Clarity Aloft’s overpriced?

RyanB

RyanB

Super Administrator
Management Council Member
PoA Supporter
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
16,524
Location
Chattanooga, TN
Display Name
Display name:
Ryan
I’ve been doing some window shopping for a new headset recently. I have to say that it’s impressive how much coin a thin piece of wire and some ear plugs will bring in. $525-$795 depending on the model seems astronomically high considering what it is. Kudo’s to their marketing and production team for being able to make excellent margins on their product.
 
Last edited:
Yea I agree it’s a little silly. I really thought about selling mine on here. I have the Clarity Aloft Link (I think that is what it is called). It’s a nice headset for aerobatics though...only reason I’m keeping it around.
 
Nice headset. The price is dear and their customer support for repairs is abysmal.
 
I did some digging when I decided to buy a set.
They are very upfront on a lot of the hardware they use. The most critical piece is the speaker, it is a super high quality speaker designed for hearing aids.
This stuff is not cheap.
There is a competitor, I forget the name off hand. They sell for about 275 to 300. They use a larger and cheaper speaker and route the sound through tubes.

If you think you can do better and the margin is so wonderful. Go ahead and start your company.

Sent from my LG-TP260 using Tapatalk
 
tspear said:
If you think you can do better and the margin is so wonderful. Go ahead and start your company.
Click to expand...
I can almost guarantee you their margins are impressive. Almost no way that they can’t be, which is why I say kudos to them.
 
tspear said:
There is a competitor, I forget the name off hand. They sell for about 275 to 300. They use a larger and cheaper speaker and route the sound through tubes.
Click to expand...

I think you mean QT Halo's. I own both Halo and CA's. Haven't had any problems with either. I do wear the CA's more often, because they are kept in the plane.
 
Margins have to be high because they aren't going to sell hundreds of thousands of units per year like you would if you were selling gaming headsets or bluetooth earbuds. Their fixed costs have to be spread across significantly fewer units.

Both the QT Halo ($379-$599) and the Clarity Aloft ($525-$725) are excellent headsets. The in-ear style is significantly different from over-ear and offers similar noise reduction to the ~$1000 ANR headsets without the weight or need for batteries. I used the QT Halo in GA airplanes and it was excellent. I upgraded to the CA Pro when I needed a TSOd headset for airline operations. It is more rugged than the QT Halo which is important when flying 80+hrs a month. Both sets have excellent audio quality. The heavier mic boom on the CA Pro stays right where you put it; better than any other headset I've ever used.

I fly with a lot of guys who wear the various ~$1000 ANR headsets and am surprised at how many will take them off in cruise due to comfort. I just pull out one ear plug from my CA and press on. The comfort can't be beat. Also, no batteries to change and no annoying flashing light at night.

Owning both, my recommendation would be for the QT Halo for recreational use and the more expensive CA Pro (haven't used the Flex) for professional use.
 
QT Halo are impossible to buy ... beyond government run operations ( where frankly anything goes ) , I have never seen a shop that drives away 90% of customers because of their product is not in stock ... makes me wonder what sort of support you get from this sort of company.
 
Larry in TN said:
Margins have to be high because they aren't going to sell hundreds of thousands of units per year like you would if you were selling gaming headsets or bluetooth earbuds. Their fixed costs have to be spread across significantly fewer units.

Both the QT Halo ($379-$599) and the Clarity Aloft ($525-$725) are excellent headsets. The in-ear style is significantly different from over-ear and offers similar noise reduction to the ~$1000 ANR headsets without the weight or need for batteries. I used the QT Halo in GA airplanes and it was excellent. I upgraded to the CA Pro when I needed a TSOd headset for airline operations. It is more rugged than the QT Halo which is important when flying 80+hrs a month. Both sets have excellent audio quality. The heavier mic boom on the CA Pro stays right where you put it; better than any other headset I've ever used.

I fly with a lot of guys who wear the various ~$1000 ANR headsets and am surprised at how many will take them off in cruise due to comfort. I just pull out one ear plug from my CA and press on. The comfort can't be beat. Also, no batteries to change and no annoying flashing light at night.

Owning both, my recommendation would be for the QT Halo for recreational use and the more expensive CA Pro (haven't used the Flex) for professional use.
Click to expand...
Never flown the Halo, but with thousands of hours wearing the CA, I agree 100% with your assessment. The only negative operational issue I've had with the CA is the small wires they use for the ear buds get a lot of twisting when I compress the earbud foam to put it in my ears, and occasionally fatigue and break inside the insulation.
 
Warmi said:
QT Halo are impossible to buy ... beyond government run operations ( where frankly anything goes ) , I have never seen a shop that drives away 90% of customers because of their product is not in stock ... makes me wonder what sort of support you get from this sort of company.
Click to expand...

