Advice on repair of long out of warranty headset?

[mikewil]

Anyone have any experience or knowledge on who does repairs for headsets no longer under warranty, preferably at a fair price.

Basically just needs re-cabling and Lightspeed have essentially told me to just buy a new headset as it is a discontinued model and they no longer service it.

[PiperCameron]

Is this for you? Or is it just a spare??

Since headset failure in CTA can take all the enjoyment out of your flight (and in the USA can lead to litigation) if it's for primary comms best advice is to buy a new one.

[mikewil]

Is this for you? Or is it just a spare??

Since headset failure in CTA can take all the enjoyment out of your flight (and in the USA can lead to litigation) if it's for primary comms best advice is to buy a new one.

Good point, it was my main one but I have ordered a new one and it is to become a spare/passenger headset if it can be repaired for not too great a cost.

[PiperCameron]

Good point, it was my main one but I have ordered a new one and it is to become a spare/passenger headset if it can be repaired for not too great a cost.

So then, by the sound of it, since it isn't "critical to safety of flight" all you need then is access someone good with a soldering iron.

You could ask your local on-airport aero-electrical crowd to do it, but some music stores have electronics repair facilities and would be much, much cheaper and quicker.

[mikewil]

So then, by the sound of it, since it isn't "critical to safety of flight" all you need then is access someone good with a soldering iron.

You could ask your local on-airport aero-electrical crowd to do it, but some music stores have electronics repair facilities and would be much, much cheaper and quicker.

Great advice, thank you. However I would still need to source the parts like cables and GA plugs etc with these types of outfits. Might still consider but was still hoping for a bit of a one stop shop with someone who already has the basic parts/cables etc.

[PiperCameron]

Great advice, thank you. However I would still need to source the parts like cables and GA plugs etc with these types of outfits. Might still consider but was still hoping for a bit of a one stop shop with someone who already has the basic parts/cables etc.

Depends what you need. You'll find that the cable and 6.5mm headphone jack is standard music-industry stuff, just perhaps a bit more robust. The mic jack is not, but can be bought on-line.. or from an aero-electrical crowd as mentioned.

Good luck with it! :)

[Aussie Bob]

Since headset failure in CTA can take all the enjoyment out of your flight (and in the USA can lead to litigation) if it's for primary comms best advice is to buy a new one.

Man, in 40 odd years of flying I have never had a headset fail. I have had batteries go flat on ANR models but they still work fine. I have lost an earphone once but the other side was fine. Like when do headsets fail? My experience is they just become a bit dodgy.

I too have some discontinued Lightspeed headsets that became dodgy (but never failed) and it pisses me off that they charge a small fortune for these things then say "sorry; no longer repairable". Bose are no better, I have two of their previous models that are also dodgy but no; sorry "get a new one". Well, I think it sucks and I wish the OP (mikewill) all the best getting someone to fix something that is/was just way too expensive to simply chuck in the bin. Let us know how it goes.

My next ANR will be a David Clark, their reputation is somewhat better than either Lightspeed or Bose.

[BronteExperimental]

Lightspeed are the only manufacturer that has not stood by their product in my experience of many decades. The revolting soft touch plastic eventually degrades into a sticky mess and they won’t do jack about it. Never again.

Had both Bose X and A20s repaired no questions asked. Both times the boom mechanism loosening.

Anyway. I have a few ANR LS of various flavors in the cupboard if the OP wants to scavenge them for parts.

[mikewil]

Lightspeed are the only manufacturer that has not stood by their product in my experience of many decades. The revolting soft touch plastic eventually degrades into a sticky mess and they won’t do jack about it. Never again.

Had both Bose X and A20s repaired no questions asked. Both times the boom mechanism loosening.

Anyway. I have a few ANR LS of various flavors in the cupboard if the OP wants to scavenge them for parts.

Yep completely agree with the revolting sticky plastic control box. Though I think they have fixed this issue in their current generation headsets, I still won't buy one again due to their lousy customer support.

