Lightspeed Zulu.2 vs Bose A20

[Rod1]

“If you fly 50hrs a year then you spend at least £5000 a year on flying.”

Peter really – you have to be joking

Rod1

[peterh337]

Probably a lot more than that, then

Happy new year!

[fwjc]

peterh337, 50h does not = £5k for everyone. It's clear from what you post here and elsewhere that you have a large expendable income.
For me, 30h = ~£1500 including club fees and maintenance etc. It depends how you choose to spend your money, which when you don't have much, has to be very carefully.

I use a variety of headsets including Peltor, DC, DC + aftermarket ANR and Lynx. They each have their benefits depending on the application. That said, I prefer ANR where possible, because I've met too many old deaf pilots.

The aftermarket kit from Headsets Inc works really well, (use in a sport biplane so it's definitely being tested). This works out a good deal cheaper than the shiny new headsets people are discussing here. No phone / music, but cheaper protection for your ears while you're waiting for that big pay bonus...

[Worm Burner]

Currently looking to upgrade.
Would anybody have any idea on the Bose or Lightspeed product cycle?

With the A20 being over a couple of years old now I'm guessing Moore's law should be coming into effect at some point soon.
Thanks.
WB.

[Steve6443]

Before you base your decision solely on cost, I cannot stress how much that you trial the headsets on first. I was going to buy the Sennheiser S1 but it sat so uncomfortably on my head - almost perched - that I tried the Bose and the Zulu - after all, the headset will be on your head long after the additional cost / saving has been forgotten.

Based on that, I bought myself a pair of Zulus and am very happy with them. If they all fit, then it's a question of whether you value the Bluetooth streaming function of the Zulus (I love it, it really aids break the monotony of longer flights alone) or not or whether you want to pay more for, in my mind, equal noise reduction......

[toptobottom]

If you fly 50hrs a year then you spend at least £5000 a year on flying

Depends what you fly - I do appx. 200 hours/year, but TCO for 50 hours would be c. £30k

Re headsets, you pays your money, you takes your choice. I like the best I can afford and for me Bose has always offered the most effective solution, if not necessarily the best value. I use A20s with Bluetooth and I'm extremely satisfied with them.

[madflyer26]

I use the Zulu Lightspeed Mk1 for flying the R44 and Jetranger and have found it to be great in most areas. Tried using a Bose headset flying a R44 and found it to be similar for noise reduction but the clamp force appeared to be a little greater with smaller cups than the Zulus. Both headsets are light and comfortable however I had to purchase a cotton cup cover for the Zulus as they promote a fair bit of sweating from the ear area especially out here in Africa. I feel that you get plenty warning of impending battery failure with a flashing LED light on the volume control box however with the ANR switched off the noise becomes horrible and for long legs it would be torture. Your choice of glasses/sunglasses also makes a big difference to effectiveness. I use the serengeti brand with very narrow arms which afford the best seal between ear and cup. All in all I rate the Zulus highly however the Bose are also not bad just for the extra money it didn't appear worth it to me.

Regards
MF26

[sahanM]

Happy about my purchase

I purchased a Lightspeed Zulu 2 recently, but i found that the left ear had a buzz in it whenever the ANR was turned on. I contacted lightspeed about the problem and they were extremely friendly. I received a pre-paid shipping label via email and only had to pay 3 bucks for the packaging. Lightspeed offered to replace my headset with a new unit or repair the existing one. I opted to go with a new one and i received the new headset within a day of it being shipped out of their warehouse via "UPS next day air" . I tested the new unit and found it to be fault free (no buzz) and very comfortable. yet to use it in the airplane. I highly commend lightspeed for their friendly,speedy and committed customer care. Would recommend the headset to anyone interested in it.

Hope this helps

Sahan M

[blue up]

Score one for Bose. I've had mine for 2 years of short and longhaul flying and it developed a warbling noise as you started to descend. Very annoying. Posted it back to HSL in Shoreham and it came back within a week. All new hygeine stuff, 2 new earphone modules (corrosion!?) and some minor monkeying around with the mic. Total cost? £11 to post it and absolutely nothing else. Happy customer.

[tecman]

I'd support Steve's comments about trying before you buy, if you possibly can. In my case, though, the decision was the opposite to his: I found the Sennheiser S1 superior to bothe the Bose and Zulu. The high passive attenuation, plus the ability to re-calculate the ANR profile is a real benefit in my aircraft.

[riverrock83]

Agree with the trying yourself thing.
I tried S1, Bose A20 and Zulu 2 in the shop. The A20 ear cushion sat on my ear in a way I suspect would have been uncomfortable after a long time. S1 ear cup was too long - seemed to sit on my jaw almost leaving a gap so Zulu 2 it is. Very happy with them!
My instructor was there too but for him the A20 was more comfy.
As for passive - they aren't too bad. I've turned active reduction off in the air and they were still usable.

Can't really comment on Zulu2 battery life. To get used to them (and before the no quibble return time finished!) I spent a fair number of hours wandering around the house at Christmas time listening to music through bluetooth. I then had around 3 hours of lessons in the air before the batteries came to an end - but since the Transair shop at Shoreham gave me the batteries for free so that I could try the Zulu 2 out (and I don't know what state the batteries were in to start with) I can't complain!

Lightspeed promotional gifts take their time though. "Ship within 12 weeks" but I sent them details on 4th December. I haven't thought about it since (other than to confirm that they got my email) but its been a bit more than that now. Time for some chasing I think...

[Steevo25]

I own both headsets and have done for nearly a year now. I did review my experiences of both side-by-side but cannot remember where I put the review.

