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Any Lightspeed Zulu PFX Pilot Reports?
- Thread starter rjtjrt
- Start date
Update: After posting this in Sep, a guy emailed me and said I could make a software change and get a voice warning of impending battery depletion. That takes care of one of my dislikes, now if only there was a 3.5mm female plug in the PFX battery box that could take 12v aircraft power when in my plane and batteries when in other planes.
My wife purchased a set of LS PFX for me for last Christmas from ACS, delivered in June. The fit is nice, seems to be lighter than the Zulu 2s. The cord is good, one cord then splits into the double plugs. The cord is made somewhat different outside material, mine is straight not coiled and it doesn't tie itself in a knot, good engineering. When turned on, you get a noticeable reduction in ambient noise, then 5 seconds or so later a noticeable second reduction in ambient sound. Very quiet to the point that I now leave it off until airborne. I prefer hear the aircraft and engine noises as I taxi, do the run up, add full power and take off down the runway. Just a personal preference, it is really that quiet. Music is also a strong point on this headset, also very good. I don't like the 4 AA battery pack, too big and only lasted 17 hours of flight. It quit, naturally when I was getting heading changes from ATC, flight following. When it quits, it quits with a boom sound, imitating a mic in the wind. There is a flashing red light on the battery box, but I stow the box between my seat cushion and side of the fuselage to get it out of the way, which naturally obscures the blinking light. It needs a warning tone or voice to alert you that the batteries are weak and need changing. Other than size of the battery box and lack of real warning to change batteries, it is a great set of headphones. I would recommend taking a 10 pack of AA batteries on a long vacation as I did on our August trip from Reno to Philadelphia and back, 21 days, 40 flying hours. I changed batteries in flight twice while my wife's Zulu 2's 2 AA batteries lasted the entire trip. I have 50 hours on them now and would purchase them again. Dan
My wife purchased a set of LS PFX for me for last Christmas from ACS, delivered in June. The fit is nice, seems to be lighter than the Zulu 2s. The cord is good, one cord then splits into the double plugs. The cord is made somewhat different outside material, mine is straight not coiled and it doesn't tie itself in a knot, good engineering. When turned on, you get a noticeable reduction in ambient noise, then 5 seconds or so later a noticeable second reduction in ambient sound. Very quiet to the point that I now leave it off until airborne. I prefer hear the aircraft and engine noises as I taxi, do the run up, add full power and take off down the runway. Just a personal preference, it is really that quiet. Music is also a strong point on this headset, also very good. I don't like the 4 AA battery pack, too big and only lasted 17 hours of flight. It quit, naturally when I was getting heading changes from ATC, flight following. When it quits, it quits with a boom sound, imitating a mic in the wind. There is a flashing red light on the battery box, but I stow the box between my seat cushion and side of the fuselage to get it out of the way, which naturally obscures the blinking light. It needs a warning tone or voice to alert you that the batteries are weak and need changing. Other than size of the battery box and lack of real warning to change batteries, it is a great set of headphones. I would recommend taking a 10 pack of AA batteries on a long vacation as I did on our August trip from Reno to Philadelphia and back, 21 days, 40 flying hours. I changed batteries in flight twice while my wife's Zulu 2's 2 AA batteries lasted the entire trip. I have 50 hours on them now and would purchase them again. Dan
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Master Designs
Well Known Member
I own (2) pairs of PFX's.....so, here are my thoughts so far.
I posted this in another thread, and thought I'd copy it here as well since I now own (2) sets of PFX's.
If you have the privilege, compare the Bose A20's, AKG AV100's and the Lightspeed Zulu PFX's before you buy anything. Also, compare apples to apples. The latest from one company can't be compared to older model headsets from another company. I.E. You can't compare PFX's to Bose X, or Zulu 2's to AV100's, etc...
I believe the top 3 headsets are very close and it comes down to personal preference. I had (2) new sets of Bose A20's that I flew from AZ to OSH and back....tried the AV100's and PFX's several times at OSH. Then, upon landing back in AZ, I returned the A20's and I now have a pair of PFX's in my flight bag.
