drgwentzel
Pre-takeoff checklist
Flyers,
I thought I would provide a PIREP on Lightspeed’s new Tango wireless headset.
First some background…I have been utilizing Lightspeed headsets since I purchased my airplane in June 2002. I have owned almost every high-end pair they designed from 2002 until present. I have never been disappointed in their quality, comfort or customer service. I also own 2 pairs of Bose A20’s.
From the day I first heard the word “Bluetooth”, I couldn't understand why it took so long for one of the popular aviation headset companies to design a pair of wireless aviation, noise canceling, headsets. It seemed so easy to contemplate as I sat in my airplane in a spider's web of wires from headsets, portable GPS units, and charging cables. I could just envision the NTSB report if I ever crashed, “Man survives plane crash…strangles himself in sea of avionics wires as he attempted to exit the aircraft.”
When I saw the first report of Lightspeed’s press release of the Tango wireless headset, you know I stood up and took notice. I connected Sporty’s immediately and placed my pre-order as fast as possible. 800 dollars though!?! Why so cheap?! I became scared, but waited anxiously for its arrival.
They arrived on December 2 and I first flew with them on December 3. I was flying with a student in his Cherokee 6. This aircraft was well-equipped with a first-rate modern audio panel and intercom. I plugged the LS Tango in and turned the base unit and headset on.
My first reaction was that the headset felt comfortable, but noticeably heavier than my Lightspeed Zulu.2’s, PFX’s and my Bose A20’s. My second thought was that the anti-noise reduction was fair to ok; I felt my other headsets were a bit better, but not too noticeable. I had no complaints there.
Then my student said something over the intercom. I literally sat straight up in my seat and opened my eyes wider by 30%. His voice was so sharp and cutting that it took me by surprise. The first thing I did was check the volume controls on the intercom and then I adjusted the volume on my headset. When he spoke next there was no change other than volume. His voice was still sharp and uncomfortable to my ears. I quickly looked at his headset. I was convinced that he was wearing a very cheap and old set. To my surprise he was wearing Bose A20’s. I then gave a quick, “Check, 1, 2, 3”, and my own voice hurt my ears just as bad as his.
I immediately disconnected the Tango's and switched back to my Bose A20’s. On checking his voice and my voice, they were back to normal with nice, rich, deep comfortable tones.
I had 2 more lessons that day and all the airplanes had different audio panels and intercoms. My other students had differing headsets, and each time I experienced intercom sound quality which was unacceptably poor and uncomfortable.
The result was clear: The Lightspeed Tango headset had abrasive, sharp, cutting voice quality and I would call it…for lack of a better word, “tinny.”
Now the radio reception voice clarity seems reasonable and I had no complaints there. I don't know what the difference was, but there was a difference in quality between the radio voice tone and the intercom voice tone.
I did side-by-side comparisons to the Bose A20s and the Lightspeed Zulu.2’s music quality and found the Tango’s had comparable quality, but I preferred the Zulu’s by a small margin.
The Bluetooth capability and ease of use of the Tango headset worked fine and was simple to set up.
The provided case is well made and would protect the headset and panel unit easily and it is very attractive.
The panel unit is enclosed in a canvas material and a metal clip is provided to attach to the rear of the canvas so you can clip the panel unit to a seat pocket or other such device. But whoever thought up this design needed to seriously have their head slapped for providing absolutely no mental energy into designing this simple, but needed addition. This clip and its attachment scheme could not have had any design foresight at all; it is completely useless for what it was provided for, and does not, and cannot stay attached to the device if you ever unclip it from whatever you clipped it to.
There are also some plastic parts in the Tango that are metal in the higher end Lightspeed products. Some parts had a flimsy feel, such as, the battery doors and the Stereo/Mono switch. I could tell these would break or fail completely in very short order.
Don't get me wrong; as I said in the beginning, I love Lightspeed products, I have been impressed with their designs, quality, and their customer support. I have never been disappointed before.
In conclusion, it is my opinion that this Tango headset is Lightspeed’s Ford Edsel. It is not that attractive, it is heavy, some parts have a cheap feel, and it has a tinny sound quality when providing intercom communications.
I reluctantly sent it back today, sad that it could not reach my reasonable expectations of comparable sound quality and comfort to their Zulu line.
