Lightspeed Zulu

[N131RV]

Well, after owning, using and loving by Bose X headset for the last 6 years (or so), it started looking a bit ratty. I have replaced the ear cups and mike screen a few times (I'm hard on stuff)

My wife has been using an old DC with no active cancellation and it was difficult to communicate in flight.

With that in mind, I decided to get another high end headset and either use it myself, or let the wife have it.

I decided to try the Lightspeed Zulu after reading a few reviews. It was widely available at most outlets, I purchased mine on Ebay.

First impressions: I did not care for the case, no carrying strap. Still it's a nice case. On opening it, every thing fit neatly inside. The ear cups do not naturally rest against each other, but remain a few inches apart. I like this, a lot. In hot weather, the Bose ear cups would "smoosh" down and take quite a bit of tinkering to get them where my rather large ears would fit back inside.

I took it out and put in the included batteries (thanks LS!). Put it on my head and immediately noticed it was VERY comfortable and felt quite light.
I hit the switch for ANR and was very pleasantly rewarded with that flat "clean room" lack of noise.

Flight test:

My RV7 is very loud in the cockpit. Even with my Bose, down low, at high power settings, it was sometimes difficult to hear the radio or a passenger on the intercom. The noise was attenuated to a bearable, not quite pleasant volume. As I gain altitude (and lose power) the noise level drops.

That is all history. I cannot believe how well the Zulu kills the noise. After starting the engine, I put them on and hit switch, and it's like sitting in a car. I can feel the vibration and see the prop moving, but I can barely hear the engine. In high power regimes (takeoff and climb out) I hardly notice the noise anymore. It's there, but quite attenuated and not really unpleasant.

Biggest bonus: The incredible clarity of the radio and intercom. I was amazed.

I did try the bluetooth with my cell phone and it worked well. I have yet to listen to any music, but I expect I will be pleased.

All in all, I am impressed with it. I recommend the Zulu.

YMMV, as always.

[Scott H]

I fly in the UK & Europe and have been using a wide variety of headsets (AVcom, Pilot, DC) but decided to get a decent set of ANR. You might be interested in my research.
Bose (used in TB20 & Arrow 4) Very light, comfortable, both the battery operated type and the LEMO. Expensive for what you get now and need to be treated carefully when packed as the ear seals get deformed. Good clear comms. Passive not good.
Zulu (Used in Archer, Arrow 4 and Cessna 150,172) Battery operated. Very quiet and comfortable for long flights. Bluetooth and music input useful in the types which dont have music input built in. Headset case a waste of time no handle and akward to carry with other stuff add the cost of a good headset bag to the price! Excellent comms. Can only be used with Mic on Left as speakers in earcups are angled. Plugs to battery box a bit short, tends to hang around my knees in Cessna, OK in A/c with centre consol plug sockets. Less money than Bose and as good, but has all extras. Passive pretty good, better than Bose.
BayerDynamic HS600 Digital: (On Approval not flight tested yet) Excellent build quality, sound reduction excellent (on my Tractor), almost no background noise, only one volume control, ear cups are round so dont fit my biggish ears! Very good headset case with it. Music OR Phone input not both, not sure if auto mute is available. Don't know what difference the 'digital' makes. Passive not special
Telex Stratus 30. (As Zulu) Tried these for a while. Quite good build quality, has ipod & phone input but can only connect wired phones (as Bayer) so limits types (some Nokia wont work without adaptor). Clamping force a bit fierce and sound suffers when set on the light pressure (ear cam). Ear seals plastic and tend to get sweaty. No Automute. Case is cheap but OK. Best of the cheap options if you are limited on budget. Passive as good as cheap ear defenders

Wish someone out there (university dept?) would do a proper Passive & Dynamic comparison cause Telex is about the only one who tell you all about the product, I guess that's in their favour.

[Toobuilder]

Love my Zulu! I've had them for over a year and they are good headsets. I consider ANR headsets a must have item now.

