PIREP: QT Halo's

[Sinistar]

In my lull between CFI's I was reading about headsets, saw several Halo reviews generally good but many indicated hard to find in stock. So, I go to their site and it doesn't say out of stock so what the heck, ordered. Figured it would be like 2 months. Delivered just 3 days later!

I have been using the old DC's that came with the plane. Probably about 15yrs old. Updated them with the soft gel cushions (nice!). But I really hate the clamping, especially after an hour or so. It bothered me the most on my longer PPL cross county flights.

So, the good. Wow so light, I actually think my glasses weight more and they are light. And the sound reduction compared to the DC's (passive)...awesome. Still tweaking which style ear plug to use but looks easy to improvise. I was using the case that it comes in but another advantage to these is that they should keep the flight bag light and small, so no more bulky dedicated case in another case - just throw them in my same flight bag.

I have a big noggin but they have enough adjustability for the mic boom length. I will eventually cut off a bit of the tubing from speakers to ears but no rush there.

I would say the biggest issues are a combination of the mic boom staying in the same place after wearing them for a while. And the natural rotation of the mic element itself seems to want to stay 90 degrees out of whack. Its easy to fix the later, just remove the foam and rotate it back. But it doesn't stay there. Its too bad the natural rotation isn't directly at your mouth instead of facing straight up. Regarding the mic boom remaining in just one spot. I have a hunch this will be a bit tougher to figure out and could be the deal breaker for some. It is just enough of an issue that I will continue to use the DC's through my check ride to keep things simple. Solo practice or flying with the wifey, sure no big deal.

I can report they have been working great through our KMA-24 intercom and work well with my CFI's fancy, schmancy Bose ANR headset. I even tried it with the old passive DC's and it worked good. So, luckily no intercom issues. Due to the mic element rotation slipping back up to 90 degrees out of whack, the VOX threshold has to be a bit more generous (more than I would like).

The little headphone speakers really sound nice! I noticed that I had to really turn them down compared to the passive DC's for the same NavCom volume settings to both. The individual L/R volume control is awesome as I need my left ear a bit louder than my right ear.

It does have a 3.5mm audio input and when the intercom or radio goes active the music is greatly attenuated (good). I would say the 3.5mm audio input is already so attenuated that hearing music in flight in a loud piston single will most likely require the inline headset volume to be cranked. This in turn means the intercom and radio volumes would need to be reduced. But that then means everyone else hooked up to the intercom will have to adjust theirs and round and round it might go. The music thing is a feature for another time, I'm still way too much of a newbie to be flying and listening to music. However, I thought people might want to know. Also, my main goal is to hook in the tablet audio for any EFB audio warnings, alerts, etc.

I'm keeping them. However, I noticed my wife already looked at them in that way and asked what other size ear plugs came with it

 

[kyleb]

I bought a set a month or so ago.

My first impressions are that they are noticeably louder than my Lightspeed Zulu's for the first 5 minutes or so of flight - until I'm out of the pattern. After that, they are comparable to the Lightspeeds in all ways other than (obviously) having a big set of headphones on your head vs having the Halo's. For what it is worth, I have an RV-6, which is a bit louder on the inside than most certified aircraft.

The obvious advantage to the Lightspeeds is I can have them on my head, turned on, and ready to go in 15 seconds. It probably takes a minute or two to don the Halo's, which seems like an eternity when you're trying to get things rolling quickly, like when I'm able to take a quick flight at lunch...

My synopsis is that I'm neither happy or sad that I bought the Halo's. I needed another pair of headsets and they fill that need. From a price perspective, they are < half the price of a new set of Zulu's, so that's a win.

 

[pigpenracing]

I found the Clarity Aloft to be superior to the halo.

 

[Adam Weiss]

I found the Clarity Aloft to be superior to the halo.

I'm curious as to why. I just bought the Clarity Aloft about a month ago, and I think they're absolutely perfect...nothing wrong with them. Sound attenuation is great, sound is great, mic is great, comfort is great.

The wife is probably going to want something like this too, and if the Halo is $200 cheaper...
But if the Halo's quality isn't as good, I'd like to understand that before shelling out any money.

EDIT: BTW - the only reason I got the CA vs the Halo to begin with was the availability issue. I probably would have gone with the less expensive option first.

