I bought a pair (two sets) of Quiet Technologies headsets a decade ago… the designer is a brilliant sound guy and Mooney pilot! I enjoyed them a lot for IR flying, where you have to hear your tail number called all the time. No head clamp, easy to wear my favorite ball cap…. Use caution, it is easy to forget you are connected to the instrument panel when departing the cockpit…. So many choices to personalize the ear buds for size and material. Comparing to over the ear, noise cancelling, headsets… they are in a significantly different price range. Go QT! 😀
Thanks for watching! I didn't know what to expect before I tried the Quiet Tech headset but I was really pleased with it and will probably stick with it for the majority of my flying.
I have used this headset for over 10 years and I love it. I use the molded earpiece. If needed just like Eric in the video I pop the earpiece out or break the seal a little to equalize pressure. I highly recommend Quiet Technologies headset they are great.
I've had a pair for almost 4 years and really love them! I would say they're as quiet as an ANR headset once you get the hang of inserting the ear tips correctly. The audio also is more natural sounding (coming through the "sound delivery tubes") than a standard aviation headset (even the nices ones). I thought that was just marketing until I tried them. I'd recommend them 100%.
I had the QT for several years. Really liked them except I could never keep the mike boom in place. Tried everything regarding fit and nothing worked. Finally sold them and bought the Axis in ear headset and love them.
I may have missed it in the video, but how is it as far as hearing others in the airplane when they don’t have a headset on? In other words, can you hear somebody talking to you in the copilot seat if they weren’t using a headset?
I found the mic and speaker clarity to be exceptional, but still not as quiet as ANR at engine hum frequencies. Comfortable to wear, obviously. Downsides: loaning to a passenger is much more involved since you have to give them a set of ear tips and keep track of whose is whose (tiny things!). Even if you didn’t care about hygiene, earplug fit is more personalized than headsets. The big reason I stopped using: the sound is super sensitive to plug fit and just a little flex/twist in ear canal can loosen the seal temporarily. The loosening seal changes the pitch so that it sounds like your engine is surging or ebbing. That is quite alarming if you’re PIC. Maybe better suited to passengers in that respect.
Thanks for watching! Those are all really good points, and I hadn't thought about loaning one to a passenger. Good reason to have an extra regular headset available as well.
I've flown using the Halo headset for many years, maybe over 15 years now. It's quieter than a Lightspeed Zulu headset that I also use and it doesn't bump into the tight canopy of my Sonex. Excellent product that I recommend to anyone who will listen and finally, no batteries required in my early version.
Tip: you can trim the clear tubes, with no loss in sound quality, and optionally route them above your ear. No need to leave the extra length hanging where they might snag, or make you look like a basset hound. I've used the QT Halo for twelve years and am on my second pair. They're lightweight, adjustable, economic (the foam tips can be replaced regularly for cents not dollars), and provide very good sound quality. The company (Phil, basically) has been supportive. Downsides: the sound quality is almost but not quite as good as good ANR. They take some seconds longer to put on than a conventional headset. The build quality, e.g., of the volume box, is not as good as a $1k+ headset (although durability has been fine).
I have had a couple different ANR headsets, Bose & Lightspeed. Both of those were great, until I bought my Quite Technologies headset. I have now used the Quiet Technologies Halo headset for several years. I will never again use another ANR headset, these are that good. And I sure don’t miss the ANR background noise and clamping my head. Great if you like to wear a hat too. I have loaned them to a few friends, each one ordered a set afterwards. The last one said, “Thanks, you just ruined my $1200. ANR headset for me” 😂
Great review! Many pilots wear hearing aids. Common now are BTE (behind the ear) style as are mine. Obviously, I can't stick anything else into my ear canal. I would really like to see you test technology innovations that don't have over the ear cups (even worse than your description with hearing aids) and still work with hearing aids. It is a tough challenge. Even though my hearing aids are Bluetooth connected to my phone, they can't connect to other devices. Thanks for this review and hope you take the "hearing aid challenge" I've set before you.
These look interesting but I often fly with oxygen and use a boom cannula attached to the ear cup on my A20 headset. Is there a way to attach an oxygen boom?
I had a BELL in-ear in the 80s and then a german one in the late 90s. Found it always a little awkward to fumble around with the in-ear pipes on every takeoff especially when doing aerotows or shorter flights. And they are not doing any good when you’ve got dirty fingers and compressing those foams.
Maybe I missed it, but it wasn’t clear to me how well these do with noise dampening and/or cancellation compared to a traditional headset. As in, is cabin noise just insane, or is it comparable to or better than the average over-the-ear headset in that price range?
I've had mine for 4 years and have compared them to Lightspeed Sierra's and David Clark One-X, and prefer my QT Halo's by a good margin. In the hotter times of the year I prefer these by a huge margin. The main key is to get the hang of inserting the ear tips, once I figured that out I'd say they're very comparable to a good ANR headset.
