Lightspeed headset special offer

[konglk1203]

Hi

I am a new private pilot and I want a Lightspeed Delta Zulu. Can I join you? I live in Atlanta GA.

Lingkai

[konglk1203]

On 2/20/2024 at 8:18 PM, NotarPilot said:

Just myself, Mcstealth and I.  Is there a fourth guy interested before we place this order?

I am in.

[Tim-37419]

@NotarPilot room for another?

[NotarPilot]

4 hours ago, Tim-37419 said:

@NotarPilot room for another?

Yes, DM me. I’ll be placing the order on Tuesday.

[Mcstealth]

Thank you for your efforts. I am very pleased. 

[dkkim73]

So, after nearly joining in, then dropping out, I find myself in a position to want Bluetooth, LEMO, and an additional headset.  Calling for clearance  in the sticks with variable radio reception suddenly make BT seem like less of a luxury. Looked at further modding my old DC 10-13.4 by adding a LEMO plug and BT box, but at this point getting an additional headset makes more sense. 

--> So... how do you guys like your Delta Zulu's? 

I've looked at a few reviews incl. that, the A30, and the DC One-XP. It sounds like the strengths of the DZ are - passive attenuation - warranty - extra features (the audio EQ seems most interesting to me). 

(BTW I think the "buy n+1, get a better deal" offer is no longer active, so mostly just trying to buy smart for the next many years)

Thanks,
David

 

[NotarPilot]

On 5/4/2024 at 9:50 AM, dkkim73 said:

So, after nearly joining in, then dropping out, I find myself in a position to want Bluetooth, LEMO, and an additional headset.  Calling for clearance  in the sticks with variable radio reception suddenly make BT seem like less of a luxury. Looked at further modding my old DC 10-13.4 by adding a LEMO plug and BT box, but at this point getting an additional headset makes more sense. 

--> So... how do you guys like your Delta Zulu's? 

I've looked at a few reviews incl. that, the A30, and the DC One-XP. It sounds like the strengths of the DZ are - passive attenuation - warranty - extra features (the audio EQ seems most interesting to me). 

(BTW I think the "buy n+1, get a better deal" offer is no longer active, so mostly just trying to buy smart for the next many years)

Thanks,
David

 

After the “Buy 3 get 1 free” offer, Lightspeed came out with another offer where they upped their trade-in value on the PFX from $400 to $500. Being a sucker for a deal, I bought a second DZ for my plane while turning in my old, barely working, PFX. I also met with a rep from DC at Heli Expo, who told me they were raising their prices from $895 to $995 but you could still find a few at the old price point. That was enough for me to buy a pair of DC One-X’s, since they’ve been on my radar for a couple years. I now have an 8 year old pair of A20s, that still work great, two new Delta Zulus and a new DC One-X (All LEMOs). Surprisingly, the David Clark’s seem to be my favorite. They are light and compact with excellent sound. I almost always fly with music and the sound is comparable to the Bose and Lightspeeds. If you want to save a few bucks I think the DCs are an excellent compromise between quality and affordability. I’m pretty sure you can find a place that offers a 30 day money back guarantee if you don’t like them (Provided you send them back in, or course).

[dkkim73]

8 hours ago, NotarPilot said:

I now have an 8 year old pair of A20s, that still work great, two new Delta Zulus and a new DC One-X (All LEMOs). Surprisingly, the David Clark’s seem to be my favorite. They are light and compact with excellent sound. I almost always fly with music and the sound is comparable to the Bose and Lightspeeds. If you want to save a few bucks I think the DCs are an excellent compromise between quality and affordability. I’m pretty sure you can find a place that offers a 30 day money back guarantee if you don’t like them (Provided you send them back in, or course).

Thank you, that is very helpful indeed. The prices all seem to have increased since even a few months ago, but that seems to be inflation, as the offsets are again similar ($1300 bose, $1200 lightspeed, about $1065 DC). I actually emailed Sporty's back-and-forth, and they seem sincere about try it for 30 days and then try another if you don't like it. 

David

[Fly Boomer]

17 minutes ago, dkkim73 said:

they seem sincere about try it for 30 days

David Clark offers that on their website.

[The Other Red Baron]

Not impressed with my Delta Zulus unfortunately.  Random popping from the ANC, irritating charging situation with that tiny uncommon connector, battery that I think is charging but doesn't seem to.  Need more flying time with the battery to confirm. 

Wish I had just bought another pair of Zulu 3s.

