Pireps on Lightspeed Delta Zulu, Please.

SoCal 182 Driver

SoCal 182 Driver

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Sep 11, 2019
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SoCal 182 Driver
Lightspeed is offering a $500 credit if I trade-in a Zulu 3 on the purchase of a Delta Zulu headset. Tempting.

I'd appreciate pireps on the Delta Zulu, please. What do you like? Dislike? If you can compare/contrast to a Bose A20, even better!

Thanks very much!
 
I bought one in July at OSH, but just tried it out this month after finally getting my new engine overhaul complete.

Pros:
-it has a CO detector that seems to work well.
-It’s reasonably comfortable.

Cons:
-not a fan of the noise canceling compared to my Bose A20s. Lots of popping when powering up on takeoff in my 182. Sound quality is not as nice as Bose.
-the cord is an odd braided cord that seems thin and not durable; no clips to clip to your seatbelt or whatever.
-battery box is odd and not inline; both the cord going to the plane and the headset come out of the same end.
-includes rechargeable battery pack but pack must be in battery box to charge. Not easy to leave headset in plane and take battery home to charge.
-USB cable on battery box is some odd size. Not sure if it’s proprietary, but it’s not a standard USB C like everything else I own.

Honestly, I’m not really happy with them. If it weren’t for the fact that I bought them 8 months ago, I probably would have returned them. Just my $.02.
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I don’t think you can buy the A20 new many places anymore. Unless you were wanting a comparison because the A20 is your baseline.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
I don’t think you can buy the A20 new many places anymore. Unless you were wanting a comparison because the A20 is your baseline.
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A20 is what I owned. I was kinda over the whole Bose electronics ecosystem so I didn’t give a strong consideration for the A30. I think the reality is that de facto lifetime headset support that was commonplace back in the 1990s is now ancient history (except for maybe still David Clarks).
 
I bought zulus when i started flying and loved them. The release of the delta Zulu coincided with my co detector dying, so I bought one. Sound wise they are the same.

The lithium battery works great for my use case. I just leave the cable plugged into my USB port, and plug it into the control box when it tells me it's getting low. They can charge while in use, so there's really no reason to remove the battery. They also come with another battery box that can take aa's, which i carry as a backup when I fly other planes. The lithium battery lasts like 40 hours. They do also sell a seperate charger now that accepts a usb-c.

I don't get the popping, but I've heard several people complain about it. Supposedly they released a software update to fix that. I have gotten a really loud whining noise a couple times on startup that requires a power cycle to stop, so I suppose i should update the software and see if that goes away.

I like the Kevlar cords. They don't seem to tangle at all. I willl say that the DZ cord likes to twist itself up more than the Zulu cord did, which is annoying. Not sure what that's about.

The UAC connector they use is dumb. They supposedly have some reasons for doing it, but no one else uses or makes the cord so far as I can tell. I just had to buy one because my original got lost during the 5 months my plane was down. $11, so it wasn't too terrible.

I like the lightspeed control box too. The cords both coming out the top allows me to tuck it into the ashtray on my plane, or the map pocket in the cessna.

I've only used a bose a couple times. I found the sound quality to be equivalent. The bose has smaller earcups that don't fit my ears as well, and I find the lightspeed to be more comfortable on my big head.

I did set up the equalizer, but don't really notice a difference vs my zulus. I also don't use the playback feature or the recording feature.

One thing I wish they would change is that you have to access a little dip switch under the battery to go from stereo to mono, as my plane has stereo and the cessna doesn't. It is a lot easier on the DZ than the zulu because the battery releases with little pushbottons instead of having to dig the aa's out of it.
 
Jim K said:
....Supposedly they released a software update to fix that. I have gotten a really loud whining noise a couple times on startup that requires a power cycle to stop, so I suppose i should update the software and see if that goes away.....
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software?
 
