Pireps on the new Lightspeed Delta?

Initial Fix

Initial Fix

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Initial Fix
I’m looking to add another ANR headset to my collection. I have 2x Lightspeed already, so the Delta is on the short list. I have a CO detector in the plane so that feature isn’t that interesting to me. But I wonder if the frequency tuning is worth the spend?
 
I bought one at OSH last year. I bought it primarily for the Co monitoring as my Sensorcon was EOL, and I occasionally fly another plane that only has the useless "spot" detector. I personally don't notice a difference in audio quality between it and my Zulus. I did run the app and it said I had a little loss in high frequency ranges and compensated for that. I'm 41, and my hearing is still pretty good.

I do really like the rechargeable battery. I think I've charged it 3 times in 150ish hours. I have a panel mount USB, so it's easy to plug it in when it needs it and it's nice not having to worry about bringing AA's from home. That's probably my favorite feature.

I think the bluetooth sounds a little better. I think they reduced the size of the headband a bit making it more reasonable for people with smaller heads than me. I think the mic boom might be a little longer, making it more reasonable for people with giant heads like me. I'm not sure if any of that is true, but those are my impressions.

If I didn't care about the CO monitoring, It'd be hard to justify nearly double the price of a refurb Zulu.
 
It depends on your hearing. An older friend and I did the demo at SNF last year. I couldn’t hear much difference, but he thought it was mind-blowing.

Then there’s the CO detector. A panel-mounted one would cost more than the DZ headset. Not relevant to the OP, of course.
 
OP here

Thanks for the inputs so far. My plane does have a panel mounted CO so like @OneCharlieTango commented, not so interesting on that front. I do have typical high frequency loss, thanks to too many concerts back in the days. Plus I learned to fly in the days headsets were starting to become more common but hardly mainstream yet.

@Jim K you might be the first to note a longer mic boom. That is interesting to me as I find my Zulu a bit short. Had I thought about it at RR I would have asked the group there.
 
I fly with the headset over my hearing aids and I found, for my hearing loss, that I still needed my aids with the LS DZ’s; the adjustable frequency amplification provided no benefit for me. I also found the VOX circuitry to not activate with my voice unless the mic was touching my lips or I intentionally spoke louder. I sold them and picked up another pair of One-X’s. I have heard reports of others really finding an advantage with the adjustable amplification. If you can try before you buy it would be best. Some online retailers will allow a return with complete credit towards a different model which allows such.
 
One reason you might prefer the CO monitor on the DeltaZulu over a panel mount is the recording function that automatically happens. You don’t even have to set it up. If the app was opened even two weeks ago, it will record the levels. Nice to see the chart.
 
Initial Fix said:
I’m looking to add another ANR headset to my collection. I have 2x Lightspeed already, so the Delta is on the short list. I have a CO detector in the plane so that feature isn’t that interesting to me. But I wonder if the frequency tuning is worth the spend?
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ABORT. They changed the ANR processing on the delta. If that headset is not sitting in just the right orientation on your head you will hear loud thump thumps. I've never used a headset that just goes absolutely berzerk in its ANR.
 
Datadriver said:
ABORT. They changed the ANR processing on the delta. If that headset is not sitting in just the right orientation on your head you will hear loud thump thumps. I've never used a headset that just goes absolutely berzerk in its ANR.
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Weird. Mine doesn't do that. If anything I would say it's slightly better then my Zulus.
 
Interesting.. I was window shopping on the lightspeed headset looking to add to my inventory. I have been an avid Lightspeed supporter; so for me I was looking at the Delta's vs another pair of the Z3's. Not to derail this thread, but has anyone given any thought to the A30's and even a PiRep for those?
 
I have the Delta's. Been happy with them overall. On the plus side the CO detector lasts for 10 years vs 2 for my sensorconn. The pseudo hearing aid setting seems to be helpful as well. Overall sound quality is good, comparable to my A20.
Two negatives, the mic gain setting was not great out of the box and there's not a great way to get it right other than multiple flights asking "how do you hear me". Second, the "popping" noise while taxiing with an open vent is kind of annoying.
 
Hang 4 said:
I have the Delta's. Been happy with them overall. On the plus side the CO detector lasts for 10 years vs 2 for my sensorconn. The pseudo hearing aid setting seems to be helpful as well. Overall sound quality is good, comparable to my A20.
Two negatives, the mic gain setting was not great out of the box and there's not a great way to get it right other than multiple flights asking "how do you hear me". Second, the "popping" noise while taxiing with an open vent is kind of annoying.
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Can you describe the popping noise? Do you think it’s a feedback into the ANC?

My Z3’s will have a ANC feedback but only if my headset bumps the inside of the plane. It’s never bothered me as I can rationalize the cause.
 
Initial Fix said:
Can you describe the popping noise? Do you think it’s a feedback into the ANC?

