Lightspeed Headset Update

Jay,

They just made the first generation too
fragile to hold up to daily in-cockpit use.


Mine does (20K, still going strong since 1997). Sometimes I really
wonder what people do to 500-$-plus investments...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Jay Honeck wrote:

It's hard to fault a company when they take the bull by horns and fix
things.

.... and give you a free headset.

--
Peter
























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Thomas Borchert wrote:

Sometimes I really
wonder what people do to 500-$-plus investments...

Headsets are handled multiple times, often stored when not in use, and are
adjusted frequently. They should be designed to take normal wear without
failure. I can guarantee that my Lightspeed 25s and 3Gs were subjected to
normal, not excessive, wear and tear, yet they suffered various structural
failures very early in their lives. They also suffered from numerous ANR
service problems having nothing to do with the user.

Many of the later models of Lightspeed headsets have a negative history in
these groups, so it would seem that recurring Q/C issues are not a fault of
the consumer, but rather the company.

BTW, headsets are not an investment, they are an expense.

--
Peter
























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Peter R. wrote:
Jay Honeck wrote:


It's hard to fault a company when they take the bull by horns and fix
things.


... and give you a free headset.

I really admire the company for standing by their product and trying to
make things right with me. I'm a quality assurance manager for large
telecommunications company that is very much customer focused. In the
conversations I had with both of the executives I spoke with, they both echoed
their commitment quality and pleasing the customer. That is
why I'm willing to stick with them.

When I originally went to purchase the headsets, I had it narrowed down to 2
brands, Bose and Lightspeed. Comfort/fit, perceived value, features and cost
were my main criteria. The problem I had justifying the Bose were the cost vs
the features. I really liked them but found the fit, comfort and performance of
the Lightspeeds to be about the same as the Bose. However, Bose did not offer
the cellphone/MP3 interface like Lightspeed. The cell phone/MP3 interface wasn't
a high priority, originally for me, but as I have come to use it, I really like
the feature. As a member of a flying club (note: non owner), I fly several
different airplanes. I appreciate the easy solution of adding the interface to
the headset.

I also, was impressed with the staff that manned the Lightspeed booth. I found
them to be cordial, friendly and genuinely willing to listen to my every
question. While both were very professional, I felt that
the Lightspeed team was more open and accessible to me the potential customer.
So I went with the Lightspeeds. When they work, I really enjoy them and
can easily see why folks say ANR really does make a difference in terms
of pilot fatigue during longer trips.

My background is in electrical engineering & computer science. What bothers me
is the fact that I did not really abuse the headset, In fact, I treated them
very carefully. I always placed them in the nice padded bag the came in after
use. I do not wrap the cords, I fold them gently when placing the headset in
the bag. I also, treated the switch box carefully, ensuring not to bang it
around. So my main concern is are all ANR heads sets so temperamental, or is
Lightspeeds problem with the battery switch box, a problem of poor design, or
use of inferior components. I mentioned that concern to one of the executives.
They told me that they are in process of redesigning the battery switch box,
so with out saying anything more, I guess I can make my own judgment about that.

So that is why I'm posting this here, since it is my experience and I thought
it would add value to share with rest of the newsgroup.

I really hope my problems with the headset are behind me, so I can start
enjoying my flying and not have to carry a backup set of the old DC's that
saw me through my training hours.

Kevin Kubiak

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:Helff.548568$x96.485843@attbi_s72...
I've owned 'em all, and can attest to it.

As a one-time owner of a 3G headset, I disagree. In the fifty hours I
used
these headsets, they went back to Lightspeed four different times (Google
archives has my original post about this). To be fair, this could have
been due to the "version 1.0" theory, but still, it was the final straw
for
me.

Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.

For how long now?

Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.

For how long now?

Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.

So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
(Which is radically different than my experience with the early
models...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.

For how long now?

Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.
So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
(Which is radically different than my experience with the early
models...)

Your's stay in your airplane.
Most pilots are renters and so must plug/unplug and transport/store
their headsets, resulting in "normal" wear and tear.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...

Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.

For how long now?

Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.

So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
(Which is radically different than my experience with the early
models...)

Sounds like the latest fix is a winner (knock on wood).

I used to have two pair of Telex that I loved, except the jack plugs kept
having a loose wire in one and a faulty speaker (or whatever it's called) in
the left muff...small problems, but when they cut out it was TOTAL. I had
them four years and both "died" twice.

Now I have three sets of Bose; one came with the bird when I bought it,
added two more because it was wired for Bose (and liked the one came with
it). This winter I'm likely going to trade out the Beech 36 (too big for one
or two, too small for five or six - the usual loads for us), so I might give
something else a try. I must say that I'm still gun-shy about Lightspeed,
though.

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.

For how long now?

Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.
So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
(Which is radically different than my experience with the early
models...)

Your's stay in your airplane.
Most pilots are renters and so must plug/unplug and transport/store
their headsets, resulting in "normal" wear and tear.

Jay said, in a previous post, that he keeps his in the case.

Your's stay in your airplane.
Most pilots are renters and so must plug/unplug and transport/store
their headsets, resulting in "normal" wear and tear.

Jay said, in a previous post, that he keeps his in the case.

Negative. Mine are "permanently" plugged in the plane. The front two
hang from the ceiling on velcro straps when not in use. The back two
go over the headrests of the seat-backs, when my kids actually remember
to put 'em there...

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"