RE: QT HALO ?

[fstringham7a]

Santa came early with my new QT Halo's. Last week I had a chance to use them and found them "noisy" compared to my old head set......

Called Phil and told him that I , "thought", I was inserting the yellow foam inserts per his video instructions correctly. He said I may needed the larger foam plugs to get the job done. Also like some others have found the gain has a problem for me. My voice on transmit will cut out easily no matter how I set the squelch or radio volume....He said I may have to go into the black volume box and cut one of the resistors to fix the gain??????

I believe that the sound level lowering that some have encountered and explained on other threads is as good or better than the typical head set. Not mine at least for now.

Experimenting I put the music radio on in the hanger and: 1. Noted the volume 2. Put on my old head set and noted the volume. 3. Take off the old head set and plug my ears with my little fingers and noted the volume. 4. Remove my little little fingers and insert the yellow foam (carefully per instructions ??) QT ear set and note the volume.

Results: 1. Radio at normal listening level....
2. With old head set .... significant volume decrease
3. Finger in the ear ...... same as if not a bit lower than 2 above.
4. Fellow QT set .......... approx. 1/2 the decrease as compared to 2 and 3 above.

I really like the QT's for comfort but disappointed in the external sound lowering aspect....and the intermittent gain problem (which I think can be corrected).

HELP......Any Ideas would greatly be appreciated. Ear surgery is not an option??

No surgery Needed.

Made a trip to Double eagle II (KAEG) in New Mexico Monday March 29, 2010 and had a real chance to check out my improved and updated Halo head set. Worked great. Phil was great to work with and made some electronic changes to the head set to make it much improved!
Frank @ 1L8 ... RV7A ... BUZZ ... N74BZ ... Flying and soon to be tracking...still waiting for the MT-RTG back order!!!

[rvator51]

It might not be an accurate comparison to listen to music as you dont want to attenuate the freqs that people talk in. You want to attenuate the lower frequencies produced by the engine.
Try the same test in your plane and see what happens or did you already do that?
Be interesting to know.
If I use my wifes headset, I have to use the oversize yellow foam plugs or its too noisy for me.

[Tomasz]

I couldn't afford QT myself but I made my own and it's much better than any headset I've ever tried (I've tried only passive ones, I never had ANR headset on). The key is the foam placement - it's like with all earplugs - they have to go fully up and inside the ear canal to seal it completely. Also depending on the temperature you have to give them up to three-four minutes (usually less than 1) to fully expand and accommodate to your ear shape.

[nucleus]

use foam plugs in your ears under a good ANR headset, hello Zulu!

Hans

[N64GH]

I have both the Zulu and the QT. My wife takes the Zulu when we fly and I use the QT. It took a little playing arround but I figured out how to get the yellow ear plugs in MY ears correctly (everyone is probabily a little different the video is a guide IMHO) and now they work great. I almost never use the Zulu even when flying alone. I think the Zulu is a little better at cutting the noise but the comfort of the QT is hard to beat. One thing I have fouond out is replacing the foam ear plugs helps with the niose. I think I was trying to make them last to long.

[Martin Sutter]

My 2cts. worth:

My wife and I have been using Halos for about a little over two years now. We do a lot of long distance flying and find them the most comfortable head sets we have used in our 40 years of flying. The light weight and lack of pressure on your head make all the difference on long trips. An added bonus is that you can wear wide brimmed hats that shade your face and neck.

The down side is the effort it takes to put them on. I use the silicone ear buds and find that when PROPERLY inserted noise attenuation is unmatched by any other head set I have used. I own a $1000 Bose and it does not come close, my own subjective impression is that the noise level with the Bose is about double.

The big issue with the Halo is proper placement of the ear bud since it is a passive type head set. No matter which ear bud you use, it has to be seated perfectly to work properly. In my case I could not get satisfactory results with the foam buds and upon Phil's (the Halo company's owner) suggestion tried the silicone buds. At first I had trouble inserting these too but after experimenting with different methods found that I could get them placed snugly in the ear canal by dipping them in soapy water. I carry one of those small shampoo bottles you get at hotels filled with a solution made from a few drops of Dawn in water. Before inserting the buds I simply dip them in the solution and they slide right in and make a good seal. Be sure to hold the buds vertical with the hole pointing down so the solution does not enter the sound tube. I also pinch the stem of the bud while dip them as an added insurance.

Today we went for a short lunch flight and I decided to dig out my Bose. After we returned I put it back in the closet because I could not stand the much higher noise level.

Martin Sutter
building and flying RV's since 1988
EAA Technical Counselor

[N64GH]

"the silicone buds"? Which ones are those?

[Martin Sutter]

Re: Silicone buds,

Our head sets came with three different kinds of buds, a small flesh colored foam type, a large yellow foam type and silicone rubber ones, either white or tan. The latter look like shooter's ear plugs and have three blade like rings that do the sealing.

Martin Sutter
building and flying RV's since 1988
EAA Technical Counselor

[MattSR]

They remind me of little plastic xmas trees

[carguy614]

Placement of the foam plugs is the key.
Before you bail on the QT, practice placing the buds deep in the ear canal, and holding them until expansion starts to take place.
If you have them inserted correctly, they absolutely can't be beat.
I am considering buying a passive cup style set for the occasional ride hop. Hard for a new passenger to get the hang of inserting the plugs, and they are kinda like a toothbrush....easier to just give them a headset to clamp on their head.

Regards,
Chris