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CQ Headset with Bluetooth!

scard

Well Known Member
Advertiser
The CQ Headset is now available with fully integrated Bluetooth functionality. Our unique Bluetooth headset control is a new in-house design, not a third party product add on or afterthought. I believe it is currently the smallest and lightest Bluetooth headset control available on any aviation headset, allowing a fully featured media playback and telephone call experience with our simplified one-button interface.

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The CQ Headset with Bluetooth features a full authority digital signal processor that has been painstakingly tuned specifically for our entire sound delivery system to deliver simply astonishing music quality. Hear the difference for yourself by plugging into the 3.5mm input that is still available and is not processed by the DSP. Another unique feature is our onboard microcontroller based auto-Pause/Mute to react to aircraft audio. When enabled, radio com will trigger a pause of your media playback instead of simply muting the audio so you don't miss a radio call. This was a critical design feature for a certain VIP that enjoys listening to audio books while in cruise and is not available in any other aviation headset that I'm aware of. Don't miss that frequency change radio call, but don't let your audio book just run on while muted, we can pause and resume it instead.

We utilize an internal battery that is recharged via a standard USB-C port and is field replaceable. Internal voice prompts annunciate control state changes and battery levels are reported and displayed on your mobile device.

Our new Bluetooth CQ Headset control uses the same headset to aircraft radio circuitry as the proven CQ1. It has the same base features of the CQ1 such as our adjustable mic gain which is unique to any other in-the-ear headset. This means that battery power is still not used or needed for consistent aircraft radio operations. The complete loss of battery power only affects the non-critical Bluetooth media features. In fact, the LEMO panel powered version of our Bluetooth control does not utilize the internal battery at all when receiving ship power. It is worth noting that microphone functionality for phone calls does require being connected to a normal aircraft providing microphone bias voltage.

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We only develop products that we have a use case for. "But my airplane already has a Bluetooth audio panel." Yes, ours does too, but we usually fly with two pilots aboard that have very different media listening tastes. We've found it much simpler to be in complete control of what is in our own ears at all times without having to mess with aircraft buttonology. So, this headset has been flying since the beginning of 2021 and shipping since June. Global chip logistics have been a significant challenge to bringing it to all that have asked for it over the last few years. For all those that have commented or thought, "If only it had Bluetooth", here it is!

The CQ Headset with Bluetooth is now available with either dual GA plugs or LEMO powered connectors. Visit https://cqheadset.com/ for more info.
 
CQ headset

Congratulations! If it performs as well as my 2 CQ headsets do, can't see it not being a huge hit!
 
The price is $725.00... with no ANR? How does it compare to other in-ear headsets?

Faro Air Lightweight In-Ear Pilot Headset - Fixed Wing $329.99

ANR L2 Hi-Lite in ear aviation headset $379.99 (this one has ANR which is interesting for in-ear headset)

L1 in-ear Aviation Headset UFQ pilot headsets $199.99 (pretty good price, good reviews)

The two UFQ headsets above have a Bluetooth adapter you can add on (probably can add it on to any headseat with AUX in audio.
UFQ aviation headset bluetooth adapter BA-01 $19.95
 
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I think George does a good job demonstrating that a CQ Headset is definitely a premium product that is NOT simply a minimum cost rebranded item from China. A CQ Headset with bluetooth and GA plugs starts at $675.
 
The music sound clarity is WOW!

Capt Sandy and I have flown with CQ1 headsets for almost 3 years and almost 600 hours. We LOVE our CQ1's. We recently upgraded to Bluetooth. The BT sound is WOW! I can hear details in music with BT that I have not ever heard. See https://www.kitplanes.com/cq-cq-the-best-little-headset-from-texas/ for a recent Kitplanes review of the original CQ1 headset.

My main motivation for getting BT is to be able to make a phone call from the plane to get an Instrument Clearance. N174RT does not have a BT audio panel. The cable to connect the panel to my iPhone 8 is rare and expensive. And marginal voice quality with the cable. I tested BT phone calls from my plane using the CQ1 with BT WITH the engine running. The receiving end of the call can't tell I'm in a plane with the engine running and I can hear them clearly. I'm very happy with the ease and clarity of phone calls with the CQ1 BT.

Capt Sandy enjoyed an audio book on our recent cross-county from Dallas to KHIO. She says the thing she enjoys most about CQ1 BT is the "auto pause" feature that automatically pauses when I speak or when ATC comes over the radio. This allows her to listen to her audiobook and still be an active participant in our flight.

