Headset Questions

Utah-Jay

Utah-Jay

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Jay
I will apologize in advance for the typical “which one?” thread.

I have questions :)

I do not have the ability to try out/on either the Bose A20 or the Zulu3 headsets. I potentially will be flying both the Lemo and Dual GA plug planes which makes it more difficult yet.

I have a medium sized head and for work (non-aviation but wear headsets) I prefer over the ear rather than on the ear.

Both seem like very good ANR headsets reading reviews and having used the search here. I will be flying Bush planes from Rans (dual plug) to Carbon Cubs (Lemo)

Is one of the two a better choice for me? I think from reading reviews that both are great for the noise cancelling, but which is better for the different plugs if either and better served for over the ear?

Price? I HATE the Bose price and would likely buy them on eBay or from @pigpenracing here as opposed to new for the Zulu 3

Thanks in advance
 
I've had David Clark, Telex, Avcom, QT halo, and Clarity Aloft. When I tried my friend's "spare" Bose A20, I was blown away. I've tried on the Zulu 3. It seems to be close to the A-20. But, to me the A20's head-clamp seems to be just a little bit nicer.
 
I have Halo, BoseA20, Zulu 3.
I can hear controllers more clear and more consistently with the Bose than anything. The Zulus are the most comfortable for me but only by a touch.
Moving the Bose around any breaks the seal pretty quickly. Not quite as bad on the Zulu.
Halos are pretty nice but they have their place. Usually I carry them as a spare set for their size alone.
 
I do lots of flying in lots of planes and test everything. As you see I do not sell any Bose stuff anymore. I had lots of issues with reliability and the Bose WILL NOT work in a plane that is extremely loud or has any wind.
The Lightspeed line works flawless. The Lightspeeds have a adjustable mic gain, I keep mine all the way down and the mic picks up 0 wind noise in the Cub or Stearman.
When I had the Pitts the A20 would just buzz, crackle and pop because it couldn't handle the noise. I called Bose and was told that the headset was not designed for a loud plane!
At idle when you hit the power button on the Bose you go "WOW" it got real quiet. At full power they suck. I have real world testing in LOTS of different planes. The Bose is good in a 172 with the window closed. Open the window and they get wacky!
Just my 2 cents.....
 
If the extra $250 is a big deal, I'd go with the Zulu 3. I doubt that there is a whit of difference in quality between the two. I think the Bose A20 has marginally better sound and is more comfortable, but probably not $250 better. As to Lemo vs GA, there are a bazillion Lemo/Redel to GA and GA to Lemo/Redel adapters that work fine for both brands everywhere from Sporty's to Amazon.
 
Try the Sierra...biggest bang for the buck imo., and very very similar if not identical ANR and audio quality as the Zulu series.
 
If you do get a chance to try one, shut off the ANR for a moment in climb or cruise. It’ll make you wonder how you got along without it for so long.

Very pleased with my Lightspeed Zulu.
 
I have about 700 hours with the Sierra, sent them in twice for repair. Fit me fine, didn’t fit the wife or kiddos very well. About 20 hours in Bose...don’t think they are worth the price. Recently purchased the DC One x from David Clark...wife and kiddos tried them and loved them as well. We now have 4 in the plane, they fit all sizes of melons, are way more comfortable than the Lightspeed, and after 30 hours with them, I would not buy anything else for comfort...I have no data on repair or lifespan yet.
 
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I've got a variety of headsets in the plane. I use LS Tangos now (even nicer that I realized there was more cable for the transmitter wound up inside the case so it sits out of the way. I have a pair of Zulu.3's, Margy's ClaritiyAlofts and a pair of Pilot Avioncs kid's headsets.

A lot of this is going to be personal preference. Everybody's head is different. What fits me well doesn't fit my wife or the grandkids. I used to detest the "in the ear" kind but my wife loves the (of course now that I've been wearing hearing aids for a few years, I'm more used to it, but it means I have to take them out to put the CAs in).