 

[pigpenracing]

I'm curious as to why. I just bought the Clarity Aloft about a month ago, and I think they're absolutely perfect...nothing wrong with them. Sound attenuation is great, sound is great, mic is great, comfort is great.

The wife is probably going to want something like this too, and if the Halo is $200 cheaper...
But if the Halo's quality isn't as good, I'd like to understand that before shelling out any money.

EDIT: BTW - the only reason I got the CA vs the Halo to begin with was the availability issue. I probably would have gone with the less expensive option first.

Lots of folks seem to like the Halo. Maybe because they are cheap??? After using my Clarity for awhile I thought I would try a Halo. When I opened the box it looked like a 3 year old built it. Just horrible. It was so bad I sent it back without even flying with it. It was not even worth my time.
The Clarity also has the good comply eartips. The halo does not. As you see on the first post here his mic is upside down on the Halo and will not stay put! I also tried the Faro. It was worse than the halo, cheap Chinese junk. I put a bad review on the Faro site but they deleted it.

 

[Grum.Man]

I have both and would give a slight edge to the Clarity Aloft set. They both have their pluses and minuses. If I had to buy another pair it would probably be the QT just because they are so much cheaper and only 10% worse.

 

[mkosmo]

The obvious advantage to the Lightspeeds is I can have them on my head, turned on, and ready to go in 15 seconds. It probably takes a minute or two to don the Halo's, which seems like an eternity when you're trying to get things rolling quickly, like when I'm able to take a quick flight at lunch...

With time, technique gets better and this becomes a 15 second activity.

Lots of folks seem to like the Halo. Maybe because they are cheap??? After using my Clarity for awhile I thought I would try a Halo. When I opened the box it looked like a 3 year old built it. Just horrible. It was so bad I sent it back without even flying with it. It was not even worth my time.
The Clarity also has the good comply eartips. The halo does not. As you see on the first post here his mic is upside down on the Halo and will not stay put! I also tried the Faro. It was worse than the halo, cheap Chinese junk. I put a bad review on the Faro site but they deleted it.

Cosmetics are secondary to function and service. I've had to send my Halos in for service once, after I caused a solder joint to pop... quick turnaround, and they function great. You may not like the cosmetics, but the build actually makes them really easy to work on when required. I'm not sure what the value in the comply eartips is, though? I like the yellow ones that people use with the halos, and I buy them from Sanibel directly: http://sanibelsupply.com/product_de...dium yellow (Standard), 50 pcs&item=8500090#b

 

[wilkersk]

Lots of folks seem to like the Halo. Maybe because they are cheap??? After using my Clarity for awhile I thought I would try a Halo. When I opened the box it looked like a 3 year old built it. Just horrible. It was so bad I sent it back without even flying with it. It was not even worth my time.
The Clarity also has the good comply eartips. The halo does not. As you see on the first post here his mic is upside down on the Halo and will not stay put! I also tried the Faro. It was worse than the halo, cheap Chinese junk. I put a bad review on the Faro site but they deleted it.

I bought 2 of these, used, from a gentleman selling them on another popular aviation forum. Did as much due diligence as possible. And, the guy seemed legit with a good rep, previous sales and no negative stuff I could see.

When I received them, I was surprised at how cheap and amateurish they looked. I tried the newer looking of the 2 with a handheld radio I use in the Sonerai. At takeoff power, audio was totally unreadable. I've put them away for now. Will try them again once I install a better radio. But, I'm totally unimpressed. My homemade ANR headset is much, much better so far.

 

[wrbix]

Love my Halo's. Just bought one for Teresa, my wife.

IRT the OP concerns:
- be aware that the proper mic orientation is to have the LARGE single hole towards your mouth, and
- urge caution with trimming the tubes, the length is tuned to best transmission to the speakers and contains a transducer of some description (easily seen in the tubes)

.....and IRT amateurish construction:
Function over form, and feel free to pay more for form if that's what floats your boat.

 

[murphey]

When either CA or QT come up with a wireless version, I'm there. I tried the QT for a couple weeks. Kept getting tangled with the cable when getting in/out of the airplane. Definite requirement when flying young eagles and such.

 

[Sinistar]

IRT the OP concerns:
- be aware that the proper mic orientation is to have the LARGE single hole towards your mouth

...I know the proper orientation of the mic input hole. But the flexible wire that the mic is mounted to naturally & gradually rotates back about 90 degrees during the flight after having twisted it correctly beforehand.