Scott did not mention the upgrade cost. I think they charge the difference in the original purchase price of the CQ1 and the CQ1 BT for current owners to upgrade.

Regards,
 
Scott,

Seems your CQ1 keeps getting better and better. Now with BT! I have a pair of Halos that have only hangar flown to this point. Getting closer by the decade to flying my -7. The Halos sound pretty good, and I've used them with renta' planes, too. I'm curious...do the CQ1s have a bit more bass? The Halos sound a little "tinny" to me. I love depth of sound. Example: Listen to "The Cars" on each to compare. They really utilize stereo and layering of sound. Make me spend even more cash!!!:):):)
 
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Andy,
I am interested in trying the bluetooth version but don't want to risk the purchase price on not liking it as much as my Halo, which I love. Do you have a return policy, or some other opportunity to try before you buy?
 
Andy,
I am interested in trying the bluetooth version but don't want to risk the purchase price on not liking it as much as my Halo, which I love. Do you have a return policy, or some other opportunity to try before you buy?

You're only real risk to try is a few bucks shipping. From our web store: RETURN POLICY – We offer a 30 day money back guarantee on our headsets so that you can try them out in your own aircraft.

I'm confident that you'll notice that a CQ Headset is a very different product than what you're used to once you get one in your hands.
 
I think George does a good job demonstrating that a CQ Headset is definitely a premium product that is NOT simply a minimum cost rebranded item from China. A CQ Headset with bluetooth and GA plugs starts at $675.

They do seem to be the quality "Bose" of the in-ear headset brands. I talked to them at AirVenture Oshkosh 2021. They are the choice of the Army helicopter pilots. So they had to go through qualifications. They use quality speakers I recall for hearing aids. We talked for a good bit. I would not have considered in-ear headsets before. I am going to give them a try. EDIT: Correction it is Clarity Aloft Headsets who I talked to at Air Venture, not CQ.

I would love to see an "in-ear side-by-side real world shootout" between CQ and other budget brands of in-ear headsets. From my headset poll, although the most expensive, Bose (full cup ANR) does provide value. People love them. I was surprised the two most expensive full cup ANR headsets, Bose and Lightspeed were the most popular. They cost 3 times the cost of other ANR headsets and 6 to 8 times passive headsets.

Bose does make an in-ear ANR headset for a $995, which is more than the CQ. The CQ headset is not ANR (nor do they need to be talking to CQ). However the other in-ear headsets that are ANR is interesting. How can they do that? I might give them a try and do that side by side with CQ. At less than half the price it might be worth a try,
 
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Scott,

Seems your CQ1 keeps getting better and better. Now with BT!
Thanks for noticing. "Continuous development"!

I have a pair of Halos that have only hangar flown to this point. Getting closer by the decade to flying my -7. The Halos sound pretty good, and I've used them with renta' planes, too. I'm curious...do the CQ1s have a bit more bass? The Halos sound a little "tinny" to me. I love depth of sound. Example: Listen to "The Cars" on each to compare. They really utilize stereo and layering of sound. Make me spend even more cash!!!:):):)

If you're happy with what you have, by all means, stick with it. The reality is that we all "hear" things differently. (Danger, I feel this reply getting long.) I believe the standard CQ1 does sound quite a bit different than what you're used to. This was my intent and I believe Paul picked up on that in his Kitplanes article in the November issue that Roy referenced above. I let mathematical modeling and good ol' engineering steer my intent, but pushing around tonal qualities also involves a LOT of iteration, which I have done with both the audio output and mic circuits on the CQ1. Yes, we even went to a lot of effort to shape the way the mic sounds. Some of our shaping efforts are biased toward the "mature pilot" population :).

As I type this with "The Cars" playing through a CQ Headset bluetooth control in my ears, simply stunning, is the best way I could describe it. Clearly I'm biased given all the months of tuning I've invested into shaping it the way I want. Roy described it as "WOW" above. I promise, I didn't pay him to say that. I've had some, that admittingly can't discern good vs junk audio, listen to the BT control tuning, and be equally amazed. Just as fast as I say these words, I'm certain that someone will come along and proclaim that it sounds like junk. I'll recognize, as I said, that we all hear different flavors, and offer them a full refund.

Then, there is the elephant in the room; the 110dB of noise rattling around in our piston aircraft. High fidelity audio reproduction in that environment is nearly impossible. There are all kinds of unrealistic details with all that noise, right down to bone conduction pulses. ANR isn't the answer to some of these problems, and is in fact the source of some of the "weirdness" that many people hear.
 
