This is quite clever because headset cables are a big hassle
A pity about the huge thing dangling on the end of the cable… plus you have to unplug it and take it somewhere to recharge it. This thing should be built into the aircraft.
There is an obvious market for a product which does what the above “thing” does but presents a “hands free kit” bluetooth profile so should work with the Bose A20.
Peter wrote:
A pity about the huge thing dangling on the end of the cable… plus you have to unplug it and take it somewhere to recharge it. This thing should be built into the aircraft.
I bet it uses a USB connector to charge. So just put it behind the panel and connect it to USB power. Should be easy to do.
Peter wrote:
There is an obvious market for a product which does what the above “thing” does but presents a “hands free kit” bluetooth profile so should work with the Bose A20.
Loads of such adapters exist. Just need a Y adapter with the headset jacks.
In that case I wonder why many more people are not buying bluetooth capable headsets and using them cordless…
Sure I can think of ways to “illegally” wire in the bluetooth transmitter so it doesn’t need any “management”. However, I would put it nowhere near the panel. In the middle of the cockpit, say into the ceiling trim, would be a lot better.
It would also need damn good RF immunity testing, because you can’t just “turn off all the gadgets” when flying an IAP…
I’m looking out for a new headset and this new one seems to be significantly cheaper (US$375) than the PFX for similar functionality.
Does anyone know if Lightspeed usually have introductory offers for new products, or is the performance likely to be lower than the PFX?
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Regular reader for a few years, by coincidence 
Thats a neat one. Wonder why nobody come up with this solution earlier. The EUR price has still to be announced though. Its a shame that pilot headsets are so much more expensive here. Would customs be able to check whether a headset has actually been bought in the USA? (I know that the accused person is required to show proof) but as they normally ask you before, it might be worth a try :)
Andi wrote:
Would customs be able to check whether a headset has actually been bought in the USA? (I know that the accused person is required to show proof)
Not having any original packaging, manual, warranty card etc. with you makes your claim that you already brought it to the US much more credible… However as you said, you have the burden of proof. I’ve travelled countless times to the states with my headset, been inspected a couple of times, never had to justify it. Looks like a $20 ghetto kid headphone anyway
Looks like I’m going to NY this winter I recently bought a used Zulu II and it is a game changer, especially when you fly with someone you actually like talking to during the flight, or any longer flight outside ‘the area’… so I need one for my girlfriend as well. And with USD 800 it seems reasonably priced. I wonder why they didn’t fit it with the Zulu PFX technology (just an assumption) and sell it with a premium?
The PFX is $1175 on the Lightspeed website, which is about £775/€1100 today. The UK Transair price is currently £828, so not too much difference just now.
Whenever I have ordered items from the USA before, I usually get a duty and VAT invoice to pay anyway. However, if you hand carry an item, it’s tax free up to £390/$600 and they often let you combine allowances if there are more than one of you travelling together.
I don’t know if this new headset is any good, however, and an A20 (the headset which on common consensus is the best one for straight performance) with a cable is 1000x better than a cordless headset which is not good
Regarding import, I never said this 
but the normal procedure is to discard the packaging, send any paperwork relating to it to yourself by post, put some grease on your fingers and rub it over the item… might work with headsets but AIUI it doesn’t work with expensive watches because Customs have lists of serial numbers and where they were retailed.
For some reason I would not expect a company like lightspeed to introduce a product with new technology that has obvious flaws or is inferior to its competitors, or substitutes, even if they can offer it at a lower price. Of course, performance needs to be 100% as it is directly safety related.
Oh, and the PFX currently sells for USD 1,263 in Germany.
