Monday, June 28, 2010

Musical headsets

One problem I've been having with the family flights is that the kids both refuse to keep their headsets on.  On our last flight to LA I figured out why... it's because I'm a cheap bastard.  I bought them these special "kids" headsets from Softcom:


While they are small and do fit on a kid's head, and they're cheap at about $100, they must be uncomfortable or sound crappy, because neither kid will keep them on for more than 10 minutes.  On our last flight, my wife took off her Lightspeed Zulu and stuck it on my youngest one's head and low and behold, it not only fit with a bit of adjustment, but he kept it on.  We then discovered my older son will also wear the Zulu.  So much for the cheapo kids headset.  If you're considering buying a set for a kid do yourself a favor and forgo these crappy "kids headset" designs...

The problem now was, do I buy two more Zulu's?  They work great and are an awesome headset, but they're $800 bucks a pop.  I've heard good things about the QT Halo headset, which is a smaller "in ear" set that's much cheaper at $350.  There is no way my kids will wear this, but if they will wear the Zulu's I just need to see if it works for me or for Dina... so I ordered one online and today it came in the mail.  Here is what it looks like:



Pretty small and flimsy in comparison to the Zulu, but on the other hand it's very small and light and requires no batteries.  It comes in a small leather case and the impression opening it up is nothing like the professionally produced and machined thing you'd expect if you're used to a Zulu or a Bose... it almost looks like it's put together by hand by some hobbyist!  If you showed it to a non pilot they would never believe it costs nearly $400.  I have a business trip to KCMA on Thursday so I'll test it out though, people swear by them.  It even gives me a bit more headroom!

2 comments:

  1. I'm a fan of Clarity Aloft headsets. Similar design, although the earplugs are soft foam rather than the rigid cones. It looks spindly too but it's incredibly light, and the build quality is really quite good. I've heard good things about the Halo too, I bet it'll work out for you.

    Love your blog, thanks!

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  2. Adam, I bought the Clarity Aloft headset as well. I bought the non-TSo'd version for about $450-$500. Mooney chic, Jennie Mitchell, said she liked them too. Sssshhh, don't tell anyone that, since she promotes Zulu. ;)

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