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, The Other Red Baron said:

Not impressed with my Delta Zulus unfortunately.  Random popping from the ANC, irritating charging situation with that tiny uncommon connector, battery that I think is charging but doesn't seem to.  Need more flying time with the battery to confirm. 

Wish I had just bought another pair of Zulu 3s.

Likewise, I've had the same issues, and several others, with my Delta Zulus.    The main redeeming feature compared to the Zulu 3 is that I can just leave it in the airplane, connected to the USB outlet and it's always charged, sort of.    Other than that I far prefer my Zulu 3, which I keep in my flight bag for when I'm flying in anything other than my airplane.

I recommend the Zulu 3 all day over the Delta Zulus.   I had such high hopes that the Delta Zulu would be an even better product than the Zulu 3, which is a high bar, but it wasn't to be.

[NotarPilot]

14 hours ago, dkkim73 said:

Thank you, that is very helpful indeed. The prices all seem to have increased since even a few months ago, but that seems to be inflation, as the offsets are again similar ($1300 bose, $1200 lightspeed, about $1065 DC). I actually emailed Sporty's back-and-forth, and they seem sincere about try it for 30 days and then try another if you don't like it. 

David

You can’t go wrong with a product named ‘David.”

6 hours ago, The Other Red Baron said:

Not impressed with my Delta Zulus unfortunately.  Random popping from the ANC, irritating charging situation with that tiny uncommon connector, battery that I think is charging but doesn't seem to.  Need more flying time with the battery to confirm. 

Wish I had just bought another pair of Zulu 3s.

I noticed the popping sound as well but only when I have the pilot window open with a bit of prop wash coming through the window. The DCs don’t suffer this problem and from what I’m told it’s due to the placement of the ANR microphones. Apparently, from what I’ve been told, the DCs are inside the ear cups while the Lightspeeds have them on the outside. Perhaps someone will better knowledge can confirm. My Bose A20s don’t have that problem either. 

[EricJ]

44 minutes ago, NotarPilot said:

 noticed the popping sound as well but only when I have the pilot window open with a bit of prop wash coming through the window. The DCs don’t suffer this problem and from what I’m told it’s due to the placement of the ANR microphones. Apparently, from what I’ve been told, the DCs are inside the ear cups while the Lightspeeds have them on the outside. Perhaps someone will better knowledge can confirm. My Bose A20s don’t have that problem either. 

The LIghtspeed Zulu 3s don't do it, either!   The popping was the first thing I noticed using the Delta Zulu, compared to the Zulu 3.    It seems to be another area where they lost the formula a little bit compared to the Zulu 3.   

[NotarPilot]

45 minutes ago, EricJ said:

The LIghtspeed Zulu 3s don't do it, either!   The popping was the first thing I noticed using the Delta Zulu, compared to the Zulu 3.    It seems to be another area where they lost the formula a little bit compared to the Zulu 3.   

What seemed to cause the popping sound for you? I only notice it when I have wind entering the cockpit from the open pilot window. 

45 minutes ago, EricJ said:

[EricJ]

9 hours ago, NotarPilot said:

What seemed to cause the popping sound for you? I only notice it when I have wind entering the cockpit from the open pilot window. 

That'll set it off, for sure, but I've noticed it in a few other situations, too, but less frequently.   I wish I could recall all the exact details.  

[dkkim73]

I went to a local avionics shop yesterday (they do a lot of really interesting custom panel work, experimental etc, but also do bread-and-butter and are very approachable). They let me play with the A30, DC One-X and Zulu 3 (no DZ's in stock) and offered to let me borrow sets to try. 

I did notice a very faint high-frequency hiss with the DC One-X, which was a surprise. One gent thought it was due to noise from the flourescents. Just curious if anyone here  @NotarPilot has had that problem, or maybe it was a one-off?

Thanks!

[NotarPilot]

5 hours ago, dkkim73 said:

I went to a local avionics shop yesterday (they do a lot of really interesting custom panel work, experimental etc, but also do bread-and-butter and are very approachable). They let me play with the A30, DC One-X and Zulu 3 (no DZ's in stock) and offered to let me borrow sets to try. 

I did notice a very faint high-frequency hiss with the DC One-X, which was a surprise. One gent thought it was due to noise from the flourescents. Just curious if anyone here  @NotarPilot has had that problem, or maybe it was a one-off?

Thanks!

Nothing that I noticed but I’ll pay more attention to that next time I use the DCs.

[NotarPilot]

On 5/7/2024 at 8:44 AM, dkkim73 said:

I went to a local avionics shop yesterday (they do a lot of really interesting custom panel work, experimental etc, but also do bread-and-butter and are very approachable). They let me play with the A30, DC One-X and Zulu 3 (no DZ's in stock) and offered to let me borrow sets to try. 

