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#1
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRVdAlY7z2M
Looks like I'm gonna be shopping for one of these at OSH '08... -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#2
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
Jay,
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... In the same sense, regard the following bearing in mind that my wife's pilot shop sells headsets. we did the big headset comparison flight yesterday in our TB-10 (Lycoming O-360 four-cylinder, so not as much low frequency noise as in a Bo or so). We directly compared the Zulu, the Bose, the DC X11 and the Sennheiser HMEC 250 in flight. FWIW, here are our opinions. Let's do away with the easy ones first: The HMEC 250 had an unsatisfactory fit for all three pilots on board. The ANR isn't that great either. It is "only" 500 dollars, though. The biggest disappointment by far was the X11. The difference between ANR on and ANR off was barely noticable and much restricted to the low frequencies. Considering that it is priced the same as the Zulu... As for the two main contenders: We had one guy who was wildly determined to prefer the Bose - and another who was all for the Zulu. Turns out that after the test, the first guy slightly preferred the Zulu, the other liked the Bose a little better ;-) In short: They are really close - except in price and features (more on that below). The Bose was found to be slightly more comfortable, it has a little less clamping force and is slightly lighter. OTOH, the Zulu has thicker pads, which can be an advantage when wearing glasses since the seal is less likely to break. The ANR of the two was found to be practically the same quality, with a little difference in frequency spectrum. But both did an excellent job of reducing the noise. Music reproduction on the Zulu was found to be better when their FRC signal processing was activated. Speech quality was different in frequency spectrum, but good in both. The mics gave a clear, natural reproduction of the speaker's voice. Featurewise, the Zulu is way ahead, if those features matter to you: audio and cell phone inputs as well as a Bluetooth connection for cell phones, a really neat case and the above mentioned FRC music enhancer. As one pilot, who is also a professional musician, mentioned: You just have the feeling to get a modern, up-to-date headset with all the latest advances when you look at the Zulu. The Bose gives the impression of being dated in comparison. The prices are probably well known to all of you. -- Thomas Borchert (EDDH) |
#3
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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" |
#4
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
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? |
#5
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
Jay,
because it's been difficult to find any information about this supposed "Bose-killer"... maybe, just maybe, brand B is buying more ad space than brand L... I found it very interesting to do this as well. I was really surprised with the DC - although I have not hidden my dislike for the IMHO overrated brand in the past, I thought they had gotten it right(er) with this new design. -- Thomas Borchert (EDDH) |
#6
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
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) |
#7
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
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. |
#8
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
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. |
#9
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
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 |
#10
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Lightspeed Zulu PIREP
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 |
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