For me, they both have their pluses and minuses and it was pretty hard for me to say one was better than the other. I had the Bose bought for me as a present from my wife and the Zulu 2 I was given when a family member had to give up flying due to ill health.

If I was buying just one headset now then for me, it would have to be the Zulu 2. Since I did that review I have had issues with the Bose where it kept switching off during flight for no explainable reason. This was sent back under warranty and since it was returned have not had a further problem.

But I would still go for the Zulu 2 on cost alone. Not because I want to buy cheap but because for the price difference between the 2 there is absolutely no way I can justify the difference in quality with the price difference. The Zulu 2 for me is in every way as good as the Bose in both what it does and the build quality but for a much cheaper price.

Other smaller things that matter to me as well are simple things like the quality of the case supplied. The Zulu 2 comes in a hard case that is very protective if something is stood or dropped on it whereas the Bose is a soft case that would not protect the headset in anyway should the same happen.

Over all, with price taken into the equation, I think the Zulu 2 is a much better deal. With regards to battery life, I would say that the Zulu 2 has slightly better battery life but there really is not much in it.

The only way to really know is to try both as different people have different preferences.

[zoneout]

Bose X vs Zulu

I own both the Bose X and the Zulu (1), and have about 50 hours with the Bose A20. 95% of the time with the X and the Zulu is in King Air 200. I find both the X and the A20 to be less comfortable than the Zulu: I get a hotspot on the top of my head with both. Nothing at all like that with the Zulu, they are fantastic. My Zulu is four (maybe five?) years old, probably 1000 hours, and no problems other than an earseal coming apart. The Bose has had an electronics repair (cant remember what the problem was), as well as a cracked earcup stirrup (the forked part which connects the cup to the headband). In my opinion, the Bose's look as if they are better quality, but they are not.

Personally, I cannot tell the difference in noise reduction between the three. Maybe the A20 is better than the X. I find the Lightspeed much more comfortable, and the music streaming is a must-have for me. I havent checked the passive reduction, but the Lightspeed is pretty terrible with no battery power. I always cary spares and batteries are easy to change in flight. I have also never had any functional problems with the ANR, so the passive has never been an issue. Apparently the passive is better with the Zulu.2, and I have just bought one (currently on an $800 special), and am selling my Bose.

[India Four Two]

I've never tried the Bose, but I had an early Zulu and I traded it in for the Zulu 2. I'm very happy with it. Very comfortable and the noise-reduction is very good. The first time I wore my first Zulu, I had to turn off the noise reduction briefly on climb out to make sure the engine sounded OK!

An important point, that has been made on this and other headset threads, is try before you buy. I cannot wear DC headsets for any length of time because I have a wide head and the head band presses uncomfortably on the top of my head.

[Pogie]

I'm toying with buying two Bose A20's for my little piston airplane, and I've got a couple of questions that the kid in the Pilot Shop didn't seem to have any clue about.

Both headsets would be powered by the airplane, which is already wired for the Bose headsets. The questions are regarding the BlueTooth option. The way I understand it, the BlueTooth only allows you to wirelessly use your phone, but you can't play music from your iPhone, or iPad via BlueTooth. Is this correct?

Is there any reason to get a BlueTooth version for the passenger? I don't care if my passenger can make/take calls using their phone.

When using your phone, can the passenger hear and participate in the call?

If playing music through the auxillary audio input (or BlueTooth if possible), can the passenger hear this through the intercom?

Thanks for any responses.

[Steevo25]

You can only hear through the headset that the phone or music is connected to either by bluetooth or cable. If you have your headset bluetoothed to your phone and get a call then the passenger will be able to hear what you are saying but will not be able to hear what is coming through your phone. Similarly, if you have an iPod connected to your headset via the cable, then only you will be able to hear the music. The passenger could have their own iPod connected to their one and only hear their music.

The phone part of the bluetooth is a bit useless except for using it on the ground. I never get a signal anyway once I am above about 1000feet.

[toptobottom]

If you have your headset bluetoothed to your phone and get a call then the passenger will be able to hear what you are saying but will not be able to hear what is coming through your phone.

I don't think that's correct. I use the A20's BlueTooth feature to talk via the Mobile network and my iPhone, but my passengers can hear neither side of my conversation; they can however, continue to hear music played via the audio output from the iPhone.

[Steevo25]

Whether there is a setting somewhere I don't know, but my passenger can definitely hear me talking during a Bluetooth phone call. I don't use this feature as a rule, but when I tried it out my wife heard every word that I said in the conversation but she could not hear the person I was talking to.

[nickbrettfly]

The Zulu 2 is the better deal. The Bose price is hiked whereas the Zulu definately represents more value for money. You're paying extra for the Bose name. It's an idea thrown around a lot but it seems true.
I'd be behind Lightspeed as they show a lot of passion for the product and ongoing development.

[mikehallam]

FWIW,

Flying a very rattly and noisy Rans in England good passive protection is a boon. Obviously what one flies and how much one values hearing versus comfort (but surely not 'looks') is dominant.
The above mentioned rivals do appear to need anr functioning all the time which means still a % risk of ear damage from ambient noise leaking in.

I chatted to my nephew in the USA with a VariEze and took his advice & bought top of the range Sennheiser with anr.

Compared with my generic standby headset it's streets ahead. All I need is comfort for a couple of hours, very good anr and able to wear glasses.
I don't listen to musak, just wish to hear & communicate with ATC etc.

I'm lucky and they do work, though a hefty £500 quid a couple of years ago took a certain amount of courage. In the end better value perhaps than stepping up in stages to 'better' models.

mike hallam.