Scott-
Can you outline upgrade cost and turnaround time for current CQ1 owners?
Thanks!

Hi Gerry,
Yes, Bluetooth upgrades are available to existing CQ1 owners. Roy was correct, that the cost is simply the difference in price, which is currently $250. For a headset in good condition, current turn around time is just a day or two. Contact us directly for more details.
 
I currently fly a Halo with custom ear pieces that fit entirely in the ear canal custom molded by an audiologist. Not the bulky ones you can buy at SNF. She replaced the milky plastic tubes with slightly thicker plastic tubing that blocks more cockpit noise. The ear plugs form a great seal and are every bit as quiet as ANR and are actually better than ANR in one important respect. It does not block the low frequencies like ANR does. The experience below turned me off to ANR.

Before the Halo I used a Bose X, and suffered through the headset hair and clamping force headaches on long trips, though it was better than most other headsets on clamping force. Then on a long cross country to Orlando in a Cardinal RG with my young daughter and her friend in the back seat, I suffered a stuck valve after passing Tallahassee and continuing out over the Everglades . Fortunately that day I had an experienced copilot wearing a passive headset with me. He heard it stick, was startled by it, and asked me if I heard it. I heard nothing through the ANR and had felt nothing through the airframe. He said it was a loud low frequency thump. That is a big warning sign to miss. We turned around immediately and limped back to Tallahassee. I shudder to think what might have happened that day without my copilot and his headset.

I bought the Halo and the Bose (without batteries) became my spare. I sure would like to have the Bluetooth capability though.

Scott, I look forward to trying out your CQ1 with the Bluetooth and my earpieces. If your product and service after the sale are as good as I have experienced with the Halo, you will be very successful.
 
The price is $725.00... with no ANR? How does it compare to other in-ear headsets?

ANR L2 Hi-Lite in ear aviation headset $379.99 (this one has ANR which is interesting for in-ear headset)

I have the UFQ L2 and love it. I’ve put about 1500 hours on it so far, and it’s still going strong. Don’t bother with the L1 (the one without ANR). The passive reduction isn’t great on these, the ANR does the heavy lifting. The L2 comes with the little Bluetooth adapter, though I hear they are developing one with the Bluetooth built in, which should be available soon.
 
Battery life

I know there are a bunch of variables, but how long does the Bluetooth last per charge?
 
Hi Gerry,
Yes, Bluetooth upgrades are available to existing CQ1 owners. Roy was correct, that the cost is simply the difference in price, which is currently $250. For a headset in good condition, current turn around time is just a day or two. Contact us directly for more details.

I recently purchased the BT version for my RV-3 and I love it. Of course single place, single comm, and no audio panel means that I don't have the line (bias) voltage required to energize the mic for a Bluetooth call. This certainly is NOT a dig against the headset or Scott and Tonya. It's something I'm working on and am confident that I'll be able to figure out. In fact, if I can't get it figured out on my own, I'll start a separate post about it to ask for help.

With this being said, if upgrades are available, I'll definitely be upgrading my other CQ headset to full bluetooth capabilities. I've also got a Glasair and I wouldn't want to deprive a passenger of the fantastic sound quality. I'm a bit of an aging audiophile and I can definitely vouch for the sound quality. I've got some pretty pricey earbuds--both wired and bluetooth--for listening to music and the new CQ Bluetooth is better than ANY of them! I'm *really* impressed.

I'll give you a call soon, Scott, to arrange for the upgrade!
 
I know there are a bunch of variables, but how long does the Bluetooth last per charge?

You're right, lots of variables. But the very worst case, streaming audio at FULL volume continuously with auto-pause enabled, about 16hrs. My bluetooth headset has been in the airplane, flying for over a month without a recharge. The battery level is reported to your mobile device. And when the battery does die in flight, it is not an emergency procedure because it isn't needed for anything other than Bluetooth media functionality.
 
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And when the battery does die in flight, it is not an emergency procedure because it isn't needed for anything other than Bluetooth media functionality.

I think Scott is really down-playing this significant advantage (the Cards are anything but high-pressure salespeople).

With any of the ANR headsets if you lose power or if the electronics fail, you're left with very little hearing protection and very poor audio intelligibility. The earplug-based headsets provide noise reduction that's at least as good as the ANR headsets but they do it completely passively. That means the airplane can lose every last electron and your hearing will still be protected. This is rather a huge advantage over any of the ANR headsets.

