Using Tubephone Headsets

I am currious to learn about experience of people who have or have used the Halo quiet technologies tubephone headsets (and currently a VAF sidebar advertizer). http://www.quiettechnologies.com/

They seem to be neat idea, but i am wondering if they are easy to put on and wear, etc. I am somewhat squemish about things like contact lenses, etc., so veiwing their website instruction as to how to use the ear seals gives me pause.

If you have tried and liked or disliked, I would like to hear from you.


Jerry Ludwig
N925JL

Halo Headset

I do like mine. It takes a little more time to put on compared to a Dave Clark. The positive is comfort and the wearing of glasses does not change the noise level.
The ear plugs are no more difficult than putting any foam type plug into the ear canal. If you think that might be an issue I would suggest try wearing a set of ear plugs and then decide if the Halo will work for you.

N925JL said:

I am currious to learn about experience of people who have or have used the Halo quiet technologies tubephone headsets (and currently a VAF sidebar advertizer). http://www.quiettechnologies.com/

They seem to be neat idea, but i am wondering if they are easy to put on and wear, etc. I am somewhat squemish about things like contact lenses, etc., so veiwing their website instruction as to how to use the ear seals gives me pause.

If you have tried and liked or disliked, I would like to hear from you.

Jerry Ludwig
N925JL

Click to expand...

Jerry,

There are a few past threads on this topic that are very helpful. I have Halos and like them a lot. I also have an expensive pair of Bose headsets that the passenger wears. The noise reduction is similar, but I'd give a slight edge to the Halo's because at takeoff the Bose sometimes seem like they don't have quite enough reduction. The audio quality with the Halo's is noticeably better than the Bose, which are better than anything else I've tried. The Halos are so light I quickly forget get they're there, and I can wear a broad-brimmed "boonie" hat. This makes flying cross-country a lot more pleasant (no more stick-on sun shades).

The price for all these benefits is that the Halos are a bit "higher maintenance". It takes a longer to put them on, and you need to replace the earplugs fairly often (~5 hour intervals in my experience). The headband has to be adjusted to fit (by bending), and the fit takes some getting used to. None of this is especially difficult though, and if you're able to use foam earplugs properly you won't have any problem. The earplugs need to be fully inserted to work right, and it may take some experimenting to find the right size for your ears. I buy replacements here: http://www.etymotic.com/pro/er3a-acc.aspx. You can also make them yourself.

Customer service from Quiet Technologies is first rate.

I love mine! There is litterally a TON of info on this site about them. Try searching for "Halo". Here's a link to one conversation: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=10435&highlight=halo

it is all about fit and tolerance...

any of the in-ear plugs require a good seal to work effectively; to get a good seal most people have to experiment with different types and sizes of plugs and then you have to become acclimated to having something 'jammed' in your ear... some give up without ever getting the right fit or becoming comfortable with the in-ear mass. for me the foam is not at all desirable but the triple flange silicone tips are, they are much better at getting a seal and staying put, and you can actually clean them. i use the same type of plug tip with my shure earphones for music when riding a motorcycle but it did take me a while to become comfortable with them for any extended period of time.

As has been mentioned above, search the forums for "Halo" and be ready for LOTS of reading!

We now own four Halos - two for each RV. Since Louise and I frequently take one plane or the other, we got tired of swapping our personal headsets between the two airplane,s and just went Halo's all around. The ability to swap hats in flight (especially in the bubble-canopied -8) is well worth the extra 20 seconds they take to put (for me).

The only thing I'd add is that if you get one, you may not like the first, second, or third time you use it. You occasionally see one for sale here "used twice"....I'd say give it ten flights or so - by that time, you'll love it or hate it, but you'll have given it a fair trial. they are "different" - but according to the audiologists I've talked to, give the best ear protection out there. And you forget you're wearing a headset.

Paul

Another experience

Jerry,
I've had a different experience.

At OSH last year, I Seriously shopped both In-The-Ear sets (Halo and Clarity Alofts) as well as Bose and Zulus. I really liked the no-power required aspect of the ITE units (my previous ANRs batterys ALWAYS went out when I needed them most). There was a price difference between Halos & CAs; but after spending some time talking with both booths - I picked the CAs. To me they had a slightly better construction quality - and sound than the Halos (but it was Very Close). I use earplugs for NASCAR/Indy races (4+hrs) so I thought I'd tolerate them well.

I bought the CAs and they performed very well on the flight back to Texas. The noise reduction was excellent and the initial comfort was good. But after about 3 hrs they became Very Uncomfortable. I almost sent them back. But my wife wore them around the house for about 4 hrs and said they felt fine. So we've kept them for her.

Their only down sides are 1) your toleration of the thing in your ear and 2) using them for guests. I don't ask my non-pilot guests to use them because they might have an issue putting something in their ears that has been in another persons ears (even tho I put new foam on them). My conventional headsets are easier for guests to put on and get fitted correctly.

If you think you might like them, put a couple foam earplugs from the pilot shop in for about 4 hrs and see how you tolerate them. If that checks out OK, then I'd strongly recommend that you get to an airshow and try a set.

"Jerry"
RV-7A, flying 130+hrs

Halo v. Clarity Aloft

I have a Halo, have used it for around 135 hours and love it. They are comfortable, good noise reduction, does not put pressure on my glass frame and allows me to wear a hat. I had a chance to use a Clarity Aloft system on a 4 hour flight to Canada and a 4 hour flight back for a total of 8 hours. To me it was not as comfortable in my ears. This may have been the selection of the ear plug used since I did not get to try other options.

OK, some confessions here... It took me about 20 minutes of flying with the Halos before I thought they were better than my David Clarks. And I'm a BIG fan of David Clarks. Then it was only a matter of a couple of flights before I did the big dummy manoeouver of trying to climb out of the airplane with the darned Halo's still attached! Yes, they're that comfortable. And noise reduction for me with the standard yellow earplugs is significantly better than David Clark H10-13.4's.

On another note, I have found the yellow foamies don't necessarily expand enough in very low temperatures (below -10C) to adequately fill my ear and stay in place. As a result I have had custom-molded earplugs made. The molded plugs seem to offer not quite as much attenuation as the yellow foamies (in fact my impression is they have better attenuation at lower freq's, but poorer attenuation at higher freq's as compared to the yellow foamies) and are not as comfortable for me to wear, but they so far have provided a good tight seal at lower operating temperatures.

On a side note, I was one of several on the board here who made a homebrew copy of the Clarity Aloft headset. After wearing it for a while my personal conclusion is that it's far better to have tubes connected to the earplugs than electrical wires. My next iteration of the design will have the audio transducers mounted on the headset frame a la Halo, and then run tubes down to the earplugs.

Oh, yes, that's the other thing... I also found the Clarity Aloft earplugs didn't attenuate cockpit noise nearly as well as the Halos. And the CA earplugs seem to load up with ear wax (yeah, sorry to gross you out) more quickly than the yellow foamies, and they're quite a bit more expensive to boot.