UFlyMike Headset Survey

[JustInfo]

None of the Pipers I flew even had an intercom built into them. Guess I must be showing my age!

 

[Say Again Over]

Hmmm. Never have flown an airplane with a constant hot mic.

Which model?

Well how bout several of the aircraft on your list, say the Airbus, there is no reasonable way to operate the intercom in anything other than HOT, you can select intercom ON or OFF unless you select to xmit on INT only, having to reselect for each radio transmission. Some GA intercom systems have a VOX (voice activation)feature.

 

[Negative Prist]

That's a new one on me.

Mike

The Lear 45's audio panel does have squelch, so the mic isn't necessarily always hot, but squelch control is integrated with volume control. Volume goes up and squelch goes down, and vice versa. The impedance switch helps, but there are probably people who don't know about it.

Another feature I wish you would include is some sort of equalizer for aircraft radio audio. I owned a pair of Bose Xs before I bought my UFlyMike, and although I haven't done any tests, I believe the Bose QC2 frequency response (for aircraft radio audio) is broader than the Xs. Obviously, the Xs are made for voice communication, and the QC2s are designed to reproduce music, among other things. I believe the QC2 have better bass response.

There is a noticeable difference in clarity of the aircraft radio between the Xs and the QC2. I believe the Xs are tuned for this, and the QC2 is not. With the QC2, controller's voice on the aircraft radio sound much less clear, and it took me a long while to become accustomed to that. It still can be a problem, and a simple equalizer, fixed or adjustable, should be included in future designs.

The EQ, of course, would only filter the audio from the aircraft's headset audio, and not the audio from the audio input jack on the UFlyMike itself. The EQ should tune the audio from the aircraft to a narrower spectrum to make the human voice more clear.

 

[FLYLOW22]

Well how bout several of the aircraft on your list, say the Airbus, there is no reasonable way to operate the intercom in anything other than HOT, you can select intercom ON or OFF unless you select to xmit on INT only, having to reselect for each radio transmission. Some GA intercom systems have a VOX (voice activation)feature.

Exactly. We never used the darned thing because of the hot mic. Never had to though. It was quiet enough.

And does Piper even make a real jet (2 engine) that is used for 91K, 135? Nope. Not a problem.

 

[mblackey]

The Lear 45's audio panel does have squelch, so the mic isn't necessarily always hot, but squelch control is integrated with volume control. Volume goes up and squelch goes down, and vice versa. The impedance switch helps, but there are probably people who don't know about it.

Another feature I wish you would include is some sort of equalizer for aircraft radio audio. I owned a pair of Bose Xs before I bought my UFlyMike, and although I haven't done any tests, I believe the Bose QC2 frequency response (for aircraft radio audio) is broader than the Xs. Obviously, the Xs are made for voice communication, and the QC2s are designed to reproduce music, among other things. I believe the QC2 have better bass response.

There is a noticeable difference in clarity of the aircraft radio between the Xs and the QC2. I believe the Xs are tuned for this, and the QC2 is not. With the QC2, controller's voice on the aircraft radio sound much less clear, and it took me a long while to become accustomed to that. It still can be a problem, and a simple equalizer, fixed or adjustable, should be included in future designs.

The EQ, of course, would only filter the audio from the aircraft's headset audio, and not the audio from the audio input jack on the UFlyMike itself. The EQ should tune the audio from the aircraft to a narrower spectrum to make the human voice more clear.

Everyone has their own opinions, and you might prefer the audio of the Bose X but most folks don't. The most recent survey results rate the UFM/QC2 very highly compared to the Bose X.

There are many in the field of professional audio that would also disagree. There are many upper and lower level harmonics (many beyond the range of human hearing) that add clarity and natural sound to the spoken voice. We hear all of these harmonics when we speak to someone face to face. When the audio is EQ'd these harmonics are removed and what is produced is the "barrel" sound.

Take any Hollywood movie that emulates a "radio" transmission. This is accomplished by recording the voice at the full range of a microphone and then drastically EQ'ing it. The point being to produce the publicly understood barrel and scratchy sound associated with radio communication.

