Description
The All-New FARO AIR In-Ear Aviation Headset.
Watch AIR in Action
FAQs
What is the weight of the Faro Air?
AIR weight less than 1 oz. Imagine going from your typical aviation headset that weights over 16 oz. to 1 oz. You will feel connected to your surrounding and your neck muscles will appreciate it as well.
How does the noise reduction work?
As part of AIR’s development, Faro developed a slow-recovery composite foam to provide a comfortable, effective seal while exerting low pressure in the ear canal. They are slightly longer than a typical ear plug to fit deeper in to the ear canal. They are offered in 3 sizes and replacements can be purchased from the accessories section.
Are any ear tips included?
Yes, your Faro AIR comes with 3 pairs of standard and 3 pairs of large ear tips. Additional ear tips can be purchased from the accessories page.
What is the warranty?
Faro provides 3-year full coverage warranty on all aviation headsets. Please see the warranty page for additional information.
How much is the shipping?
Shipping of headset is free for customers in continental U.S. For other areas, an exact shipping cost will be provided during check out.
What If I'm not satisfied?
Faro offers 30-day full money back guarantee. Your return shipping is also paid by Faro.
Vogel –
Happy Wife, Happy Life
Headset is great. Purchased for my wife/copilot; she loves the fit and feel
Curtis (verified owner) –
Good headset overall
I have worn the headset on 4 flights since purchase, each less than 3 hrs. All flights were in a helicopter, 2 with doors on, 2 off. The headset is quite, sounds clear. The headset took a lot of bending to get it properly adjusted to fit over my ears without sliding. The ear hooks have a little hard rubber tip that is annoying if it touched your head. It would be better if it had a softer, full length cover on that part similar to sunglasses. The plastic piece where the Mic comes out loud has a tendency to rub the back of your left ear. Also annoying. Could use a soft cushion there. I am adding theses changes to my headset and I’m quite sure it will make a world of difference.
== FARO Response (05/05/2016): Dear Curtis, thank you very much for your feedback. We are continuously improving our products based on pilots’ feedback. We appreciate your specific comments and suggestions. As with all product improvement ideas, if above changes are implemented, Faro will send you an updated version of the headset at no cost.
Patrick C –
Great Headset
I bought this headset for my wife and she is truly enjoying it in our Stinson. She has tried 10+ headsets, but they felt like they were clamping her head. We couldn’t afford Clarity so we took advantage of Faro. Karin has never been happier as a jittery passenger. She even mentioned that she didn’t mind the turbulence so much on her first flight with the Air in ear. The only thing changed was the headset. When Karin is happy, we are all happier. Thank You, Pat
Nate E –
Still “up in the air” about these.
I just purchased these two weeks ago. I love how they are light weight and small. The earbuds are far to responsive to temperature. If it is a warm day and you set your headset in the cockpit to do a walk around, the earbuds get very warm and EXTREMELY soft and will not generate a good seal in your ear. Another thing with the earbuds, when they get soft, you can feel the small inner plastic piece poking at the inside of your ear. Right out of the box they are very tight right above your ears. I had to mess with mine for quite a while before they were comfortable. One VERY nice thing is they are very easy with sun glasses. I have found that over the ear models pinch the frame of your sunglasses quite a bit. You do not get that with these.
Only 2 things that need to change.
1- The earbuds. If it is possible to develop more of a traditional rubber type of earbud (like found on most $30 headphones) they would require less adjusting and be much more comfortable.
2- If there is a more pliable material that could be used for the part that goes behind your neck, that would make it much easier to get a proper fit.
These are brand new and i’m sure they need to work out some issues. With that said, these are just a couple steps away from being an AWESOME headset.
