FARO AIR in-Ear Aviation Headset Premium Pilot Headset - Compare with ClarityAloft, Black

I was extremely sceptical about this and almost did not buy it. I have been a Bose A20 user for years and love my A20. Light speed, David Clarks etc., simply could not hold a candle to my A20s. Last year I bought a Quiet Technologies headset, light weight in the ear kind. Cost $100 more than the FARO Air. It "was" brilliant until it stopped working on me. The thing about the QT headset that always bugged me was the build quality. Tubes hanging out, the ear plugs were kind of "interesting", heck the whole thing was assembled using cheap plastic components etc. etc. But the idea was brilliant, just outstanding. So when I saw the FARO Air, I remembered how nice the QT headset felt on the ... Well around the head, cause there's nothing on the head. That was mixed with how it just stopped working on me. As cool as headsets are, their prime directive if you will is to "JUST WORK".So I bought these, they showed up just in time for my long trip (almost 6 hours of flying) and I did not get to try them before I left on my trip. 6 hours of flying later, I love them. The build quality is SOLID, extremely well put together. The audio quality is really good, crystal clear both mic and speakers. No issues on my end or ATCs. I have a stero capable audio panel and I left the set on "Stereo", balanced sound to both ears. Started with the regular buds and swapped mid flight to the large buds, the PNR was better than my A20 ANR (and that's saying something). The buds did not irritate my ear canals, they just stayed there, snug n quiet. I streamed music off my phone through my audio panel, nice, real nice. The headset did not fall off or move, took me a little bit to figure out how to adjust it, but that's all it took.As sceptical as I was, I was even more impressed. Now thing I wish FARO would have done...1. Include a carrying case, I mean really FARO? Every headset needs to come with a case and you would literally get a custom FARO case for pennies. There really is no excuse not to give this headset a customized case.2. Ear cushions: FARO includes a small foam roll. I honestly feel they can do better. The foam was not cut properly, looked like a 2nd grader cut them, and in a hurry. The foam is held in place by a small cap which I'm sure will fall off. I need to tape that in place before I lose mine.3. The band: Yes it's light, but it is a metal band. The metal is hard and not easy to adjust. I am sure FARO can find a better material to make that band. To be fair, Clarity Alofts, I looked at their latest model that my buddy bought and I was scared to buy them, the flimsiness reminded me of my QT ones. (But the Clarity came with a case, as did the QT, did I say what a pet peeve that is... Just annoying see #1 above)4. The part of the headset on the left where the microphone comes out of. It has a neoprene like material behind it (that box is really small, about 1" x 1" and about half an inch thick). But it itches where it sits right behind the ear. Maybe use a softer natural material instead of neoprene / whatever that thing is made of.Not withstanding all of the above, will I recommend this... Absolutely yes, more than the Bose A20, more than the Clarity ALoft and definitely more than the QT. Now hopefully this stands the test of time (we'll see, I'll remember to update this review). Do I miss ANR, nopes. Comfortable... Yes, Light... Yes. Made in China... Ehhhh., Whatever, worth buying, I definitely think so. I rated it a 5 but there's definitely a few small things Faro can do to make this amazing! Please start with the case! I'll post some pics later.

I have used these for a bit over a year, in an airline cockpit. The noise canceling is fair, at best , provided by the foam earpieces.My big concern is durability. The headsets are showing considerable signs of wear particularly in the boom Mike (kinks or bumps)On the plus side the headset is very light and comfortable to wear for long periods.

The idea of an in ear headset intrigued me and the Faro headset looked like a good option. At first, I was mildly satisfied with the headset. The mic seemed to need constant adjustment and it was a bit noisier than I expected. Both points were an easy fix and I can give this headset a strong recommendation.First, the ear pieces are mostly straight with a mild curve. I added a bit more curve to them to give more of a hook and that fixed the mic movement issue. It is anchored now securely with this 5 second fix. While I was at it, I spread the ear pieces out just a bit for more comfort. I fully agree with comments about comfort with this style of headset. Talk about light weight and easy of movement, nothing like it.As for the noise level, I was not getting the left ear plug properly seated. I discovered that it took just a bit more care to properly seat the left ear plug, problem solved. With both plugs properly seated the volume control has gone from 4 to a 1.5-2 (5 marks on the volume control.) The headset is very quiet now. The microphone seems to perform very well too.And as everyone says, the headset is light, does not give a problem with caps, hats, or ifr hoods. I have flown with the Faro headset for about 10 hours and honestly feel that I am less fatigued after flying. It looks like my Lightspeed Sierra has now become a loaner.I am a CFI and fly Cessna 172's and 182's.

It blocks more noise than my Halo headset which I like. The boom SUCKS! I have not been able to use it in flight. The microphone will not stay in place no matter what I try. I am going to return it. If the boom worked this would be my headset of choice.

I fly for a regional airline about 900 hours a year. I need light weight non clamping, comfortable for a 12 hr day, and enough quiet to protect my hearing from the air going by at 500+ mph. These do the trick without the higher cost of Clarity Aloft, or waiting on the always out of stock Quiet Technologies HALO. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the bend in the headband just right, its stiff, but once I did it stays where I want it. For cockpits that aren't that loud I can just shove the foam plugs in when in a hurry to close the door and have plenty of protection and clarity in flight. When you read the instructions and put them in right, it is much quieter. The piece over the ears in the picture is smooth all the way , mine are a little different (I think older, Amazon warehouse. Used -Like New) with a tip that slides over the end of the wire. That tip can scratch a little if not adjusted just right. A piece of heat shrink should take care of it.There is a little hiss from the hot mike setup that we have on the E175, there is no mic gain adjustment on the headset to tune this down. Adjustment has to be made by adjusting the squelch which while easy to adjust on the front of a GA radio, is located in a avionics bay out of reach for me. Its not bad, no worse than a set of DC head clamps, just turn off your mic when not needed.So far about 25 hours with the headset. Much more comfortable than a over the head traditional set. Much quieter than my Telex 5x5 Pro with dual custom ear molds that I have used for 7+ years. NOT TSO if your airline enforces that. So far happy with my purchase.Customer support has been great. Numerous emails with questions about adjustments, ear tips, mic gain etc. have been responded to quickly, most of the time within a hour or two unless late then next day first thing. They want you to be happy with the product.