BTW, your wife must be a lot more undestanding than mine! She has never flown with regular headsets. At a time when we only had one set of ANR, I was the one with the old DCs (and the headache and hearing loss when we arrived). Now that we both have a set, I fully realize the value (and safety) of ANR headsets and how much more relaxed I am after a long flight. I like the Zulu, but I encourage ANYONE who flies to get the best headsets available, no matter what the cost. Perhaps second only to a portable GPS, it's simply the best bang for the buck available.

[RV6_flyer]

I know this is an old thread but figured I would post here instead of start a new one.

I just had one pair of my Zulu headset come back from repair. I was paring the headset bluetooth to my iPhone before I take it to my RV. I was wondering if the iPod music playing function would work by bluetooth so turned it on. Low and behold, I had bluetooth stereo music in the headset. I more than likely will not use this function as I have a stereo built-in my aircraft but thought others would like to know. If this function is in the manual, I must not have read the manual well enough. Not sure how many other bluetooth music players exist besides the iPhone but others that know can educated us here. Not sure if the function works with two headsets synced to the same bluetooth source or not. I did not try that and did not even think about it till I got to the end of this post.

[Chino Tom]

Gary,

Can you make and receive calls too?

[Jim P]

Yes you can. I've paired my WinMobile device to a Zulu and it seemed to work well. I just didn't take it as far as running music as I just plug the Zune into the audio panel.

[RV6_flyer]

Originally Posted by Chino Tom

Gary,

Can you make and receive calls too?

Yes.

I have tried that over a year ago when I first got the Zulu.

Not something that you use very often. Nice to have to pick up an IFR clearance sitting on the ground in the run-up area.

[Pat Stewart]

I have had my Bose headset for about three years and a Zulu for about two years. Both are great but I believe the Zulu has better ANR. I like the case even without the handle however I just received my second Zulu (for the wife) and the case now has a handle, sounds like someone at LS was listening. The plan is for the Bose to go to the backseat of the RV10.

Pat Stewart

[jeff beckley]

I have two Zulu's The newest one is not nearly as quiet as the older one.
I am interested in the ability to connect bluetooth to my Iphone. I have lost my zulu manual. How would I par the two?

[RV6_flyer]

Originally Posted by jeff beckley

I have two Zulu's The newest one is not nearly as quiet as the older one.
I am interested in the ability to connect bluetooth to my Iphone. I have lost my zulu manual. How would I par the two?

You can download the Zulu manual from the Lightspeed Aviation web site.

From page 10 and 11 of the manual link above.
Using a Bluetooth device
Note: Different manufacturers use different interfaces and names for the functions described here. See your Bluetooth device documentation for details as needed.
Turning on and off Bluetooth mode
To turn on Bluetooth mode:
With Zulu turned on, press and hold Zulu?s Bluetooth button until you hear a long, high-pitched tone and the Bluetooth indicator LED flashes three quick blue pulses.
To turn off Bluetooth mode:
Press and hold Zulu?s Bluetooth button for about 5 seconds?until you hear a long, high-pitched tone and the Bluetooth indicator LED flashes two long red pulses.
Connecting a Bluetooth device for the first time
Before you can connect a Bluetooth device to Zulu for the first time, you must pair it with Zulu. Use the steps below.
To pair a Bluetooth device with Zulu:
1. Make sure Zulu?s Bluetooth mode is turned fully off. You should not see blue or red flashes from the Bluetooth LED, only green flashes from Zulu?s power LED. See ?Turning on and off Bluetooth mode,? above.
2. Once Bluetooth mode is off, press and hold the Bluetooth button for about 5 seconds, until the Bluetooth LED flashes alternating red and blue. This puts Zulu in pairing mode.
3. Follow menu prompts on your Bluetooth phone or device to direct it to look for other Bluetooth devices.
4. Select ZULU_BT from the list of found devices.
5. When asked to enter a passcode or PIN, enter 0000.

You do need to have bluetooth turned ON on your iPhone.
Start at "Setting".
Next is "General".

Bluetooth should be ON. If not, turn it on. You will need to use these iPhone steps to enter the passcode.