Bose A20 vs Lightspeed PFX?

BellyUpFish

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Anyone tried both of these sets?

If so, what were your thoughts?
Did you buy either?
Which one?
Why?
 
Don't rule out the Senheiser, great headset.
 
I'd also like to know as I currently fly w/ the A20 and will never go back to non-ANC for GenAv flying. Looking for a 2nd headset for the future and am also curious on the OP's question. Sorry to piggyback your thread, but am also very curious. Thx.
 
I current have an old beat up Lightspeed 20XL or something like that, A DC 13X and I'm flying with a Quiet Technologies Halo at the moment, I love that thing, but I'm sorta thinking about picking up the PFX.
 
kgruber said:
Poor microphone design on Lightspeed, precludes its use from the right seat.
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Huh? I've put a thousand hours on my Zulu sitting in the right seat.
 
Someone is backwards.
Doesn't seem to be either of the two Lightspeeds in the front of my plane.

I spoze if the primary mission of the headset is listening to Deathmetal at full volume, then the L/R channel orientation might be important. An extension cord routed under/behind the seat, or up under the panel and over, would probably solve it.

But, whuteva floats yah boot, matey.
I'm sure the Bose is a fine piece.
 
Quick question for those using noise canceling, after a few hours of flying with my non noise canceling dave clarks's my ears always ring. Is there any relief gained by using noise cancelling in that area??
 
Theboys said:
Uh..couldn't you put it on the other way
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Can you do music via Bluetooth with a Bose headset yet? That has always been the deal breaker for me.
 
Theboys said:
Uh..couldn't you put it on the other way
Click to expand...


Lightspeed no. A Bose or David Clark yes.


Some people can live with the inconvenience, tangled cords around their neck, poor ergonomics, poor design and cheap construction.

I like the clean design of mike on either side. And it is a peculiar flaw, because their cheapy Lightspeed Sierra goes both ways.
 
I fly in both seats regularly. I have never really noticed any difference in the way the cord feels.
 
1RTK1 said:
Quick question for those using noise canceling, after a few hours of flying with my non noise canceling dave clarks's my ears always ring. Is there any relief gained by using noise cancelling in that area??
Click to expand...

I don't know the answer to that. I feel like I get better noise protection with my older Bose X vs the cheap passives I have. You'd probably be best served by borrowing a set from somebody if that's possible and seeing for yourself.
 
Love my PFX, the Bose headsets do not fit my square head. That vband hits the upper sides of my head and they clamp too tight. I will take my Zulus or PFX anytime. On the PFX the music quality will blow your mind. Someone else asked if ANR headsets would help prevent ringing in the ears he is experincing after flying with non ANR headsets. I suspect it would help a lot. Borrow a pair of Zulus and you will fall in love and the PFX is even better. Lightspeed will also give you a refund if you buy a set and are not happy, no muss and no fuss. By the way they also offer an excellent instructor discount on two headsets per year. It was if I recall $150 on the PFX.
 
Zulu .2 here and no complaints..

The bluetooth is really good at integrating music or with flight apps.
 
jesse said:
Can you do music via Bluetooth with a Bose headset yet? That has always been the deal breaker for me.
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Nope, only phone calls.

Really stupid if you ask me.

I run an aux cord from my iphone to the control box on the headset cord. I learn to live with that because the music coming through them sounds really good.
 
I went with a20's. The light speed anr made me get a headache after a while. Not so with the Bose. Even after 7-8flight hour days. Fits my head better and the big one is Bose are TSO'd.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My headset comparison test is to see which is better without power to the ANR. Bose hasn't won yet.
 
Bose does not let you bluetooth the music to the headset but with the aux cable that is provided you can plug in your ipad or whatever you need to.
 
rbridges said:
I don't know the answer to that. I feel like I get better noise protection with my older Bose X vs the cheap passives I have. You'd probably be best served by borrowing a set from somebody if that's possible and seeing for yourself.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. My ears ring enough as it is already, all those years of shooting without protection. Now I just have to find someone with a good set to test.
 
1RTK1 said:
Thanks for the response. My ears ring enough as it is already, all those years of shooting without protection. Now I just have to find someone with a good set to test.
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Pretty much all the manufacturers offer a 30 day money back 'try me' period.
 
I bave a pair of original Zulus for my plane. They work extremely well. Lightspeeds customer support is second to none. A few months ago I needed to send one of my headsets in for service to replace a battery box that got melted in the hot sun. Even though the warranty expired years ago, the headset came back completely overhauled like a brand new headset. No charge at all for the repairs. You can't beat that level of service with a stick. All I had to pay for was shipping one way. Does Bose or any other maker take care of their customers like that?
 