I called up QT 2 weeks ago and placed a phone order and a week later my halo's arrived. First flight with them was great. I bought them for my wife but may get me a pair. He told me calling is the only way to get them right now.
 
MauleSkinner said:
The only negative operational issue I've had with the CA is the small wires they use for the ear buds get a lot of twisting when I compress the earbud foam to put it in my ears, and occasionally fatigue and break inside the insulation.
Click to expand...
I don't twist them. I just compress the foam without rolling them. It works fine and doesn't stress the wires.
 
Warmi said:
QT Halo are impossible to buy ... beyond government run operations ( where frankly anything goes ) , I have never seen a shop that drives away 90% of customers because of their product is not in stock ... makes me wonder what sort of support you get from this sort of company.
Click to expand...
The customer support is great. Stock is limited because all the sets are handmade by a very small shop in Mississippi. As noted in another post, call direct. Easier and you will probably chat with the inventor.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
I tried them and didn’t like them at all.
Click to expand...

Did you try them at a show for a couple minutes or in an actual airplane for an hour or so?

I ask because you previously said "they couldn't give them to me..."

Your opinion could change with actual usage.
 
I have about 10 hours on CA's. Other headset is an Bose A20. So far I like the CA a bit better. Much lighter and cooler. Noise cancelling roughly the same and the volume control really allows getting it right where it's comfortable.

I have a totally unfounded belief that good passive might be better for protecting your hearing than active. Not sure about that, but my last hearing test showed a lot of loss, so I'm trying to be very careful in the Piper noisemaker
 
Hang 4 said:
.. Noise cancelling roughly the same ...
Click to expand...
CA used to have some test data on their web page showing that ANRs were slightly better at low frequencies (i.e., engine) but that the CAs had somewhat better attenuation higher, in the range of human speech. That is my experience. I have never heard ATC as clearly as I do with the CAs.

I have done training in airplanes where their stall horn is completely inaudible to me. Not sure that is good, but it is evidence of good attenuation at higher frequencies.
 
Hang 4 said:
I have a totally unfounded belief that good passive might be better for protecting your hearing than active.
Click to expand...
That’s my opinion as well...since ANRs make noise to cancel noise, there’s a steady sound pressure in the ear at all times.

But I found the CAs to be quieter for me than any ANR I’ve tried, anyway.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
The idea of having something suck in my ear all day does not sound inviting. They couldn’t give them to me...
Click to expand...
It does bug some people, but you eventually get used to it.

I was so desensitized/used to wearing foam ear plugs for hours at a time in ship engine rooms before I started using a CA headset, that it never bothered me.
 
Sent my CA’s back for repair when the mic boom broke. They were fixed and shipped back, no charge. They also threw in a mixed bag of ear plugs.
 
Ravioli said:
Did you try them at a show for a couple minutes or in an actual airplane for an hour or so?

I ask because you previously said "they couldn't give them to me..."

Your opinion could change with actual usage.
Click to expand...
Not everyone can tolerate in-ear anything. I tried the Halos for two flights, sent them back.
 
GMascelli said:
Sent my CA’s back for repair when the mic boom broke. They were fixed and shipped back, no charge. They also threw in a mixed bag of ear plugs.
Click to expand...
Gee, not my experience. Not only did they CHARGE a substantial fee for fixing Margy's (the earpiece broke), but the turnaround time was abysmal.
 
Ryanb said:
I’ve been doing some window shopping for a new headset recently. I have to say that it’s impressive how much coin a thin piece of wire and some ear plugs will bring in. $525-$795 depending on the model seems astronomically high considering what it is. Kudo’s to their marketing and production team for being able to make excellent margins on their product.
Click to expand...

Looks to me like they're charging market price for noise cancelling (or blocking) headsets. Kudos to them if they've found a way to make more profit than the other guys...
 
GMascelli said:
Sent my CA’s back for repair when the mic boom broke. They were fixed and shipped back, no charge. They also threw in a mixed bag of ear plugs.
Click to expand...

That’s the same experience I had with their customer service. I got out of the plane without removing my headset and ripped the wires out of it. I called customer service and explained what I had done and they took care of everything from there, quick and painless.
 
I own both a QT Halo and a Zulu 2. I have used both a great deal in my noisy RV-4. Both work well and I tend to swap them seasonally. Halo for warm and Zulu for cold. I have a Blu-Link I used with my Halos so I hear my iPhone with both. Music sound is better with Zulu though.
 
I use my CAs in the summer and my Bose in the winter. Throw away those foam earpieces and buy some silicon Christmas tree type that fits your earhole.
 
The OP was "are they overpriced?" Self-styled economists will say, "apparently not, considering how many they sell."

Perhaps they're right, but this CSOB isn't paying $700 for $50 worth of components. I suspect they could cut the price in half, sell 3x as many units, and come out ahead. I bought some QT Halos a few years ago. The best thing about them was ease of resale.
 
