Headset Comparison

ktup-flyer

ktup-flyer

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ktup-flyer
Good comparison with some actual data. I’ve put ~250 hours on my A20s and I haven’t found anything better. The in-ears are more comfortable, but the noise attenuation just doesn’t compare.
https://youtu.be/Db88AB1WMFQ
 
kgruber said:
Not a good comparison.
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Yeah I agree. Would’ve been better if he would’ve given the decibel readout for each headset rather than, ‘yep it’s quieter than the Bose’ or ‘this one is a little quieter than the last pair’.
 
I never understood the DC following. Because of how they stack up here at work Id never own one. And I can fix anything that's wrong with them too, still wouldn't own one if it was given to me. Maybe he is sponsored by Bose. mhmm
 
simtech said:
I never understood the DC following. Because of how they stack up here at work Id never own one. And I can fix anything that's wrong with them too, still wouldn't own one if it was given to me. Maybe he is sponsored by Bose. mhmm
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So how exactly do they "stack up at work"?
 
GRG55 said:
So how exactly do they "stack up at work"?
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They fall apart and break. We are constantly replacing mics and volume adjust rehostats.

Edit: now granted, they are used by students who don't treat them well. Ill give them that but I still won't own one because of how much they break. Maybe that is not typical outside of the training environment. But it has soured me on them.
 
GRG55 said:
:yeahthat:

Who compares a $300 passive DC (his student pilot headset) with an $1100 Bose and then declares Bose the winner... :lol:
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“Winner” is subjective, like he said. Some people like cheap crap and are happy with it... I was more interested in the noise attenuation differences in the same environment.
 
Ryanb said:
Yeah I agree. Would’ve been better if he would’ve given the decibel readout for each headset rather than, ‘yep it’s quieter than the Bose’ or ‘this one is a little quieter than the last pair’.
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Sooooo, which ones did you want the ear cup dB reading for that he didn’t give??
 
Ryanb said:
Yeah I agree. Would’ve been better if he would’ve given the decibel readout for each headset rather than, ‘yep it’s quieter than the Bose’ or ‘this one is a little quieter than the last pair’.
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I haven't tried Bose (can't afford them), but I have a used set of Lightspeed Zulus. Recently I've gone back to my old passive DC's because I find much less ear fatigue with the passive set. Basically if it's a short flight I'll use the Zulus since the sound quality is better, if its a long cross country I'll use the DCs to avoid incipient headache.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
I haven't tried Bose (can't afford them), but I have a used set of Lightspeed Zulus. Recently I've gone back to my old passive DC's because I find much less ear fatigue with the passive set. Basically if it's a short flight I'll use the Zulus since the sound quality is better, if its a long cross country I'll use the DCs to avoid incipient headache.
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Interesting, that’s quite the opposite experience that most people have.
 
Ryanb said:
Interesting, that’s quite the opposite experience that most people have.
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Yes I know. I bought the Zulu's used so maybe they are defective in some way.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
I haven't tried Bose (can't afford them), but I have a used set of Lightspeed Zulus. Recently I've gone back to my old passive DC's because I find much less ear fatigue with the passive set. Basically if it's a short flight I'll use the Zulus since the sound quality is better, if its a long cross country I'll use the DCs to avoid incipient headache.
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I tried a pair of Lightspeeds from my flight school for a cross country flight and experienced the same headache. Once I hit the button to turn on the ANR noise level instantly went down and I was grinning from ear to ear. However, after the fight I had a heck of a headache that I had never had before on any flight. I then purchased a set of DC's with ANR and have not had the problem whatsoever. I believe the different manufacturers uses different ANR technology with different frequencies to cancel out the noise and my brain just doesn't like the lightspeeds.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
I haven't tried Bose (can't afford them), but I have a used set of Lightspeed Zulus. Recently I've gone back to my old passive DC's because I find much less ear fatigue with the passive set. Basically if it's a short flight I'll use the Zulus since the sound quality is better, if its a long cross country I'll use the DCs to avoid incipient headache.
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I actually feel the same as you about the headsets I use. In training +/- 20 years ago, ANR headsets were just becoming popular, but they weren't really in my price range to even try. I had a newer David Clark headset at the time and still use the same model to this day. My training set still works and is used for my occasional passengers. I purchased a Bose A20 and ended up selling it after a few months. They were comfortable enough on my head, but there is something about the ANR function that doesn't work with my ears. To me, while there was a slight difference in noise reduction, the "artificial sound" of the ANR feature was more annoying to me than hearing a tiny bit more of the engine noise. I've tried other ANR sets also and found the same to be true for those. For me the ANR sets just don't work. I hear it from other others all the time that ask me, "how can you hear anything with that old headset? You need to get an ANR setup." We all heard just fine 20 years ago and I don't think planes got any louder since then. I, personally, don't see the benefit of the ANR. I guess the benefit of this situation for me is I spend a whole lot less for a headset.
 
Discussions of cephalgia related to headsets need to be controlled for altitude.....flying above 6,000 commonly gives me a headache, below that never.
 
ktup-flyer said:
I own a pair of QT Halos. It’s not even close. You’re welcome to buy them if you want... used twice
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No thanks, got two pair. Also have a Bose A20......use my QTs always.


.....wanna buy my A20’s?
 
