Irish Pilot
What An Industry
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2005
- Posts
- 186
Well in my long quest to find a better headset I recently turned in the Bose X Ive been using and picked myself up a clarity aloft. I figured I would post my thoughts for anyone considering it since I know I did a lot of searching for user info before I purchased. Hopefully this helps someone out and doesnt just waste space 
I should put in a note that I had operated with a Bose X from pistons, to turboprops, to jets, and decided that the X was just a little too much for my reasonably quiet jet. So this review is from a corporate jet standpoint. I was extremely pleased with the Bose and would recommend it to anyone who wants a quiet, comfortable headset. Ive had David Clarks, LightSpeeds, etc. and nothing matched how quiet it was and how comfortable it was on my big head. I am one of the people who does believe its worth the $1ooo easy. Anyway...
THE CLARITY ALOFT:
BUILD: Right out of the box I could tell that it was very well put together. It looks a little delicate, but after some tugs and twists I found it to be very durable which eased my concern of it being kicked around in a bag and hanging in the flight deck. The unit looks very sharp and well organized, though after you use it the wires and everything do get a little messy. Not a big deal though.
WEARING THE UNIT: Dawning the unit is a little more demanding and time consuming than a regular head clamp, but not to the point where it changed anything in regards to the normal cockpit flow of startup etc. It maybe takes an extra 10 seconds to get settled. Mine did take some flexing to make comfortable. Right out of the box the pieces over my ears squeezed on my head some, but it was fine once I worked them a little. It is necessary to use the clothing clips (which I had never really done with previous headsets). The unit is so light that if you dont have some slack in the wiring the unit will move about your head with every tug. Not a problem though once youve clipped it to a seatbelt or shirt. Putting the earbuds in is just like any earplug: squeeze it, pull your ear back, and shove it in.
FUNCTIONALITY: The volume box works great, and having the stereo input is awesome. I really think every headset should have this option and it blows me away the bose doesnt...though Im thinking any day here that Bose will release a new aviation headset. The clarity has ample wiring to run to any plug but its not overbearing. Once you have the unit on it sits well in place (use the clothing clips!). Putting sunglasses on was not an issue AT ALL. I suppose if you have really thick rim glasses it could have potential...but I could put on and remove my raybans without effect.
NOISE REDUCTION: First the noise reduction capabilities. Its obviously a passive headset. The only noise blocking comes from the earbuds. But oh do they work! My notion of this headset was how it would be great for jets...and I was right! The bose and other ANR clamps do a great job of removing the low end spectrum of sound (pistons, turboprops) while lacking in the high end a little. The clarity is the opposite. It gets rid of the higher spectrum (jets, wind noise, etc.) and lacks a little in the low end. For example...stick your fingers in your ears...see how you get that ambient hum? The earbuds do the same thing...but not quite to that extent. Overall I would think they are almost equally quiet to the bose in general...just a different kind of quiet. An easy way to test headsets (though its not the same as a jet) is to put them on while standing behind your running lawn mower. I know it sounds strange...but it gives you a pretty good idea of how much the unit is going to block or overcome sound. Try it sometime! Most headsets these days have great return policies so if you can try your top two at once to make your decision.
SOUND: The speakers come right through the earbuds and they sound great. The mic also seems to work perfectly and everything was clear both on my end as well as ATC and the other pilot. I have to say though...it is a little different not being able to really hear your own voice. The sound coming through the buds is a little different as compared to the bose. Not better or worse...just different. That took a little getting used to. Otherwise everything worked great...and the stereo input played my iPod wonderfully.
COMFORTABILITY: This is where the money is in my book. Ive been looking for a headset that is quieter than the normal earphones types but more comfortable than the head clamps. A middle ground. The clarity is right there. When I first put this thing on I was amazed. I really did barely notice it was there. You can feel the earbuds...and you can barely feel the wire-raparound over your ears, but other than that when you move your head its like nothing is there. When I first put them on I had a big smile on my face. No pressure on the top of my head, and nothing on my ears. Were they perfect? No. But they were very comfortable right out of the box. After awhile I did start to get sore in the ears from the earbuds and I did start to notice the frame over my ears more and my head did get a little sore.
THE FINAL VERDICT: The Clarity Aloft is a great but for anyone who is comfortable with wearing earbuds for extended periods of time and are looking to get away from the head clamp type headset. Is it perfect? No. The sound reduction is ample but it leaves a little to be desired in the low end spectrum. This would concern me in turboprops, but I have a few friends flying tprops and they swear by the Clarity's. One guy even dropped his Bose X to use the Claritys. They are very comfortable right away but can become more noticeable after say 30-40 minutes or so (in my case anyway.) I would imagine for most people they would be more comfortable since I have a larger than average sized dome.
Please feel free to pm me with any questions you may have and Ill try to help. The Clarity Aloft can be found at www.clarityaloft.com or at places like avshop.com etc.
