, the headband made the antenna bend to the side a bit. But, perhaps the high humidity had made my head swell a bit, who knows?
Lastly, the Stihl headset: These have an analog tuner, which can be a bit picky, but not as bad as the first set of Peltors. The reception on FM was much better, and not as directional. The AM reception, while still weak, was at least better than the Peltors.
Sound quality is where the Stihl headset trounced both sets from Peltor. Much better sound, with better response all up and down the spectrum. The antenna placement on the Stihls is a bit further from the headband, meaning that the antenna is allowed to stand up straighter, and do its job better. I'm sure it is not a lot of gain, seeing how these are all short antennas, but I think it did make a difference.
The weight of the Stihl set seemed to be a bit less than the Peltors, even though they also seemed better made. The battery cover is held by a screw, with a flip up handle that is nicely recessed when you don't need to remove the cover. Much more secure than the Peltors.
Another difference between the analog Peltors and the Stihls is something you may not even notice at first. Since neither one has frequency markings around the dial, how do you remember where your favorite stations are? The Peltor dial and surrounding area are both black. I suppose you could take a knife and make scars on the surrounding area to denote where to tune to your station, or take white liquid paper and place a dab of it in the proper places. Neither is the greatest way, but would work. On the Stihl headset, the area surrounding the tuning wheel is a bright orange. It is very easy to take a black permanent marker and just make a dot for each station's location on the dial. You could even use black for FM, and red or blue for AM.
So, to sum up this long winded post, the Stihl headset is (only my opinion here) a much better set than either of the Peltors, but there is a catch. While you can find the Peltors for maybe $50.00 or so, the Stihls run about $85.00.
I guess you have to determine for yourselves whether the increased cost is worth it to you. If talk radio is your thing, and you have a reasonably powered station close by, the Stihls probably are not worth the extra money. The more you are picky about the sound of your music, the more likely the extra cost may be worth it. In the end, the vote your wallet casts will probably be the deciding factor. After all, these are occasional use items, not a choice your life depends upon.
I am still curious about the fender mounted radios. Does using the tractor for a ground help the radio reception? In particular on the AM dial? After all, that is what your car or truck radio does and its reception is certainly better than the headsets (in particular on AM). I'm hoping someone with one of these can answer that question.
Anyway,thanks for taking the time to read.