 

[wrbix]

...I know the proper orientation of the mic input hole. But the flexible wire that the mic is mounted to naturally & gradually rotates back about 90 degrees during the flight after having twisted it correctly beforehand.

Hmmm, never had nor heard of this problem before - suggest contacting QT. Their customer service has always been lauded here.

 

[Ravioli]

I own CA's and Halos. Both are great IF, and only if, you like in ear headsets.

And now we can discuss High wing or low, certified or E-AB, Coke or Pepsi.

 

[murphey]

I own CA's and Halos. Both are great IF, and only if, you like in ear headsets.

And now we can discuss High wing or low, certified or E-AB, Coke or Pepsi.

Biplane, whatever, ginger ale.

 

[Hank S]

When either CA or QT come up with a wireless version, I'm there. I tried the QT for a couple weeks. Kept getting tangled with the cable when getting in/out of the airplane. Definite requirement when flying young eagles and such.

There's much less tangling when the Halos are removed from your head and placed atop the panel before leaving your seat. I've been using my Halos for seven years, and still rediscover this simple fact from time to time. They're so light and comfortable that I forget they are on . . . .

As for fragility, I plug the Halos into my handheld radio, drop the radio into my cargo shorts pocket and drive the bush hog up and down the runway.

 

[Skyrys62]

...I know the proper orientation of the mic input hole. But the flexible wire that the mic is mounted to naturally & gradually rotates back about 90 degrees during the flight after having twisted it correctly beforehand.

Agree 100%

If there is one thing to fault on the Halo's, it certainly is the mic positioning

 

[BrianNC]

I love my Halos. Forget I'm even wearing a headset.

 

[masloki]

I have experienced the mic rotation a bit too plus not being sure which side was correct when putting them on. I put a little piece of masking tape that peeks above the foam cover as a reference indicator, which resolved the issue for me.

They are about 5 years old, and both had their wires split open by the base, so sending them back now for repair. Hopefully I won't be down too long.

 

[Skid]

Another happy Halo user here. The buying process was a little strange. If they're still doing the waiting list thing you have to call in and order it when he sends you an email. It just so happened when I called I interrupted the guy's lunch and it took 3 or 4 tries for him to get my address and CC# right, but in the end it all worked out. I'll also echo what the others have said with the mic positioning and the wires being everywhere, but you eventually get used to it. The case could be better too but whatever. It's all a small price to pay for its comfort and weight. Never had any issues with sound quality either for both the radio transmissions and music. For what you pay, its definitely an awesome headset.

Best of all are the Brittany Spears impressions you get to do too

 

[Larry in TN]

I have experienced the mic rotation a bit too plus not being sure which side was correct when putting them on.

It shouldn't matter as long as it is one of the flat sides and not the curved sides.

The two-sided mic reduces noise by cancelling sounds that are relatively equal from both of the mic inputs (flat sides). When the mic is rotated so that you're talking toward one of the rounded sides your voice is going to both flat sides relatively equally and is cancelling itself out. Most handheld aviation mics have the same feature. You can talk into either side.

This wiki page describes it better than I can. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise-canceling_microphone

 

[wrbix]

It shouldn't matter as long as it is one of the flat sides and not the curved sides.

The two-sided mic reduces noise by cancelling sounds that are relatively equal from both of the mic inputs (flat sides). When the mic is rotated so that you're talking toward one of the rounded sides your voice is going to both flat sides relatively equally and is cancelling itself out. Most handheld aviation mics have the same feature. You can talk into either side.

This wiki page describes it better than I can. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise-canceling_microphone

Dunno 'bout all that now - I had inquired with QT owner and he specifically answered : talk into the side with the single large hole.

 

[CC268]

I have the Clarity Aloft Links...as much as I have tried to love them, they just have never been very comfortable on my ears. I guess I have sensitive ears. Clarity Aloft even sent me some free Comply Foam Custom Wraps to wrap around the portion that goes over and around the back of your ear. It helped to an extent, but they were still uncomfortable after a 2:30 hr flight and left a mark on the front of my ear. The foam ear plugs get a bit uncomfortable for me as well. Kind of odd as I have a small and narrow head, so I wouldn't expect the issues that I have, but no matter what I try I can't seem to fix the issue.

That said, I won't sell them because they are hard to beat for aerobatic flying. But...realistically (for me anyways) they aren't very comfortable after about 2 hours of flying. Maybe one day I will find some trick to making them comfortable.

