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Headsets (merged)

I had the Lightspeed Zulu, sold this on to an associate who had an old knackered Lightspeed XL250 and traded that in for my current headset, the Lightspeed Zulu.2, they were far and away the most comfortable headset I’ve tried, better than DC (too much pressure), Sennheiser (seemed perched on my head) and Bose (high price, especially if you want Bluetooth music streaming, fragile feel, poor service).

EDL*, Germany

Bose (high price, especially if you want Bluetooth music streaming, fragile feel, poor service).

I really don’t know where this ‘poor service’ for Bose comes from. Is this a UK / Europe thing?

Last year I had an issue with distortion on my BoseX. Called, described the problem, got offered a flat fee repair (cannot recall price now, but reasonable). They emailed my a pre-paid label for UPS, I dropped the thing off at a UPS store once I landed Stateside, went on hols in Maine and by the time I got to L.A. they were there, repaired (new mic assembly). Admittedly, all this was done from within the US, but I really couldn’t complain about the service.

In my not inconsiderable experience Bose and Lightspeed both offer excellent service but it appears that some people object to paying for out of warranty repairs.

EHLE / Lelystad, Netherlands, Netherlands

I think Bose UK (or Bose Europe) shot themselves in the foot some years ago when they manufactured thousands of microphones which were substandard (had about half the output, so you had to have the mike more or less against your lips in order to generate enough signal to register with a standard aviation intercom) and while they gave an unlimited-time warranty for replacing these free of charge in the USA, they totally washed their hands of it for over here. I paid out 4 × 150 quid or so to Headset Services replacing these. They confirmed the extent of the issue but could not get any backing from Bose. I sold the low output mikes on US Ebay and the buyer got them swapped with Bose USA OK… somebody could argue that the headset “worked”, which is true, but that’s not the point. Having to have the mike almost in your mouth is dumb. I got two of these with the TB20 in 2002 and they were still shipping the crap mikes a couple of years later because I got them on new headsets I bought then. If Bose tried the European stunt in the USA they would have been lynched, notably by Aviation Consumer.

The Bose X is also rather easy to break (is quite unneccesarily flimsy) which no doubt drives dissatisfaction in “club/syndicate” GA circles, and keeps some of the other firms (notably D-C) in business with headsets which you could drive a Russian tank over. I had broken a number of the plastic Lemo plugs – it could be done just by brushing your hand against them when plugged in. The A20 looks a bit stronger and I heard the Lemo plug is now made of metal (not sure).

Last Edited by Peter at 15 Jun 15:08
Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Last year I had an issue with distortion on my BoseX. Called, described the problem, got offered a flat fee repair (cannot recall price now, but reasonable).

And that’s the difference between Lightspeed and Bose. My original Zulus were out of warranty (by quite a reasonable period of time) and the Bluetooth streaming of music suddenly became only in mono to the left ear. I wrote to Lightspeed in the US, indicating the issue, by return of email I received confirmation that the headset should be sent to their repair workshop in Germany where it would be repaired free of charge. Lightspeed are proud of their service, they don’t normally charge for it. My colleague who had the XL250 broke one of the brackets holding the ear cups so he wrote to them, indicating that he wished to buy the new bracket. Lightspeed replied that they would replace it – again free of charge – if he just sent it to their repair shop in Germany, which he did.

The story of the defective microphones got quite a few pilots cursing Bose and Lightspeed used that to gain market share by showing that there are many ways to skin a cat……

The moral of this story:

Anybody can charge for service, it takes a company with real faith in their products who give service and support over and beyond what is their minimum legal obligation…. And with Bose, you are paying for the NAME, not the service……

Last Edited by Steve6443 at 15 Jun 18:59
EDL*, Germany

Nope, I have two Bose! Best you can get.

QNH
EHHV

Have lightspeed Zulu (preferree it to the Bose) and a zulu2 and a bose a20.

Nice thing about Bose is that you can have a version which you can power by Lemo and by Battery. Negatives .. You always need to switch it on.. Where the Lightspeed lemo powered switches on automatically.

In every encounter I have preferred the Zulu’s over the Boses. More comfortable fit and I find that Bose has an unnatural sound.. Heard this from other people as well.

Also got a Sierra which seems to fine.

Probably a bit late, but the Phonak Freecom 7000/7100 is a very impressive bit of kit.

Last Edited by Dave_Phillips at 18 Jun 06:38
Fly safely
Various UK. Operate throughout Europe and Middle East, United Kingdom

Out of all the ANR sets I’ve tried, only the Bose seemed to make a real worthwhile difference to me. Recently I got to borrow a set for a 12 hour round trip from Houston to Colorado and back, and they were pretty much the best headsets I’ve used. Of course they are also the most expensive I’ve seen. But I’m now considering buying my own set.

Andreas IOM

Since I bought a QT Halo, the Bose has been relegated to passenger use.
The noise attenuation is far better, it’s lighter and more comfortable, does not interfere with glasses or canulas and stays on during aerobatics.

The only down side is it takes a few more seconds to get them on.

The Clarity Aloft is similar but more expensive.

I find the foam ear-buds work best.

KHWD- Hayward California; EGTN Enstone Oxfordshire, United States
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