I don't (yet) have a CQ1 but likely will in the future. When I do get a CQ1 I likely will sell one of my Halo's. I still keep some ANR headsets in the airplane for missions where quick turn-arounds are critical (think Young Eagles flights where you're in and out of the airplane very frequently). Other than those missions where the faster donning of the "over the ears" style of headset wins the day, the in-ear headsets are clear winners.
 
The price is $725.00... with no ANR? How does it compare to other in-ear headsets?

Faro Air Lightweight In-Ear Pilot Headset - Fixed Wing $329.99

ANR L2 Hi-Lite in ear aviation headset $379.99 (this one has ANR which is interesting for in-ear headset)

L1 in-ear Aviation Headset UFQ pilot headsets $199.99 (pretty good price, good reviews)

The two UFQ headsets above have a Bluetooth adapter you can add on (probably can add it on to any headseat with AUX in audio.
UFQ aviation headset bluetooth adapter BA-01 $19.95
UFQ are made and sold out of China. Good luck with technical support. From their ads it's clear English is a second language.

Not saying that because it's China it can't be a good product, just not the same as picking up the phone and talking directly to Scott or his wife.
 
For what it's worth, I've been using a CQ in my Christen Eagle for a few years now. Still works great. Definitely an improvement over the Halo I had before.

They've never flew off, even at plus 6 or minus 5 g's.
 
I recently purchased the BT version for my RV-3 and I love it. Of course single place, single comm, and no audio panel means that I don't have the line (bias) voltage required to energize the mic for a Bluetooth call. This certainly is NOT a dig against the headset or Scott and Tonya. It's something I'm working on and am confident that I'll be able to figure out. In fact, if I can't get it figured out on my own, I'll start a separate post about it to ask for help.

With this being said, if upgrades are available, I'll definitely be upgrading my other CQ headset to full bluetooth capabilities. I've also got a Glasair and I wouldn't want to deprive a passenger of the fantastic sound quality. I'm a bit of an aging audiophile and I can definitely vouch for the sound quality. I've got some pretty pricey earbuds--both wired and bluetooth--for listening to music and the new CQ Bluetooth is better than ANY of them! I'm *really* impressed.

I'll give you a call soon, Scott, to arrange for the upgrade!

Rod,
It is great that you are enjoying the sound experience that we've worked so hard for on the CQ Headset with Bluetooth. It sounds like you've found that it really is something unique, as have many others.
 
QUOTE=scard;1557801]Rod,
It is great that you are enjoying the sound experience that we've worked so hard for on the CQ Headset with Bluetooth. [/QUOTE]

Are you going to do an ANR version?

Do you make a TSO'ed version commercial airline pilots can use.

How do you compare to other in-ear headsets in the same price range ($700-$799) like Clarity Aloft.
(CA lists 29.47 db noise cancelation (passive), Wt. 1.35 oz, collapsible for compact storage, TSO'ed version available)
'
 
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Yea, this isn't quite true. Check out this recent article from AOPA:


Personally, I use a good ANR headset (currently a DC ONE-X) along with 3M Classic™ Plus foam earplugs, and have been for a long time. Before ANR, I used a good passive headset and 3M foam earplugs. RVs (and towplanes) are noisy!
Great article devoid of hype/opinion, just data and fair analysis of that data. They don't say what headsets they tested, the test set up, just a picture of a bunch of headsets with all the usual suspects.

It would be interesting if they tested actual in-ear headsets (see list below) not just "foamies". I suspect the foam ear plugs are close to in-ear headsets with foam seal but I don't know. Also are custom ear pieces better. This is where an Audiologists takes a mold of your inner ear and makes a custom insert.

Last how do all the in-ear headsets compare? How do they do ANR with in-ear headset? I found 7 in-ear headsets/brands on the market. I was surprised. Prices range from $200 to $1000.

CQ*
UFQ
Faro
QC Halo
Crazedpilot
Clarity Aloft
Bose Proflight

EDIT: I found an in-ear comparison https://www.aviationconsumer.com/accessories/in-ear-headsets-clarity-link-gets-our-nod/
"To see which models do this the best, we rounded up three aviation-purposed in-ear headsets to include the Clarity Aloft Link, the Quiet Technologies Halo Tubephones and the Faro Air" They did not test the CQ, UFQ, Crazedpilot or Bose Proflight.

*Subject of this thread. Thread drift by me... Sorry. :eek: :rolleyes: :D
 
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Great article devoid of hype/opinion, just data and fair analysis of that data. They don't say what headsets they tested, the test set up, just a picture of a bunch of headsets with all the usual suspects.

