UFQ L2 ANR in-ear headset

Skepilot

Skepilot

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Skepilot
Haven't seen anyone post about this headset, so I thought I'd start a thread. I was looking for something super-lightweight, in-ear with good noise reduction. I was thinking about buying a Clarity Aloft or a Halo, then this thing popped up on my radar. Basically the same concept as those, but with ANR, too.

I had already bought some of their conventional over-the-ear ANR headsets for passengers, and I thought they were pretty good for the money. So I bought these, and I've gotta say, I'm really impressed. I was a bit worried about durability, but the build-quality seems good. I've put about 300 hours on them so far, and not a single issue.

There are several reviews on it over at Amazon now, which are worth reading if you're interested. However, I'd suggest buying them on ebay instead. It's cheaper there, and when I bought it there was a "Make Offer" button, so I got it even cheaper than list price. Also, I think the Amazon stock is limited to 2-plug format, whereas on ebay you can ask for other plug types, like Lemo, Airbus, helo, etc. It's a small manufacturer out of China, and the owner is very responsive to questions, either through his website ( https://www.ufqaviation.com/ ) or through ebay or Amazon.

Anyway, if you like in-ear headsets, I think you'll like this one. My 2 cents.

Edit to add photo:
L2-11_1400x.jpg
 
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U FQ?
I beg your pardon!
 
Haha, stands for “U Fly Quiet.” Bit of a dorky name, but nice headset!
 
Thanks for sharing. I would imagine they don't try to achieve the same level of passive isolation since they've got the ANR - have you used them at all without the batteries?
 
I've seen them on ebay and considered buying. Wasn't able to find any sort of review on them, however. Didn't want to throw the money away on garbage. Thanks for posting.
 
The-Flying-Lawyer said:
Thanks for sharing. I would imagine they don't try to achieve the same level of passive isolation since they've got the ANR - have you used them at all without the batteries?
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Haven’t really used them without the batteries, but I have toggled the power on and off and I would say the ANR does the bulk of the noise reduction. They do provide you with 6 different ear tips, small/medium/large silicone and s/m/l memory foam. I use the large foam tips for the most passive noise reduction.
 
I made the mistake of buying their first offering, the L1 without ANR but billed as "UFQ in-Ear Type Aviation Headset UFQ L-1 Super Light Weight - Quiet as ANR."

Maybe it's me and they way their buds fit my ears, but when I tried it I was glad I had another pilot on board. Once we took off, I could not hear a single radio transmission. It wasn't the quality of the UFQ sound - that's actually quite good. It was the complete lack of any noise attenuation - about the same as a pair of 19.95 ear buds with foam ear tips. The UFQ ear tips are not specially made like Clarity (which from my brief trial really is "quiet as ANR") and Halo; they are pretty standard fare. When I contacted the company for assistance, asking for suggestions on how I might improve the hearing attenuation, I learned what "Quiet" in the name of the product actually meant.

Anyone interested in a lightly used L1?
 
Yeah, I considered that L1, but decided against it. Was about to get a Clarity Aloft when the L2 came out. The ANR put me over the fence.

Sucks about your experience with the L1. The L2 has been great, though. I even had good experience with their customer service. I screwed up the rubber covers when I was bending the ear hooks. He sent me new ones (a couple of each type) for free. He also offered to send me new foam tips. I wonder if he would let you send your L1’s back and credit you something towards an L2. Might be worth a try.

The ear buds on the L2 appear to be substantially different from the L1. There’s a wide variety of third-party foam tips available that will fit the L2. I bought these Comply tips, which is the same brand Clarity Aloft uses. They’re good, but still, the ANR does the bulk of the noise reduction work.
 
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Skepilot said:
Yeah, I considered that L1, but decided against it. Was about to get a Clarity Aloft when the L2 came out. The ANR put me over the fence.

Sucks about your experience with the L1. The L2 has been great, though. I even had good experience with their customer service. I screwed up the rubber covers when I was bending the ear hooks. He sent me new ones (a couple of each type) for free. He also offered to send me new foam tips. I wonder if he would let you send your L1’s back and credit you something towards an L2. Might be worth a try.

The ear buds on the L2 appear to be substantially different from the L1. There’s a wide variety of third-party foam tips available that will fit the L2. I bought these Comply tips, which is the same brand Clarity Aloft uses. They’re good, but still, the ANR does the bulk of the noise reduction work.
Click to expand...
It would be worth a shot if I had any clue who to talk to. Of course, they never responded before it has been over a year at this point. That's the limit of their warranty anyway, right?

I'd be curious about the Comply tips, but your link doesn't go anywhere.
 
murphey said:
https://www.complyfoam.com/
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Thanks. I know where Comply is. He was referring to a specific model which is compatible.

Edit. Ah! I got it. For some reason the link didn't work on my iPad but does on my laptop.

Those aren't them. The ones Comply makes for Clarity are different. They are made to a different spec (they go deeper into the ear canal) and don't fit "ordinary" earbuds. I already asked Comply about it when I first found out the UFQ didn't attenuate anything and the seller went silent.
 
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donjohnston said:
How's the microphone position stability? On my Halo's, it tends to move around quite a bit.
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The mic is very stable, no problems. Length of the boom is good to. My FO's Clarity Aloft headset had a boom that was a bit too short, only reached the corner of his mouth. The UFQ L2's boom places the mic right in front of your mouth. Stays in place when you turn your head, too.

midlifeflyer said:
It would be worth a shot if I had any clue who to talk to. Of course, they never responded before it has been over a year at this point. That's the limit of their warranty anyway, right?
Click to expand...

