Bose A20 V Lightspeed Zulu
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Somewhere in Indo...
Age: 48
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Once tried the old Bose X... was comfortable and light... noise cancelling was decent... just the price that scared me... 
Eventually got a pair of Zulu's... best money I've ever spent... immediately went and got 2 sets of rechargeable AA's... And carry the spare set within reach when flying... when they drop, the passive is next to useless (imagine being in a 40 gallon drum with someone beating the outside with an iron bar!
)
I'd recommend the new fangled rechargeables that will hold 80% of their charge for like 12 months if not being used
As for comfort... I've had quite a few 5+ hour stints wearing them (go go Thielert diesel powered 172's with 7 hours endurance
)... and never had any real issues...
Also, I tried a pair of the Sierra's and found them a little bulky... and didn't seem as sturdy... being all plastic etc... as previously mentioned, the cost of stepping up to the Zulu's over the Sierra's was small compared with the benefits...
Would love to get my hands on the A20's, just because I'm the curious type... and also keen to try the new Zulu.2's... might go the buyback route...
Eventually got a pair of Zulu's... best money I've ever spent... immediately went and got 2 sets of rechargeable AA's... And carry the spare set within reach when flying... when they drop, the passive is next to useless (imagine being in a 40 gallon drum with someone beating the outside with an iron bar!
)I'd recommend the new fangled rechargeables that will hold 80% of their charge for like 12 months if not being used
As for comfort... I've had quite a few 5+ hour stints wearing them (go go Thielert diesel powered 172's with 7 hours endurance
)... and never had any real issues...Also, I tried a pair of the Sierra's and found them a little bulky... and didn't seem as sturdy... being all plastic etc... as previously mentioned, the cost of stepping up to the Zulu's over the Sierra's was small compared with the benefits...
Would love to get my hands on the A20's, just because I'm the curious type... and also keen to try the new Zulu.2's... might go the buyback route...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Australia
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Truthinbeer
Just for you!
"Sennheiser enters high-end headset market."
Sennheiser S1
AOPA Online: Sennheiser enters high-end headset market
John
Just for you!
"Sennheiser enters high-end headset market."
Sennheiser S1
AOPA Online: Sennheiser enters high-end headset market
John
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Somewhere along the ITCZ
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Here's what AOPA had to say about the S1:
Sennheiser S1
Capitalists rejoice! More competition is among us. Sennheiser introduces a new headset this month: the top-end S1. With a price point squarely aimed at the Bose A20 and Lightspeed Zulu, Sennheiser thinks superior engineering will make it king of Headset Mountain.
The S1 is Sennheiser’s first big headset launch to the general aviation market in years, and the company made sure it had a good product before putting it all on the line. This thing is an engineer’s dream. It features multiple foam layers; the ear pads have a spot that’s softer where sunglass or eyeglass stems go; it has four microphones for optimal noise canceling; buttons provide a sound boost for those who have their audiologist on speed dial; Bluetooth is built in with controls for phone calls or music; tension on the band can be adjusted by the user. And then there’s The Button.
The Button is Sennheiser’s ace in the hole. Company representatives say that when a normal headset is engineered, a natural tradeoff occurs when trying to optimize the active noise reduction. That’s because ANR works by throwing back sound at the opposing wavelength, thereby canceling it out. But sounds in the cockpit change, and ANR is naturally only perfect for one frequency. Until The Button, that is.
Once a pilot presses The Button, the four microphones “listen” closely, the system does a bunch of work only German engineers understand, and then it reoptimizes the ANR for the current frequency level. This results in a quieter headset in all phases of flight. And believe it or not, reality matches marketing here. The headset becomes noticeably quieter every time you push The Button, be it for takeoff, cruise, descent, and so on.
Ironically, all of this button pushing is almost irrelevant because the S1 is quiet before the ANR is even turned on. That’s a strong selling point, especially considering how often batteries on ANR headsets die. Speaking of which, the two AA batteries will last anywhere from 25 to 40 hours on the S1, depending on which type and what functions are in use.
Sennheiser hopes its new S1 isn’t too late to the high-end ANR headset party. Regardless of timing, however, this is a strong performer and definitely worthy competition for Bose and Lightspeed.
Pros:
Sennheiser S1
Capitalists rejoice! More competition is among us. Sennheiser introduces a new headset this month: the top-end S1. With a price point squarely aimed at the Bose A20 and Lightspeed Zulu, Sennheiser thinks superior engineering will make it king of Headset Mountain.
The S1 is Sennheiser’s first big headset launch to the general aviation market in years, and the company made sure it had a good product before putting it all on the line. This thing is an engineer’s dream. It features multiple foam layers; the ear pads have a spot that’s softer where sunglass or eyeglass stems go; it has four microphones for optimal noise canceling; buttons provide a sound boost for those who have their audiologist on speed dial; Bluetooth is built in with controls for phone calls or music; tension on the band can be adjusted by the user. And then there’s The Button.
The Button is Sennheiser’s ace in the hole. Company representatives say that when a normal headset is engineered, a natural tradeoff occurs when trying to optimize the active noise reduction. That’s because ANR works by throwing back sound at the opposing wavelength, thereby canceling it out. But sounds in the cockpit change, and ANR is naturally only perfect for one frequency. Until The Button, that is.
Once a pilot presses The Button, the four microphones “listen” closely, the system does a bunch of work only German engineers understand, and then it reoptimizes the ANR for the current frequency level. This results in a quieter headset in all phases of flight. And believe it or not, reality matches marketing here. The headset becomes noticeably quieter every time you push The Button, be it for takeoff, cruise, descent, and so on.
Ironically, all of this button pushing is almost irrelevant because the S1 is quiet before the ANR is even turned on. That’s a strong selling point, especially considering how often batteries on ANR headsets die. Speaking of which, the two AA batteries will last anywhere from 25 to 40 hours on the S1, depending on which type and what functions are in use.
Sennheiser hopes its new S1 isn’t too late to the high-end ANR headset party. Regardless of timing, however, this is a strong performer and definitely worthy competition for Bose and Lightspeed.
Pros:
- Thoughtful features
- Quiet ANR and passive attenuation
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Price
- Weight
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hiding between the Animal Bar and the Suave Bar
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ANR is naturally only perfect for one frequency.
the system does a bunch of work only German engineers understand,