This association comes from old radios that produced a lot of noise. It was then necessary to isolate the voice in order to hear clearly. Radios have come a long way over the years and the excess noise has been all but removed. So, in turn, it is unnecessary, and in fact detrimental to clarity, to isolate only the fundamental harmonics of the voice.

We try to make a product that is superior to others and gives you what you want. We appreciate your input and will look closely at whether EQ at any level would be beneficial.

Mike

 

[Ultra Grump]

Hmmm. Never have flown an airplane with a constant hot mic.

Which model?

Okay, maybe I misspoke (miswrote?). I'm referring to the ability to simply turn off your own hot mic. Fischman should be able to fill you in on what I'm talking about, as he's flown the CRJ and it has this ability. The intercom switch is integrated with the push-to-talk switch, so CRJ pilots become adept at holding a conversation by flipping the intercom on when you need to talk, and flipping it off when you're done. Very little was more irritating than flying with a guy who left his on all the time.

In many aircraft there is no effective way to control whether or not the mic is "hot," and as a result you get to hear everything your partner does. (Sound familiar?) Most headsets don't have enough gain control to fully control this, unless you're both wearing uflymikes of course.

 

[Say Again Over]

Not trying to rain on your parade, I purchased one recently (Ufly combo) after seeing all the positive posts, my opinion is the comfort is great, the ANR performance OK but not spectacular, the quality of the audio is low in comparison to Sennhieser and Clarity Aloft, microphone gain appears to be low on the Airbus, I must speak up a bit compared to the Sennhieser which does not have this problem, unfortunately the Sennhieser head set is like putting my head in a vice, very uncomfortable. Still looking for the ultimate headset.

 

[captain dad]

Sorry you guys can't stand it when some one has a different opinion. I am just relating my experience with the Ufly. Two out of three crew members have had sound quality problems(static , low volume) and the other went NORDO when his battery died. My recommendation is Plantronics, Sennheiser or Lightspeed, all great products with great support and designed for aviation>

I am curious what A/C you are flying? The only problems I have heard of are certain A/C interface issues.

 

[mblackey]

Not trying to rain on your parade, I purchased one recently (Ufly combo) after seeing all the positive posts, my opinion is the comfort is great, the ANR performance OK but not spectacular, the quality of the audio is low in comparison to Sennhieser and Clarity Aloft, microphone gain appears to be low on the Airbus, I must speak up a bit compared to the Sennhieser which does not have this problem, unfortunately the Sennhieser head set is like putting my head in a vice, very uncomfortable. Still looking for the ultimate headset.

This is the first we've heard of low gain in an Airbus. We can fix that. Please contact us so we can make it right. We have to change one resistor.

Are you using an adapter to the standard Airbus 5-pin connection, or are your aircraft converted to regular dual jacks?

Unfortunately, we had to reduce the gain on the microphone to reduce the sensitivity of the mike for the EMB and other "hotmike" crowd.

Mike

 

[Say Again Over]

I did a do it myself change to the CAP 5 plug, when I get back to the states I'll email you, much appreciated.

 

[johnt1969]

I've been using the QC2/Mike combo for a couple years and I haven't had much in the way of trouble with it. I think that the version of the setup that I have is a little different than what's being sent out now. The one problem that I had was the mic was too sensitive. I was instructing at the time so the aircraft had all kinds of setups, including some with no squelch. I solved the problem by using 2 mic muffs on top of each other. My setup remains the same to this day. I think that the Mic on mine is more sensitive than the new ones that I've seen. Between my friends and current co-workers I can think of about 10 newer setups that I've taken a look at.

In any case. I've been very pleased with the set up. Obviously I would like the headset to continue working when the batteries fail but that's not possible because of the way the QC2 is designed. I just make sure to have batteries with me at all times. I've used mine for so many hours that I had to have my QC2 earmuffs replaced. They were a mess.

j

 

[justmeinmsp]

I just got this set up to use in the Lear 45. It is awsome, wish I had done this years ago. No problems what so ever.

 

[mainiac]

Not only do I applaud the UFly/Bose combo, after selling my BoseX on Ebay for $800, but I really think that MikeB should be congratulated for his (and his family's) excellent customer service!
They really follow up (as you can see from his helpful posts here), and the one time I needed something done to mine, it was back in time for my next trip out!

