Halo vs Zulu 3

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RocktheWings

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RocktheWings
Wondering if anyone can help me out on deciding if I should upgrade to the Zulu 3. I have the Halos right now and have been instructing for a bit, and noticed they are becoming a bit of an annoyance in the cockpit. Jumping between planes they’re a little more difficult to put on quickly, and with my hands all oily and grimy the ear plugs get pretty nasty. And then from time to time I struggle getting a good ear seal or one of the tips will randomly fall off; so its becoming annoying for myself and the student as I fiddle with it when we’re trying to go.

Overall though the Halos have been fantastic and the above are just really minor things and probably due to my own clumsiness. That said I’m trying to decide if I should move up to the Zulu 3 and get something a little better. I have a $100 Kore headset that I’ve been trial running right now and while the convenience of just putting it on is nice, the clamping pressure I can tell is going to be bothersome on these long 12 hour days.

I have a Lightspeed headset that I got back in like 1998 just laying around collecting dust, so with their trade in thing the Zulu 3’s have my attention at only being around $700. This will be my most expensive headset purchase to date, so just looking for advice on whether the price is justified and if the jump from the Halos to this will be worth it.

Thanks!
 
I like my Halos and they are <generally> what I use when I'm going to be in the aircraft for a couple of hours.

But if I'm doing short hops, I prefer my Lightspeeds because you can get them on and off in seconds, rather than a couple of minutes.
 
I’ve been running Zulus from the ones about 10yrs ago to now the 2s or 3s now (I forget) I really like them, most of the guys I’ve worked with are ether rocking the Bose Xs or whatever or the Zulus.

Also lots of stuff where you can save money, a crappy headset ain’t one.
 
I switched from Halo to Zulu this spring. My Halo developed an open circuit on the right side and I got essentially 0 customer support from the guy who makes them. Took advantage of one of LS’s trade in deals to get a new pair of Zulu 3 for $600. Kept the Halos as an emergency spare, and wore them again one day when I had a passenger and gave her my Zulus. Night and day difference in the noise reduction. Yes, you get the clampy feel on long flights, but so far I am happy with the switch.
 
If Z3's at $700 have you interested, check in with @pigpenracing who might make you more interested at a better price point.
 
I switch off between my Halo and Zulu 3 headsets. I prefer the Zulu except for the summertime when my ears sweat uncomfortably under its earcups. And the ear cushions get coated with sunscreen. Clamping pressure has never been an issue. Noise reduction is excellent.

My experiences with the Halos is similar to the OP's until I switched over the the silicone "Christmas tree" type tips. They are much quicker and easier to insert than the foam tips, so far they have lasted about 30 hrs with no sign of wear, and they provide excellent noise attenuation as long as I get them deeply enough into my ear canal for all 3 sets of baffles to seal.

I still haven't found a way to deal with the way the tug of the line cord affects the position of the microphone boom. I bought a cord clip (Quiet Technologies used to supply one with the headset, but no longer does so) and it helps keep it in position. But then turning towards the cord side it tends to push the mic upwards. If that isn't an issue for the OP, and he/she hasn't tried the silicone ear tips, give those a try and maybe postpone the Zulu purchase.
 
I can't compare the headsets for you, but i can tell you that Lightspeed has excellent customer service. I just upgraded a Zulu 2 to 3. I've only flown with it 1 hour, so can't tell you how much a difference it makes, but they were great through that process and refurbing an old Zulu.
 
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