@WilliamF, my Zulu 2s ear seals and cord strain relief were coming apart, and I considered dong the upgrade. I decided against it as the cord strain reliefs are still doing their job just fine, despite visible degradation. Instead I bought a couple of sets of ear seals and I’m good to go for another few years. These are still the best performing noise cancelling headsets I’ve tried, particularly so in a very loud environment.
While headsets had my attention I also bought a Clarity Aloft Flex, just to try it. I wear ear plugs 100% of the time when riding a motorcycle so the in-ear design is not a huge leap for me and I like the idea of a lightweight, passive headset. I flew with it the other day and while it’s a bit of a procedure to put it on, it works well for noise reduction and has very good sound quality. At $775 it’s overpriced (it’s surely not very expensive to produce) but regardless I’ll probably use it as my primary headset and keep an extra Zulu on board too in case my ears get irritated by the speaker/plugs of the Flex during a multi stop flight.
I did that.
I like the new braided cable, and you get new electronics, soft pads, and three more years of warranty.
I’ve had none of the issues mentioned in the thread after the upgrade. I didn’t have any before the upgrade either.
Has anyone upgraded a lightspeed Zulu 2 to the Zulu 3 using the $300 factory offer?
https://www.lightspeedaviation.com/programs/zulu2-to-zulu3-conversion/
I have two sets of Zulu 2 both equally shagged with ear seals and cords falling apart. Just wondering if it’s worthwhile, or anyone here had done it.
Thanks, good to compare!
And even better to know that it makes a real difference!
$ 19.95 (plus tax), here: https://www.pilotshop.com/catalog/avpages/bosexaccess7.php
I normally buy my gear at the pilot shop at KSMO (keep your local shops alive !!!), so perhaps paid a little more, but that’s the ballpark. Nice markup your Swedish shop has!
172driver wrote:
Yes. The ANR improved noticeably after I changed them about a couple of years ago. This would have been the third set over the lifespan – so far 14 years – of my Bose-XAs these things only cost a few bucks, I will prob90 change them more often in the future.
Where do you find them for “a few bucks”? :) Our local pilot shop here in Sweden wants 55euro for them (depends on what you consider a few bucks of course hehe)
“Lightspeed Replacement Ear Seals – Zulu PFX / Zulu.2 / Zulu / Sierra”
martin-esmi wrote:
When the ear pads/muffs were worn out, did you notice any deterioration of the ANR functionality?
Yes. The ANR improved noticeably after I changed them about a couple of years ago. This would have been the third set over the lifespan – so far 14 years – of my Bose-X
As these things only cost a few bucks, I will prob90 change them more often in the future.
Dimme wrote:
I have the Lightspeed Zulu 2 since 2014. I changed the earpads this year because they were worn out. Other than that, no problems for 7 years and 340 hours of flight.
When the ear pads/muffs were worn out, did you notice any deterioration of the ANR functionality? My ear pads are really worn and I also believe that the ANR has gotten worse, especially after trying my friends Zulu 3 during a flight. It was really quiet!
I have an A20 for about 5 years now – it has given perfect service. I damaged the cable early on and they sent me a new one under warranty. Recently replaced the earcuffs.
I used to have a Zulu (not sure which mark). It developed a fault and I replaced it (exchange) with the unlamented high-end one they did for a couple of years until people stopped buying it. It ate batteries (life under 10 hours) and had a huge and heavy battery box. Disaster in a heli for both reasons (you can’t change batteries in flight). So I bought an A20, sold the Lightspeed on Ebay, and have been very happy since. Up til then LS’s service had been excellent, but they flat out refused to exchange back to a Zulu so I was done with them.
I’ve just dealt with Bose for a repair of my A20s and they were brilliant – I was given the direct details for the people who know what they are doing:
Aviation sales and service support department in The Netherlands:
Tel. : +31 299 390 777
E-mail : [email protected]
I have the personal email of the aviation lead rep who was excellent if anyone needs
