David Clarke Reviews

I happen to like the Lightspeed headsets very much. They offer
excellent comfort and very good ANR at relatively low prices.

And you just can't beat their customer service - I've read of people who've
sent them back a dozen times or more, and everytime they fix them up again
and send em back with a smile

Cockpit,

I've read of people who've
sent them back a dozen times or more


Well, I'd wager you've read about exactly ONE person who's done that.
And he's gotten one for free now.

You also find one person here who hates his (ex-)Cirrus. This is
Usenet...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

All joking aside, the single thread that seems to consistently bind all
models of lightspeed is their unreliability.

From what I've read (from people who have allegedly owned them) I wouldn't
touch them with a 10 foot pole.


"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...
Cockpit,

I've read of people who've
sent them back a dozen times or more


Well, I'd wager you've read about exactly ONE person who's done that.
And he's gotten one for free now.

You also find one person here who hates his (ex-)Cirrus. This is
Usenet...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I've owned my 15XLs for close to three years now, and haven't had a single
problem. I'll qualify that statement by saying that I *carefully* unplug
them and replace them in their carrying bag after each use, and I usually
don't leave them in the airplane in the winter, even though it is in a
hangar. Also have a pair of the QFR Solos for pax, and have no complaints
about them either.

Steve DeMoss
N16071
KHVC

"Cockpit Colin" wrote in message
...
All joking aside, the single thread that seems to consistently bind all
models of lightspeed is their unreliability.

From what I've read (from people who have allegedly owned them) I wouldn't
touch them with a 10 foot pole.


"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...
Cockpit,

I've read of people who've
sent them back a dozen times or more


Well, I'd wager you've read about exactly ONE person who's done that.
And he's gotten one for free now.

You also find one person here who hates his (ex-)Cirrus. This is
Usenet...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

"Steve DeMoss" wrote in message
. net...
I've owned my 15XLs for close to three years now, and haven't had a single
problem. I'll qualify that statement by saying that I *carefully* unplug
them and replace them in their carrying bag after each use, and I usually
don't leave them in the airplane in the winter, even though it is in a
hangar. Also have a pair of the QFR Solos for pax, and have no complaints
about them either.

Conversely, my DC's that I've had for six years have been dropped, banged
around, shoved in my flight bag, left in the car in 105F summers and -15F
winters. They've been bashed around on the floor of a banner plane for two
seasons, scuffed, scratched and all in all abused in just about every way.
They've been snowed on, rained on, had avgas spilled on, dropped in the mud
and on concrete.

I've wrapped the cord around the headset, and pulled out the plugs by the
cord. Not all the time, but more than once. They still work like the day I
got them. The only problem I've had was losing my mic muff two years ago.

--
Mike

Man, you find all kinds of people on this thread...

I've had a DC 13.4 for lessee, about nine years now. Still works, no
problems, comfortable for the most part, even on long five to six hour legs.
I don't smash it up as much as Mike does, but do stuff it in my flight bag,
wrap the cords around it, and- one of my ways of keeping entertained while
instructing- play "yoke toss" with it once in a while. While my student is
preflighting, they often leave the door open on the Pipers we fly. I'll
stroll over to the right side, and standing just behind the trailing edge,
toss my headset through the open door, with the intention of hooking it on
the right yoke. Most of the time it misses and either lands on the seat or
(more often) crashes to the floor. But you should see the reactions when I
do get it on the yoke. "Woah!" Just like at a carnival... g

I have seen plenty of students with DC H10-30s, which are a little cheaper.
Some have had problems with these. Minor annoyances are the screws on the
boom mike loosening, causing the mike to swing freely downward. Can be
easily tightened with a small screwdriver, but how often do you have one of
these at the start of a flight? Also, I've found I like the mike on the
H10-13.4's better, it provides noticibly clearer transmissions.