MauleSkinner said:
That’s my opinion as well...since ANRs make noise to cancel noise, there’s a steady sound pressure in the ear at all times.
Click to expand...

This is false. The "noise" created is not additive, it cancels out the waves coming in and thus *reduces* the sound pressure. That's the entire point. Not sure how this rumor got started, but it's completely inaccurate from a physics standpoint.

Here's a good primer on destructive interference (start at 1:50 for the time constrained):

 
172andyou said:
This is false. The "noise" created is not additive, it cancels out the waves coming in and thus *reduces* the sound pressure. That's the entire point. Not sure how this rumor got started, but it's completely inaccurate from a physics standpoint.

Here's a good primer on destructive interference (start at 1:50 for the time constrained):

Click to expand...
Then why do I feel the pressure in my ears when I turn them on?
 
Stuart Fraley said:
Perhaps they're right, but this CSOB isn't paying $700 for $50 worth of components. I suspect they could cut the price in half, sell 3x as many units, and come out ahead. I bought some QT Halos a few years ago. The best thing about them was ease of resale.
Click to expand...
You and I think alike. My thoughts exactly!
 
MauleSkinner said:
Then why do I feel the pressure in my ears when I turn them on?
Click to expand...

Probably placebo effect. It isn't because the ANR is causing pressure, that's just a non-starter from a physics standpoint.
 
172andyou said:
This is false. The "noise" created is not additive, it cancels out the waves coming in and thus *reduces* the sound pressure. That's the entire point. Not sure how this rumor got started, but it's completely inaccurate from a physics standpoint.

Here's a good primer on destructive interference (start at 1:50 for the time constrained):

Click to expand...

That assumes a perfect match on frequencies to cancel.

A perfect match is not possible with current technology in our highly variable environment. Assuming I can regurgitate what a physics professor explained....

Because the frequency match is not perfect, if the human ear was sensitive enough you would actually hear both the initial sound and the lagging cancellation. For example, you have a tone at 50 khz, the noise cancellation may miss the first 5K pulses (0.05 of a second), and produce the canceling frequency for 5K pulses after the noise ends. most people cannot "hear" a pulse of such a short duration. However, both the originating pulse and the lagging canceling pulse produce pressure on the ear drum. This is the "pressure" many of use feel, and the more variable and shorter the duration of the sound, the greater the percentage of the sound is this duplicated lag. The end result, if you are dealing with a 2500 pulses a second (common normal/engine prop speed), due to processing lag you will actually increase the sound pressure on the ear even though you do not "hear" anything. A great example, is to compare the effect of active noise canceling on a piston plane versus a turbofan. The turbofan produces less pulsing, and a more constant tone, allowing for more cancellation, and less ear pressure.

This is also part of the reason why active noise cancellation does better with low frequency, because the frequency is lower allowing the computer a better chance to calculate the canceling frequency and match it.

Tim
 
The false economy of active is that either by circuitry or hardware limitations, it does a poor job across the low end of the spectrum, giving you the false impression that you re safe because of your perceived attenuation in the speaking and higher range, and you re going deaf on the rest of the band.

Passive attenuation is terrible on active headsets, but that's effectively all you got to work with in those bands. That's why I've stayed with passive, and my hearing gets checked every year so I can vouch for its effectiveness. In my case, foam plugs and earcups in helmet. For GA, clamp style passive. I have active headphones as a gift at home. No way I'd ever use those thing for ear protection. I also don't like the complete attenuation it creates for tones and engine hums relative to other ambient sounds, gives a very artificial sensory lack of feedback to the flying experience, and Lord knows when it comes to piston, I want to sense the subtle changes in that pulsing. To each their own though.

Airline pilots are another bunch that don't realize the degree of damage they cause their hearing by the convenience of non enclosing headgear in the cockpit, especially old acoustics designs like the 737. Active cancelling makes this false sense of security even worse.
 
Correct, it's not perfect. Incorrect if your implication is that somehow it increases the sound pressure (commonly known as volume) on the eardrum. The imperfections are why you can still hear the engine some despite the ANR. If it were perfect, you wouldn't hear it at all. The real problem isn't processing lag either, it's that sound is coming from all directions and the headsets can only cancel whatever their microphone(s) pick up. So some of the sounds coming from other directions are out of phase with the corrective signal.

I'm guessing that somewhere you might have misunderstood what the prof was saying, because (as someone who has worked in related fields) this is physics 101 stuff. Not something an actual prof would likely get wrong. It's a shockingly messy problem to get perfect, but in no instance is it actually increasing sound pressure. The reason it sounds quieter is because it *is* quieter from a sound pressure (volume) standpoint.
 
@172andyou

Could be. All I know, ANR headsets produce a "pressure" on my ears for lack of a better term. Piston planes produce the "most" pressure, turbo props the second, and jets the least.

Tim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top