Nick V. –
Audio Input didn’t work
I bought this headset becuase I was in the market for a lightweight in ear. I was deciding between the FARO in-ear and the Clarity Aloft. I chose to go with FARO mainly becuase of the price but also for its previous headset reviews being fairly well. When I got the headset I was eager to try it out. I also chose this headset for the audio input. The headset itself was fine. I wore it on a 6 leg day and didn’t have any issues with comfort, etc. The noise reduction was good, but I was expecting a little bit more. What I really didn’t like about the headset was the audio input. This is one of the main reasons why I got the headset. When I plugged my phone into the aux input all audio in the headset was muffled. My co-pilot could hear me clearly however, all I heard was the audio and muffled communications. After I would unplug the audio cord the headset would go back to normal. I tried different audio cords as well as different devices. I wrote to FARO customer service and they sent a replacement. The same thing happened. For this reasons I wasn’t excited about the headset anymore. One thing that has been exceptional is the customer service FARO offers. I don’t think I’ve worked with a better company as far as service when it comes it issues with the product.
== FARO: Thank you for your feedback. We are aware of the issue with the auxiliary input, when set to high volumes, can reduce the in-bound transmission quality. We are currently working on a solution and will provide all effected units with a free replacement. In the mean time, we recommend keeping the auxiliary input to lower volumes where transmissions can be clearly heard. We expect this upgrade to be completed within two weeks (06/04/2016).
== FARO: This issue has been corrected (06/12/2016).
Jason –
Great headset
I really do like the in ear headsets and although they are a bit awkward to get used to once you figure them out and make the adjustments, they are great! I fly learjet and the issue I ran into was I have quite a bit of talking with passengers (who do not wear headsets) and I found that inserting and removing the ear piece 10 times an hour to be an issue for me. That is not a fault of the unit. You could say they work too well as I can’t hear them talking with the ear tips in! Good product for the right application.
don (verified owner) –
I like the headset its like having nothing on your head and I can hear it clearly and I would encourage people to try them out .
I love your headsets
Joseph –
Fantastic headset. Very comfortable. Great price.
I’ve been instructing in light GA aircraft with this headset for a few months and it has been working great! You do forget you’re wearing it after a while which is perfect on those long days. It does take a bit of trial and error to get the headset adjusted properly, but once that gets figured out it is an extremely comfortable and reliable headset.
Anthony (verified owner) –
Good but not great
I bought this product after being a long time Halo in ear user. I loved the Halos but thought I would give these a try too. They seem to be made very well. The fit over the ears seems to put pressure at times so that was a negative. The ear buds are not as tight and noise reducing as the Halos. On my first trip the controller could not hear me as well and I had to hold the mic against my lips. I will continue to see if I can correct this but after three flights that is the procedure. Mic must be touchings lips for the controller to hear me.
== FARO: Thank you for your feedback.Regarding the ear brackets, please use the included cushions. They are not installed by default, but you may easily insert them. Regarding the ear buds, please use a larger size. Faro uses a patented-technology that is used by the military and they offer the highest amount of noise reduction and comfort than any other ear bud available today given the right size is used. With your Faro AIR headset, you should have received slim, standard, and large sizes. Regarding the microphone, most likely it has “twisted” away from your lips. Please remove the microphone cover and ensure the side with the most amount of holes is facing directly toward you lips. You should not have to hold the microphone in order to speak. Please contact Faro customer if any of these issues persists.
Nick V. –
Redesign is excellent. Customer service is outstanding!
I just got the redesigned FARO In-air headset and couldn’t be happier. Originally the headset had a few issues mostly regarding the ear buds and aux audio port. After contacting FARO they corrected the problem and sent me a new unit after the problems were rectified. Yesterday I flew 5 legs using the headset and it was great! The unit now comes with Comply Foam ear buds that not only feel comfortable but the sound quality is as good if not better than a bose headset. The audio aux port works flawlessly. Great Job guys! As for the FARO customer service I can’t say enough. They not only corrected the problem in a timely manner but are supportive and some of the best customer service I’ve ever dealt with! Keep up the good work guys and I look forward to doing future business with you!