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ktup-flyer said:
I own a pair of QT Halos. It’s not even close. You’re welcome to buy them if you want... used twice
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My opinion after selling headsets for 15 years and doing testing in all sorts of planes it that the Bose and Halo both suck.
The Lightspeeds and Clarity Aloft perform way better.
The A20 won't handle the noise flying a 172 with the window open!
I have tested the whole line of Lightspeeds in Cessna's, Bonanza's, Stearmans, Pitts, Christen Eagles, Cubs and several other extremely loud aerobatic planes. All the Bose would do in the loud stuff is buzz, crackle and pop! I had 2 new Bose A20's to test with.
I used to sell lots of Bose but stopped. To many unhappy buyers. I do not get any complaints on the Lightspeed stuff I sell.
 
pigpenracing said:
My opinion after selling headsets for 15 years and doing testing in all sorts of planes it that the Bose and Halo both suck.
The Lightspeeds and Clarity Aloft perform way better.
The A20 won't handle the noise flying a 172 with the window open!
I have tested the whole line of Lightspeeds in Cessna's, Bonanza's, Stearmans, Pitts, Christen Eagles, Cubs and several other extremely loud aerobatic planes. All the Bose would do in the loud stuff is buzz, crackle and pop! I had 2 new Bose A20's to test with.
I used to sell lots of Bose but stopped. To many unhappy buyers. I do not get any complaints on the Lightspeed stuff I sell.
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Just wondering......ever sell QTs?
 
pigpenracing said:
My opinion after selling headsets for 15 years and doing testing in all sorts of planes it that the Bose and Halo both suck.
The Lightspeeds and Clarity Aloft perform way better.
The A20 won't handle the noise flying a 172 with the window open!
I have tested the whole line of Lightspeeds in Cessna's, Bonanza's, Stearmans, Pitts, Christen Eagles, Cubs and several other extremely loud aerobatic planes. All the Bose would do in the loud stuff is buzz, crackle and pop! I had 2 new Bose A20's to test with.
I used to sell lots of Bose but stopped. To many unhappy buyers. I do not get any complaints on the Lightspeed stuff I sell.
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Bose doesn’t do well in wind, I agree. I assume that’s because of where they put the port for the anc microphone. I’m usually up at 8500ft+, so that’s not a big deal, unless I’m flying low over our land during the summer. Did you ever try the Sennheisers when they were in the aviation market?
 
ktup-flyer said:
Bose doesn’t do well in wind, I agree. I assume that’s because of where they put the port for the anc microphone. I’m usually up at 8500ft+, so that’s not a big deal, unless I’m flying low over our land during the summer. Did you ever try the Sennheisers when they were in the aviation market?
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Yes the Sennheiser S1 was a good headset but not as good as the Lightspeed stuff.
 
ktup-flyer said:
I own a pair of QT Halos. It’s not even close. You’re welcome to buy them if you want... used twice
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Are you sure you're getting the foamies in deep enough? Ive found them to be every bit as quiet as the bose X and my Sierras(which I like a lot). But you have to get them in far enough. My main beef with the in ears is I have a hard time getting them in so I don't use them on short flights.
 
pigpenracing said:
No. from time to time I get the Clarity aloft but I don't like the QT's. I guess it is all opinion but I tried the QT's and much preferred the Clarity.
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So you are of low opinion of something from which you do not profit....got it.
 
wrbix said:
So you are of low opinion of something from which you do not profit....got it.
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No... That is not the case. I do not sell junk products that I would not use in my own airplane!
I used to sell lots of Bose and got lots of complaints. It isn't worth my time to deal with issues that I don't have to deal with.
I chose to cut back to the Lightspeed line mainly because they are rock solid... I used to sell lots and lots of Passive David Clarks which are great.
Now everyone wants ANR and David Clarks are no longer wanted.
I have lots of time with the Halo. The first one I bought new and sent it right back because it looked like a 3 year old kid made it.... I got a second one and the build quality was better but I hated it after using a Clarity Aloft.
The Clarity Aloft cost more than that Halo for a reason!
 
I liked my Halo’s and CA’s for different reasons. The Halo mic is garbage and wouldn’t stay in place but I like the ear tubes better than the little speaker on the CA’s. I liked the ear inserts better on the CA’s but given the price difference I would probably go back to Halo’s if I bought another pair. As for Lightspeed vs Bose I think we all know they are so close in performance it comes down to personal fit. I think the Bose has better noise cancelation and sound quality and are lighter. However they don’t fit my head shape and ears as well and they feel cheaply made compared to the Lightspeeds. Combine that with the extra cost and I don’t see me ever buying another Bose. If they were the same price it would be a tossup but since they aren’t I feel you get more bang for the buck with Lightspeed.
 
I'm very happy with my lightspeed Zulu 3. Very comfortable, very low clamping pressure, audio quality is really good.
I don't know the ear pads will last but so far, it's been a year and they still look good.
 
It all comes down to personal preference. What works for you may not work for me, etc. The only "best" for what is best for you.

Me? Noise and comfort. Passive DC gave me (and my wife) bad headaches. New ANR headsets took that right off the table. Can fly for hours with no issue. Fit - the Bose just didn't fit me / fit over my ears comfortably. The Zulu 3 with bigger ear cups fit perfectly.

And that is how I ended up with 2 Zulu headsets (for me and my wife) and why I traded in my old DC passive. ( I have a Clarity Aloft set that I'll keep in case I ever get a second passenger someday).
 
BTW - unsolicited comment about PigPenRacing. Bought a used Zulu from him for the wife. It was complete with case, instruction book, new ear cups and mic cover. I have to look at the cord style when we have them both out to make sure what version it is vs my "bought brand new" Zulu 3 - it is that clean and new looking. Great guy to work with, great product. AND.... well before buying from him he was a great source of information, as I chatted with him a lot covering a lot of topics on headsets.
 
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