I did notice a very faint high-frequency hiss with the DC One-X, which was a surprise. One gent thought it was due to noise from the flourescents. Just curious if anyone here  @NotarPilot has had that problem, or maybe it was a one-off?

Thanks!

Well, I tried out both headsets, the DC One-X and Lightspeed DZs today, and I can’t say there’s a stark difference. I will say the Delta Zulus were a little louder at max volume and the music was a bit more “bassy” if you’re a true audiophile but both headsets had very good sound. I almost always fly with music connected to my PMA-450B. I will say that I can “hear” my LED beacons and wing strobes, in my headsets, when they’re on, regardless of brand. It may be coming through the audio panel, I’m not certain. It’s very faint but noticeable. I don’t think you can go wrong with either headset. If you want to save a little money and still get a great headset, go with the David Clarks. If you want the absolute best sound that’s only marginally superior, and you want to carbon monoxide detector, then go with the Delta Zulus.

[Mcstealth]

Is the 'popping' you both hear the sound of A tim-tom style bass drum? More bommm, bommm than pop pop pop?

That is the sound I am getting. I turn my head, the bass drum goes off. Window open I also hear the drum. 

[toto]

I have no idea whether this is relevant to Lightspeed headsets, but I learned the hard way that Bose does not support the use of lithium batteries in their headsets.  My A20 had a horrible screeching sound for the first several minutes after I turned it on, very painful to the ears.  After going back through the manual, I realized that the only supported batteries are alkaline --- I switched to alkaline, and the problem immediately disappeared.  I've never had it happen since then.  

I still have no idea why a lithium battery can cause painful sound effects in a headset, but fwiw.

[Danb]

I agree with all of the above regarding the Delta Zulu’s and the annoying popping plus mine also has a pronounced alternator whine, I do have the New Bose as well, sold my others dumb move

 I’ve been traveling for a week or so and put on about 10 hours on the deltas I’m in Memphis hopefully will fly back to Delaware tomorrow and installed the Bose for the trip home for a closer comparison. I do believe the deltas are more comfy with the larger ear area compared to the Bose. Good chance they will be for sale after 15 hours of use. After I get back I’ll give a pirep since both will have been on long cross country’s recently 

 

D

[LANCECASPER]

If all of you are having these problems and you did a group buy I would call up Lightspeed and get them to either take them back or exchange them for Zulu 3s. You're still within a window where your credit card company (hopefully American Express) would most likely back you up on reversing the charge.

[Rmnpilot]

It was my understanding that this popping noise is new to both the Bose A30 and the Lightspeed Delta Zulu as these are both new generation noise reducing headsets using digital noise reduction vs analog.  The Bose A20 and Lightspeed Zulu 3 don't experience this since they are analog.  

[jetdriven]

We bought a Delta Zulu headset for the Oshkosh show special and it also pops and turns off during the takeoff roll and it also does it sometimes during taxi with the window or the door open. It also has a lot more system electrical noise, it’s barely audible in the Zulu headset but it’s quite clear and present in the Delta Zulu. They made the cord completely non-functional because it used to be able to hang it from a circuit breaker on the panel or something and now it just kind of sits on the floor and gets ran over, anyway the performance if it’s good when it works, but I called today to ask them about the firmware update and they say it cures it but you know I’m surprised they shipped this product like this because they didn’t do enough real world testing. And if they had flown, any kind of Mooney or taxi in the airplane with the door open, they realize that the external microphone gets so blown up by wind buffeting  that it overwhelms the circuitry and turns off the ANR.but we shouldn’t be finding this out about a $1200 headset after They ship a few thousand of them. Plus the connector requires the headset to be taken home to be charged up. We can’t Just take the battery pack home and charge that. And then, besides that it’s some kind of nonstandard connector that nobody’s ever ever heard of.

[NotarPilot]

15 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

If all of you are having these problems and you did a group buy I would call up Lightspeed and get them to either take them back or exchange them for Zulu 3s. You're still within a window where your credit card company (hopefully American Express) would most likely back you up on reversing the charge.

I have no interest in returning mine. And if one of use were to return it the headsets (doubt that’s even possible now), it would void the discount (free headset) we got. 
 

I will add that the David Clark’s I bought are excellent headsets and I’m quite happy with them for the money. The music is not as “bassy” as the Delta Zulus or Bose A20s I have, but if your okay with that, the sound is quite good.