I purchased the Bose & Lightspeed to try them both knowing I would return one within 30 days. Of course it's a personal preference but the Bose A20 fit better & it clamped my head much less so I returned the Lightspeed.
Both very good headsets, just the Bose was better for me.

I did experience a problem with my A20 after about 4 months where the auto power off stopped working & it was draining my batteries. Bose sent me a new cable & module assembly straight away which fixed the problem. Their customer service was very good.

Also check the fit of the headset with the sunglasses you normally wear.
 
Can anyone compare the fit of the PFX to the Zulu (or Zulu 2)? I have an original Zulu which fit me better than the Bose X but I know that the A20 fits me far better than any of the others (Zulu 2 fit worse than the Zulu 1, not quite as badly as the X).

I may end up just getting both for 30 days.....
 
Also, anyone have experience with changing Mono/Stereo settings with either? The Zulu 1 has a somewhat buried DIP switch and it's a pain.
 
Bose A20's have dip switches behind the batteries
 
scottfromboston said:
Can anyone compare the fit of the PFX to the Zulu (or Zulu 2)? I have an original Zulu which fit me better than the Bose X but I know that the A20 fits me far better than any of the others (Zulu 2 fit worse than the Zulu 1, not quite as badly as the X).

I may end up just getting both for 30 days.....
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The PFX seem to have even less clamping pressure than the Zulu to me. That is obviously just my personal judgement. I have no way to really quantify that.
 
I bought both with the intention of keeping one.

I really wanted to like the lightspeed. It was a nice fit. The Kevlar cable felt solid. Audio Bluetooth and use of iPad were definite plus.

Negatives: the anr kept changing when I moved my head with glasses on. Talking on the phone with the Bluetooth, people had a hard time hearing me.

End result. I love my Bose.
 
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Raysracer said:
I bought both with the intention of keeping one.

I really wanted to like the lightspeed. It was a nice fit. The Kevlar cable felt solid. Audio Bluetooth and use of iPad were definite plus.

Negatives: the anr kept changing when I moved my head with glasses on. Talking on the phone with the Bluetooth, people had a hard time hearing me.

End result. I love my Bose.
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This is precisely what I found with the Zulu.2 and occasionally with my current Zulu... the X didn't fit at all (ear cups too small?). A20 fits great.

The Bose being made in the USA (and designed about 5 miles from home) sets the nail... I'll try it out first. Thanks all.
 
scottfromboston said:
[snip] the X didn't fit at all (ear cups too small?). A20 fits great.
[snip]
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This is why it's so critical to try headsets on. (And try them out if you can.) Fit is critical for any of them.

John
 
I fly with the PFX....battery life sucks but the noise canceling is second to none. Most of the guys at my company fly with Bose and after trying my PFX want to switch
 
Clamping force of PFX's is adjustable, call them they will walk you through it. They also seem to be sensitive for proper sitting/adjustment, but once done, they are awesome. I love mine.
 
Tried both and bought the Bose A20 without hesitation.

Bose won b/c:
- probably the best ANR
- very comfortable. I wore mine two weeks ago from New York to Key West (7 hours) and no complaints what so ever.

Light Speed PFX lost b/c:
- huge control unit
- it's the same price as Bose. ANR is very good but I couldn't careless about bluetooth stream music.
- Clamps too darn tight and not comfortable (probably the most important factor).

I also looked into AKG at Sun-N-Fun. The sales rep said there's no ANR difference between AKG and the Bose. But I can tell the difference and Bose is better.
 
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spdracer888 said:
Tried both and bought Bose without hesitation. Bose won b/c:
- probably the best ANR
- very comfortable. I wore mine two weeks ago from New York to Key West (7 hours) and no complaints what so ever.

Light Speed PFX lose b/c:
- huge brick control unit
- it's the same price as Bose. ANR is very good but I couldn't careless about bluetooth stream music.
- Clamps too darn tight and not comfortable (probably the most important factor).

I also checked out AKG at Sun-N-Fun. The sales rep told me that he guarantees me I can't hear the ANR difference between AKG and Bose. But my ears don't lie and Bose's ANR is better than AKG.
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I gotta admit I'm kinda glad I bought my Zulu 2 headset before the PFX hit the market. Because the control unit on the PFX's IS a brick. It holds four or six batteries I think as opposed to two batteries in the Zulu 2 unit.

I had the displeasure of fumbling with one in the back of an RV-8. The difference between the zulu 2 control and the PFX control is substantial.

I have not held or looked close at a Bose control unit, but the PFX gadget you could snap roll and knock yourself out, or drop it and break a toe with it.... ;)
 
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