My reports:
A20's-
PROS: Great sound
CONS: Bluetooth ONLY for cell phone calls, my ears seemed too big for the cups, the cord is too rigid, the battery box cord is too short to get tucked behind my elbow (padded side armrest in RV-6A), soft carrying case
AV100's-
PROS: Company has LOADS of experience in mic's and speaker's (zero experience in aviation though), lightweight, looks cool, full bluetooth, front LED lights
CONS: Fake carbon fiber print, too much plastic, too much white noise for my liking
PFX's-
PROS: Totally flexible cord, hard carrying case, full bluetooth, metal used in places where it seems appropriate, great sound, cord from battery box to plugs are long enough that I can tuck the battery box behind my elbow (padded side armrest in RV-6A)
CONS: Battery box is heavy due to (4) AA's, my Oakley sunglasses seem to keep the front of the cups from closing so I'm going to try wire frame sunglasses instead
I posted this in another thread, and thought I'd copy it here as well since I now own (2) sets of PFX's.
If you have the privilege, compare the Bose A20's, AKG AV100's and the Lightspeed Zulu PFX's before you buy anything. Also, compare apples to apples. The latest from one company can't be compared to older model headsets from another company. I.E. You can't compare PFX's to Bose X, or Zulu 2's to AV100's, etc...
I believe the top 3 headsets are very close and it comes down to personal preference. I had (2) new sets of Bose A20's that I flew from AZ to OSH and back....tried the AV100's and PFX's several times at OSH. Then, upon landing back in AZ, I returned the A20's and I now have a pair of PFX's in my flight bag.
My reports:
A20's-
PROS: Great sound
CONS: Bluetooth ONLY for cell phone calls, my ears seemed too big for the cups, the cord is too rigid, the battery box cord is too short to get tucked behind my elbow (padded side armrest in RV-6A), soft carrying case
AV100's-
PROS: Company has LOADS of experience in mic's and speaker's (zero experience in aviation though), lightweight, looks cool, full bluetooth, front LED lights
CONS: Fake carbon fiber print, too much plastic, too much white noise for my liking
PFX's-
PROS: Totally flexible cord, hard carrying case, full bluetooth, metal used in places where it seems appropriate, great sound, cord from battery box to plugs are long enough that I can tuck the battery box behind my elbow (padded side armrest in RV-6A)
CONS: Battery box is heavy due to (4) AA's, my Oakley sunglasses seem to keep the front of the cups from closing so I'm going to try wire frame sunglasses instead
I beleive the main competitor to the PFX is the Sennheiser Digital S1:
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/aviation-headset-pilot-headset-active-noise-cancelling-s1-digital
And I hear only great things about that one ... having used Sennheiser in other applications, I can believe it, they make great headphones all around ...
It's the only other model that I know of that has the same noise cancelling feature where you press a button and it adapts in real time to your environment. In fact the S1 was the first product to market with that feature AFAIK ...
If you're in the market for a PFX, you should put the S1 on your list, IMHO ...
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/aviation-headset-pilot-headset-active-noise-cancelling-s1-digital
And I hear only great things about that one ... having used Sennheiser in other applications, I can believe it, they make great headphones all around ...
It's the only other model that I know of that has the same noise cancelling feature where you press a button and it adapts in real time to your environment. In fact the S1 was the first product to market with that feature AFAIK ...
If you're in the market for a PFX, you should put the S1 on your list, IMHO ...
How good is good enough?
All the ads for the latest generation headset seem to tout "even quieter".
I would like to know if: they are more comfortable? Do they reduce fatigue (or have the last generation headsets already reduced that as low as possible)? Is communication really improved?
It seems like these newest headsets are for passengers, who want to close their eyes and pretend that they are not in an airplane!
All the ads for the latest generation headset seem to tout "even quieter".