Brandon (verified owner) –
Awesome Headset
I love these things. They are nice and quite as far as the PNR properties. The mic is great. Several of my friends have commented on how clear my comms are. The buds are nice and snug and fit perfectly. The additional included pads for the band over the ears are a must. My only critisim would be the instruction on the headset, specifically how it is worn properly. Perhaps a diagram or two showing the rear portion of the band and where is should lay in perspective to your head and neck. This thing is well worth the price and I have found it to be amazing. Would recommend this to anyone. I use them in my Cessna 172SP
Gary (verified owner) –
Excellent product and value
I’ve been flying for 23 years and always rented. The planes also came with headphones and it didn’t bother me until about a month ago when I put them on and they had someone else’s sweat. Yuck! I decided then and there to get my very own headphones. So I looked and looked. $700 here $1,200 there and they seemed, by specs, to be very close except price. I tried a friends Bose and thought they were very good but way too expensive. Then I found the Faro in-ear headphones. I prefer in-ear for my music and the specs on Faro seemed as good as the Bose and the price was more in line with what aviation headphones should be. So, I bought them and immediately went out to the plane with my Bose buddy. First, WAY TO GO FARO! These in-ear headphones are awesome! Fitted properly, they blocked as much or better sound then my friend’s Bose. Yep! They sure did! Key here is to put on a slightly larger ear bud, squeeze it, put into your ear and hold it until the foam expands. This fully seals your ear canal and is remarkably comfortable.
The fit on my head, and I have a big head, was my next worry. I have a problem of normal phones squeezing and being uncomfortable. No problem with Faro! By the time I got to my run up I couldn’t tell I had anything on my head. Seriously! They were so lite and worked so well with my sunglasses that I couldn’t tell I had anything on my head.
Now, the bad-ish review. One, the mic didn’t really want to stay where I put it but I have a feeling this is a matter of time before I figure it out. Understand, I’m kinda OCD about the mic placement and a 1/4″ deflection may not bother most but it really bugged me. However, my buddy said, when the boom deflected from where I wanted it and thought it was too far from my mouth, said I sounded clearer than any other headphones he has heard. So that’s really all that matter is that the tower can hear me. Seems like the resistance/strength of the boom could be a tad bit better. Second, it would have been nice if they came with their own case for my flight bag but for the quality and price I don’t really have room to complain.
Overall, factoring in my mic placement OCDness, I still give these 5/5! Faro really knocked it out of the park with these and I highly recommend them. Comfort = 5, Price = 5, Noise reduction = 5, boom = 4.99. Making my Bose buddy feel like he got fleeced = priceless! Thanks Faro!
Rich –
Nice headset for the price
I’ve never tried an in-ear headset before. When I first saw these I misread “AIR” as “ANR” (my mistake) and bought them right away. I was a bit bummed when I discovered they were not ANR, because for me it’s the low-frequency engine vibrations that are fatiguing and it’s very hard to address that with passive noise attenuation. Nonetheless I used them for a flight and found them to be very clear, comfortable, and “just worked.” My only concern would be the ear tips themselves getting snagged on something in the flight bag and eventually breaking off… it feels like it needs a carrying pouch or something. Overall, I would use these again and think they’re pretty good, but remember they are passive.
DH –
Works good on 737NG
I bought to help with the noise on the 737NG. I find this works well to help relive some fatigue due to the noise level in the cockpit. The build quality is very good. I have used Clarity Aloft in the past and I find this to work as well if not better. Comfort is good. I would suggest including a case with the headset. I was able to purchase one online for $6 that fits nice and is not too big. Great product!
Craig (verified owner) –
Great for turbine cockpit, only fair in piston aircraft
Audio quality is very good and the light weight makes them very comfortable to wear for extended periods. Getting used to ear plugs takes some time. I have tried standard and small size plugs. Passive noise reduction is only fair, probably because of difficulty getting ear plugs to fit properly and comfortably. Mine came with an alternate softer ear cover, but I could not figure out how to install it over the original cover. Needs some sort of bag or soft case for storing in flight bag. Overall, I am satisfied but will likely only use them in the jets.