My Z3’s will have a ANC feedback but only if my headset bumps the inside of the plane. It’s never bothered me as I can rationalize the cause.
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It's a pretty harsh pop that happens if the mic gets in some wind. I have a Cherokee with a side window that has a scoop. It's most noticeable when the scoop is deployed. If I move my head away from the airstream, the noise goes away.
 
Jim K said:
Weird. Mine doesn't do that. If anything I would say it's slightly better then my Zulus.
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Part of the problem is I have a large head, it's hard for me to find hats that fit. I have the previous generation Lightspeed and it works fine. The zulu is a bust
 
Initial Fix said:
Can you describe the popping noise? Do you think it’s a feedback into the ANC?

My Z3’s will have a ANC feedback but only if my headset bumps the inside of the plane. It’s never bothered me as I can rationalize the cause.
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The popping sound is like deep drums. It's a by-product of the ANR and the fact the headset is not perfectly situated on your head. If I squeeze uncomfortably with both hands on the sides the boom boom goes away. Then if I tilt my head it's back baby. If you look online enough you can find others with the same issue. Dumb.
 
Datadriver said:
ABORT. They changed the ANR processing on the delta. If that headset is not sitting in just the right orientation on your head you will hear loud thump thumps. I've never used a headset that just goes absolutely berzerk in its ANR.
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Is this all the time, or only when your window is open and you're taxiing?
 
OneCharlieTango said:
Either it doesn’t fit your head or you got a lemon. I had that with some headset (can’t recall which) back when I had a J-3.
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I'm guessing he got a bad one. I wear a 7 3/4 hat, and I'm using less than half the adjustment on the DZ. As I mentioned above, I think it fits a little better than my zulus.

@Datadriver did you send it back and tell them it sucked?
 
Jim K said:
I'm guessing he got a bad one. I wear a 7 3/4 hat, and I'm using less than half the adjustment on the DZ. As I mentioned above, I think it fits a little better than my zulus.

@Datadriver did you send it back and tell them it sucked?
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I should send it back.
 
Headset with a rechargeable battery sounds like more work than it’s worth if you fly a lot and you can opt for rechargeable AAs and charger ($30) and still carry extra batteries vs a $150 Lightspeed battery bundle.

The rest the stuff is unneeded junk that will just quit working.
 
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Zulu´s are my favorite over any Bose, altough I´ve never tried Delta.
 
Initial Fix said:
I’m looking to add another ANR headset to my collection. I have 2x Lightspeed already, so the Delta is on the short list. I have a CO detector in the plane so that feature isn’t that interesting to me. But I wonder if the frequency tuning is worth the spend?
Click to expand...

I own the Bose A30, 2x Lightspeed Delta Zulus, and the Bose Proflight 2.

I use the Proflight 2 at my airline job. Love them. I used them in my 310 and they work, but still let in the noise.

I have the Bose A30 because my airline bought me one and I already owned the ProFlight 2. I use the Bose A30 for CAP flying and occasionally in my 310 with extra pax. Great headset and probably my favorite of all, especially for GA, but also the most expensive but definitely the most quiet. They really improved the clamping and they’re comfortable.

Now for the Lightspeed Delta Zulu. I traded in my LightSpeed Sierras and upgraded to the DZ. The headsets are light and slightly more bulky than the A30. They sound good and are quiet. I have not experienced the popping noise. I really had a “whop whop whop” type sound in the Sierra headsets. The DZ’s don’t have that. I like that they are rechargeable. The batteries last a long time. I like that it has a battery backup just in case.

The things I don’t like about the DZ:

1. The Bluetooth turns on automatically with the headset power. You can turn it off manually.

2. The CO is way too sensitive. It goes off way before my Sentry and multiple times when I know CO is not present. The CO warning goes off way more in one headset than the other.

3. The charging port is for mini HDMI. This should’ve been a USB-C port.

Overall I like the DZ and glad I traded my Sierras for them.
 
In January I had one of my fine flight" learners" step on the controller on my Lightspeed Zulu's. I sent them in to LS but they were unrepairable mostly due to age so they offered me a few hundred dollars trade in credit so I bought the DZ's. I haven't been as pleased with them as I'd hoped I would. I'm a chief flight instructor for a small FBO but fly over 700 hour per year. I use my headsets multiple flights almost daily. So hard use.

I mainly purchased them for the rechargeable aspect & the CO detector because I fly a wide variety of aircraft & do ferry work occasionally. I've had then for approx 4 months now & have had three CO alerts. All three non- life threatening.

When I first got them they wouldn't hold charge over a few days & seldom connected to BT without multiple tries. I also had the famous popping noise especially during taxi with windows open. When LS sent me a satisfaction survey I basically told them I wasn't. They immediately sent me a new power module. I have a long narrow head so the sent me taller pads for the inside of the headband, with instructions on how to bend the hoop on the top of the headsets for a tighter fit. Bending the SS headband helped a lot but I have to repeat the process a few times a month. The replacement power pack is lasting way longer. I can now get almost a full week of flying without charging.