Gene Wentzel
I thought I would provide a PIREP on Lightspeed’s new Tango wireless headset.
First some background…I have been utilizing Lightspeed headsets since I purchased my airplane in June 2002. I have owned almost every high-end pair they designed from 2002 until present. I have never been disappointed in their quality, comfort or customer service. I also own 2 pairs of Bose A20’s.
From the day I first heard the word “Bluetooth”, I couldn't understand why it took so long for one of the popular aviation headset companies to design a pair of wireless aviation, noise canceling, headsets. It seemed so easy to contemplate as I sat in my airplane in a spider's web of wires from headsets, portable GPS units, and charging cables. I could just envision the NTSB report if I ever crashed, “Man survives plane crash…strangles himself in sea of avionics wires as he attempted to exit the aircraft.”
When I saw the first report of Lightspeed’s press release of the Tango wireless headset, you know I stood up and took notice. I connected Sporty’s immediately and placed my pre-order as fast as possible. 800 dollars though!?! Why so cheap?! I became scared, but waited anxiously for its arrival.
They arrived on December 2 and I first flew with them on December 3. I was flying with a student in his Cherokee 6. This aircraft was well-equipped with a first-rate modern audio panel and intercom. I plugged the LS Tango in and turned the base unit and headset on.
My first reaction was that the headset felt comfortable, but noticeably heavier than my Lightspeed Zulu.2’s, PFX’s and my Bose A20’s. My second thought was that the anti-noise reduction was fair to ok; I felt my other headsets were a bit better, but not too noticeable. I had no complaints there.
Then my student said something over the intercom. I literally sat straight up in my seat and opened my eyes wider by 30%. His voice was so sharp and cutting that it took me by surprise. The first thing I did was check the volume controls on the intercom and then I adjusted the volume on my headset. When he spoke next there was no change other than volume. His voice was still sharp and uncomfortable to my ears. I quickly looked at his headset. I was convinced that he was wearing a very cheap and old set. To my surprise he was wearing Bose A20’s. I then gave a quick, “Check, 1, 2, 3”, and my own voice hurt my ears just as bad as his.
I immediately disconnected the Tango's and switched back to my Bose A20’s. On checking his voice and my voice, they were back to normal with nice, rich, deep comfortable tones.
I had 2 more lessons that day and all the airplanes had different audio panels and intercoms. My other students had differing headsets, and each time I experienced intercom sound quality which was unacceptably poor and uncomfortable.
The result was clear: The Lightspeed Tango headset had abrasive, sharp, cutting voice quality and I would call it…for lack of a better word, “tinny.”
Now the radio reception voice clarity seems reasonable and I had no complaints there. I don't know what the difference was, but there was a difference in quality between the radio voice tone and the intercom voice tone.
I did side-by-side comparisons to the Bose A20s and the Lightspeed Zulu.2’s music quality and found the Tango’s had comparable quality, but I preferred the Zulu’s by a small margin.
The Bluetooth capability and ease of use of the Tango headset worked fine and was simple to set up.
The provided case is well made and would protect the headset and panel unit easily and it is very attractive.
The panel unit is enclosed in a canvas material and a metal clip is provided to attach to the rear of the canvas so you can clip the panel unit to a seat pocket or other such device. But whoever thought up this design needed to seriously have their head slapped for providing absolutely no mental energy into designing this simple, but needed addition. This clip and its attachment scheme could not have had any design foresight at all; it is completely useless for what it was provided for, and does not, and cannot stay attached to the device if you ever unclip it from whatever you clipped it to.
There are also some plastic parts in the Tango that are metal in the higher end Lightspeed products. Some parts had a flimsy feel, such as, the battery doors and the Stereo/Mono switch. I could tell these would break or fail completely in very short order.
Don't get me wrong; as I said in the beginning, I love Lightspeed products, I have been impressed with their designs, quality, and their customer support. I have never been disappointed before.
In conclusion, it is my opinion that this Tango headset is Lightspeed’s Ford Edsel. It is not that attractive, it is heavy, some parts have a cheap feel, and it has a tinny sound quality when providing intercom communications.
I reluctantly sent it back today, sad that it could not reach my reasonable expectations of comparable sound quality and comfort to their Zulu line.
Gene Wentzel
