barbiejet22

I like the looks of the clarity aloft. But when I picked them up they feel flimsy for the price. So I'm concerned with durability on those. Would like input.

FastDEW

I have the Bose as well. Really like it. Especially on long legs. Even a Bus can get tiresome wrt noise after a while.

bcaviator

I have been using the Clarity Aloft headset for a few years. In my current job I fly 6-8 flight hours per day, and at the end of the day I have ZERO headset fatigue. They are quieter than a Bose. The downside is you have to keep a supply of replacement ear pieces, (which ends up costing the same amount as batteries for an ANR set). Also, if you try to lean back against a headrest the support kind of gets in the way, but really isn't a major issue. I am happy with them. Never had any durability issues.

ForeverFO

I have and like the Telex 850. The headset is a nice median between ear buds and big, fat headsets. It takes up little room, requires no batteries, and there is enough ANR to be pleasing.

I have used, in the past, a custom earmolded job, Telex 750, Bose + UFlyMike. The latter had great audio quality, but the head set fell apart twice on me.

MilitaryAV8R

Flying the Cessna Citation I use the Bose QC-15 with the U-Fly-Mike system and could not be more pleased. Of course make sure you check your battery light after each landing and if it is blinking, change it. Just because you "should" have at least 10 hours remaining, it would really suck to be on with LAX approach and your headset dies. They do make the earbuds now that you can wear under the headset so you will not loose all commo, but I have never been a fan of stuffing things in my ears.

ForeverFO

IIRC you are REQUIRED to have the ear bud under the Bose/UFM combo, and that that is part of the certification for the unit. This is one of the reasons I ditched mine.

With most aircraft ANR sets, when the battery dies, you lose ANR but not audio. With the Bose/UFM, you lose all audio. And it's not just the battery... failure of the circuitry in the Bose will kill audio as well.

If I am wrong, I'd be happy to be corrected. The Bose/UFM is a nice setup.

Sniper

No, you're pretty much right.

The headphones under the QC-15 is required if you're using the headset as a TSO'd headset. If you just want to use it as a headset (or your company doesn't require TSO'd), then there's no need for them.

You don't have to put the headphones into your ears, you can just keep them in the earphone cup.

MilitaryAV8R

Flying for the Army they do not care if I use them set up as TSO or not. The only time I ran into problems was with my old QC-2 headset and the U-Fly-Mike the light on the headset stopped blinking when it was getting low. After the second time I lost audio (neither time critical and can change a battery in about 30 seconds) I bought the new QC-15 and gave the QC-2 to the wife so she can not have to listen to the kids. For her it does not matter if the lights blink or not. For me in flight it is a must.

If required I would of course use earbuds under the headset. I do have a question about that though. To be "official TSO" does it have to be the ear buds they sell or can it be any set of earbuds? Perhaps ones that are more comfortable.

JohnBurke

The ear buds are part of the TSO I dont' wear them, however. I carry them and if there's an issue, I can put them in. I see them as more of a back-up in the event that I lose my audio and cant' get a replacement somewhere. Otherwise, they stay in the little case.

If you want them to be more comfortable, you can always take them to a hearing-aid shop of other facility that can make ear-molds for them. They won't need to be jammed in your ear, and you can comfortably wear them for extended periods.

It's an excellent set-up.

With the QC-15 and the U-fly-mic, loss of battery power means loss of the hearing portion of the headset if one is not using the ear buds. That's the reason for the TSO requirements to have the ear buds.

I've used the QC-15/UFM setup quite bit, often on long legs that last between 7 and 12 hours, and it's held up extremely well. I've found that a single AAA battery lasts about 50 or more hours. My policy has always been to replace the battery at the first sign of it starting to blink. It goes about ten hours while blinking, so there's plenty of leeway.

If one has the ear buds in, then the mic and the audio are uninterrupted in the event of a dead batter. In that case, all you lose is ANR.

I used the ear bud plug in to hook up an MP3 player. On long oceanic legs or flights cross Africa and other desolate places, music can be a real God-send. It makes the time go by more quickly and I think it tends to reduce fatigue a bit, keep the mind refreshed, and keeps one a little more focused.

The only problem I ever experienced with my headset was a decline in the ANR, with more noise, and that was a function of the ear seals eventually deteriorating. I replaced the ear seals and fixed the problem.

johnso29

Clarity Aloft Pro all the way. They are extremely comfortable. I often forget I have them on. They come with a nice hard case and 24 pairs of the earplugs. That should last you 2 years easy. No clamping the head, and no expensive ear mold to have made.