QT Halo cord cracking- party over

Unit74

Unit74

Final Approach
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Unit74
I’ve had a set of Halos for about 4 years and the cord sheath has begun to crack, exposing the wiring inside. First, is anyone else experiencing this and second, is there a known repair? Looking at them it’s clear the cable cannot be replaced without cutting off the shrink wrap and that’s gonna turn into a mess.

What’s the dealio?
 
While I haven't had that problem, I have found that Phil (the owner) is very accommodating. Send him an email. I wouldn't be surprised if he offers to fix it at no charge.
 
Unit74 said:
I’ve had a set of Halos for about 4 years and the cord sheath has begun to crack, exposing the wiring inside. First, is anyone else experiencing this and second, is there a known repair? Looking at them it’s clear the cable cannot be replaced without cutting off the shrink wrap and that’s gonna turn into a mess.

What’s the dealio?
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are you talking about the sheath that goes behind your head and and the tubes come out of? Yes, that happened to me. If I twist it and hold it in just the right place, it will reconnect, but otherwise one side is dead.

donjohnston said:
While I haven't had that problem, I have found that Phil (the owner) is very accommodating. Send him an email. I wouldn't be surprised if he offers to fix it at no charge.
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I emailed Phil about the first symptom and he said I probably had earwax in the tube and earpiece, and to clean them. I was pretty sure I didn’t, but followed his recommendations. Also switched the tubes and had same problem on same side. Emailed again, explained all that, and that by twisting the sheath into a certain position I could close the circuit. Never heard back; not even an offer to IRAN for a fee. Called and left a message too.

swtiched to LightSpeed Zulu 3 and very glad I did. The ANR is far superior to the Halo’s PNR IMO. Yes, I got the earpieces in correctly, sometimes getting stuck and requiring tweezers to remove. YMMV.
 
I had that on a cheap lightspeed headset. Wrapped in electrical tape and then preemptively wrapped the entire length since the plastic is obvious bad.
 
Yep. For every good story about product support there's another about bad support.

I had a pair of Lightspeed Zulu's where the plastic on the control module was disintegrating. Best I could do was $400 towards a new pair.
 
donjohnston said:
Yep. For every good story about product support there's another about bad support.

I had a pair of Lightspeed Zulu's where the plastic on the control module was disintegrating. Best I could do was $400 towards a new pair.
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When was this? When that happened to my used Zulus, Lightspeed fully refurbished them for $100.
 
I had that happen on two sets of QT Halos.
One was my regular go-to headset for about 8 years, the other was set aside (used once).

When the first one cracked, I limped along with it electrical-taped for a year or so. Then, pulled out the reserve set ... within two flights, it too had cracked.

I tried to get in touch with Phil - perfectly willing to pay for repair or to learn that new versions had had this (seemingly common) flaw corrected - but my inquiries went unanswered.

I've since moved on to the CQ Headset - much much better and the sheathing for the cords is made from a different material that *seems* as if it will be more robust. (Only time will tell - mine has been in service for about 1.5 years now).
 
I have three Lightspeed Sierras for passengers but I really have enjoyed the QTs. When I do use a set of Sierras, my ears get hots, itchy and hurt after a long flight. I’m heading to Sun N Fun and I’ll take them with me. Hard not to answer me when I’m standing in front of his booth. He’s always there and at OSH.
 
Van Johnston said:
are you talking about the sheath that goes behind your head and and the tubes come out of? Yes, that happened to me. If I twist it and hold it in just the right place, it will reconnect, but otherwise one side is dead.
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mine are cracked about 2” from the Mic and headphone jacks, before going into the little mono/stereo box.
 
JoeSelch said:
I've since moved on to the CQ Headset - much much better and the sheathing for the cords is made from a different material that *seems* as if it will be more robust. (Only time will tell - mine has been in service for about 1.5 years now).
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This is a new one to me. The "stiff but adjustable frame" they talk about has my attention. What does that mean in reality? I have a passenger who hates over-ear headsets because they're too heavy for her neck, and my Clarity Aloft is too loose on her head. I haven't dug out the tightening strap that came with it yet but I wonder if the CQ would be a better choice for her petite skull.
 