You'd think they would want to build a reputation for the best customer service seeing they are trying to claw a bit of Bose's 80+ percent of the headset market share.

I am sure the reason most go out and buy the overpriced Bose A30 is just a case of follow the leader (kind of like Apple iPhones). Sure, they are great, but you can't tell me the large premium charged over Lightspeed and DC is justified in termsb of production cost. And yes I am one of the sheep who just bought an A30 but would definitely have bought another Lightspeed Zulu if not for the attitude I got from Lightspeed about what would be an incredibly minor repair to the old one.

[Head..er..wind]

A couple of years ago I sent a DC to Dr Headset in Melbourne. Did a quick and great repairs, including fixing the dodgy attempt I had made previously; turns out my soldering from school days might have been less wonderful than I remembered it to be 😝. I think he is still working. 0412 831 410

[Ixixly]

Yep completely agree with the revolting sticky plastic control box. Though I think they have fixed this issue in their current generation headsets, I still won't buy one again due to their lousy customer support.

You'd think they would want to build a reputation for the best customer service seeing they are trying to claw a bit of Bose's 80+ percent of the headset market share.

I am sure the reason most go out and buy the overpriced Bose A30 is just a case of follow the leader (kind of like Apple iPhones). Sure, they are great, but you can't tell me the large premium charged over Lightspeed and DC is justified in termsb of production cost. And yes I am one of the sheep who just bought an A30 but would definitely have bought another Lightspeed Zulu if not for the attitude I got from Lightspeed about what would be an incredibly minor repair to the old one.

I couldn't disagree more. In the past I've dealt with their Customer Service twice, The first was a cable that was damaged due to my own fault in slamming it in the door a few too many times, they were great about it and repaired it under warranty without charge and even replaced it with the newer style cable. Second time was more recent it developed a fault out of warranty and they were all too happy to repair it. Also haven't had any issues with it turning sticky, if this happens you can easily fix it with talcum powder or using rubbing alcohol, I've done this trick on other things I've owned that have had this happen over time.

[mikewil]

[QUOTE=Aussie Bob;11546615

My next ANR will be a David Clark, their reputation is somewhat better than either Lightspeed or Bose.[/QUOTE]

It was quite surprising to see how the relatively rapid transition to ANR headsets in GA around 15 or so years ago resulted in almost overnight widespread adoption of Bose and subsequent universal decline in popularity of David Clark.

Kind of reminds me of the rapid move away from the bullet proof Nokia phones with everyone suddenly flocking to the fancy but obscenely expensive iPhones upon their introduction.

I wonder where DC went wrong...

[Squawk7700]

The new gen of DC’s simply didn’t cut it against the Bose and Lightspeed.

I feel like they still have an opportunity to regain some ground. Bose was/is seen as a premium brand in terms of audio quality and the younger generations were more familiar with the name.

Lightspeed was an unknown and I guess you can compare them to Android, with Bose being your apple equivalent. DC is Nokia.

[mcoates]

I can only say I've had excellent support from lightspeed.

I've had the cables and the sticky battery boxes replaced a few times without charge by a service centre at Archerfield.

They even had a free repair service that Oshkosh going for a few years where you could the headset in and they would just fix whatever was wrong or they would give you an option we could upgrade to the latest version for something like $200 or $300.

Having said all of this however, I still prefer my Bose headsets, they just seem better in both comfort and sound quality but this is just a personal opinion/observation

[PiperCameron]

Having said all of this however, I still prefer my Bose headsets, they just seem better in both comfort and sound quality but this is just a personal opinion/observation

Well, after you've spent all that hard-earned $$$ you'd have to say that wouldn't you?!?... but that's coming from someone still happy with their 20yr old DC :}

[421dog]

I have at least a dozen Dave Clark’s which are bullet proof. I had them upgrade the first gen ANR that my mother bought me as a newly minted commercial pilot (25+years ago). It required 6 AA batteries, and God help
you if you forgot to turn it off (because it was good for 6hrs in the air or on the ground)

They made it look good, replaced all the plastic, and made it run on a single 9v, but the ANR is (still) minimal. The Passive Noise Reduction and comfort for an ear-covering headset is unsurpassed, but the ANR can’t begin to compete with Bose.