I have them and like them. Agree the charge cord is stupid. The actual cords between the plugs and headset are great. Very light and kevlar won't break. The popping sound got better when I got Flying Eyes sunglasses that reduced gaps in the ear cushions. There's not a charge indicator, so you have to use the app to monitor the state of charge. Having said that, the batteries last a long time. The 10 year life of the CO detector is a plus. Also the tuning for your hearing profile seems to help.
Overall I'm happy. I got them on a similar trade-in deal for A20's.
 
Brad Z said:
I bought one in July at OSH, but just tried it out this month after finally getting my new engine overhaul complete.

Pros:
-it has a CO detector that seems to work well.
-It’s reasonably comfortable.

Cons:
-not a fan of the noise canceling compared to my Bose A20s. Lots of popping when powering up on takeoff in my 182. Sound quality is not as nice as Bose.
-the cord is an odd braided cord that seems thin and not durable; no clips to clip to your seatbelt or whatever.
-battery box is odd and not inline; both the cord going to the plane and the headset come out of the same end.
-includes rechargeable battery pack but pack must be in battery box to charge. Not easy to leave headset in plane and take battery home to charge.
-USB cable on battery box is some odd size. Not sure if it’s proprietary, but it’s not a standard USB C like everything else I own.

Honestly, I’m not really happy with them. If it weren’t for the fact that I bought them 8 months ago, I probably would have returned them. Just my $.02.
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Thank you for saving me for having to type all of that. I agree. Especially about the F'd U cord and the proprietary charging cord.
 
I have a set and like them well enough, although the popping on take-off in my Citabria drove me nuts. The mic pick-up isn't great either, although it's adjustable should I ever muster the energy to do so. The CO detector is a great idea and the custom audio profile is neat. Music fade-in/fade-out with radio is smooth. All in all, it's a good headset.

I also have a DC One-X that I bought prior to the Delta Zulu, the latter being bought on release as it looked like a great product and I wanted a second headset for passengers. Figured my DC headset could take that role.

Now, a couple years later? If I fly, I reach for the DC headset. So I guess that's my rubber-meets-the-road opinion.
 
AvNavCom said:
. The mic pick-up isn't great either, although it's adjustable should I ever muster the energy to do so.
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I find that lightspeed's mic is sensitive to being oriented perpendicular to your mouth. Both my sets of zulus need to be adjusted pretty much every flight, but i find my DZ's don't get out of alignment. Not sure if that's just luck of the draw or if they changed something. I think the mic boom on the DZ might be a hair longer, but I've never actually compared them side by side.
 
I have A20s. Tried a30's. Currently have Delta Zulus. Still have a set of Zulu pfx.

The a30's were the worst of the bunch (for me). And it's not particularly close. The PFX were great. But it ate batteries.

The Delta Zulus are more feature rich than Bose. When I bought mine the promo was a free lithium battery. So I've got a backup lithium that seems to last forever. I have a great disdain for AA batteries. Have had too many things destroyed when I forget to take batteries out and put them in storage. The hearing eqity is a great feature for the ears that have been around the block and are losing some frequencies. My plane doesn't have a CO detector so that was also a plus.

I wish the mic boom was a touch longer. Combat that issue by pulling the earcup forward slightly. I did have to adjust the mic gain/squelch. Easy peasy.

The A20s, the ear cups arent as deep as the Delta Zulus. So while clamping force may be a touch lighter on them, I found I've had to give my ears some fresh air. Haven't had to with the dz's.

If I have the door open with the dz's, I do hear the occasional thump. Supposedly resolved with last software update. Have yet to confirm. Without the noise cancelling on, you can actually hear the difference with the dz's. The Bose you might forget and the passive noise reduction really sucks. The passive reduction on the lightspeed is better. But audio sounds really muffled. The tip to turn the anr on dummy.
 
I love the cord, it doesn't tangle or get kinked. I love the frequency compensation as I have age related hearing loss of high frequencies and use hearing aids when I am not flying. The CO monitor is nice to have, but not the reason I bought mine. I recommend getting the charger and spare battery. The charger should have come with the headset IMHO. I have flown with Zulu 2/3 and the Bose. Because of the frequency compensation, I would not consider Bose unless they added it. Setting up the hearing compensation takes about five minutes and is much easier and faster to do than the hearing test at the doctors office. All you do is move a slider until you just hear the tone at a given frequency, then go to the next frequency and so on.
 
