Halo headsets

[GDGR]

I was going to buy a set, but quickly found out they don’t ship outside of the US. Guess another reason to go to Osh

[Atalla]

They are back in stock (yellow only).  Just ordered a set based upon this thread and hope they are good.  Was about to click checkout on some Zulu 3's but randomly checked on the Halos and luckily stars aligned.

[carusoam]

Next steps...

1) learn the best way to stick a plug in your ear... special technique helps a lot.

2) decide which foam piece you prefer... I like the silicone ones the best...

-a-

[Hank]

7 minutes ago, Atalla said:

They are back in stock (yellow only).  Just ordered a set based upon this thread and hope they are good. 

In the rare event that you don't like them, you can return them or post them for sale here--they usually sell immediately at full price. I've been happily using mine for 8 years.

P.S.--the silicone tips are the way to go. I wore foamies at work only until I found that the nurse stocks two styles of silicone plugs.

Edited February 10, 2019 by Hank

[Atalla]

I've only used a set of Bose X's that my CFI lets me borrow and this is my first headset purchase.  I really do not have much to compare with but was getting headaches, sweaty ears, and sunglasses were making things worse.  As I need to start a headset collection for passengers I think these will stay barring some major incompatibility with my head.

I will keep in mind the tips (pardon the pun) and look forward to checking these out.  Thanks guys

[Hank]

On 2/9/2019 at 7:54 PM, Atalla said:

I've only used a set of Bose X's that my CFI lets me borrow and this is my first headset purchase.  I really do not have much to compare with but was getting headaches, sweaty ears, and sunglasses were making things worse.  As I need to start a headset collection for passengers I think these will stay barring some major incompatibility with my head.

I will keep in mind the tips (pardon the pun) and look forward to checking these out.  Thanks guys

I used to get "altitude headaches" after buying the Mooney. Then I bought the Halos and no linger have post-flight headaches. I gave away the several pairs of included foam tips in several sizes.

Edited February 17, 2019 by Hank

[Atalla]

That would make them worth their weight in gold alone.  I will report back as my headaches are pretty consistent right now. 

[gsxrpilot]

I know Dr Phil doesn't recommend this, but after wearing Halos for five years now, I've gone and gotten custom ear molds made for them. Wow! If you thought they were comfortable and quiet before, they are all that to a factor of X now. 

I had some made at my local audiologist but wasn't super happy with them. Then I had a set made at Oshkosh this last summer. They are amazing. My wife will get her's made this summer at Oshkosh.

[flyboy0681]

2 hours ago, carusoam said:

 

2) decide which foam piece you prefer... I like the silicone ones the best...

-a-

Silicone offers the best protection but pressure builds up versus the foam.

[yvesg]

On 1/28/2019 at 9:18 PM, Cyril Gibb said:

I've heard great things about Halos and would have bought one to try if they were available.  I find it bizarre that the guy would choose to maintain a low "barrier to entry" by limiting volume.  In this day and age, I'm surprised that it took so long for a competitive product to arrive.

It's a shame, but you'd have to be willfully blind to not expect what happened.  This isn't the first, nor will be the last, small business to leave money on the table to their detriment.

Cyril, I have a set of yellow ones for sale. They are used (were used for a bit more than a year). They are in perfect order. Contact me in private if interested. I will ship to your place.

Yves

[Danb]

12 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

I know Dr Phil doesn't recommend this, but after wearing Halos for five years now, I've gone and gotten custom ear molds made for them. Wow! If you thought they were comfortable and quiet before, they are all that to a factor of X now. 

I had some made at my local audiologist but wasn't super happy with them. Then I had a set made at Oshkosh this last summer. They are amazing. My wife will get her's made this summer at Oshkosh.

We got custom plugs at Oshkosh this year what a great difference they make 

[gsxrpilot]

1 minute ago, Danb said:

We got custom plugs at Oshkosh this year what a great difference they make 

You do want to be careful about them sealing too tightly in a long descent from the flight levels. I just tug on an ear lobe periodically in the descent to relieve the pressure. 

But they sure are comfortable and quiet.

[mike_elliott]

On 1/28/2019 at 9:30 AM, Hank said:

The devil is in the details--speaker type, ear plug design, sound tube material, etc. To say nothing of Dr. Phil The Audiologist's superior customer service!

Love, love, love my Halos!!!! They taught me that I wasn't having low oxygen headaches after flying, I was having headset-clamp-pressure headaches. 

Maybe the good doctor should issue a Cease and Desist order to CQ?

