9/14/2023 0 Comments Lightspeed zulu pfxHow important is in-cockpit entertainment to you? Gimmicky in an aviation headset? Depends. The initials stand for front row center, and when it's engaged and you're listening to music, it has a live concert quality. The icing on the cake is the Zulus "FRC" capability. Well, when its expedient to call ATC for a clearance in some remote location instead of trying to contact them by radio on the ground, or if you have cell-phone-delivered Nexrad weather, this is not only a valuable convenience but a real-world safety feature. After all, the competition is already out there, so you know exactly where you can outgun them.īecause the Bose X doesn't have a cellphone interface, much less Zulu's Bluetooth wireless capability, the features area is a no-contest. New models always have the advantage in features. It's like trying to assess the difference among in-home speakers in an audio component store-you know which you like better, but to articulate why you use adjectives like "richer" and "fuller" and "purer." But if you've opted for satellite-delivered music along with your invaluable new in-cockpit weather, you will notice the difference.Īs one iPod-listening teenager asked, "Do we have to leave these in the plane?" The superiority is hard to quantify. If cockpit music isn't your thing, this will not be a significant measure. While ATCs calls won't be made or broken by this, we sure noticed it when listening to music. Supposedly, LightSpeed's engineers spent significant development time and dollars on sound fidelity. The Zulus audio quality was extraordinary. In 2-hour flights, they both felt comfortable and unobtrusive. Both have low head-clamping pressure, too. Regardless, in our subjective testing, the Zulus were more than a match for the Bose Headset X, though its not a runaway victory: "very good" versus "even better."īoth the Zulus and Bose's X are extremely light-13 ounces for the Zulu and 12 ounces for the Bose X. How much? The techies say the combined passive/active noise reduction is about 8 decibels better than anyone else. When the ANR system (active noise reduction) was turned on, the Zulus got even better. The manufacturer also claims that the technical result of this cup/seal combination is the best passive noise reduction combination you can buy.Ĭompared to the Bose X, we noticed a significant reduction in cockpit noise in passive mode, which is only marginally important because most headsets will be powered at all times. LightSpeed's Zulu uses full-coverage magnesium ear cups because this lightweight metal is claimed to be a better sound barrier than plastic-10 times better than any plastic at passively blocking noise, according to LightSpeed. It was as close as you could get to back-to-back using one pair of ears. The Columbia had a jack setup, combining Bose's unique single connection and the two-plug industry standard in the same jack, so we could have two headsets connected at the same time, swapping them in seconds. This was a subjective pilot test, conducted in two different cockpits: a pressurized Lancair IV and a 2-year-old Columbia 400. Along with quietness we also weighed comfort, audio fidelity and the headset's feature complement. So here's the question: Can the $850 Zulu's performance earn it best-in-class status?Īlthough LightSpeed claims that the Zulu is the quietest headset on the market, there's more to beating the Bose than just noise reduction. Now comes the LightSpeed Zulu, a clear shot across the Bose bow. It's almost a given that the Bose Headset X is at or near the top of every pilots wish list, in large part because the $1000 noise-canceler is comfortable, quiet and sleek. UPDATED : Is LightSpeed's new ANR headset good enough - quiet, cool, comfortable enough - to unseat Bose from the top of the class?
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