Think earplugs, but you're able to hear comms through them. That's about how I'd describe it. Noise is reduced to level quieter than a standard over-the-ear headset, but not to the extent of an ANR headset. The benefit is that you don't have the clamping force, they're cooler in the hot months, and very lightweight. I love mine and have had them for years with no issue.
Michelle said at the beginning of the video that in-ear headsets are as quiet as ANR. They're not. They do a very good job -- much better than a passive head-clamp, as long as you replace the ear tips on a regular basis -- but they're not quite ANR quiet. That said, I've been using a Clarity Aloft at work (TSO required) for more than a decade and I wouldn't consider anything else. For comfort alone, it's well worth the small amount of noise that the headset doesn't eliminate. Frankly, I think there's some advantage to not making yourself completely acoustically isolated from the airplane. If something starts to go audibly wrong, I want to hear it. Many of the pilots I fly with at work use Bose headsets, and not one of them can hear when the engines are out of sync and making that annoying wah-wah-wah noise. If the QT Halo is anything near as good as a Clarity Aloft, you won't be disappointed. They're certainly a heck of a lot cheaper!
As @FlyingShotsman said, not AS quiet, but they're darn close. Think high-quality earplugs. While they won't fully isolate you from the noise, I've found they're quiet enough to be comfortable. Flying a 1953 Cessna 170 from Spokane, WA to Frederick, MD, I wore that exact headset (the older one) from the video and found it to be much more comfortable than a traditional, high-quality ANR headset. And I didn't have headaches or anything like that from the noise (or clamping force headaches you'd get from a traditional headset) over the course of the 22 hours of flying. While I don't speak for AOPA in this instance, I definitely recommend you check them out. Phil knows his stuff and has done his research.
@@FlyingShotsman i definitely get the part about being completely disconnected from the airplane. That’s always been a little nagging wonder for me. It’s one of the reasons I went with an EDM 930 on our retrofit. I figured I might not hear the problem at first but I sure as heck would SEE a problem. Thanks for the insight.
I bought a pair (two sets) of Quiet Technologies headsets a decade ago… the designer is a brilliant sound guy and Mooney pilot!
I enjoyed them a lot for IR flying, where you have to hear your tail number called all the time.
No head clamp, easy to wear my favorite ball cap….
Use caution, it is easy to forget you are connected to the instrument panel when departing the cockpit….
So many choices to personalize the ear buds for size and material.
Comparing to over the ear, noise cancelling, headsets… they are in a significantly different price range.
Go QT!
😀
I was always intrigued by in-ear headsets, but I have never had a chance to try one. Thank you for a nice overview and for showing them in action!
Thanks for watching!
I’m so glad you did this video. I’ve been hesitant to purchase an in-ear without knowing how well they work compared to traditional.
Thanks for watching! I didn't know what to expect before I tried the Quiet Tech headset but I was really pleased with it and will probably stick with it for the majority of my flying.
I have used this headset for over 10 years and I love it. I use the molded earpiece. If needed just like Eric in the video I pop the earpiece out or break the seal a little to equalize pressure. I highly recommend Quiet Technologies headset they are great.
I've had a pair for almost 4 years and really love them! I would say they're as quiet as an ANR headset once you get the hang of inserting the ear tips correctly. The audio also is more natural sounding (coming through the "sound delivery tubes") than a standard aviation headset (even the nices ones). I thought that was just marketing until I tried them. I'd recommend them 100%.
Thanks for watching! I totally agree about them being more natural sounding, I wasn't expecting that but it was an added bonus!
I had the QT for several years. Really liked them except I could never keep the mike boom in place. Tried everything regarding fit and nothing worked. Finally sold them and bought the Axis in ear headset and love them.
I own both and use the ANR due to its superior quality in terms of noise reduction during IFR flying and the in ear version during short hops VFR
I may have missed it in the video, but how is it as far as hearing others in the airplane when they don’t have a headset on? In other words, can you hear somebody talking to you in the copilot seat if they weren’t using a headset?
I found the mic and speaker clarity to be exceptional, but still not as quiet as ANR at engine hum frequencies. Comfortable to wear, obviously.
Downsides: loaning to a passenger is much more involved since you have to give them a set of ear tips and keep track of whose is whose (tiny things!). Even if you didn’t care about hygiene, earplug fit is more personalized than headsets.
The big reason I stopped using: the sound is super sensitive to plug fit and just a little flex/twist in ear canal can loosen the seal temporarily. The loosening seal changes the pitch so that it sounds like your engine is surging or ebbing. That is quite alarming if you’re PIC. Maybe better suited to passengers in that respect.
Thanks for watching! Those are all really good points, and I hadn't thought about loaning one to a passenger. Good reason to have an extra regular headset available as well.
I've flown using the Halo headset for many years, maybe over 15 years now. It's quieter than a Lightspeed Zulu headset that I also use and it doesn't bump into the tight canopy of my Sonex. Excellent product that I recommend to anyone who will listen and finally, no batteries required in my early version.
Tip: you can trim the clear tubes, with no loss in sound quality, and optionally route them above your ear. No need to leave the extra length hanging where they might snag, or make you look like a basset hound.