Joanne –
Overall very good product
I have trouble with many headsets I wear and this was the best by far. Felt a little pressure at the end of a 2 1/2 hour flight but not horrible. I have trouble fitting any buds into my ear and this was the same with these. Hoping this changes as I wear them more. A case would make sense.
Phil –
Great for piston
The Faro Air is a great versatile headset. It’s perfectly suitable for piston aircraft (using it in a C150, C172 and Katana as an instructor).
The Air is extremely comfortable for short and long flights. For me, the added padding on the ear-rest was a must.
The main concern that most pilots will have with this headset is the noise reduction. So long as you have the right size of foam tips, you will be fine. In my case, I needed the Large which was not included in the starter pack. If anything, I would suggest that those be included to try when you purchase the headset has opposed to having to blindly order them.
The mic boom is very flexible and generally stays as positionned but it will sometime move when you look up and the back of the headband catches – it will come back as you bring your head back.
When it comes to sound quality, the Air extremely good even if you have the wrong size of earbuds.
Overall, the Air is a great headset that I wholeheartedly recommend.
As a side note, I can also attest to the high quality of service offered by Faro. The are quick and very efficient in addressing any issues or questions.
Isaac –
Great Headset
Great headset. Does take a little to get it adjusted to fit your head and takes some getting used to. Noise reduction is good single pistons (c150/172). Only complaint would be when aux audio is playing, I cannot hear my radio transmissions. This may be something i’m doing wrong on my end. Other than that I highly recommend this headset.
Dave –
A step above.
I purchased Air headsets for my son and I and we are both of the opinion they are fantastic. We were wearing good quality conventional headsets but were quite amazed how easy to live with the Air are and how much better you feel after a long flight.
I would particularly like to comment on how good the sound quality is.
I’ve used many headsets over 28 years of flying but I would say these are the best yet.
Francis –
Great headset needs a few tweeks
Faro headsets
First thing that happened is the knob fell off the volume selector. I have the knob in my bag and just need to super glue it on.
Inflight with the volume selected to the highest level the sounds seems to mute and flatten. Moving it down just a little clears this up. Audio is a little on the base side.
The earbud stems are genius. That little twist on mechanism keeps the bud from staying in the ear. However the plastic piece inside the bud is to long and it pokes the inside of my ear. I pulled back the bud there and nipped of about a 16th of an inch and that corrected the problem.
I’ve put a mini tie wrap on the cable to keep the clip from migrating.
I’ve had to really bend the back wire to keep it from catching on my collar.
I’ve worn it now over three tours with some day wearing it over 8 hours. It as comfortable as any headset but it doesn’t lend itself to quick donning but it’s much better when having to slap on an O2 mask.
Wes (verified owner) –
Nice headset. Perfect of longer XC flights
My review comes after only a few hours w/the Faro headset. I’ve had IE sets prior to the Faro, and had my expectations prior to purchase. I have no qualms so far. They are PERFECT for XC flights. With a bubble canopy, I like to wear a cap and there is no interference and no “bad hair” or headaches from clamping claustrophobic traditional headsets. I have had the latest ultra comfort clamp-on which are now relegated to a backup flight bag. I will play w the various sized inserts to find the ideal noise suppression. I have yet to hook up and nasal(02) cannula so there has yet to be seen any issues with such. If further flights turn up and other squawks or praise I will update my review.
Matthew –
Turbine Utility Helicopter Operations
As far as I’ve seen, all in-ear headsets seem to be used exclusively for airplane operations and not for helicopters, (especially utility operations). This was a leap, and so far so good.
This headset is just about everything I ever wanted in a headset:
– No need for batteries
– No coil cord to hook up on set belts, (i.e. during sling operations when i’m moving my head back and forth often)
– No bulk!