Brad Z said:
-the cord is an odd braided cord that seems thin and not durable; no clips to clip to your seatbelt or whatever.
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The braided kevlar cord is actually far more durable than the traditional variety.

They used to include a clip to clip your cord to something, but I ended up taking it off because more often than not it annoyed me to be clipped to something. :dunno:

Brad Z said:
-battery box is odd and not inline; both the cord going to the plane and the headset come out of the same end.
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That's a good thing - You can easily drop it in a map pocket and all the cords come out the top.

Brad Z said:
-USB cable on battery box is some odd size. Not sure if it’s proprietary, but it’s not a standard USB C like everything else I own.
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It's "UAC" which they supposedly did because it can also do audio and not just USB, but that means it needs an adapter to do anything... They talk about why they chose UAC here though they incorrectly say it's an Apple connector. IMO, they could have simply done USB-C and people would have been much happier. They say UAC "provides a single point of access for headset charging, data communications, and auxiliary audio." Well, the first two can be done with USB-C and most people will use Bluetooth for aux audio and would just as soon use a 3.5mm jack for wired audio.

Jim K said:
The lithium battery works great for my use case. I just leave the cable plugged into my USB port, and plug it into the control box when it tells me it's getting low. They can charge while in use, so there's really no reason to remove the battery. They also come with another battery box that can take aa's, which i carry as a backup when I fly other planes. The lithium battery lasts like 40 hours. They do also sell a seperate charger now that accepts a usb-c.
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They can also recharge, slowly, off of a LEMO ("Bose") plug in aircraft so equipped (mine is).

Jim K said:
The bose has smaller earcups that don't fit my ears as well, and I find the lightspeed to be more comfortable on my big head.
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This is why I bought a Lightspeed in the first place. Their exceptional customer service has kept me coming back.
 
I think you need to fit try both. Bose ear cups do not fit me well.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
The braided kevlar cord is actually far more durable than the traditional variety.

They used to include a clip to clip your cord to something, but I ended up taking it off because more often than not it annoyed me to be clipped to something. :dunno:


That's a good thing - You can easily drop it in a map pocket and all the cords come out the top.


It's "UAC" which they supposedly did because it can also do audio and not just USB, but that means it needs an adapter to do anything... They talk about why they chose UAC here though they incorrectly say it's an Apple connector. IMO, they could have simply done USB-C and people would have been much happier. They say UAC "provides a single point of access for headset charging, data communications, and auxiliary audio." Well, the first two can be done with USB-C and most people will use Bluetooth for aux audio and would just as soon use a 3.5mm jack for wired audio.


They can also recharge, slowly, off of a LEMO ("Bose") plug in aircraft so equipped (mine is).


This is why I bought a Lightspeed in the first place. Their exceptional customer service has kept me coming back.
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Thanks. I learned from this thread that the cable is Kevlar. I didn't realize that. I've flown with it a few times since my first post and I'm still trying to figure out where to put the battery box. The map pockets in my 182 are pretty flush and don't accommodate stuffing something in it. I'll figure something out for sure.

I'm certain the next version of the DZ will have a usb ac plug. At least I hope so.
 
Pax get the Zulus, front seats have the Bose. Both are good, but the side tone and mic response is a little bit better on the Bose IMHO. Feel like the Zulu mic boom is a bit shorter and more directional. However, on long flights when only had the A20, often switched to the Zulu partway as they seamed less clampy. A30s clamp less on my head.
 
To close the loop on this...

Bought the Delta Zulus. Tried them for a 90 minute flight.

Pros -
Very comfortable.
Good noise canceling

Cons -
Short mic boom
Audio clipped
Occasional annoying popping sound
The hearing test is a good gimmick, but I didn't notice a marked improvement over my A20.
Couldn't get the CO meter to work on the app.

