Difference between Clarity Aloft and Bose A20 / Lightspeed Zulu Headsets?

Can anybody comment on the noise attenuation differences between the Clarity Aloft (passive) and latest generation ANR headsets like the Bose A20 and Lightspeed Zulu.2 (active).

If you have experience with both in ear passive and earcup active noise cancellation headsets, which do you think does a better job of reducing engine noise?

I currently use the Clarity Aloft headset in my RV-8 and find that the noise is quite loud. I'm wondering if I would get better results with something like the A20.

Direct compaison, passive and Zulu

They are not CA's, but my QT Halo's are passive. And I would expect similar to the CAs. I've had the chance to do back to back comparison with Zulus on two occasions. Overall I would say the attenuation is similar, though ( and I can't quantify this) the quietness is somehow different.
With the Halos it is imperative that the ear plug be IN the ear canal. If you just get the tip of the plug in the opening of the canal they will be loud To me, that's the only downside of the in ear passive type. Rather than just putting them on, there is an "installation process". If you don't get the process right, they don't perform.

I just tried out my new CA headset yesterday. They were pretty quiet but not as quiet as the Bose. I did not put on the CA and then the bose in the same ride. I will try this the next time. I have about 300 hours with the bose, but only 3 hours with the CA.

The CA are in the ear, but I wear ear plugs for power tools and listening to music, so I don't find them annoying. I do find the CA a bit tight fitting--pinching me right above the ears. I might use some foam to alleviate this issue. Other than that I can't feel them and are very light.

IMO the bose get tiring to wear on long x-countries. The clamping action gets to me as well as that I tend to sweat with them on for a long time. Also you have to replace the batteries quite often, especially when you forget to turn them off. I think that the newer bose have a less clamping pressure, but I have not used them.

I will give more feed back once I use the CA set for a little bit longer. I am hoping that the CA set work out, since I like how light they are.

I also might mess around with the ear plugs as well. I have use a whole bunch of different in the ear plugs, some are better than others--easier to fit in and more comfortable. I will post when I figure out the retrofit.

I sold our CAs, they were a pain to get in the ear properly, and even when they were, they were not near as quiet as the Bose.

Bill.Peyton said:

I sold our CAs, they were a pain to get in the ear properly, and even when they were, they were not near as quiet as the Bose.

Click to expand...

I can echo Bill's comments. I had the CA and was not really impressed. I really expected to like them as I have been using some Shure in-the-ear headphones with my Ipods for years.

I found the sound quality lacking - much worse than my Shure, which cost less than a quarter of the price of the CA's.

I now am using the Bose headset which I really like. For some reason, the Bose just fits my head better than the others.

Hope this helps,
Jason

I love my CAs. My GIB headset is ANR flightcom Denali, which is rated to cancel about the same as Bose/lightspeed. CAs do about the same as that headset for attenuation, but the ANR gets a little more of the drone out. There is also the debate about ANR's noise canceling sound waves doing damage to ears, but that's another thread on its own. My final complaint for over the ear headphones is the sweat, clamping forces, and weight. Not nearly as bad as 7-8 hrs in the Iraq heat with a helmet and no a/c, but when I'm flying for fun I try to be as comfortable as I can, and that is what I love about CAs.

As a side note, my hearing has been improving on last 2 annual tests, so I'm confident in the CA's ability to protect my hearing.

Thanks guys. Regarding the comment about the CA headset not fitting correctly above the ear, I had the same problem initially. I found that it's alright to bend the metal a little a time to get it to fit correctly. After some trial and error, I was able to eliminate the hot spots caused by the "stock" fitting that comes from the factory.

I appreciate the feedback regarding the noise attenuation comparison with over the ear ANR headsets. My wife wants to get a Zulu.2 for the backseat, so I guess I'll have a chance to compare the two headset types after we get it.

She should be happy with the Zulu. Very comfortable and quiet.
And their customer service is second to none!

Just flew with my new Zulu-2 ...

... and they are incredible. Your wife will be ELATED with them ... likely you too.
There is no way to compare the Zulu with my old LS 15XL, and those were an ANR set. Night and day difference. The Zulus have transformed my RV from a very noisy, fatiguing sound environment to a wonderfully habitable cabin.

I flew with Zulu's (original, not 2's) for almost 2 years and thought they were excellent except for 1 or 2 issues where the ANR produced some really annoying artifacts.

I switched to Bose A20's which I had for about a year. Overall, I thought the A20 had slightly better noise reduction then the Zulu without the anomalies. However, I thought the Zulu's were more comforable.

I switched to CA's (the TSO version) last summer because it was just to hot to wear headsets during the heat of the day in Texas. It took a while to adjust to the CA's ... and you do have to get them in just right for maximum noise reduction.

Last week I flew with my wife's Zulu's on a cold day and my first impression was that they were not as good as the CA's for overall noise reduction.

Clarity Aloft (Halo) vs Zulu

I have 2 Zulu's and 2 Halo's (similar to CA). Both me and my wife fly with the Halo's. The Zulu is great but the comfort of the Halo's is unmatched. There is a trick to getting it in the ear canal correctly but once you figure it out and it is not hard you are golden. Two years ago I got some custom ear peaces at OSH (AirVenture) it is easier to get a good seal with them. But I am going back to the foam.

Bottom line both Zulus are back ups/loners sitting in the baggage compartment.

Love the passive noise reduction!

I've had the Clarity Alofts for several years (flying in my husband's RV-6) and love the passive noise reduction - no batteries to keep changing and nothing to turn "on". I found that I needed the large foam tips (they have 3 sizes) to properly fill my ear canal and get it nice and quiet. We also have a set of Zulu's for passengers... we've both tried them and they are nice, but we both prefer our CAs due to the light weight and no sweaty ears!

So in the army we wear CEPs (exactly identical to the ear pieces of CAs) under our helmet, which plug into our helmet to transfer the sound from the ear cups to the CEPs. Essentially double hearing protection with clear audio. If you want an ultra quiet cabin throw on ANRs over your CAs. Gets a little warm and uncomfy on long flights, though.

Headsets

We prefer clarity aloft (CA) because they are passive noise reduction. Simple with no batteries.

No problem storing them or keeping them out of sight at an airshow.

No problem with weight as they nearly weigh nothing.

No problem with heat such as with headphones. (long trips are comfortable)

No problem with fit. (use proper size ear pieces)

Simple and quick to apply if you know how.

CA's are Never in the way. These lay flat, approx one inch.

No problem with messing up your wife's hair. (original reason we tried them)

We have used them since the first generation and have been happy since.
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Zulu's are good although the headband and hot earcups in summer, not fun.

Zulu's take up much more room. Etc. Etc. Zulu's are great headsets just bulky and hot.

Get what you want.
We really love our Clarity Aloft's after 6 years of use.
Simple, highly functional, dependable and compact.
I would buy them again.

I switched from a set Zulus to Halos. My reasons were:

• The clamping pressure of the Zulus bothered me on longer flights
• You can wear a hat (stocking, baseball, boonie) with the Halos, and they don't interfere
• Sunglasses don't interfere with the Halos

The Zulus got delegated to a headset for passengers. The wife was using them on our last 2 hour flight, and she had the same complaints as above, so I let her try the Halos. Now I have to buy another pair!