Give it to the passengers. For the crew, I think this is a BAD idea
It introduces one additional failure mode, and makes one failure mode (running out of battery) significantly worse, and all to save a bit of cable.
And I love Bluetooth – I paid the premium for a Bluetooth A20 to connect the phone, and would upgrade to the Bluetooth music interface but don’t listen to music when flying.
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
Headsets are very much a personal choice but of the many pilots I speak to, the consensus seems to be that the Lightspeed Zulu finally matched the old Bose X, and I can personally tell you that the Bose A20 significantly outperforms the Bose X. Today, nothing touches the A20. A lot of people don’t like Bose, and I don’t like the way they shafted European customers with their faulty microphones many years ago (while offering an indefinite replacement policy to US customers – that cost me about €1000, on four headsets) but Bose do seem to have the best performing headsets at present.
There is a flight test review on YouTube.
Sorry but haven’t viewed yet as i’m on the train with no headphones!
Cobalt wrote:
Give it to the passengers. For the crew, I think this is a BAD ideaIt introduces one additional failure mode, and makes one failure mode (running out of battery) significantly worse, and all to save a bit of cable.
I agree, I don’t think I would want to have a vital piece of equipment on Bluetooth (before anyone jumps in – in SoCal the headset IS vital!)
Also, for those who plan on buying in the US – depending where you buy it, be aware that anything from nil to 10% sales tax comes on top of the advertised price. NYC and CA being the most expensive ones AFAIK.
172driver wrote:
Also, for those who plan on buying in the US – depending where you buy it, be aware that anything from nil to 10% sales tax comes on top of the advertised price. NYC and CA being the most expensive ones AFAIK.
I wasn’t aware this also applies to online shops. Good to know.
Andi wrote:
I wasn’t aware this also applies to online shops. Good to know.
Only when the online shop is located in the same state as the buyer which it never is because they automatically choose the right dispatching location 
Under US law you then have to declare it at your place and pay the tax yourself. Nobody does that though, all tax evasion gangsters over there!
Agree with the failure modes.
Apparently there is a back-up cable stored in the “base” unit.
Doesn’t appear to use Bluetooth:
Lightspeed Link™ technology — At the heart of Tango is Lightspeed Link. Developed by Lightspeed engineers to ensure the reliable communication pilots demand, Lightspeed Link is not Bluetooth or WiFi, but incorporates existing technologies chosen for both signal reliability and audio quality for the aviation environment. The Lightspeed Link connection is so robust, as many as six Tango headsets can be operated in the same aircraft, letting everyone onboard experience the true freedom of wireless flight.
achimha wrote:
Only when the online shop is located in the same state as the buyer which it never is because they automatically choose the right dispatching location
Not necessarily. More and more online shops (Amazon being one) collect tax on behalf of the states. It’s really a totally unclear situation and you only know when you get to the checkout stage and look at the shipping and tax costs. Also, many online retailers will not ship to an address that’s different from the credit card billing address. If you travel to the US frequently and have an AMEX card, you can register a friend’s address as a secondary billing address and that then works. AFAIK this only works with AMEX, though.
NickP wrote:
Apparently there is a back-up cable stored in the “base” unit.
Clever! Good idea! All you one now needs is good failure recognition, so I’ll retract the BAD idea comment. Also explains why the base unit is so chunky.
Doesn’t appear to use Bluetooth:
Great. Yet another proprietary protocol.
Cobalt wrote:
Allyouone now needs
it’s catching on!