Great American Entrepeneur-man-ship!

Oh well, tried a big word...

 

[mblackey]

Survey results for the headset survey are now posted on our website. Good info for comparing headset performance:

http://uflymike.com/id17.html

Mike

 

[Say Again Over]

Our new Airbuses arrive with Sennheiser ANR headsets, jeopardizes flight safety, don't think so. Hope you don't believe this crap, the Sennheiser isn't dependent on some crap ass AAA battery. Your skewed survey has no scientific value whatsoever I'm afraid.

 

[mblackey]

Be nice. There's obviously a lot of pilots who don't agree with you.

Fact is, the percentages reported came directly from the survey responses. There was no skewing or manipulation of data going on.

The important thing to take away from it is the relative ratings of the headsets.

Squint your eyes until you can't read the fine print, then look at the columns.

Headsets without batteries have a lower failure rate? Where's the data? Why is a battery different than monitoring fuel, or oxygen, or?

Mike

Our new Airbuses arrive with Sennheiser ANR headsets, jeopardizes flight safety, don't think so. Hope you don't believe this crap, the Sennheiser isn't dependent on some crap ass AAA battery. Your skewed survey has no scientific value whatsoever I'm afraid.

 

[RTRHD]

Be nice. There's obviously a lot of pilots who don't agree with you.

Fact is, the percentages reported came directly from the survey responses. There was no skewing or manipulation of data going on.

The important thing to take away from it is the relative ratings of the headsets.

Squint your eyes until you can't read the fine print, then look at the columns.

Headsets without batteries have a lower failure rate? Where's the data? Why is a battery different than monitoring fuel, or oxygen, or?

Mike

Hey Mike,
What about an aviation headset like a cell phone headset. Light, one ear piece , mike on the same wire. Would it work? The noise levels in most jets are pretty low. I would buy one.

Thanks for the input.

 

[mblackey]

RTRHD,

Sure it would work. The only one I know of is made by Lightspeed. Check out their website and look for one that looks like a cellphone headset. It's not TSO'd, however (if you work for an air carrier that puts stock in that).

You might not want to assume that jet noise is low. Most folks find out that long term hearing loss is significant. Do your ears ring at the end of a long day, e.g., in your hotel room?

A good test is to wear an ANR headset for a day, then take it off a fly the last leg with your standard headset. You'll probably be surprised at how noisy it sounds. Also, lower frequencies are also fatiguing, even if not perceived as loud. Jet engines emit a lot of harmonics through the airframe that contribute to other low freq noise (configuration noise - gear, flaps, speedbrakes).

Mike

Hey Mike,
What about an aviation headset like a cell phone headset. Light, one ear piece , mike on the same wire. Would it work? The noise levels in most jets are pretty low. I would buy one.

Thanks for the input.

 

[mblackey]

Our new Airbuses arrive with Sennheiser ANR headsets, jeopardizes flight safety, don't think so. Hope you don't believe this crap, the Sennheiser isn't dependent on some crap ass AAA battery. Your skewed survey has no scientific value whatsoever I'm afraid.

You brought up a good point earlier. We realized there wasn't enough explanation, so we've added some below the chart. The first thing to realize is that there is a threshold below which responses are insignificant. What level? I don't know, but draw you're own conclusions. To me, Anything below 10-15% doesn't count.

If you notice, you are represented in the UFlyMike column by the 10% who rated "poor design" as a problem with our product. 90% of those that felt poor design was a factor, attributed it to other headsets.

There's only two other things you should get from that chart:

1. There is a headset where the ANR might work TOO well (ala the FAA concern).

2. There's a couple of headsets that are clearly the "weak sisters" in the professional flying community.

Sorry for the confusion, and we appreciate the feedback.

Mike

 

[Fozzy]

Our new Airbuses arrive with Sennheiser ANR headsets, jeopardizes flight safety, don't think so. Hope you don't believe this crap, the Sennheiser isn't dependent on some crap ass AAA battery. Your skewed survey has no scientific value whatsoever I'm afraid.

These planes come with a speaker or two installed. That is the back up to the the 3 back up headsets we carry in the closet. My Lord, way to much doomsdayers out there.