In regards to the ANR issue...Well, an ANR headset is on my list of "get
eventually" things, but not a big priority yet. I've had a chance to try a
number of ANR's out there, but I'll admit I haven't studied them that
closely. Main reason I've waited was that about two years ago I met a Peltor
headset technician in the exhibitor area at Oshkosh. I was in the market for
an ANR, and she actually discouraged me from getting one. Her explanation
was that ANR's work best for people with generally quiet aircraft that have
a dull low noise level that causes fatigue. She indicated that ANR headsets
attenuate low frequency noise well, which is what causes that fatigue over
time; but for the types of noisy general aviation aircraft that I teach in,
it would be a better value to have a good passive headset, which works
better on the high frequency noise that causes hearing damage. Just having
an ANR that "sounds really quiet" wasn't necessarily an indication of good
overall hearing protection.

Hey Mike, I don't suppose you dunked your headset in the inter-coastal
waterway too, huh?

-Eric



"Mike O'Malley" wrote in message
...

Conversely, my DC's that I've had for six years have been dropped, banged
around, shoved in my flight bag, left in the car in 105F summers and -15F
winters. They've been bashed around on the floor of a banner plane for
two
seasons, scuffed, scratched and all in all abused in just about every way.
They've been snowed on, rained on, had avgas spilled on, dropped in the
mud
and on concrete.

I've wrapped the cord around the headset, and pulled out the plugs by the
cord. Not all the time, but more than once. They still work like the day
I
got them. The only problem I've had was losing my mic muff two years ago.

"skyliner" wrote in
news:fKIgc.162440$w54.1106922@attbi_s01:

I've had a DC 13.4 for lessee, about nine years now. Still works,
no problems, comfortable for the most part, even on long five to
six hour legs. I don't smash it up as much as Mike does, but do
stuff it in my flight bag, wrap the cords around it, and- one of
my ways of keeping entertained while instructing- play "yoke toss"
with it once in a while.

I've had about the same experience with DC. I bought a set of H10-80
several years ago when I was looking for two things.
(1) A bulletproof headset that could take a lickin' and keep on
tickin'.
(2) The best passive noise reduction that was available at the time.

Since then, I've had an aftermarket ANR Kit installed and I haven't
found another headset with better noise reduction.





--
John Godwin
Silicon Rallye Inc.

(remove SPAMNOT from email address)

Minor annoyances are the screws on the
boom mike loosening, causing the mike to swing freely downward. Can be
easily tightened with a small screwdriver, but how often do you have one of
these at the start of a flight?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ALWAYS - each and every flight.

In my flight bag I have a Leatherman gizmo and a 4 in 1 real screwdriver.

"skyliner" wrote in message
news:fKIgc.162440$w54.1106922@attbi_s01...


In regards to the ANR issue...Well, an ANR headset is on my list of "get
eventually" things, but not a big priority yet. I've had a chance to try a
number of ANR's out there, but I'll admit I haven't studied them that
closely. Main reason I've waited was that about two years ago I met a
Peltor
headset technician in the exhibitor area at Oshkosh. I was in the market
for
an ANR, and she actually discouraged me from getting one. Her explanation
was that ANR's work best for people with generally quiet aircraft that
have
a dull low noise level that causes fatigue. She indicated that ANR
headsets
attenuate low frequency noise well, which is what causes that fatigue over
time; but for the types of noisy general aviation aircraft that I teach
in,
it would be a better value to have a good passive headset, which works
better on the high frequency noise that causes hearing damage. Just having
an ANR that "sounds really quiet" wasn't necessarily an indication of good
overall hearing protection.

About what you'd expect from a salesman who's company who is getting their
ass kicked in the market. To put on an ANR headset in pretty much any spam
can and then to say, apparently with a straight face, that just because it
sounds quieter it really isn't is just assinine. I too have a pair of DC
13.4's. Absolutely no comparison. These pieces of crap will no doubt last
my lifetime, because they never get used. Saying not to get ANR is like
saying stick with Loran, GPS doesn't offer you much more.

Cockpit,

the single thread that seems to consistently bind all
models of lightspeed is their unreliability.


I disagree. Don't base such statistics on usenet posts. They are in NO
way representative of what's really happening. Can't be, by design.

I have had my 20K since 1997 - no troubles.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)