@hank, as donation chair for the Mooney Summit, how about reaching out to Dr. Phil? I havent been able to make any headway with him previously. He has always said he cant make them fast enough anyway, but he says that at a booth in OSH or SNF, which makes me question why he is even there spending the big bucks if the bus is going that good. They would make a great raffle item!

[Atalla]

Just got my Halos and gave them a go on a 3 hour flight.  Besides the obvious benefit of having something ultra light weight on my head I noticed no post flight fatigue, head pressure/tension, or any signs of a headache.  I need to go for a longer flight but so far I think a headset clamping my head was causing a lot of my discomfort without even realizing it.  I have also read ANR technology can cause all kinds of discomfort including headaches for some people.  I feel like any pilot who frequently experiences post-flight fatigue and headaches should give something like this a try.  

[FastTex]

A few years ago, while experiencing the issues all of you described above (headset clamping, head sweat, etc..) I wanted to buy Halo but got frustrated waiting for availability and searched the Internet for alternatives. I ended up buying Faro headset:

https://www.faroaviation.com/product/in-ear-aviation-headset/ (Amazon might have a better price).

I could not be happier. They work great and solved the issues. I had Bose, then Lightspeed, more than double cost but still the same issues even if both had ANR. With the Faro ear plugs I do not notice the difference in terms of noise reduction (pretty sure it's the same with Halo) and get the benefits of light weight, volume sliders and AUX input which I use constantly to connect my cell phone interface. Also, I do not mind the no-battery...one thing less to worry about.

I have no financial interest in Faro, just sharing my experience!

 

[Guest]

If you go searching you will find quite a number of in ear headsets on the market, Dr. Phil does have competitors.

Clarence

[Marauder]

If you go searching you will find quite a number of in ear headsets on the market, Dr. Phil does have competitors.
Clarence

And if you go down the Clarity Aloft path, make sure you put a pair of needle nose pliers in your plane to help extract the ear bud. I’ve had to remove a few of them over the past couple of years. Never had that issue with the Halos which have been confiscated by the wife.


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[Guitarmaster]

I know Dr Phil doesn't recommend this, but after wearing Halos for five years now, I've gone and gotten custom ear molds made for them. Wow! If you thought they were comfortable and quiet before, they are all that to a factor of X now. 
I had some made at my local audiologist but wasn't super happy with them. Then I had a set made at Oshkosh this last summer. They are amazing. My wife will get her's made this summer at Oshkosh.

YES!! I did the exact same thing, and it really ups the game in terms of comfort and noise cancellation!


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[Danb]

On 2/10/2019 at 9:58 AM, gsxrpilot said:

You do want to be careful about them sealing too tightly in a long descent from the flight levels. I just tug on an ear lobe periodically in the descent to relieve the pressure. 

But they sure are comfortable and quiet.

Yeah my wife has had some difficulty with hers sealing, as u said there quiet, I’ve been switching between the bose and halo on trips over 4 hours, the inside of my ears get sore from them after three hours so I put the bose on. the halo electronics on the halo is week.

[Cyril Gibb]

I finally had a chance to try out the Halo I bought from @yvesg.  I've been using Zulu 2s which I'm happy with but thought it would be good to compare.

I flew for a while flipping back and forth with the Halo and Zulu 2. 

Sound: The sound "tone" was only very slightly different between the two, with the Zulu 2 letting in more high frequency stuff such as wind sound and the Halo letting in a little more low frequency engine/prop sound.  When I mean very slight, it took a few back and forth episodes to nail it down.

Noise cancelling:  I'd have to say that noise cancelling was a wash.  They both performed very well.

Comfort:  I've not had a "head clamping" issue with the Zulu 2 and also didn't have a problem with expanding foam ear things on the Halo.  I'd say for me a wash.

Ease of use: The Zulu 2 is a clear winner for me here.  I just pop it on my head and we're good to go.  I tried the Halo over the ear but it was awkward to work with glasses.  If you don't wear glasses it wouldn't be a problem.  I tried it on top of my head, but it wouldn't stay in place.  More hair might help.  I tried it behind my head, but the mike wouldn't reach close enough to be useful.  The halo was also a bit fiddly squeezing the earplugs then inserting with the tubes tangling in my glasses frame.  More so when I landed to pick up stuff at Aircraft Spruce.  The temp was about -10C.  When I got back in the plane the foam was solid.  Took another minute to get it warm enough to squeeze.  (northern problem)  With more practice some of those issues may disappear.