– Audio input, (for those long flights when the a/c doesn’t have one)
– Personal plus. I can finally wear a ski cap while flying without feeling like I have a Spaceballs helmet on, (a comfort in winter operations)
The headset works great during the following operations:
– Normal flight
– Slinging using a door bubble
– Operating outside the a/c while hot fueling
I’ll be interested in how it does while slinging with no door, (i.e. wind and it’s associated added noise).
Feedback to the ratings listed above:
– Noise reduction: I personally feel I’d like it a bit quieter, but I may just be spoiled with noise canceling headsets and I haven’t tried all the different size inserts yet. Maybe Faro could look into a molded earbud like with the CEP’s?
– Price: No complaints there. The great packaging and presentation helped to make me feel I was buying a quality product.
– Comfort: This was an iffy “4” since I have not put the inserts on the over the ear wires yet. But after 4 hours of flight I’m not too thrilled with the basic over the ear setup. Seems like a simple fix, (or personal customization).
– Quality: See “Price” Although, being a utility helicopter pilot I do feel like I am going to break the headset just by looking at it. Ha! This is in no way a hit on Faro, I’m just not a princess airplane pilot flying from A to B on every flight.
All in All. I’m very excited to be ditching both the classic over the ear style headsets and batteries. If Faro ever wanted to field a in-ear model designed with utility helicopter pilots in mind, I’d be happy to help out.
Jennifer –
SE Pilot – Cessna 152 / 172
Overall I think this headset is an EXCELLENT buy.
I am SE pilot in the C152/C172 and I’ve so far used this headset for around 30-40 hours and some long XC days. Before this I had a DC H10-13.4 but wanted something lighter – I have quite a small head and was finding after 2-3 hours with the DCs on, they were just too heavy and cumbersome – tired me out.
Weight:
The lightness of this headset is the reason I really like it – I could not even feel it was on my head. It is incredibly freeing after a heavy headset. I found I could move around very easily. I was flying anything between 3-6 hours a day and with the DC was finding I was exhausted after 2-3 BUT with the Faro headset, I could get flying 5-6 hours + because it just wasn’t tiring me down. I have also flown in Florida so the heat whilst wearing the DC’s was quite something whereas the Faro was airy.
Noise Reduction:
These is not a noise reducing headset – however as a comparison I would say (once the earbuds are in correctly – very important!), the noise reduction is the same, possibly even slightly better, than the DC H10-13.4. In the cruise, I didn’t find the a/c noise a problem at all (didn’t notice it at other times due to concentrating!).
Price:
Cannot complaint – yes pricey but worth it.
One more thing:
Wearing sunglasses! Absolutely not problem with this headset! I could not wear any other sunnies than the super thin ones with the DCs, but with these – you wear whatever you want – they just sit right as normal. I also wear a baseball cap for when the suns low and this was also fine. No problems at all wearing extra “headgear” with this headset.
Earbuds:
The earbuds are great once you get used to putting them in correctly – it does take a little time. I counted 30 seconds per earbud to let them set correctly. But once they are correctly in, I couldn’t even feel them and they offer great noise reduction. You get a selection of three different sizes when you buy these – I have tiny ears and the mediums fit best for me so try the different sizes to find what’s best for the inside of your ear!
A number of feedback comments;
-A protective case:
They do not come with a specialised case. When you buy this product it comes in a box and that’s it – you have to pay extra for a case and the case from Faro is not a specialised case for this headset, it’s a generic headset case for the normal chunky ear-headbands. I don’t want to say the headset is delicate as I’ve had no problems with it so far however I would feel much more comfortable if it came with a specialised case for when it’s in the flight bag etc.
Ear Wire holders:
-This may be a personal problem I have come across. The wirings that sit over the top of my ears; after 2-3 hours in these the metal wirings start to dig into my skin. It’s not unbearable but I found I had to put my sunglasses under the wirings (between my skin and the metal) so I could continue wearing the headset. Faro do give you extra cushions for these however I found them too large for my ears (again I have a very small head). This has not stopped me wearing the headset though!