[compressor stall]

Just make sure you update the gel ear pads while you're at it. I hadn't used my headset for years then halfway through an IPC felt a strange feeling on my neck. The gel cup had split and ws oozing all down my neck. Rather a distracting find turning inbound on an NDB.

[Intrance]

Lightspeed are the only manufacturer that has not stood by their product in my experience of many decades. The revolting soft touch plastic eventually degrades into a sticky mess and they won’t do jack about it. Never again.

Had both Bose X and A20s repaired no questions asked. Both times the boom mechanism loosening.

Anyway. I have a few ANR LS of various flavors in the cupboard if the OP wants to scavenge them for parts.

Have had my Lightspeed Zulu 2's for about 11 years now. First repaired once outside of warranty but completely for free including international shipping within Europe. Few more years passed and I had a cable break, again outside of any warranty that the repair provided. Headset then 8 years old and frequently used in commercial flying, so stuff happens. I reached out, got an offer to upgrade it to Zulu 3 spec with all new wiring, control box, soft goods and any repairs needed for $300 with a new 3 year warranty. Can't even get a new passive noise cancelling DC for that money.

Sorry to hear you got some sub-par service, but just to chime in that my experience has been quite the opposite.

[Horatio Leafblower]

My experience of customer service with Lightspeed has been fantastic, upgrading components and providing trade-ins on older units.
I will buy Lightspeed over Bose any day.

[Mr Mossberg]

I couldn't disagree more. In the past I've dealt with their Customer Service twice, The first was a cable that was damaged due to my own fault in slamming it in the door a few too many times, they were great about it and repaired it under warranty without charge and even replaced it with the newer style cable. Second time was more recent it developed a fault out of warranty and they were all too happy to repair it. Also haven't had any issues with it turning sticky, if this happens you can easily fix it with talcum powder or using rubbing alcohol, I've done this trick on other things I've owned that have had this happen over time.

Lightspeed any day of the week. I put it in after I'd done damage, pulled the cord off it after jumping out of the aircraft with it still on my head. (I was in a hurry). They replaced the chord on warranty and put new ear seals on it at no charge. Second time was for a service, $120 AUD for another new cord, new seals. And they're a better headset than bose.

[BronteExperimental]

Notwithstanding that we all seem to have had different experiences with customer service…
If I told you to keep your iPhone or Samsung (cheaper, and somewhat more technologically advanced than a headset) from staining your fingers, clothes or upholstery by rubbing it with talcum powder and/or alcohol you’d say I was having a laugh….

[krismiler]

I just had my Dave Clarke headset repaired, the mic failed 6 weeks before the 5 year warranty was due to expire so the cost to me was zero. However due to supply chain issues it took 5 months before it was fixed.

The problem is that the approvals and paperwork cost so much for repair facilities to obtain, when the overhead is passed onto the customer it’s often cheaper to simply buy a new headset.

You could try searching online for a generic cable fitted with G/A plugs and see if a hifi repair shop can solder it in for you.

[Clinton McKenzie]

I have Boses and Lightspeeds. Both have been very good value and great performers for me.

That said, my Bose X's have now failed in one ear, and the problem is not the cables. Does anyone have contact details of anyone in Australia who's currently doing repairs of Bose X's?

[Captain Dart]

Hello CM, my Bose A20 failed in one earpiece just before warranty expired. Went thru the rigmarole of their customer service (seemed to be more orientated to their non-pilot products) and eventually they told me to send it to Jet Aviation in Cairns for repair. I would assume you have go thru the Bose 'system' and cannot just send it off to them.

Good luck!

[Clinton McKenzie]

I'll give that a go...with some trepidation. Thanks CD.