NR Headsets

I am looking for advice on NR headsets. Will be a new pilot, building a Kitfox SS7, starting lessons soon and need to purchase a good headset. I am in my 60's with fairly good hearing, but would like all the help I can get. What is the best value for the money?

Jim

I should add that I don't care much about music quality, just good radio and intercom quality, and good comfort on the head/ears.

I did a search on the forum and got nearly nothing which really surprised me, considering the importance of a good headset. Maybe they are all good, with very minor differences?

Jim

I have light speed & they are great

I have Lightspeed and they are great. John has Bose and they are the absolute best. Very lightweight, comfortable, clear and quiet.

Lightspeeds are a very good mid price range.

Bose are the very best in the expensive category.

When buying headsets, buy the best you can afford and go with ANR's.

what ever you decide on for an anr headset consider coughing up the few extra bucks for the panel power supply and skip the batteries . i converted one of my david clarks to anr and used the battery pack for a while , what a pia . i flew for a while that way and finally installed the panel mounted power supply wired to the radio master and never looked back . granted the lightspeed are light comfortable and work good but i just have a problem shelling out $900 and them being made in china . for that kind of money they could surely be made in the usa .

I recently purchased a LightSpeed Sierra which does not work in my Kitfox but does in regular GA planes. A friend has a Zulu and his doesn't work in my Kitfox either. My DC 13.4's work great though. My radio's an Icom A-200. Is anyone else having that problem? Is it the ANR feature? Any help appreciated...

what do you mean , dont work , no anr , cant hear anything , cant transmit ? have you talked to lightspeed ? my friend where i hangar my kitfox has a speedster and has used several lightspeed models in it , including zulu , with good success . the few problems he has had with the headsets lightspeed has been good to respond and help him out .

All of the above, Chuck. I just get a buzzing noise, regardless of which of the two outlets I use in the plane. I have not contacted LightSpeed yet because I always seem to find the answers I need right here...but it is something I will do if no one else has run into this problem.

PapaBeach

I have the "no name" Lightspeed from Av SHOP (A450 ANR $249.00). Works very well with my A210. Now if I can get the built-in intercom adjusted properly so it does not open the mic when at high cockpit noise situations (climb and takeoff) I will be happy. Any ideas??

Do you ever get over to the Okanagan? I am based out of CYYF (Penticton). May try of the Island this summer,if it ever comes!!

Cheers

Don

My experience with Lightspeed customer service is they are the best. Very responsive, very helpful.

I will second that! For the cost of shipping Lightspeed completely refurbished both of our headsets.

papa , sounds like you may have an airplane problem . i was all excited when i purchased my a210 that it had a built in intercom . the more i looked into it the more i found that i wouldnt be happy with it so i opted for a ps engineering intercom . ps wont warrantee their unit unless you use a harness that they make up . they are concerned about correct grounds and insulating the jacks . ive never had any trouble with the radio or the intercom . if you have the batteries the anr should work even if it isnt plugged into the airplane , something in the airplane hookup must be causing problems with the anr when its hooked up to the plane

I appreciate the feedback I am getting here. Lightspeed seems to be getting the nod for good value for the money. What are your opinions on the Lightspeed Sierra model vs. the newer Zulu model ($650 vs. $900). It appears maybe the Sierra is only available as battery powered?

Jim

This is my second LightSpeed headset and I agree, they are a great company and have a great product. In fact the new headset is one I got when I traded the old one in. I read the manual and they mentioned something about a dip switch that can be switched on or off so I will try that and if that doesn't work, I will contact LightSpeed. Either way, I'll let everyone know the results.

Papa,
We use Bose X and Lightspeed Zulu's in our King Airs with no issues. At times, the Lightspeed (Branch Factory in OR, USA) will have an ANR issue, but with the Waranty (or just shipping cost) they'll fix it quick and get it back to you just as quickly. Bose X has served us well also. Both are Batt. Pwrd and haven't had any issues, except when folks forget to turn the ANR off. I suppose they were just testing the "auto-off" function (Batt dead = off) LOL.

Hope you find what works great for you.

I thought I knew the difference, but now I am not so sure. What exactly are the pros and cons of battery power vs. panel power?

Jim

jim , the advantage of the battery power is the headsets can be moved to different airplanes they dont even have to be plugged into an airplane for the anr work . the down side of that is if you dont replace the batteries regularly the anr will stop working while your flying and scare the crap out of you . then you have to fumble around finding and replacing batteries while your trying to fly . or the worst case is that your wife will mix old batteries with the new batteries and when your headset anr doesnt work you send it back to lightspeed for repair for no reason . if you always use the headsets in the same plane , the panel power is the way to go , you never have to worry about batteries .

When looking at headsets there are many choices. I waffled back and forth on whether to spend a lot of money or try to save a few bucks with a bargain brand until a friend pointed out the economics.

He said, "The best headset you can buy is under $1000. The cheapest pair of hearing aids is over $3000."

John Pitkin
Greenville, TX

i did the anr mod to one of my dcs about 2 years ago . sure worth the money for the upgrade kit . i also installed the panel power supply . i never take the headset out of the plane so i never think about it . the power supply is wired in to the radio master so the only time i hear the noise is at engine start and just before shutdown when i turn the radios on and off .

My advice would be to see if you can try the different brands in your plane. I was going to get the BOSE before I went to Airventure and while there I decided I would try all the different types. For me the Lightspeed was the better sounding headset. I actually got the 20-3G since it sounded as good/better than the BOSE and was less than half the price. I have since also purchased a Zulu. Everyone's ears are different so not all headsets will sound the same for each individual.
WW

What is a 20-3G? I don't see it anywhere on the Lightspeed website.

Jim

I don't think the 20-3G or the 30-3G are sold anymore. I purchased mine before the Zulu series was introduced. You may be able to find a set on ebay. They are much bulkier than the Zulu but for my wore out ear they worked great. I still have my 20-3G and it is my spare for a passenger. I have thought of sending it in for the "upgrade" program but since they work fine I haven't done it yet.
WW

The internal noise in my Kitfox IV is to me, unreal. My Bose tames it down immesurably.:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jiott

What is a 20-3G? I don't see it anywhere on the Lightspeed website.

Jim

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Jim,
Give us a call.. We are dealers for both Light Speed and Bose and have both in our demo aircraft. Both are great headsets.