So for now I stick with my Bose A20s. Will probably pick up a set of Zulu 3s for my fiancee or passengers.

 

[Larry in TN]

Dunno 'bout all that now

You can try it yourself and see.

 

[CGChief]

I just ordered a set of Halos, I went to the webpage last night and they were in stock. I ordered quickly before they were out of stock again. I have hopes they will work for me and my big melon.

 

[Sinistar]

I just ordered a set of Halos, I went to the webpage last night and they were in stock. I ordered quickly before they were out of stock again. I have hopes they will work for me and my big melon.

Cool. Mine took about 3 days to arrive, but maybe with Thanksgiving it might take a few more days.

They fit a big mellon (speaking from experience). You'll just need to pull out the extension fairly far.

On my 3rd flight i had the best overall experience so far. About 80min solo work with one hop into a Delta and back. I probably sounded silly on the internal intercom periodically checking to see if the vox was working. I think i only had to re-twist the mic end once. I think what helped most ovrrall was clipping the main cable to left shoulder harness at a slightly different position. I probably only fiddled with the mic position once as well. All this mic positioning stuff is really a issue only for intercom use, when keying the ptt for comms it sounds awesome even if off a bit.

Definitely liking how quiet these are!!! Definitely not simple when it comes to "just put on and use".

 

[Hank S]

Definitely liking how quiet these are!!! Definitely not simple when it comes to "just put on and use".

You'll get used to that. In the winter, I prime the engine, put in the silicone earplugs (can't stand the foam ones), wind & set my clock, then start the engine. The delay gives the cold avgas time to vaporize. Come spring, you'll be much faster . . .

Never used the wire clip with my head-clampers, but always clip the Halo wire to my shirt and make sure there's enough slack to turn my head fully both ways. They weigh so little the wire will drag them out of position.

The only adjustment I make during flight is to push it further down the back of my head. If it rides up, the mic drops and has to be pushed up; then it rides up more, and the mic drops again.

 

[denverpilot]

With time, technique gets better and this becomes a 15 second activity.



Cosmetics are secondary to function and service. I've had to send my Halos in for service once, after I caused a solder joint to pop... quick turnaround, and they function great. You may not like the cosmetics, but the build actually makes them really easy to work on when required. I'm not sure what the value in the comply eartips is, though? I like the yellow ones that people use with the halos, and I buy them from Sanibel directly: http://sanibelsupply.com/product_de...dium yellow (Standard), 50 pcs&item=8500090#b

Soldier joints exposed in such a way as they can take ANY stress? Thats not right.

There’s supposed to be strain relief anytime a wire exists the body of a device, such that no movement ever would stress the solder joint itself, without ripping the cord in half first.

 

[mkosmo]

Soldier joints exposed in such a way as they can take ANY stress? Thats not right.

There’s supposed to be strain relief anytime a wire exists the body of a device, such that no movement ever would stress the solder joint itself, without ripping the cord in half first.

No, they're relieved. I think it was a bad joint that was further damaged by vibration.

 

[denverpilot]

No, they're relieved. I think it was a bad joint that was further damaged by vibration.

Hmmm. Not that much vibration on top of a human head. It’s pretty dampened. Weird. Sounds like a QA problem before it left the assembly facility.

 

[mkosmo]

Hmmm. Not that much vibration on top of a human head. It’s pretty dampened. Weird. Sounds like a QA problem before it left the assembly facility.

Agreed. That's why I figure it was weak before I had it. That being said, it took two years to manifest, so low intensity vibration had ample time to do its damage.

 

[OkieFlyer]

Been using Halos for a little over a year now. I really like them. Can't say I've had any issue with the mic rotating out of position. They are super light, comfy, and the sound is pretty darn good. I know it's been said many times before, but I really do forget they are on my head. I've had to kind of train myself to take them off when I shut down. As someone else also mentioned, I had to turn my intercom/radio volume way down from where I had it with the ol' passive clamp-ons.

Never tried CA. From my research, I gathered that CA was slightly better than QT. IMO, slightly better isn't worth the extra money. If you are a professional pilot, it probably is.

 

[Sinistar]

Had a chance to use them today as copilot, more time to try stuff out. My wife was flying using her passive DC headset so had a lot of time to use the intercom, tweak levels, etc...worked great this time! The intercom vox was excellent. Never had to adjust anything other having to turn my headset volume down a fair amount. At one point i did adjust the intercom vox setting a bit less aggressive.

