Clarity Aloft HS for a twin turbine? Feedback?

[WalkerHook]

Hey everyone,

I was thinking about trading in the x11 for the Clarity Aloft headset.

Does anyone here use the CA on a B1900, Dash 8, or similar?
If so, would you recommend it?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Brantford Beech Boy]

Been wearing a Clarity Aloft in a BE20 for almost 2 years.
I love it.

When I fly in the cold wxx, I can wear a toque over the headset no problem. I did find the cords get real stiff in the cold.

When I fly in the heat (which is most of the time now) I don't have a sweaty head from the headband or earcups.

Feels like I'm not wearing a headset at all.

Also, my typical day is two 4 hour legs, for 14 days in a row. Having the earbuds in wears a little thin around the 10th day...but up to then, like I say, wearing nothing. I wear the stock canal tips. Haven't bothered with the custom moulds...but maybe in the future?

The tips of the headset do kinda dig into the side of my head (in front of my ears) after a couple of 8 or so hours of use...but I have a huge noggin (has it's own weather system! True story!)...so may not be an issue for some.

I did have an issue with the first set I bought, the mic failed after about 15 hours of flying, but Aircraft Spruce (where I purchased my set) simply gave me a new set on the spot. Have not had any real complaints with the current set.

Sound is great. Noise Cancellation is great, IMHO not as good as a Bose ANC but not very far at all...and I don't have to replace batteries every 3 hour like I see my Bose equipped co-workers doing.
Just for a comparison, I used my old set (DC 13.10) after 6 months. The difference was astounding and I never realized how loud the DCs were.

I have the 'regular' set. Did not see the point in the extra $$$ to get the 'professional' set (only difference I could tell was the 'pro' came with Bluetooth.

Let me know if you need any more info.

BBB

[Osiris]

If you're flying frequently, one thing to consider with an in-ear headset is that earbuds, or in-ear headphones, tend to cause more hearing damage than a traditional head set, or over-ear headphones. Google earbuds vs. headphones and hearing loss (or something similar) to learn more.

I use a Clarity Aloft for aerobatics, but an over-ear headset at work. My aerobatic flights are generally 15-30 minutes and there's hardly any radio work involved so I don't worry much about hearing damage. If I had them in my ears all day I might.

I've had no problems with my Clairty Aloft and the noise attenuation is quite good. It's better than a non-ANR Gentex helmet, and I've personally found the sound attenuation in a loud aircraft better than my Bose ANR.

The only complaint I have about the Clarity Aloft headset is that the replacement ear buds are expensive for what they are ($25 for 6 pairs) and difficult to get if you don't have a US address. The headset is also very comfortable on short flights, but on longer flights (2 hrs+) I find the spots where the wire frame contact the side of your head can get uncomfortable.

For aerobatics, it's a great headset. For the type of flying you're doing I'd probably go with an over-ear ANR.

[Benwa]

I fly an average 110 hours / month with the clarity aloft and I love it. I had molded earpieces made so they're easier to put in and out, and I don't need to replace them.

I'm on a Jetstream 32 // Now on the ATR42

[human garbage]

...If you're flying frequently, one thing to consider with an in-ear headset is that earbuds, or in-ear headphones, tend to cause more hearing damage than a traditional head set, or over-ear headphones. Google earbuds vs. headphones and hearing loss (or something similar) to learn more...

I did the search and it seems to refer mainly to earbuds as a source of music, not hearing protection per se.

I had to chime in on that topic given my experience. In a former life I did millwork. Running shapers that were so loud they would vibrate the steel shanks in my boots and made conversation almost impossible. I wore nothing but molded hearing protection for a decade with no appreciable hearing loss; perhaps 5% in the highest range, but some years I tested as 0 as well. There was no real trend. The woman that came to test said it was incredible that I had so little loss, seeing as guys at similar companies were among the most deaf in the industry.

I roll a Lightspeed Mach1, which is a discontinued competitor to the Clarity. I love the thing. Admittedly there is a bit more bass transmission than a traditional headset, mainly due less coverage over the mastoid bone. It is not that bad, and bass is no where near as harmful as higher frequencies. Not a turbine guy, only drive piston twin so I can't comment on that...

