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Quiet Technologies Halo In-Ear Headset: Review
In this article we are reviewing the Quiet Technologies Halo. The QT Halo is an light-weight, passive, in-the-ear aviation headset designed to compete with the active noise canceling headsets on the market today.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Quiet Technologies in any way. 

According to Quiet Technologies owner Phil McCandless, the QT Halo headsets are manufacturer in the U.S.A.; they entered the aviation market some 15 yrs ago and have been very successful, selling thousands of units over the years. The Halo is a less expensive, and arguably better, alternative to the big boy brand ANR clamp-ons – emphasis on clamp-ons.

Initial Impressions
The first thing you’ll notice when you open the box is the how elegantly simple the unit is – there’s just not much to them. No batteries or external power needed. They are super-light weight (.8 oz) and they come in a sporty yellow color – bonus! You can also get them in jet black.

They are essentially flexible hollow tubes that go into a foam ear insert. You roll the ear insert between your fingers to make it smaller so you can insert it into your ear. The tubes for the ear inserts, microphone, and wires are all attached to a lightweight, adjustable head band that fits over your ears and most people wear around the back of the head, although you can wear them in different positions.

My only slightly negative comment, is the ear inserts. In the winter when its cold you have to work at getting them compressed. Plus it requires relatively clean hands, something I don’t always have in the hangar after pre-flight. All-in-all this is minor and not a detractor in my opinion. I should also note that the ear inserts are replaceable and very inexpensive ($1.50 a set) – they provide extra tips with your kit.

Once they are in your ears the headset itself is very unobtrusive and you soon forget you are wearing it, much different from my beloved David Clarks.

How do they perform?
The Halo is at least as good as my Bose X ANRs in terms of noise attenuation. The noise-canceling electret microphone is clear and crisp with no discernible difference in quality. The audio is in stereo and it is very clear even in my noisy RV-8. You give up the annoying clamping pressure of the standard headset and I can wear any kind of hat or sunglasses I want since the headset does not interfere like a ‘conventional’ unit. This is huge bonus for me because I like to wear big geeky hats when I fly on sunny days.

I still use the Bose for passengers since having folks share ear inserts doesn’t seem right and it’s just simpler for a passenger to slip on the clamp versus showing them how to put the Halo on correctly – not that its hard and it takes like 5 seconds. I sourced the Bose X used on ebay for $500 – I am ethically and morally opposed to spending $1000+ on a headset!

Price
The price is very reasonable, $359 as of this writing, $166 less than their closest competition, Clarity Aloft, which I have not compared to the Halo. QT supplies a nice compact vinyl case, extra tips, a microphone sock, a 45 day money-back guarantee, and a 2 year manufacturers warranty with each Halo – again a great value in this author’s opinion and you have money left to buy some avgas!

In summary
I am extremely satisfied with my QT Halo headsets and I would certainly recommend them to anyone that is considering an alternative to the current headset offerings.

LINK: Quiet Technologies Halo

Please comment below if you found this review helpful or have any feedback.

–Brent

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