It would be interesting if they tested actual in-ear headsets (see list below) not just "foamies". I suspect the foam ear plugs are close to in-ear headsets with foam seal but I don't know. Also are custom ear pieces better. This is where an Audiologists takes a mold of your inner ear and makes a custom insert.

Last how do all the in-ear headsets compare? How do they do ANR with in-ear headset? I found 7 in-ear headsets/brands on the market. I was surprised. Prices range from $200 to $1000.

CQ*
UFQ
Faro
QC Halo
Crazedpilot
Clarity Aloft
Bose Proflight

EDIT: I found an in-ear comparison https://www.aviationconsumer.com/accessories/in-ear-headsets-clarity-link-gets-our-nod/
"To see which models do this the best, we rounded up three aviation-purposed in-ear headsets to include the Clarity Aloft Link, the Quiet Technologies Halo Tubephones and the Faro Air" They did not test the CQ, UFQ, Crazedpilot or Bose Proflight.

*Subject of this thread. Thread drift by me... Sorry. :eek: :rolleyes: :D

The "foamies" quiet things down by blocking sound, not by canceling it with an out of phase signal. If you get them deep into your ear canal properly, they work at least as well as the active headsets do. If not installed properly, they don't block the sound and you'll hate them.

Ed Holyoke
 
The "foamies" quiet things down by blocking sound, not by canceling it with an out of phase signal. If you get them deep into your ear canal properly, they work at least as well as the active headsets do. If not installed properly, they don't block the sound and you'll hate them.

Ed Holyoke
Yes I am aware of the difference in passive and ANR and how ANR works. However you are aware there are ANR in-ear headsets.... Bose ProFlight 2 and UFQ ANR L2 are two models that come to mind. How well do they work? Don't know never tried them. However I wear passive in-ear protectors on the ramp for APU/other jets during walkaround and at gun range all the time. They work well. Even when using full cup headsets in the RV I wear ear plugs.

The AOPA article (link above) shows the effectiveness of passive foam hearing protection to both passive and ANR headsets (full cup over ear).

To say passive in-ear headsets work as well as ANR headsets is just not true. However to define "as well", it means the noise reduction dB is as good or better over the full Freq spectrum. There is no debate ANR does a better job at low frequency, e.g., primarily engine exhaust. Again reference the AOP article with data. At the higher frequencies passive and ANR are about the same.

Not tested by AOPA were in-ear headsets, passive or ANR. AOPA tested passive hearing protection "foamies". That should be close to in-ear headsets (with a good seal). The in-ear UFQ ANR L2 might be worth a try for the price ($289). Some quality issues were reported and ear piece fitment, but most were happy. The in-ear Bose ProFlight II (ANR) is as much as a Bose A20. Might as well go with an A20 (over the ear). Fun fact Bose first aviation ANR headset was released in 1989!

My question is HOW WELL do the IN EAR ANR headsets work vs the cup OVER EAR ANR headsets?*** If I go in-ear it would likely be passive and one of the three: Clarity Aloft, Halo or CQ... in no particular order. The Halo is lower priced and uses sound tubes vs having the driver in the ear piece it self. I think all of them are very good quality, with different form and fit factors. However the UFQ ANR L2 is tempting with user reviews claiming better ANR than a A20? It is all subjective after all.

I have VERY good hearing. I want to keep iRadianst that way. I have known pilots who had to retire from commercial flying due to loss of hearing and loss of 1st class medical. They did not wear hearing protection in the Air Force when they were younger, around T37's. Bummer. :( So protect your hearing and always wear hearing protection, even cutting the grass...

*** EDIT. I ordered a UFQ ANR L2 headset. It list for $329. I got one on sale for $289. It comes with 6 sizes of silicon earplugs. However I ordered a Custom Molded Earplug Kit by Radians for $10. I will mold a custom earpiece and insert the speaker driver. Once set you punch a hole in the custom earplug. Hey it is an experiment. What sold me was several very positive comments on how well the ANR worked. The reviews looked legit and by pilots. There were some negative comments one being the earplugs that come with it don't seat well (in their ear). One guy liked his Clarity Aloft better. The blue tooth module plugs into the aux input and comments said it worked poorly. Besides plugging the direct into the Aux jack, aftermarket BT plugins work well and music quality iwas reported to be excellent. For price it will be worth a try. Let you know how it goes.
 
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