I would like to know if: they are more comfortable? Do they reduce fatigue (or have the last generation headsets already reduced that as low as possible)? Is communication really improved?
It seems like these newest headsets are for passengers, who want to close their eyes and pretend that they are not in an airplane!
Traded up one of my Zulu headset for a Zulu PFX. I have been using two (2) 1st generation Zulu headsets since I traded up my Thirty 3G headset years ago when the Zulu first came out after flight testing a Bose X for 100 flying hours.
The PFX has now been used through one entire set of batteries in my RV-6. Sunday on my way back from lunch with my friends, the batteries in the PFX when out. Pressing the ON button, the headset came back on. A few minutes later about 10 minutes out from my home base, the PFX shut off again. Pressing the ON button again, the noise canceling came back on. Not having 4 batteries to change the PFX batteries, I grabbed my Zulu passenger headset and swapped it to the Pilot side of the airplane. WOW what a difference. The PFX was a LOT Quieter. Not a little bit quieter but a LOT. It is hard to put a number on it but it felt somewhere between 25% to 50% quieter. Yes it was a LOT quieter.
PFX features that I have used:
Bluetooth for cell phone.
Bluetooth for Stereo Music even if you only have Mono aircraft system.
Bluetooth for recording headset audio on the iPhone / iPad.
PFX dislikes:
Have had some feedback noise intermittently in the headset. (less than 5% of the time)
Taxi of 1st flight with the headset was only as good as the old Zulu but when advancing power, the headset when to proper noise reduction. Not sure why as it has not happened again.
Large control box
4 AA Batteries required
Between 15-18 hours operation on a set of batteries
My Pilot Report:
The PFX is a very quiet headset but it may be worth waiting till later in the production run for my dislikes to get worked out. I am of the opinion that the PFX pushed the envelope as far as it can be pushed with our present technology. I expect that most of my dislikes will go away when the first Firmware update comes out. Even with my dislikes, the PFX is a LOT quieter than the Zulu and worth the upgrade. Once my very small list of dislikes go away, I will get my 2nd PFX to leave in the aircraft.
The PFX has now been used through one entire set of batteries in my RV-6. Sunday on my way back from lunch with my friends, the batteries in the PFX when out. Pressing the ON button, the headset came back on. A few minutes later about 10 minutes out from my home base, the PFX shut off again. Pressing the ON button again, the noise canceling came back on. Not having 4 batteries to change the PFX batteries, I grabbed my Zulu passenger headset and swapped it to the Pilot side of the airplane. WOW what a difference. The PFX was a LOT Quieter. Not a little bit quieter but a LOT. It is hard to put a number on it but it felt somewhere between 25% to 50% quieter. Yes it was a LOT quieter.
PFX features that I have used:
Bluetooth for cell phone.
Bluetooth for Stereo Music even if you only have Mono aircraft system.
Bluetooth for recording headset audio on the iPhone / iPad.
PFX dislikes:
Have had some feedback noise intermittently in the headset. (less than 5% of the time)
Taxi of 1st flight with the headset was only as good as the old Zulu but when advancing power, the headset when to proper noise reduction. Not sure why as it has not happened again.
Large control box
4 AA Batteries required
Between 15-18 hours operation on a set of batteries
My Pilot Report:
The PFX is a very quiet headset but it may be worth waiting till later in the production run for my dislikes to get worked out. I am of the opinion that the PFX pushed the envelope as far as it can be pushed with our present technology. I expect that most of my dislikes will go away when the first Firmware update comes out. Even with my dislikes, the PFX is a LOT quieter than the Zulu and worth the upgrade. Once my very small list of dislikes go away, I will get my 2nd PFX to leave in the aircraft.
Aircraft Specialty
Well Known Member
We have sold LOTS of PFX headsets and I personally use one in my RV-10. It is a great headset. I love my Zulu.2, but the PFX is a lot quieter in direct comparison.