Verdict? Not worth the cost. Sent them back for a refund.
 
My experience mirrored yours....tried them on a few flights then sold them (the return period lapsed). I also tried the A30...more comfortable than the A20 but still preferred my DC OneX over both Bose offerings as well as the DZ. I kept the A30 hoping to 'grow into them' but it sits in the case in deference to my One-X. Headsets are a very 'personal preference' item; I know people that would not hear anything but Bose, those that think the LightSpeed DZ's are the cat'z a$$, and those that would only wear in ear headsets. I discovered that the DC product is what works best for me.
 
robin ardoin said:
My experience mirrored yours....tried them on a few flights then sold them (the return period lapsed). I also tried the A30...more comfortable than the A20 but still preferred my DC OneX over both Bose offerings as well as the DZ. I kept the A30 hoping to 'grow into them' but it sits in the case in deference to my One-X. Headsets are a very 'personal preference' item; I know people that would not hear anything but Bose, those that think the LightSpeed DZ's are the cat'z a$$, and those that would only wear in ear headsets. I discovered that the DC product is what works best for me.
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When buying a headset, it's well worth an in-person trip to Sporty's to be able to try on all of them in one place. There are definitely no headsets that fit everyone well.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
When buying a headset, it's well worth an in-person trip to Sporty's to be able to try on all of them in one place. There are definitely no headsets that fit everyone well.
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When my wife was wanting a new headset, she was sure she wanted a Bose. After going to Sporty's and trying them on she ended up with a Lightspeed due to the comfort of the Lightspeed over the Bose.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
When buying a headset, it's well worth an in-person trip to Sporty's to be able to try on all of them in one place. There are definitely no headsets that fit everyone well.
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Awfully long trip from SoCal to Sporty's to try on headsets... :D
 
I also wish the mic boom was a bit longer. But I've found pulling the left ear cup forward more works. I do wish the the boom had more memory. I get it where I want, but seems to creep away.

I only had the pop when the door was open.

I don't use the app except for set up. If I want to know CO levels in flight, I just push the button and it tells you.

I never had audio clipped. But I did have to adjust mic gain.

Different strokes for different folks.
 
Racerx said:
I never had audio clipped. But I did have to adjust mic gain.
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That's my one criticism of the DZ's. I wasn't being heard by ATC, though sidetone was fine. Had to fiddle with the gain to get it right, which is hard to check the effect of your changes in a busy ATC area like mine. I've now got it dialed in and they work fine.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
When buying a headset, it's well worth an in-person trip to Sporty's to be able to try on all of them in one place. There are definitely no headsets that fit everyone well.
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Should be made a sticky. Find a shop and try on DC, Bose, and Light Speeds. Go with what is comfortable, then go with the features / sound quality.
 
WDD said:
Should be made a sticky. Find a shop and try on DC, Bose, and Light Speeds. Go with what is comfortable, then go with the features / sound quality.
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And keep the receipt. A20’s feel great the first several minutes but after an hour or so it starts to hurt the top of my head. On the other hand, I can wear Zulus all day long.
 
At a minimum, walk around the shop with each headset on for at least 5 - 10 min even if initially feels OK. Wear the eyeglasses / sun glasses you would normally wear when flying.
 
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asicer said:
And keep the receipt. A20’s feel great the first several minutes but after an hour or so it starts to hurt the top of my head. On the other hand, I can wear Zulus all day long.
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I thought it was me. I had to take my a20's off to give my ears a break on long xc's. The Zulus seem to have deeper or bigger ear cups.
 
Racerx said:
I thought it was me. I had to take my a20's off to give my ears a break on long xc's. The Zulus seem to have deeper or bigger ear cups.
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I was set to get the Bose, but they fell off the list after wearing them for 5 min. The Light Speed fit.
 
FPK1 said:
Don't forget about Marv Golden in San Diego...
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It'd be a LOT less expensive to order a few, have them delivered, try them, and within the return window return the ones that were rejected. More fun to fly to San Diego, but more cost-effective to have them shipped.
 
You can order them with LEMO
 
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