My next headset purchase is the UFlyMike adapter with the Bose QuietComfort 2. Ill review it once Ive put it into action!
I should put in a note that I had operated with a Bose X from pistons, to turboprops, to jets, and decided that the X was just a little too much for my reasonably quiet jet. So this review is from a corporate jet standpoint. I was extremely pleased with the Bose and would recommend it to anyone who wants a quiet, comfortable headset. Ive had David Clarks, LightSpeeds, etc. and nothing matched how quiet it was and how comfortable it was on my big head. I am one of the people who does believe its worth the $1ooo easy. Anyway...
THE CLARITY ALOFT:
BUILD: Right out of the box I could tell that it was very well put together. It looks a little delicate, but after some tugs and twists I found it to be very durable which eased my concern of it being kicked around in a bag and hanging in the flight deck. The unit looks very sharp and well organized, though after you use it the wires and everything do get a little messy. Not a big deal though.
WEARING THE UNIT: Dawning the unit is a little more demanding and time consuming than a regular head clamp, but not to the point where it changed anything in regards to the normal cockpit flow of startup etc. It maybe takes an extra 10 seconds to get settled. Mine did take some flexing to make comfortable. Right out of the box the pieces over my ears squeezed on my head some, but it was fine once I worked them a little. It is necessary to use the clothing clips (which I had never really done with previous headsets). The unit is so light that if you dont have some slack in the wiring the unit will move about your head with every tug. Not a problem though once youve clipped it to a seatbelt or shirt. Putting the earbuds in is just like any earplug: squeeze it, pull your ear back, and shove it in
. FUNCTIONALITY: The volume box works great, and having the stereo input is awesome. I really think every headset should have this option and it blows me away the bose doesnt...though Im thinking any day here that Bose will release a new aviation headset. The clarity has ample wiring to run to any plug but its not overbearing. Once you have the unit on it sits well in place (use the clothing clips!). Putting sunglasses on was not an issue AT ALL. I suppose if you have really thick rim glasses it could have potential...but I could put on and remove my raybans without effect.
NOISE REDUCTION: First the noise reduction capabilities. Its obviously a passive headset. The only noise blocking comes from the earbuds. But oh do they work! My notion of this headset was how it would be great for jets...and I was right! The bose and other ANR clamps do a great job of removing the low end spectrum of sound (pistons, turboprops) while lacking in the high end a little. The clarity is the opposite. It gets rid of the higher spectrum (jets, wind noise, etc.) and lacks a little in the low end. For example...stick your fingers in your ears...see how you get that ambient hum? The earbuds do the same thing...but not quite to that extent. Overall I would think they are almost equally quiet to the bose in general...just a different kind of quiet. An easy way to test headsets (though its not the same as a jet) is to put them on while standing behind your running lawn mower. I know it sounds strange...but it gives you a pretty good idea of how much the unit is going to block or overcome sound. Try it sometime! Most headsets these days have great return policies so if you can try your top two at once to make your decision.
SOUND: The speakers come right through the earbuds and they sound great. The mic also seems to work perfectly and everything was clear both on my end as well as ATC and the other pilot. I have to say though...it is a little different not being able to really hear your own voice. The sound coming through the buds is a little different as compared to the bose. Not better or worse...just different. That took a little getting used to. Otherwise everything worked great...and the stereo input played my iPod wonderfully.
COMFORTABILITY: This is where the money is in my book. Ive been looking for a headset that is quieter than the normal earphones types but more comfortable than the head clamps. A middle ground. The clarity is right there. When I first put this thing on I was amazed. I really did barely notice it was there. You can feel the earbuds...and you can barely feel the wire-raparound over your ears, but other than that when you move your head its like nothing is there. When I first put them on I had a big smile on my face. No pressure on the top of my head, and nothing on my ears. Were they perfect? No. But they were very comfortable right out of the box. After awhile I did start to get sore in the ears from the earbuds and I did start to notice the frame over my ears more and my head did get a little sore.
THE FINAL VERDICT: The Clarity Aloft is a great but for anyone who is comfortable with wearing earbuds for extended periods of time and are looking to get away from the head clamp type headset. Is it perfect? No. The sound reduction is ample but it leaves a little to be desired in the low end spectrum. This would concern me in turboprops, but I have a few friends flying tprops and they swear by the Clarity's. One guy even dropped his Bose X to use the Claritys. They are very comfortable right away but can become more noticeable after say 30-40 minutes or so (in my case anyway.) I would imagine for most people they would be more comfortable since I have a larger than average sized dome.
Please feel free to pm me with any questions you may have and Ill try to help. The Clarity Aloft can be found at www.clarityaloft.com or at places like avshop.com etc.
My next headset purchase is the UFlyMike adapter with the Bose QuietComfort 2. Ill review it once Ive put it into action!