I've used the QT Halo for twelve years and am on my second pair. They're lightweight, adjustable, economic (the foam tips can be replaced regularly for cents not dollars), and provide very good sound quality. The company (Phil, basically) has been supportive.
Downsides: the sound quality is almost but not quite as good as good ANR. They take some seconds longer to put on than a conventional headset. The build quality, e.g., of the volume box, is not as good as a $1k+ headset (although durability has been fine).
I have had a couple different ANR headsets, Bose & Lightspeed. Both of those were great, until I bought my Quite Technologies headset. I have now used the Quiet Technologies Halo headset for several years. I will never again use another ANR headset, these are that good. And I sure don’t miss the ANR background noise and clamping my head. Great if you like to wear a hat too. I have loaned them to a few friends, each one ordered a set afterwards. The last one said, “Thanks, you just ruined my $1200. ANR headset for me” 😂
Great review!
Many pilots wear hearing aids. Common now are BTE (behind the ear) style as are mine. Obviously, I can't stick anything else into my ear canal.
I would really like to see you test technology innovations that don't have over the ear cups (even worse than your description with hearing aids) and still work with hearing aids.
It is a tough challenge. Even though my hearing aids are Bluetooth connected to my phone, they can't connect to other devices.
Thanks for this review and hope you take the "hearing aid challenge" I've set before you.
Thanks for the review!
Thanks for watching!
I'd like some of these, but need for part 121...
These look interesting but I often fly with oxygen and use a boom cannula attached to the ear cup on my A20 headset. Is there a way to attach an oxygen boom?
I had a BELL in-ear in the 80s and then a german one in the late 90s. Found it always a little awkward to fumble around with the in-ear pipes on every takeoff especially when doing aerotows or shorter flights. And they are not doing any good when you’ve got dirty fingers and compressing those foams.
Thanks for this excellent review, they look fantastic, I’d really like to try a pair of these in our noisy Pawnee tow planes!
A great product that works well under my flight helmet in my Stearman. I have two of them.
Maybe I missed it, but it wasn’t clear to me how well these do with noise dampening and/or cancellation compared to a traditional headset. As in, is cabin noise just insane, or is it comparable to or better than the average over-the-ear headset in that price range?
I've had mine for 4 years and have compared them to Lightspeed Sierra's and David Clark One-X, and prefer my QT Halo's by a good margin. In the hotter times of the year I prefer these by a huge margin. The main key is to get the hang of inserting the ear tips, once I figured that out I'd say they're very comparable to a good ANR headset.
@@jwgould Good to know. Thank you!
Think earplugs, but you're able to hear comms through them. That's about how I'd describe it. Noise is reduced to level quieter than a standard over-the-ear headset, but not to the extent of an ANR headset. The benefit is that you don't have the clamping force, they're cooler in the hot months, and very lightweight. I love mine and have had them for years with no issue.
The price point certainly makes it worth a look. Was it as quiet?
Michelle said at the beginning of the video that in-ear headsets are as quiet as ANR. They're not. They do a very good job -- much better than a passive head-clamp, as long as you replace the ear tips on a regular basis -- but they're not quite ANR quiet. That said, I've been using a Clarity Aloft at work (TSO required) for more than a decade and I wouldn't consider anything else. For comfort alone, it's well worth the small amount of noise that the headset doesn't eliminate. Frankly, I think there's some advantage to not making yourself completely acoustically isolated from the airplane. If something starts to go audibly wrong, I want to hear it. Many of the pilots I fly with at work use Bose headsets, and not one of them can hear when the engines are out of sync and making that annoying wah-wah-wah noise. If the QT Halo is anything near as good as a Clarity Aloft, you won't be disappointed. They're certainly a heck of a lot cheaper!
As @FlyingShotsman said, not AS quiet, but they're darn close. Think high-quality earplugs. While they won't fully isolate you from the noise, I've found they're quiet enough to be comfortable. Flying a 1953 Cessna 170 from Spokane, WA to Frederick, MD, I wore that exact headset (the older one) from the video and found it to be much more comfortable than a traditional, high-quality ANR headset. And I didn't have headaches or anything like that from the noise (or clamping force headaches you'd get from a traditional headset) over the course of the 22 hours of flying. While I don't speak for AOPA in this instance, I definitely recommend you check them out. Phil knows his stuff and has done his research.
@@FlyingShotsman i definitely get the part about being completely disconnected from the airplane. That’s always been a little nagging wonder for me. It’s one of the reasons I went with an EDM 930 on our retrofit. I figured I might not hear the problem at first but I sure as heck would SEE a problem. Thanks for the insight.
#39👍😀I bought a ultra light Telex that has individual in the ear similar to this but TSO'd
And, for those of us who must wear hearing aids …. I guess we still fall in the SOL/stuck with OTE cups category, right?
and the microphone sounds very good
These look awesome. My husband flies 121. Will these ever be approved for Part 121?
you'd have to reach out to Quiet Technologies directly for that one
@@erickwebb1 Thank you.
So… How do they work in the plane..? 😊