If you don't own (or at least fly pretty exclusively) a plane with LEMO, get the dual plugs. You'll need an adapter for the lemo-equipped.
 
Thanks all, I am leaning towards the Zulu 3 for the ear fit. Online reviews seem to be pretty equal for the noise cancelling and the better fit are gonna win out
 
All planes that I've flown that have a LEMO connection (not too many, really) ALSO have dual plug jacks. Assuming this is the case with you, the only real option is to use dual plugs.
 
I spent an entire Oshkosh a few years back trying on every headset I could including the Bose, Lightspeeds, Clarity's, Beyer/Senheisers, and a few others. It came down to the Bose and the Zulu.2's (which were the current model then). I just decided that the LightSpeeds (for me at least) did a better job. I used them until I was getting into the plane one day and must have smacked the headphone plug and broke it. I sent the headsets off to LS for repair and they offered for a small fee to turn them into Zulu.3's for me. I bought the Tangos while I was waiting for those to come back because we were short rear seat headsets anyhow (the ancient Lightspeed 20XL s we had there had just grown too brittle).
 
I have an original version 1 Lightspeed Zulu. Still ticking. The battery box is a little tacky, but I'll tackle that some other day.
 
@pigpenracing

Your Sierra’s, is Bluetooth only for phone calls? Music is via a cord? Or is music to an iPhone Bluetooth too?
 
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pigpenracing said:
I do lots of flying in lots of planes and test everything. As you see I do not sell any Bose stuff anymore. I had lots of issues with reliability and the Bose WILL NOT work in a plane that is extremely loud or has any wind.
The Lightspeed line works flawless. The Lightspeeds have a adjustable mic gain, I keep mine all the way down and the mic picks up 0 wind noise in the Cub or Stearman.
When I had the Pitts the A20 would just buzz, crackle and pop because it couldn't handle the noise. I called Bose and was told that the headset was not designed for a loud plane!
At idle when you hit the power button on the Bose you go "WOW" it got real quiet. At full power they suck. I have real world testing in LOTS of different planes. The Bose is good in a 172 with the window closed. Open the window and they get wacky!
Just my 2 cents.....
Click to expand...
Have you experienced or heard any complaints of the Zulu's causing headaches while flying? I borrowed a set of Zulu's from my flight school during my training and while flying they seemed amazing. However, I also noticed that after the flight I had a lingering headache and wasn't sure if it was due to the frequency Lightspeed uses to create the noise cancelling. I ask as my wife has informed me that I should look into another headset so we don't need to keep borrowing headsets when we fly as a family. If I can use this as a reason to upgrade from my current headset I will do that. She may still get the new to us stuff but the jury is out on that one. :)
 
Will Kumley said:
Have you experienced or heard any complaints of the Zulu's causing headaches while flying? I borrowed a set of Zulu's from my flight school during my training and while flying they seemed amazing. However, I also noticed that after the flight I had a lingering headache and wasn't sure if it was due to the frequency Lightspeed uses to create the noise cancelling. I ask as my wife has informed me that I should look into another headset so we don't need to keep borrowing headsets when we fly as a family. If I can use this as a reason to upgrade from my current headset I will do that. She may still get the new to us stuff but the jury is out on that one. :)
Click to expand...

Never heard that.... I sell lots of Lightspeeds and really I get no complaints. look through my customer feedback on this site. I think I make everyone happy with the Lightspeeds I sell.
 
pigpenracing said:
Never heard that.... I sell lots of Lightspeeds and really I get no complaints. look through my customer feedback on this site. I think I make everyone happy with the Lightspeeds I sell.
Click to expand...
Let me get on a decent computer when I get home and do some research so I can convince the wife when she says get a new headset, she means get a headset from Pigpenracing. :)
 
I’ve owned them all, Zulu 3 for me, my wife loves her Sierra’s, even better than my Zulu’s, in fact it’s the only headset she has never complained about.
 
Sierra’s have been purchased from @pigpenracing

Thanks to all of you. Worst case scenario, my wife can use them for the rare time she will ride along
 
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