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UFlyMike Harmony Review

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UFlyMike Harmony Review

Old 7th Feb 2017, 02:51
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UFlyMike Harmony Review

I have used the UFlyMike A100 with the QC2 and QC15s for over ten years and decided to upgrade to the Harmony System and the QC25s. I finally received my preorder last week and used them this week for a quick domestic flight from KMMU to KSRQ and back in a G550.

Here is my quick review:

Bose QC25s: I did not notice a substantial difference in noise cancelation and sound reproduction between the QC25 and QC15 headphones. The most significant and important difference is that you still hear audio if/when the battery dies. This is a major improvement over the QC2/15s.

Harmony Boom Mic: The boom is much thinner and way more flexible than the A100. You can order it in three different lengths...Standard, Long, and Extra Long. I ordered Long which is six inches in length and the mic reached easily to the center of my mouth. The mic is also smaller and has a small white dot at its base, which makes it easy to discern in which end to speak.

Aviation Application Cable: I ordered to two plug cable. It features a rotating gain adjustment wheel, mono/stereo selector, L/R volume control, two female jacks (one for and Aux Cable and one for the boom mic), and lastly a microphone output selector to either the Aux or boom mic.
The G550 is already pretty quiet so I started with the Gain at 1 but moved it to 2 after about 45 minutes of flight. In the G550 you can adjust the VOX (sidetone), which I set to 9. With this setup, the voice activated intercom did not come on unless I spoke or exhaled forcefully. ATC heard all of my transmissions loud and clear as did my fellow crew member over the ICS.

Often times we fly out of Uncontrolled Airports that require us to call ATC on the phone for clearance. For this, I connected the supplied AHJ/CTIA male to male Aux Cable to my iPhone 6. I moved the mic output switch to the phone position and made a trial call. The person I called said my voice was muffled and was "in and out". As it turns out, the iPhone 6 has a known issue with third party mic cables. See this article:
A word on the iPhone 6/6 Plus and third-party headphones | The Wirecutter
With my cable, one end worked fine and the other end (the end I made my trial call with) needed to be pulled out ever so slightly from my iPhone 6 to work properly. Problem solved.

Carrying Case: Larger than the Bose QC25 case but not too big. It fits easily into my eBag Professional Slim Laptop Backpack. It also holds everything you need, Mic boom and cable, Aviation Application Cable, QC25s, Aux Cable and a spare AAA battery.

All-in-all, I think the Harmony is a great improvement over the A100. It is more flexible, smaller, and customizable. You can use your phone with it to call ATC or dispatch without having to take off your headset. The Bose QC25s work even if the battery dies.

For these reasons, I highly recommend the UFlyMike Harmony.
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Old 7th Feb 2017, 05:15
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How about TSO approval? If you get ramp checked in Europe with a non-approved headset you're in for a finding.
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Old 7th Feb 2017, 10:08
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Well, I'm not an expert on what is regulatory in Europe but here is what I know about the FAA:
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...rpretation.pdf

The way I read this FAA interpretation is that so long as there is uninterrupted audio when power is removed from the ANR, then no regulations are being violated even under part 121 (Gulfsteams do not operate under Part 121 as they are not certified to carry more than 19 passengers). Specifically:

"Aircraft equipped with ANR headsets which rely on batteries to provide flight crewmembers with the capability of communicating with air traffic control, crewmembers, or passengers must be capable of providing uninterrupted communications as required in § 121.318 and 121.319. Any failure of the headset to provide this communication capability due to loss of power would be contrary to the provisions of § 25. 1309(a)."

The Bose QC25s do not lose audio when the batteries die so even if I were Part 121, you would not be in violation of 25.1309(a).

As for the G550 and installed equipment. I do not think the aircraft was certified with headsets installed and therefore there is no regulatory requirement to even use headsets.

In the MMEL, 0 headphones are installed and 0 headphones are required so long as hand mic and speakers are operational.

Again, I'm not an expert on European requirements so perhaps a fellow PPrune member can add clarity pointing to specific European regulations requiring the use of TSO headsets.

Cheers!
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Old 7th Feb 2017, 10:36
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Thanks a lot for your review! I am using the Bose A20, which is superior. But I understand that not everyone is interested in spending 1200 USD and/or carry the rather bulky A20 around. The QC25 is much more versatile and also of good quality. Enjoy!
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Old 7th Feb 2017, 10:51
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I agree the A20s are superior to the QC25s. I use them when I fly our helicopter. On the G550, or any aircraft with extended legs, the QC25 is way more comfortable than the A20 for extended periods of continuous wear. IMHO
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Old 7th Feb 2017, 11:22
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There is no equivalent to part 135 in EASA Land, hence we have to comply to 121 like criteria, and a non TSOed headset has caused issues here before.
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Old 7th Feb 2017, 15:17
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TSO is a simple matter of sending your QC25 to uflymike in CO, USA, then they will certify them as TSO'ed and mail them back to you with certificate.
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Old 7th Feb 2017, 18:44
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TSO is not yet possible, but they are expecting it to happen soon, according to the homepage of the manufacturer:
Harmony Models:

The Harmony Headset is not currently TSO certified. However, we are planning on getting the QC25 version certified early in 2017. Due to limitations in the QC15 and QC2, we will not be getting certification for these headphones.
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Old 9th Apr 2017, 16:46
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Has anyone else received their Harmony? and have any thoughts on it? Mine is not due to arrive until the end of this month!!
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Old 9th Apr 2017, 18:16
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I just bought the QC35 (Wireless) and hoping for a future UFly addition.
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Old 15th Apr 2017, 05:14
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Originally Posted by b4dger
Has anyone else received their Harmony? and have any thoughts on it? Mine is not due to arrive until the end of this month!!
I have just recieved mine 3 days ago. I was absolutely amazed!
When using them in A320/321, it start to seem like I am flying a glider or lost both engines lol
Much easier to hear and "understand" controllers (I am in Vietnam, so it can be hard at times) and generally much more pleasant and relaxing for the ears.

In my opinion worth every penny.
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Old 8th May 2017, 11:33
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Uflymike Bose QC25 dissappointing

afternoon all,

Having waited 4 months on the delayed waiting list and spending a lot of money on the new Harmony mike, it decided to stop working after a whole 50 hours on the A320.

Failing during the landing phase does question whether a proper aviation headset would have been the safer way to go?

It turns out to be a loose wire in the cable flex.

Looks like I have to ship it back to the states at my expense aswell to get fixed.....
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Old 27th Nov 2017, 16:05
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Just Received!

For comparison, I have used a Bose X (Uncomfortable after 2 hours), a Zulu Lightspeed (Great headset, but bulky and sometimes get weird oscillating wind noise if I turn my head), David Clark (Old reliable, no ANR but simple and comfortable, and zero issues after nearly 10 years of use!), and now the QC25 UFLYMike.

Waited about 12 weeks to get my Uflymike package but their customer service rep was really good about replying to messages promptly and was nice to deal with.

Initial Impression: Very nice high quality case, slightly wider than the QC25 case and a nice blue color. Everything I ordered arrived correctly, and each cable came separately packaged. The mono/stereo switch is not in the same place as the volume dials, which are very small. There are 2 volume dials, a phone/airplane switch, and a gain adjustment, so maybe a bit less user friendly than other headsets. The microphone boom is very thin compared to other headsets, so while I like how lightweight it is, I worry that it may get snagged or not be very durable. Will just have to wait and see.

The controllers I talked to seemed to have a hard time hearing my transmissions, and that was everyone from a class D ground guy to a class B approach controller. On my end I could hear everyone clearly. May have to play with the gain some more.

Of course, the whole point of this headset is the versatility and lightweightness of it, and in those departments, it's a top notch option. I'm also a crew chief on a KC-135 and always fly with my QC25 on long flights. The comfort and noise cancelling of this headset cannot be beat. I love that I can listen to music, sleep, and now with the uflymike U-174U adapter, I can plug in and hear the pilots discuss where to grab drinks when we land.
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Old 5th Dec 2017, 08:27
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Got mine a few weeks ago. Very impressed. Noise cancellation only marginally better than my stock aviation Senheissers hmc but headset is way more comfortable My mic gain setting is max. Wish I got the extra long boom mic though. Using on an A320
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Old 5th Dec 2017, 19:18
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Originally Posted by Go Around Flaps
afternoon all,

Having waited 4 months on the delayed waiting list and spending a lot of money on the new Harmony mike, it decided to stop working after a whole 50 hours on the A320.

Failing during the landing phase does question whether a proper aviation headset would have been the safer way to go?
Not necessarily. I bought a set of AKG AV100's and had to send them back after they failed after 15 hours use. The ANR began overcompensating to the point the entire headset was rendered useless. My UFlyMike/QC15 combination haven't missed a beat in 5 years - though the passenger gets them now...
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Old 6th Dec 2017, 14:45
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Hi. I used to fly with Dave Clarkes, then the Bose X, then the Bose A20. Also used 'company' Telex 750's and 850's. Then I got the UflyMike with the QC15. LOVED IT. I am now flying a large BizJet with the QC25 and UFlyMike Harmony. We have them as 'the aeroplane headsets' and they are very popular with the crew. The only comment we have is that the boom mike does tend to rotate away from your mouth as the friction on the mount is not enough. That said nobody wishes to change the headsets back to the Telex 850s..
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Old 9th Dec 2018, 16:53
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I really like the set, but for some strange reason I can't get on with any noise cancelling. I've tried them all up the A20, so it's me not the headphones!

Just in case anyone is in the market for a set of QC25's and Harmony, I've just put mine up on Ebay UK. (UK buyers only)

item ID: 143045737200 Theres a 10% discount with the code PEACHY for next 24 hrs.

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Old 9th Dec 2018, 17:23
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What do QC25 + UflyMiike users think of the microphone noise?

When you key onto the intercom but don’t speak, how much noise does the microphone introduce?

I think mine is faulty, it is very noisy on the intercom - so much so that I have to turn the intercom off unless I am speaking.
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