Thinking about a Lightspeed Upgrade

[kyleb]

I'm debating an offer I recently got from Lightspeed:

Trade in my Lightspeed Zulu's for a $300 credit on a pair of Zulu 3's. Their carrot is the 3's are an upgrade over the original Zulu's and this offer is $100 better than their standard trade in allowance. Beyond that, they won't be supporting the original Zulu's any longer. My current Zulu's work fine, but there's always the risk that someone yanks a cord loose the next time we go flying, or a set of batteries corrodes and they are done.

Thoughts? Are the 3's really a noticeable improvement? This offer really doesn't strike me as a can't-miss opportunity.

 

[GeorgeC]

I upgraded my zulu2 to zulu3, mostly to ensure that they were supported. It is evolutionary, not revolutionary, but I'd do it again.

 

[Lindberg]

I have a Zulu refurbed by Lightspeed and a Zulu 3 they upgraded from a Zulu 2. One major difference is the kevlar cord on the Zulu 3. I don't worry about it like the plain rubber cord. The only functional difference I've noted is the Zulu doesn't turn the ANR on automatically. The upgrade cost me $200. I don't think I'd pay much more than that.

 

[WDD]

Ask PigPenRacing. He refurbishes Zulus and sells them. He’ll know a lot about the differences

 

[OneCharlieTango]

I did the upgrade. The Kevlar cord makes it worth doing. The sound isn’t much different to my aging ears.

 

[Unit74]

Headsets are consumables. Once it breaks, it’s generally more economical to ****can it and buy a new version. If it were my dollars, I’d take the upgrade if you have years of flying ahead of you. If not, fly em till they die.

 

[WDD]

Unit has a good point. I traded in my old David Clark for a set of LS 3. Love the Z3

But I also bought a used Z1 from PPRacing for a passenger/wife set. Wanted my wife to have the noise cancelling and be upgraded from the DC.

Thus - you could keep the Z 1 for back up - passenger set? It would essentially cost you $300 to keep the old Z1 and forgo the rebate.

 

[kyleb]

Headsets are consumables. Once it breaks, it’s generally more economical to ****can it and buy a new version. If it were my dollars, I’d take the upgrade if you have years of flying ahead of you. If not, fly em till they die.

The counter-argument (to me) is that Lightspeed hasn't discontinued their $200 rebated on Zulu trade-in's. They are just temporarily offering a $300 rebate. So, if these last another 5 years, maybe I'm only "out" $100 for those 5 years of useful life. The risk(s) are that LS completely stops their trade-in program for the Zulu's or that a week after the current (better) offer is off the table, my set kicks the bucket and I'm out the additional $100 for the replacements.

 

[asicer]

The counter-argument (to me) is that Lightspeed hasn't discontinued their $200 rebated on Zulu trade-in's. They are just temporarily offering a $300 rebate. So, if these last another 5 years, maybe I'm only "out" $100 for those 5 years of useful life. The risk(s) are that LS completely stops their trade-in program for the Zulu's or that a week after the current (better) offer is off the table, my set kicks the bucket and I'm out the additional $100 for the replacements.

I wonder if/when there will be a Zulu4 and what the trade-in offer will look like then?

 

[midlifeflyer]

I did the Zulu 2 to Zulu 3 upgrade also (and mine was actually a Zulu 1.5, so I got lucky). Just the better battery box and cord were worth it, not to mention the updated warranty.

 

[chemgeek]

My current Zulu's work fine, but there's always the risk that someone yanks a cord loose the next time we go flying, or a set of batteries corrodes and they are done.

FYI, Zulus work just fine with NiMH batteries, despite the manufacturer's recommendation not to do so. I get about 25 hours of flight time, more or less, on a pair, and I carry a spare set and mini-charger for road trips.

 

[flyingron]

My Zulu.2 broke so they had a deal to ugrade it to Zulu.3 and I thought that was pretty sweet. I also got the gift of a few junker Dave Clarks that I traded in on another pair.