Miscellaneous: 

I often use the Zulu 2 Bluetooth to make phone calls.  I missed that on the Halo, but realize you can get a Bluetooth adapter for the Halo. Temporary advantage Zulu. 

The batteries on the Zulu 2 usually fail at critical times.  I carry spare batteries but it's still a pain.  Advantage Halo. 

I can see that getting a Halo on a newbie passenger would be a hassle.  Advantage Zulu.

Edited to add a Halo advantage.  Much more portable with the relatively tiny case they came with.  Doesn't make a difference to me but it might for others.

I'll continue to use both.   Yesterday was a series of short flights, so using the halo might be less cumbersome for long flights and the Zulu when I'm on errands. We'll see long term which I prefer.

[Marauder]

I finally had a chance to try out the Halo I bought from [mention=8981]yvesg[/mention].  I've been using Zulu 2s which I'm happy with but thought it would be good to compare.
I flew for a while flipping back and forth with the Halo and Zulu 2. 
Sound: The sound "tone" was only very slightly different between the two, with the Zulu 2 letting in more high frequency stuff such as wind sound and the Halo letting in a little more low frequency engine/prop sound.  When I mean very slight, it took a few back and forth episodes to nail it down.
Noise cancelling:  I'd have to say that noise cancelling was a wash.  They both performed very well.
Comfort:  I've not had a "head clamping" issue with the Zulu 2 and also didn't have a problem with expanding foam ear things on the Halo.  I'd say for me a wash.
Ease of use: The Zulu 2 is a clear winner for me here.  I just pop it on my head and we're good to go.  I tried the Halo over the ear but it was awkward to work with glasses.  If you don't wear glasses it wouldn't be a problem.  I tried it on top of my head, but it wouldn't stay in place.  More hair might help.  I tried it behind my head, but the mike wouldn't reach close enough to be useful.  The halo was also a bit fiddly squeezing the earplugs then inserting with the tubes tangling in my glasses frame.  More so when I landed to pick up stuff at Aircraft Spruce.  The temp was about -10C.  When I got back in the plane the foam was solid.  Took another minute to get it warm enough to squeeze.  (northern problem)  With more practice some of those issues may disappear.
Miscellaneous: 
I often use the Zulu 2 Bluetooth to make phone calls.  I missed that on the Halo, but realize you can get a Bluetooth adapter for the Halo. Temporary advantage Zulu. 
The batteries on the Zulu 2 usually fail at critical times.  I carry spare batteries but it's still a pain.  Advantage Halo. 
I can see that getting a Halo on a newbie passenger would be a hassle.  Advantage Zulu.
I'll continue to use both.   Yesterday was a series of short flights, so using the halo might be less cumbersome for long flights and the Zulu when I'm on errands. We'll see long term which I prefer.

I think you summed it up well. I have a set of original Zulus, a Halo and a Clarity headset. I like the Clarity’s rigid frame but the ear bud attachment is a challenge. They will come off of their mounts and firmly plant themselves in your ear canal.

As for the Halo earbuds, I use the black version Phil sells. They are much more pliable than the original spongy ones.




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[gsxrpilot]

Nice PIREP @Cyril Gibb. My wife and I both use the Halo's exclusively. I have custom ear molds for mine. My wife uses the foamy ear plugs. They take a bit of getting used to regarding the position on the head. But once it's worked out, they are super easy to wear. I don't wear glasses, but almost always have sunglasses on and they work fine. Just keep tweaking the wire until you get it to fit the way you want.

I keep a set of Zulu2's for guests to wear. Halos are not for sharing. My wife likes it that even though other people are in my plane more than her, no one ever wears her headset. It stays in the little case on the hat rack unless she's flying with me.

[Cyril Gibb]

15 minutes ago, Marauder said:

As for the Halo earbuds, I use the black version Phil sells. They are much more pliable than the original spongy ones.

 

I'll look into the black ones and give them a try.

[Cyril Gibb]

9 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

I don't wear glasses, but almost always have sunglasses on and they work fine. Just keep tweaking the wire until you get it to fit the way you want.

My bad.  I didn't realise the wire was tweakable.  Next time up....

[KLRDMD]

Got a set of Halos last week. I've tried them on a few flights. It seems I have the foam seated properly but the noise reduction doesn't compare to my Zulu 3s. The sound quality also doesn't seem nearly as good as the Zulus. I'll try the black foam plug and maybe consider getting custom ear pieces made. At this point I'm not impressed but we'll see.