Overall I would definitely recommend this headset. I am hoping to continue using it for the ME rating and onto commercial flying.
If you are thinking of buying this headset; the biggest thing to ask yourself is about wearing the earbuds – if you like/do not mind wearing earbuds inside your ears then this headset is excellent; if you do not like or find earbuds annoying do not get it.
Edwin (verified owner) –
21+ hours in 3 days – and my ears and neck are still ready for more
I was starting to get headaches from my old headset during long flights and decided that something lighter might help. Most of my flying is in a 747 and with over the ear headphones we typically fly with one ear off for cockpit communication, so ANR isn’t really overly helpful in my opinion. I opted to give these a try, and am incredibly happy I did.
Shortly after getting them we started a test phase which included over 21 hours of operations with headsets on over a 3 day period, and I came out of it with no headaches and generally as if I hadn’t been wearing a headset at all. I had been concerned that there would be excessive pressure within the ear canal, but that was not the case. Sound quality was as good or better than the Telex I had been using and one thing which I discovered was that by adjusting the depth of insertion I could tailor the mix of noise reduction and cockpit communication, allowing me to have some ambient noise reduction while still being able to communicate internally on an airplane without a dedicated cockpit interphone.
The only real functional downside to this design is that eating or drinking tends to cause the earpieces to migrate a bit and become less effective, but that is easily fixed with a slight push back to where they had been.
I am concerned about the longevity of the earpiece wires – they seem a touch on the small and possibly fragile side given how critical they are to the headset as a whole. Likewise a custom case would be very nice since unlike larger headsets you can’t just fold things into themselves and wrap the cord before tossing it in the bag. Something as simple as a block of foam with cutouts for the headset portion would be a great step forward.
Petra (verified owner) –
Nice to wear, good intercom & ATC clearaty.
The unit is very nice to waer, but needs awhile to to get use to the brace behind the net. Had problems during removeal due to my glasses getting hung up on the ear flangs. Had good intercom & ATC commo clearaty. What is missing is a proper protective carring case or pouch for the unit..
CitationPilot –
Great headset for the price
Really enjoy using this headset, bought them to replace an aging ANR headset and ‘I think they are as good if not better than my old headset. I agree with the others concerning a headset case, but I solved that with a Tupperware container that fits the headset plus a few other items, and fits conveniently next to my seat in the XL as well as my flight bag.
I certainly would recommend this headset to anyone looking for an in ear, light weight set up.
Guitarwiz (verified owner) –
So far so good.
I bought these as I am now flying a Global and my over the ear headsets were not comfortable on the long legs I do in this aircraft. I will say getting it adjusted to fit perfectly has been a bit of a challenge. The documentation referred a link to an adjustment video but the link launched videos that had nothing to do with adjusting the headset. The headset as adjusted is functional and Comfortable enough. I installed the ear molds from an old Mach 1 Lightspeed headset and they fit perfectly. That dramatically reduced the noise though the Global is quiet and the ear pieces shipped with the headset weee adequate. If the headset remains reliable with the cycles that I will be using them I will be happy with the purchase.
Jesper (verified owner) –
Very satisfied with my Faro Air
I’m training for my CFI so I’m spending a lot of time in the cockpit. I needed a headset that didn’t give me pressure headache and didn’t let in sound when I turned my head more than 90 degrees. Faro Air meets all my expectations and needs. So much that some of my pilot friends that today use competing black ANR headset considered bying a pair of Air. Some say it’s not as quiet as the 1000$ plus ANR headset, and maybe that’s true. But I prefer to still hear the status of my engine while cutting out all disturbing and dangerous noise. If I’d like totally quiet flying I would go for the simulator, turn the volume down and put on some good old jazz on the stereo. But that’s me. I’m a stick and rudder pilot, not a system monitor