in-ear headsets in pipers, cessnas etc.
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in-ear headsets in pipers, cessnas etc.
Hi,
I was wondering whether anybody has an opinion on the available in-ear headsets like the HQ Halo, Lightspeed Mach 1 and the Clarity Aloft. Are there any others available?
How is the noise attenuation in small GA airplanes? Are they protecting the hearing as good as the PNR/ANR Headsets?
Has anybody used it on long flights in cold and hot weather?
Are they stable or will they break after a couple of months? (long term use)
What problems did occur? Did somebody actually tried all the 3 mentioned headsets on an airplane? What were the differences?
Thank you for your reviews and opinions.
Take_0ff
I was wondering whether anybody has an opinion on the available in-ear headsets like the HQ Halo, Lightspeed Mach 1 and the Clarity Aloft. Are there any others available?
How is the noise attenuation in small GA airplanes? Are they protecting the hearing as good as the PNR/ANR Headsets?
Has anybody used it on long flights in cold and hot weather?
Are they stable or will they break after a couple of months? (long term use)
What problems did occur? Did somebody actually tried all the 3 mentioned headsets on an airplane? What were the differences?
Thank you for your reviews and opinions.
Take_0ff
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I've only used the QT Halo, but for me it's half the price of the Clarity Aloft and far better performance than my 6 year old Bose X.
I've not done a long flight with them but don't anticipate any problems.
I was a bit concerned of having the inserts in my ear, but in practice, I don't notice them now.
Other advantages are they are very light, don't come off during aeros, don't interfere with oxygen canulas, wearing glasses doesn't affect the performance ...
Downside is they take about 10 secs to put in.
The foam inserts are about $0.75 each from the supplier, or about $25 for 50 if you buy in bulk from the manufacturer, and are good for 10-20 hours use.
No batteries required either.
There's quite a bit of debate and comparison on the Van's Airforce web site if you do a search. Comments are 95% positive.
I've not done a long flight with them but don't anticipate any problems.
I was a bit concerned of having the inserts in my ear, but in practice, I don't notice them now.
Other advantages are they are very light, don't come off during aeros, don't interfere with oxygen canulas, wearing glasses doesn't affect the performance ...
Downside is they take about 10 secs to put in.
The foam inserts are about $0.75 each from the supplier, or about $25 for 50 if you buy in bulk from the manufacturer, and are good for 10-20 hours use.
No batteries required either.
There's quite a bit of debate and comparison on the Van's Airforce web site if you do a search. Comments are 95% positive.
Join Date: Mar 2008
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I know several people who are very happy with the Clarity Aloft for aerobatics (which is a pretty rough/noisy environment). I started to look at the JH Audio Aerous headsets, which got very good reviews, but then got a great deal on a Gentex helmet instead. For these headsets you have to get impressions of your ears made by an audiologist then send them to JH so they can custom make a unit that fits your ears. Even if you don't fancy the headsets I highly recommend reading the owner's manual, which is available for download from their website - it's hilarious.
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I am in love with my QT Halos, and so is my wife with hers. Small, comfortable, and very light. No issues with sunglasses. And no noise problems whatsoever even on noisy aircraft.
Ciao, Luca
Ciao, Luca
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I've recently got a set of Clarity Alofts, and so far think they are great, although the longest journey so far has been about an hour and a half.
Some minor things which spring to mind are...
As mentioned above, it's not so easy to just slip them off and on, but what I do is put one ear in before start-up and then taxi around like that and then put the other ear in just before doing the power checks.
In the recent cold weather, I discovered after leaving them sitting in the plane while refueling that the earplug foam was rock hard, and I had to sit warming them up again in my hand for about 30sec before I could put them in.
You have to be a bit careful about routing the cable so it doesn't catch on anything at all, they are so light that even the slightest bit of resistance can cause the headset to move. Although this doesn't affect the earphone part, it can cause the microphone to move around a bit.
Some minor things which spring to mind are...
As mentioned above, it's not so easy to just slip them off and on, but what I do is put one ear in before start-up and then taxi around like that and then put the other ear in just before doing the power checks.
In the recent cold weather, I discovered after leaving them sitting in the plane while refueling that the earplug foam was rock hard, and I had to sit warming them up again in my hand for about 30sec before I could put them in.