Bottom line is get custom molded earplugs for best protection. They are way more comfortable than the buds, and my audiologist says they offer approximately 35-40dB reduction when they fit well. Beats most headsets out there easily. That said, consider that you may not like wearing plugs period. I was well used to it before even entering aviation so I'm biased.

[Grantmac]

I have a Quiettech Halo which is very similar to the CA.
I would rate it behind ANR for low-frequency noise but a little better than one in the higher freqs. Very comfortable when its hot out, I wore it for back-to-back 8hr days flying a light single from Pheonix to Tacoma two summers ago.
You do want to keep a supply of Q-tips in your flight bag though.

-Grant

[Osiris]

I wore nothing but molded hearing protection for a decade with no appreciable hearing loss... Bottom line is get custom molded earplugs for best protection.

The increased risk of hearing damage associated with in-ear headsets isn't because they don't provide adequate protection or sound attenuation. It's because they're right in the ear canal; the sound source is literally right in your ear vs. an inch or two away from the ear drum. They also don't transmit any sound to the mastoid area of the temporal bone (as you mentioned) and because of this, you hear less using earbuds. This causes most people to increase the volume above what they'd normally have it in order to hear clearly, which also contributes to hearing damage.

I think the risk is far more significant when listening to music than it is for radio communications, but I figure it's worth considering if you're looking at an in-ear headset.

[xysn]

I know this thread for for a twin turbine but I use these on a light single trainer after many hours of sore and sweaty ears with the FTU head clamps.

Originally I was looking at Lightspeed Sierra or maybe a used Zulu / A20 / X but after some reading online I noticed that ANR headsets may get confused when the ear seal is broken and start emitting a strange noise. Since I wear glasses I figured the chances of the seal being broken accidentally were much greater.

Then I saw a used set of CAs on sale for a great price and jumped on the deal. I use the "small" eartip size and rinse them once in a while to keep them clean. Since I only fly 1 to 2 hours at time I'm sure either the small or regular size would be fine.

They're kind of finicky to put on and put away but once they're on they're just great, you totally forget they're there. The mic boom isn't on a swivel which make adjustments slightly more involved than traditional headsets but it's hardly a deal breaker.

I've seen a user review say that you have to remove your glasses to put it on but I haven't found that to be the case.

Mine came with the semi-hard case and it squishes the mic boom a bit when it's closed.

Anyway I think another user reviewer put it best in writing that they were a bit like airplanes; kind of a pain on the ground, but great in the air.

Pros - Does not interfere with hat or glasses. No batteries like ANR. No ear soreness or sweat.
Cons - A bit tangly to unpack and put away because of various wires and things. Need to watch out for you or someone else sitting on them.

[Benwa]

This is the Clarity Aloft with custom molded earpieces.

Clarity Aloft with Silicon Earpiece

caloft.jpg (46.5 KiB) Viewed 2133 times

[lownslow]

I find ANR headsets seem to apply a funny pressure against my ear drums when switched on which kind of spooks me out on the whole concept. With this in mind, I went and bought the mid-range Clarity Aloft and it works just fine in a twin Garrett machine.

FWIW, if the manufacturers' specs are to be believed the CA headset passively cancels (with the factory foam ear tips) more noise than a Bose X cancels through both active and passive means.

LnS.

[TeePeeCreeper]

Has anyone tried them with bigger radial engines and if so, what were your impression in regards to their effectiveness with those frequencies?

Sorry for the thread drift... Thought I'd ask here rather than start a new thread!

Regards,
TPC

[beaverbob]

My question is the same as TeePeeCreeper, only for the beaver. Anybody tried it in one?
Bob

[FurHat]

This is the Clarity Aloft with custom molded earpieces.

Out of curiosity, where did you get the earpieces that are compatible with that headset?

[Benwa]

Make sure you give them the diameter of the earpiece, beacause older Clarity Aloft were bigger than the most recent models.

http://averysound.com/as.aviation_earpiece.html

Look at the bottom,
AS-Foam Ear Tip Replacement Custom Earpiece (shown without color)
$69.00
Custom earpieces made from our Satin Soft material designed to replace the foam ear tips provided with aviation headsets such as the the Clarity Aloft or CEP earphones.

I had mine done by L2K Tech, but I think they're out of business now.