I still have love/hate relationship with them. I recently purchased a taildragger & when I fly it the headphones want to slip off of the back my head due to the angle of attack of my butt & head. I've flown with A20's in some of my students airplanes & liked them. Some days I kind of wished I had just bought A30's.

My.02 worth.
 
My only complaint with the DZ's is the mic boom. It feels a little short and I feel like I just can't keep it where I want. I did have to adjust the mic gain once but an easy adjustment. I got the free battery pack so I've got 2 rechargeable batteries plus the AA pack.

It feels like the ear cups are deeper than the a20s. While clamping force is more, my apparently giant ears don't feel scrunched up like they did with the Bose.

My biggest beef was with the app itself. Luckily I've got everything set now. I think their was a firmware update that didn't take on initial set up and that created headaches. Hearing acuity is neat but apparently my hearing is pretty good. Religious about ear plug use. So much easier to elk hunt with good ears.

You will not forget to turn the anr on. The sound quality when you talk is really muffled if it's off. I actually like that. No more taking off and realizing you forgot to turn it on.

Dad bought a pair of A30's. He couldn't last a 22 mile flight. I tried them and had the same issue he did. Comfortable. But it was.like the clamping force was so light talking or clenching my jaw or turning my head would break the seal and youd have that annoying bass noise. No sunglasses even. And the 3 levels of noise cancelling....completely useless for GA. Maybe I've just got a wonky head.
 
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Fracpilot said:
1. The Bluetooth turns on automatically with the headset power. You can turn it off manually.
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Isn’t this configurable on the phone? I’d prefer it the way you have it: turn it on and it pairs, without me having to think about it.

But now I can’t find anything in Settings. If I’m right and it’s there somewhere, please post so I can do the opposite of what you did!
 
Jim K said:
I'm guessing he got a bad one. I wear a 7 3/4 hat, and I'm using less than half the adjustment on the DZ. As I mentioned above, I think it fits a little better than my zulus.
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Can confirm the boom boom noise with the Delta Zulus. Particularly in my Citabria with the side-window open with any kind of engine run-up, it's constant. God forbid I take off with the window open, because then it's constant. The issue is completely absent with my DC One-X headset.

Overall, they're a decent headset. The CO alerting helped me find a leak in my exhaust that was getting into the cabin during climbs in my Cherokee, so kudos there. The frequency modulation is a bit gimmicky for my taste but may be useful to others. The bluetooth connection works great, with a nice fade-in, fade-out for radio comms rather than the pretty abrupt DC cut-in and cut-out. The mic pick-up is absolutely awful. I understand they did it to try to reduce background noise, but the adjustment requires fooling with a screw on the mic itself and somehow I have never found the time to mess with it yet. I'm sure it will be fine once I get around to it. Battery life seems pretty good. Whoever decided to go with micro-USB as the connector instead of USB-C needs to be beaten with a stick. Terrible choice.

I had a pair of classic DC 13.4s back in the day when I learned to fly, so there's a certain nostalgia factor in staying with the brand (not to mention their excellent quality). In all, I fly with both, but prefer the DCs. If I could get a USB-C rechargeable version of the One-X with a built-in CO detector, I'd probably never need another headset.

For others, I'd say all of the high-end headsets are probably completely fine at their job and the choice should really be just on feature-set.
 
AvNavCom said:
Whoever decided to go with micro-USB as the connector instead of USB-C needs to be beaten with a stick. Terrible choice.
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It's not even micro-USB, it's an obscure Apple connector. But I'm told the next gen USB-C meets LightSpeed's needs, whatever those are... so in a year or so, they'll transition to USB-C.

Paul
 
PaulMillner said:
It's not even micro-USB, it's an obscure Apple connector. But I'm told the next gen USB-C meets LightSpeed's needs, whatever those are... so in a year or so, they'll transition to USB-C.

Paul
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Can anyone post a picture of this "obscure" connector? Thanks!
 
Not the best picture, but its a "UAC" connector. Not like any USB in common use. Lightspeed has some grandiose reason why this is the right thing, I spend all my time making sure not to lose it.
 

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Hang 4 said:
Not the best picture, but its a "UAC" connector. Not like any USB in common use. Lightspeed has some grandiose reason why this is the right thing, I spend all my time making sure not to lose it.
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Even Apple as acquiesced on its "lightning" connector, and now is using USB C. What was Lightspeed thinking...? :dunno:
 
Thanks for posting the info on that unique plug. What I don’t need is another orphan cable that I’ll forget or lose.
 
Initial Fix said:
Thanks for posting the info on that unique plug. What I don’t need is another orphan cable that I’ll forget or lose.
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like I said, get this charger, USBC right there

Or just keep feeding AAs into the alkaline holder
 

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FPK1 said:
Nor does mine and I too think it is better than my Zulu...
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They are better than any version of Zulus. I own/owned every version of the Zulu and Sierras.

Not running out replace all my headsets with a DZ but MY headset that I use is DZ
 
Sometimes, Good Enough is a better engineering design decision than Nifty Optimization. I think USB-C would have been fine.
I got a good pic of the cable end connector (attached).
 

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