We do offer a special for customers who purchase Lightspeed Headsets from us. Typically the customer is responsible for sending the headset to Lightspeed in the unlikely event of warranty work being required.
If you purchase from us, we will send a prepaid shipping label at any time during the warranty period if your headset is in need of repair. This will be at no cost to you.
We sell a lot of headsets and rotate our inventory quickly, so you can be confident that you are getting a late serial # model.
Happy Holidays, and thank you for allowing us to earn your business for another great year.
Steve
We do offer a special for customers who purchase Lightspeed Headsets from us. Typically the customer is responsible for sending the headset to Lightspeed in the unlikely event of warranty work being required.
If you purchase from us, we will send a prepaid shipping label at any time during the warranty period if your headset is in need of repair. This will be at no cost to you.
We sell a lot of headsets and rotate our inventory quickly, so you can be confident that you are getting a late serial # model.
Happy Holidays, and thank you for allowing us to earn your business for another great year.
Steve
Neal@F14
Well Known Member
I was going to treat myself to a new PFX as a Christmas present to myself and also an upgrade to the new Trutrak Gemini AP but unfortunately got hit with some unexpected expenses that put the kibosh on those purchases for a while. I still hope to be able to get the PFX before Oshkosh 2015 though.
PFX Batteries get low
Flew 6.6-hours today. On my last almost 3-hour leg, all of a sudden the airplane sounded funny like an exhaust stack broke. Batteries on the PFX was low. Power indicator was blinking red. Turning the headset off, it got a LOT louder. Thinking in advance that the batteries would die today, a spare set of batteries was available. Installed new batteries and the funny loud noise went away and the QUIET was back.
Lesson learned, when the batteries get weak, noise level will go up while still having some noise reduction. The change in noise level will warn the user that it is time to change the batteries.
Flew 6.6-hours today. On my last almost 3-hour leg, all of a sudden the airplane sounded funny like an exhaust stack broke. Batteries on the PFX was low. Power indicator was blinking red. Turning the headset off, it got a LOT louder. Thinking in advance that the batteries would die today, a spare set of batteries was available. Installed new batteries and the funny loud noise went away and the QUIET was back.
Lesson learned, when the batteries get weak, noise level will go up while still having some noise reduction. The change in noise level will warn the user that it is time to change the batteries.
Got both side by side ....
Bought a set of PFX and liked them because they were very quiet but the control box is large and bulky, the ear seals didn't work really well over my normal sunglasses, and the batteries didn't last long (comparably speaking). Each time you turn them on, they adjust over 30 seconds or so to the specific ambient noise level which is good but another step. Having said all that, I like them a lot .....but ...
I had the opportunity to also buy a set of new Bose and they are lighter, slightly smaller earcups, just as quiet as the PFX, batteries last longer, and the control box is simpler and a lot smaller...
Net result is that I fly with the Bose and my passenger has the PFX. Both of us entirely happy!
It's a toss up but the Bose just turn out to seal better and feel better ..... for me ! I think you'll be happy either way.
I have had several buddies try them both in the airplane (RV7a) and it's been pretty much a tossup with everyone noting how much better either set is than my old Zulu 2's.
Just my .02
Bought a set of PFX and liked them because they were very quiet but the control box is large and bulky, the ear seals didn't work really well over my normal sunglasses, and the batteries didn't last long (comparably speaking). Each time you turn them on, they adjust over 30 seconds or so to the specific ambient noise level which is good but another step. Having said all that, I like them a lot .....but ...
I had the opportunity to also buy a set of new Bose and they are lighter, slightly smaller earcups, just as quiet as the PFX, batteries last longer, and the control box is simpler and a lot smaller...
Net result is that I fly with the Bose and my passenger has the PFX. Both of us entirely happy!
It's a toss up but the Bose just turn out to seal better and feel better ..... for me ! I think you'll be happy either way.
I have had several buddies try them both in the airplane (RV7a) and it's been pretty much a tossup with everyone noting how much better either set is than my old Zulu 2's.
Just my .02