I've had the Halos for about 6 years. I had a few issues, and the customer support person (could have been the owner, I don't know) addressed each one promptly and very fairly.

I have some older Lightspeeds and parts for them are gone. There is no repair for, as an example, the cordset. If they gave you anything at all for them it was out of the goodness of their heart because they are worthless if they need repair.
 
iamtheari said:
This is a new one to me. The "stiff but adjustable frame" they talk about has my attention. What does that mean in reality? I have a passenger who hates over-ear headsets because they're too heavy for her neck, and my Clarity Aloft is too loose on her head. I haven't dug out the tightening strap that came with it yet but I wonder if the CQ would be a better choice for her petite skull.
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Being petite of skull myself (wearing kid-sized eyeglasses), I can say that the frame on the CQ seems similar in size to the QT Halo.
And, if left to its own devices, has a rather loose affiliation with my head - that is, it doesn't feel "secure," but, I almost never need it to be. It's prone to go askew with jostling such as adjusting/swapping my glasses or removing a jacket; but, it's fine in flight when I leave it undisturbed, even in turbulence.

That said, when I think of it, I can readily adjust it (squish it) to fit more securely - and it tends to retain its shape. I think I have done this maybe 4 times in the 1.5 years since purchase. Day-to-day, it's more than fine. And, I think it's the repeated on/off cycles that pull it out of shape (as I tend to go for a one-handed dismount which does splay it open).

One thing I don't love is the longer mic boom - it's touted as a selling point, but I (being tiny-headed and all) find it too long, bringing the mic across and over to the far corner of the opposite side of my mouth if I form the boom in what feels like a natural shape. Fortunately, the boom is quite bendy and it's easy to get the mic positioned and stabilized in a good-for-me position.
And, as I recently used one of my old Halos for a flight, I realized that, yeah, the mic boom on the Halos is kinda short after all (meaning the CQ isn't that bad).


MTA: I've contacted CQ once for assistance with an audio issue and received a prompt and thorough reply walking me through troubleshooting the issue (headset, radio, antenna). (The issue was NOT a headset issue and has since been rectified by an avionics shop.)
 
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I had the same problem. Sent them to Phil and they came back with a new cable on it. It cost 70 bucks.
 
I had a similar problem. Emailed and didn’t get a response but I called Phil at the number on his website and asked him if he could refurbish them since new ones have a different material protecting the cords. He said to let him look and try to repair first, then do the refurb only if needed since it was a lot more expensive. He asked me to ship them to him and I had them fixed and back in a week with a handwritten note saying it was $15 to replace the mic jack plus shipping. I’ve always liked my Halos and you can’t beat the price. Good service too. I would love to have a new set with the cool armored looking cords, but I’ll keep using these until they give out.
 
I get way less time on mine than I'd like but have had them for at least 7 or 8 years with no problems so far. Hopefully you're able to get them taken care of. Reminds me though, I have been wanting to give the newer style rubber black eartips a try. No complaints about the yellow foam tips other than they start to look a little gross. :eek:
 
Two halos, same problem. Sent them in and back in two weeks, fixed free. He won’t take them at the air show but will tell you where to mail them and what information to include.
 
Auburn2002 said:
I get way less time on mine than I'd like but have had them for at least 7 or 8 years with no problems so far. Hopefully you're able to get them taken care of. Reminds me though, I have been wanting to give the newer style rubber black eartips a try. No complaints about the yellow foam tips other than they start to look a little gross. :eek:
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Put them In the washer inside a womens nylon bag or similar. I wash mine. Air dry. Good as new.
 
Unit74 said:
Put them In the washer inside a womens nylon bag or similar. I wash mine. Air dry. Good as new.
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I just buy new ones. He has them on the website for cheap ($1.50/pair). I think someone found a place to get them 100 at a time for much cheaper per unit, but for the number I go through, I’d rather let Phil buy in bulk.
 
I have two pair of Softcomm C-90s. I had to send one back for repairs a number of years ago. No problem. However, I understand that they are no longer in business, so the next time I fix it myself or toss them and buy something else. 20+ years and counting on them.
 
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