I would email Jack at sales@uflyquiet.com. Their website says they have a 3-year warranty.

midlifeflyer said:
I'd be curious about the Comply tips, but your link doesn't go anywhere.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I fixed the link in that post. Here it is just in case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HKIAE2 That model will fit the L2, don't know about your L1. It's the same brand that Clarity Aloft uses, but not the same model. Clarity uses the Comply "Pro" series, which are longer and have a screw-on base. The L2 doesn't have a threaded nozzle, so I don't think the Comply Pro series will fit on the L2. In any case, I think the tip is not as important since the ANR is so good. I've also tried these cheap, generic tips from Amazon, and they're almost as good as the Comply tips IMHO.
 
Skepilot said:
The mic is very stable, no problems. Length of the boom is good to. My FO's Clarity Aloft headset had a boom that was a bit too short, only reached the corner of his mouth. The UFQ L2's boom places the mic right in front of your mouth. Stays in place when you turn your head, too.



I would email Jack at sales@uflyquiet.com. Their website says they have a 3-year warranty.



Sorry, I fixed the link in that post. Here it is just in case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HKIAE2 That model will fit the L2, don't know about your L1. It's the same brand that Clarity Aloft uses, but not the same model. Clarity uses the Comply "Pro" series, which are longer and have a screw-on base. The L2 doesn't have a threaded nozzle, so I don't think the Comply Pro series will fit on the L2. In any case, I think the tip is not as important since the ANR is so good. I've also tried these cheap, generic tips from Amazon, and they're almost as good as the Comply tips IMHO.
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Its the longer Clarity tips which make the difference and really produce the noise attenuation - they go deeper.

I have those cheap generic tips. They arrived two weeks ago and are my latest foray into making the L1 usable. They seem to fill the ear canal a bit better and I'm planning on trying them in flight. I'm not about to give up my LightSpeeds but I was hoping these would be the set I would toss in a vacation bag just in case I have the opportunity to fly.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Its the longer Clarity tips which make the difference and really produce the noise attenuation - they go deeper.
Click to expand...

Yep, totally agree, the longer tips are key for non-ANR sets. Just doesn't seem necessary on the L2 due to its ANR, which is very effective.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Its the longer Clarity tips which make the difference and really produce the noise attenuation - they go deeper.
Click to expand...

I found a way to get tips as large as the Comply Canal tips that Clarity uses onto the UFQ L2. I bought these Westone tips on Amazon. They have a plastic core which makes it not fit on the L2. This can be fixed in two ways:
  1. Use pliers to twist and remove the plastic core from the foam tip. This works, but can tear up the inside of the foam tip if you pull it out before you've twisted it enough to separate it.
  2. Pull the end of the foam tip down exposing the plastic core, then cut the part that's protruding. This worked well.
Then the foam tip itself will mount and hold pretty securely on the L2. I did this and tried in a Sling TSi and was very impressed with the combination of passive and active noise reduction.

Aufq1.jpg Aufq2.jpg
 
Skepilot said:
I found a way to get tips as large as the Comply Canal tips that Clarity uses onto the UFQ L2. I bought these Westone tips on Amazon. They have a plastic core which makes it not fit on the L2. This can be fixed in two ways:
  1. Use pliers to twist and remove the plastic core from the foam tip. This works, but can tear up the inside of the foam tip if you pull it out before you've twisted it enough to separate it.
  2. Pull the end of the foam tip down exposing the plastic core, then cut the part that's protruding. This worked well.
Then the foam tip itself will mount and hold pretty securely on the L2. I did this and tried in a Sling TSi and was very impressed with the combination of passive and active noise reduction.

View attachment 94105 View attachment 94106
Click to expand...
Thanks. I added it to my shopping list for next time I need to replace the Comply.
 
Seems like most of these comments are regarding airline cockpits. Does anyone have experience with these in a noisy environment like a single engine prop plane?

Thanks.
 
Artimas said:
Seems like most of these comments are regarding airline cockpits. Does anyone have experience with these in a noisy environment like a single engine prop plane?

Thanks.
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You mean like the Diamonds, Pipers, Cessnas, Mooneys, and Bonanzas I fly?

I didn't see any airline comments here. These are Chinese knockoffs, not TSO'd units.
 
Thanks for the reply. I guess most of the comments here are not airline specific, but most of the reviews on Amazon, Ebay and the manufacturer's web site seem like airline pilots using them in airliners.

I have Bose A20s, but they don't do so well with glasses breaking the ear seal so I'm always on the hunt for a good headset option to use with glasses. This looks intriguing but does have a loop over the ear that might be an issue with glasses. I am considering giving them a try vs. a 30 day test run with Bose Proflight which I don't think has an ear loop. The price is certainly compelling.
 
@Artimas, If it helps any, I wear glasses when flying. The loops on the UFQ, even with the sheathing, are very thin and should not be a problem. The bigger issue with all in-ear headsets is fit and comfort. Some like 'em, some don't. I'm on the fence in that respect which is why I treat them s backups.

But in terms of quiet, the L-2, with the ANR turned on, is impressive (I think they are lousy with the ANR turned off - the passive attenuation is nothing like the excellent Clarity Aloft). On that list of airplanes, the noisiest is easily the DA40, especially in the summer with the vents wide open. But that's where and when I use them the most. I haven't done a side-by-side test, but I think they are quieter than my Lightspeeds.
 
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