You have to be a bit careful about routing the cable so it doesn't catch on anything at all, they are so light that even the slightest bit of resistance can cause the headset to move. Although this doesn't affect the earphone part, it can cause the microphone to move around a bit.
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They are horrible. Uncomfortable after a few hours, make your ears sweat and then irritates the canals.
I did try and persevere with them for about a month and went back to the Bose.
I did try and persevere with them for about a month and went back to the Bose.
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I did try and persevere with them for about a month and went back to the Bose.
More seriously, in-ear headsets are not for everyone, and in general people either love them or hate them.
I find them very comfortable, and I've worn them for hours without any problems. Others cannot stand them at all. YMMV.
Ciao, Luca
Last edited by lucaberta; 10th Dec 2010 at 12:43.
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A few years ago I bought the Lightspeed Mach 1.
An "ok" headset, but with the best mike I have ever used.
The problem was that it only took a little tug on the cable and the "earplug" would come out, and let a huge amount of noise in. Usually, right when you are doing something like talking to ATC.
I gather they are OK with the ~ £100 custom made earplugs (Headset Services, Shoreham, e.g.).
Probably great for passengers, especially women (and some boys) because it doesn't mess up your hair
I sold it on US Ebay and got good money because they were in short supply.
Back to Bose Xs. Now I have the A20, which is even better than the X.
An "ok" headset, but with the best mike I have ever used.
The problem was that it only took a little tug on the cable and the "earplug" would come out, and let a huge amount of noise in. Usually, right when you are doing something like talking to ATC.
I gather they are OK with the ~ £100 custom made earplugs (Headset Services, Shoreham, e.g.).
Probably great for passengers, especially women (and some boys) because it doesn't mess up your hair
I sold it on US Ebay and got good money because they were in short supply.
Back to Bose Xs. Now I have the A20, which is even better than the X.
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I use CEP's which are in-ear plugs that can be fitted to your existing headset. I fly about 600 hours a year in heavy twin engined helicopters, upto 8 hours a day. Yes they take some getting used to, yes there might be issues if you are susceptable to ear infections. Quite simply they provide excellent noise attenuation and superb clarity. They also mean you can still have your existing headset, which still functions as such even if you don't plug in the CEPs. I am not in a position to say whether they are better than ANR, but they certainly are much cheaper to buy and run.
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Tried them (Clarity Aloft) once and found them horrible. Slightest tug on the cable, they came out, I also found they moved about (in my ears) and the noise attenuation changed significantly. Also found it irritating to have these plugs stuck in my ears.
HOWEVER, I hasten to add that these were rentals and came with - new - standard foam insets, not the custom-made ones. This may or may not make a huge difference, but I don't think I'll find out. Went back to my Bose-X very quickly.
HOWEVER, I hasten to add that these were rentals and came with - new - standard foam insets, not the custom-made ones. This may or may not make a huge difference, but I don't think I'll find out. Went back to my Bose-X very quickly.
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I suffer with tinnitus pretty badly but have got it under control by using a set of Dave Clarkes with the ANR kit installed that you can buy from the internet. I then turn the volume up and put in ear plugs. This gives me the level of attenuation that allows me to continue to fly. It fact it means that flying only aggravates the tinnitus as much as a car journey of the same duration. It also makes the comms crystal clear.
I wish I had started out flying with this set-up as it may have saved me a lot of ear damage.
I wish I had started out flying with this set-up as it may have saved me a lot of ear damage.
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I have used the Clarity aloft for 5 yrs now and think they are brilliant. I fly an aerobatic aircraft with no noise insulation and the DC and Bose ANR headsets struggled and were no where near as good as the clarity aloft. Some people hate the things in their ears and this is the downside. If you don't mind them then they are the best noise reduction available.
To avoid tugging them out you do need to use the cable clip supplied with them and clip this on your seatbelt chest strap or similar.
To avoid tugging them out you do need to use the cable clip supplied with them and clip this on your seatbelt chest strap or similar.
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Thank you all for your replies! Very informative... It really seems to be a love it or hate it thing!
Anybody else who uses or used an in-ear headset?
Keep it coming
Take_0ff
Anybody else who uses or used an in-ear headset?
Keep it coming
Take_0ff
