Lightspeed Zulu PIREP

FWIW, that video is not a "pirep" really - it's a promotional video
from a pilot shop selling the Zulu. Not that it isn't informative, but
to set the record straight...

Good point, although in fairness he does sell other headsets. I
thought his review was pretty unbiased in that regard.

big snip of really great stuff

Thanks for this, Thomas. It's exactly what I've been looking for WRT
the Zulu. For some reason the magazines have really dropped the ball
with this new headset -- or Lightspeed's marketing department has --
because it's been difficult to find any information about this
supposed "Bose-killer"...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

The Lightspeeds always have had features, but their construction is
questionable. It seems like there's always something cracking or breaking on
one of the three Lightspeeds that I use.

What was your impression of the construction and build of the Zulu compared
to the Bose?

Viperdoc,

How old are those Lightspeeds of yours? LS has learned a lot through their
product generations, and the 3G versions were much, much better than previous
ones. That said, my old 20k hasn't needed any repairs during the last 10
years.

What was your impression of the construction and build of the Zulu compared
to the Bose?

Absolutely on par. The Zulu is much sturdier (and much less bulky) than
previous designs by LS (they do listen to customers). The headband is made of
magnesium alloy. No wires protruding. Really a neat package. The case is a
kind of semi-hardshell design - the best I've seen for an aviation headset.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I have two 30-3G headsets, and one previous model 25. They have had cracked
ear cup yokes, broken wires, bad ANR, each. Obviously, they are not that
old, and the support was great. On the other hand, I have around five pairs
on non-ANR dave clarks. and they never had a problem, ever.

Considering the big overall cash outlay, for an extra $150, it might be
worth getting the Bose, if the construction is better and they will be more
reliable.

Actually, FWIW

I have the Bose, my partner has the DC X-11.

A year now, Bose has already required service( at 2 months) , The
DC's are trouble free.

I paid more, but after 1 year, I think he chose better than I.

The ANR was the same on both, very good.. The DC's occasionally loose
the ANR due to leakage around my glasses when I move my head suddenly.

If the batteries go dead in the BOSE, you might as well throw them in
the baggage compartment, - the DCs still have adequate passive NR..

If the reports continue to come in good on the Lightspeed, I may dump
the Bose and try the Lightspeed...

At least get a pair to try out...

Some will think this is sacriliage, but I find the Bose, although a
very good headset, are just nowhere near equal to the hype that
surrounds them. A guvmint aircraft here that is used a lot, finds the
Bose does not stand up to heavy use very well....

And I still have this "free", cheap CD player- earphones etc. in a
box here somewhere...

FWIW

Dave



The Bose work OKOn Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:46:51 GMT, "Viperdoc"
wrote:

I have two 30-3G headsets, and one previous model 25. They have had cracked
ear cup yokes, broken wires, bad ANR, each. Obviously, they are not that
old, and the support was great. On the other hand, I have around five pairs
on non-ANR dave clarks. and they never had a problem, ever.

Considering the big overall cash outlay, for an extra $150, it might be
worth getting the Bose, if the construction is better and they will be more
reliable.

On Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:25:10 -0400, Dave
wrote:


If the batteries go dead in the BOSE, you might as well throw them in
the baggage compartment,

While that's true, have you not found the 10+ hours of low battery
warning adequate?

How many sets of batteries have you actually gone through? I know
full-time flight instructors that get two months out of Duracells.

BTW, it you toss the "freebie" on eBay, with no reserve, it lowers the
cost of the set. My freebie brought $86. G

Actually, no..

The batts they sent with it lasted less than 1/2 hr after the
warning...

I was REALLY busy at the time, and DID actualy toss them in the back
seat.(no time to change batts right then) I put on my old DCs and
continued the flight...

With good batteries, no prob....

I am on my 3rd set... But the 1st should not count...

86 BUCKS?? - Who in the world...?

Ah yes, ....... E-Bay...

Dave



On Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:35:30 GMT, B A R R Y
wrote:

On Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:25:10 -0400, Dave
wrote:


If the batteries go dead in the BOSE, you might as well throw them in
the baggage compartment,

While that's true, have you not found the 10+ hours of low battery
warning adequate?

How many sets of batteries have you actually gone through? I know
full-time flight instructors that get two months out of Duracells.

BTW, it you toss the "freebie" on eBay, with no reserve, it lowers the
cost of the set. My freebie brought $86. G

Viperdoc,

Interesting ;-) As I said, my experience differs a lot. IMHO headsets
get treated very differently across the pilot population, which is only
natural considering the wildy varying circumstances, usage patterns and
times of use. From what one can read on the internet, the older
Lightspeeds don't seem to have held up that well for "heavy (ab)users".
As I said, I found the Zulu to be at least as well constructed as the
Bose, but then I'm no expert in construction either.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Interesting ;-) As I said, my experience differs a lot. IMHO headsets
get treated very differently across the pilot population, which is only
natural considering the wildy varying circumstances, usage patterns and
times of use. From what one can read on the internet, the older
Lightspeeds don't seem to have held up that well for "heavy (ab)users".

Heck, my first Lightspeeds (the 15s) used to break just hanging on the
yoke! It would work for one flight, and the next flight something
would be wrong -- for no apparent reason. We never took them out of
the plane, we never tossed them in a flightbag, or even coiled up the
cords -- they just broke.

The next generation (the XLs) were a bit better, but still too
fragile. They would break if used over any length of time.
Throughout all this, Lightspeed's customer service was impecable.
They fixed all of mine, each time, for free, no questions asked.

The 3G (third generation) models are MUCH more robust. I've had four
of them in our plane for several years now, without incident. With
their cell phone interface, bass/treble boost, auto shut-off and long
battery life, they're simply outstanding.

I'm glad I stuck with Lightspeed all the way through their early
years, and I'm looking forward to trying the Zulu.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

This month's Kitplane magazine has a head-to-head comparison of the
Bose and Lightspeed Zulu. They give the edge to Lightspeed, but it's
close.