Headsets

[foresterpoole]

Got an email from Sporty's they (or Lightspeed) are offering $250.00 rebate on any trade in passive David Clarke headset applied to the purchase of one of their ANR models. I was looking at a Sierra, their "entry level" ANR with Bluetooth. I currently have an older David Clark passive headset I picked up for 20 bucks from a friend buying a Bose. I bought a bluelink for Bluetooth. It works ok, but it's not ideal. It's heavy and the bluelink's sound quality is not great. Anyone have experience with Lightspeed headsets? I like the fact Bluetooth is built in and they will be much lighter than my current set. But, I also like that the David Clark's don't need batteries, they are also reliable and served me well this far. Thoughts or reviews???

[Warmi]

I use their Sierra headset as my primary headset - hardly an entry model, I paid $600 for it

Works very well when it works but , since I bought it in Dec 2016 , I had to send it twice for repairs -both times it was some kind of internal cable/connectivity issue.
The headset is not being abused or anything , it just seems their design is a bit on the flimsy side -to their credit I never paid a cent for any of these repairs and everything was done quickly and without any undue questioning.

[TimTaylor]

I would probably jump on that. I paid about $1,000 for a Bose and it's worth every penny. I had a David Clark for years and, of course, there is no comparison.

[Wm.Ince]

. . . I had a David Clark for years and, of course, there is no comparison.

Which Bose would you recommend?
What is your opinion on Bose customer service? Any issues?

[TimTaylor]

Mine is the Bose A20. I've had it for a few years with zero issues. I've had no experience with the Bose customer service.

[Wm.Ince]

Mine is the Bose A20. I've had it for a few years with zero issues. I've had no experience with the Bose customer service.

Thanks.

[Scooper]

My new Bose A20 from Sporty's is due to be delivered by UPS tomorrow. I'm looking forward to using it.

[TimTaylor]

I bought a Lightspeed Sierra for my sister. She liked it, but I never used it. She became afraid to fly when my LSA checkout instructor was killed and I sold the Lightspeed on eBay.

My Mooney friend has used Lightspeed over the past 10 years or so and likes them.

[ShawnM]

I can say I dont have any experience with the Sierra headsets but I have 2 pairs of the Lightspeed Zulu 3's and can't say enough good things about them or the company. They are amazing headsets and the bluetooth works and sounds like a hardwired connection to my iPhone. They are light on your head and the ear cups are super soft and very comfortable.

I bought them both as Zulu 2 headsets, I bought one new for $895 about 5 years ago and one barely used for $500 (if I recall) about two years ago. When Lightspeed came out with the Zulu 3 version (last year I think) they were upgrading any Zulu 2 to a Zulu 3 for $200. Many improvements to the headset, inside and out and they extended the warranty 2 more years on both. Some of the older Zulu headsets had issues with the plastic parts getting sticky in high humid areas like Florida. They used to put a soft coating on the plastic parts but no longer do this. Over time they got sticky. I talked with them this year at Sun-N-Fun and inquired about the upgrade and told them I had TWO headsets I wanted to upgrade and could they possibly offer a discount. They did BOTH headset upgrades to the Zulu 3 for the price of one and turned them around in 8 days door to door. I couldn't say no and I couldn't be happier with them yet again.

I have never had any issues with the Lightspeed headsets and they have worked perfectly for the last 5 years. Battery life is excellent and the sound quality is amazing. I have it coupled with my stereo Garmin GTR-200 COM radio.

The basic Lightspeed warranty is 5 years and the Zulu 3's carry a 7 year warranty.

I know they may seem expensive for headsets but but they are worth every penny. You won't be disappointed with the Lightspeed product or their customer service, should you ever need them.

[Wm.Ince]

I can say I dont have any experience with the Sierra headsets but I have 2 pairs of the Lightspeed Zulu 3's and can't say enough good things about them or the company. They are amazing headsets and the bluetooth works and sounds like a hardwired connection to my iPhone. They are light on your head and the ear cups are super soft and very comfortable.

I bought them both as Zulu 2 headsets, I bought one new for $895 about 5 years ago and one barely used for $500 (if I recall) about two years ago. When Lightspeed came out with the Zulu 3 version (last year I think) they were upgrading any Zulu 2 to a Zulu 3 for $200. Many improvements to the headset, inside and out and they extended the warranty 2 more years on both. Some of the older Zulu headsets had issues with the plastic parts getting sticky in high humid areas like Florida. They used to put a soft coating on the plastic parts but no longer do this. Over time they got sticky. I talked with them this year at Sun-N-Fun and inquired about the upgrade and told them I had TWO headsets I wanted to upgrade and could they possibly offer a discount. They did BOTH headset upgrades to the Zulu 3 for the price of one and turned them around in 8 days door to door. I couldn't say no and I couldn't be happier with them yet again.

I have never had any issues with the Lightspeed headsets and they have worked perfectly for the last 5 years. Battery life is excellent and the sound quality is amazing. I have it coupled with my stereo Garmin GTR-200 COM radio.

The basic Lightspeed warranty is 5 years and the Zulu 3's carry a 7 year warranty.

I know they may seem expensive for headsets but but they are worth every penny. You won't be disappointed with the Lightspeed product or their customer service, should you ever need them.

Excellent review.
Thank you.

[CharlieTango]

I downgraded from Bose to Zulu's and couldn't be happier

[ShawnM]

I downgraded from Bose to Zulu's and couldn't be happier

That's what we call an "upgrade". Glad you like the Lightspeeds as well.

[foresterpoole]

Flew a short powerline partol today and the David Clark's worked ok. I was eyeing the other pilots Bose set, asked him about Lightspeed, he said they are good, a couple of pilots use them. The DC's got heavy and hot fast.

On another unrelated note, powerline patrol = super low, super slow and super uncoordinated. Almost felt like everything your not supposed to do wrapped into one bad maneuver.