One thing i learned was to pre twist the mic the other way and it seemed to stay put longer. Next, the wire going down from the headset to the plane can sometimes be on top of the left side but this time i made sure it came out below on that side. I think this helped quite a bit to prevent the mic position moving up or down.

Next step now is to try and experiment with some of the other plugs to find the optimal ones. Even the ones that were installed have worked great but i have a hunch theres an even better fit.

Ironically, its taking them off that is kinda strange. Its easy to just forget they are on when you go to get out. And if you remember to take them off its easy to forget the plugs are still in your ears.

 

[BrianNC]

Ironically, its taking them off that is kinda strange. Its easy to just forget they are on when you go to get out. And if you remember to take them off its easy to forget the plugs are still in your ears.

First time I wore them I totally forgot I was wearing them until I had them on until I shut the radios off.

 

[denverpilot]

Agreed. That's why I figure it was weak before I had it. That being said, it took two years to manifest, so low intensity vibration had ample time to do its damage.

Fascinating. Those are the kinds of failures that manufacturing engineers love to dig into. Back when I worked for a place that actually made stuff, we had a couple of those guys and they always loved it when we found oddball electrical or mechanical failures on stuff past the typical timeframes for poor assembly or infant mortality.

 

[Adam Weiss]

Updated PIREP here.
I've now flown about 20 hours with the Clarity Aloft.
I think this will apply to Halos too.

After about 20 hours, the earwax on the foam tips was pretty bad.
And as the weather is colder, they were like hard little rocks.
I was just going to swap them out for new tips, since they came with a bunch of tips, and they're not expensive.
But, for the heck of it, I ran them under hot water for a minute to clean them.
I squeezed them dry, and they were instantly dry, soft, clean, and like brand new.
Like I said, they're not too expensive ($34 for 6 pair I think), but just a quick clean, and they're good for another 20 hours.

 

[exncsurfer]

Had a chance to use them today as copilot, more time to try stuff out. My wife was flying using her passive DC headset so had a lot of time to use the intercom, tweak levels, etc...worked great this time! The intercom vox was excellent. Never had to adjust anything other having to turn my headset volume down a fair amount. At one point i did adjust the intercom vox setting a bit less aggressive.

One thing i learned was to pre twist the mic the other way and it seemed to stay put longer. Next, the wire going down from the headset to the plane can sometimes be on top of the left side but this time i made sure it came out below on that side. I think this helped quite a bit to prevent the mic position moving up or down.

Next step now is to try and experiment with some of the other plugs to find the optimal ones. Even the ones that were installed have worked great but i have a hunch theres an even better fit.

Ironically, its taking them off that is kinda strange. Its easy to just forget they are on when you go to get out. And if you remember to take them off its easy to forget the plugs are still in your ears.

I liked the grey rubber flange type tips best. The foam ones were just too finicky to get rolled and inserted before they start expanding.

 

[codeeno]

I have the Halo and had a pair of silicone earplugs made with the connectors. They fit great, go in and out quickly and are a consistent fit. I've had them for about 18 months. Clean up easy with a wipe of a damp cloth or clean-wipe things. You could probably do this as a home project if you were handy - they make home kits to make the silicone ear plugs. You'd just have to insert the connector into the molded silicone prior to it hardening.

 

[jaybee]

with Halos on forever back order and alofts costing waaaay too much I gave these a try -

https://aviatorheadsets.com/collections/frontpage/products/freedom-1

after a little tweaking to relieve discomfort and applying some $2 rubber eyeglass tips from Walmart I use them all day every day no probs.

 

[wrbix]

Re foam ear pieces - leave them in your pants pocket when laundered. Come out looking like new.
Found this out decades ago with motorcycling (why I still have my hearing, and a wife with multiple old orthopedic injuries)

 

[wrbix]

I have the Halo and had a pair of silicone earplugs made with the connectors. They fit great, go in and out quickly and are a consistent fit. I've had them for about 18 months. Clean up easy with a wipe of a damp cloth or clean-wipe things. You could probably do this as a home project if you were handy - they make home kits to make the silicone ear plugs. You'd just have to insert the connector into the molded silicone prior to it hardening.

.....and a possibly helpful FYI - I discovered that the little plastic coffee stirrer thingies are the appropriate size for the connector.