Lightspeed Zulu 2 vs Clarity Aloft (review)

[PondJumper]

I posted a thread a while back asking about the Lightspeed Zulu 2 headset, and promised a review. I've since had a chance to test the headset for about 12 hours of flight and as promised, I will share my personal observations. Hopefully this will help someone in the market for a headset to make a decision. I'll start with the Zulu 2, and move to the Clarity Aloft.

 

Quality of Build:

 

You'll mostly find positive reports regarding the build quality of the Zulu 2. I will admit, my experience is no exception. Right off the bat, I noticed that it was a well made headset (not only by 'look,' but by 'feel.') The only issue I experienced is that the mic cover seems to jump off pretty easily, so be aware of this while walking across the flight line. The mic boom itself is a little short if you are used to a DC headset, and not quite as sturdy, but the ability to adjust the mic gain will pretty much resolve the fact that the mic doesn't sit squarely at your lip's 12 o'clock'.

 

The look of the headset is about as sexy as it gets. If that is important to you, you won't be disappointed. Again, the quality from a visual stand point is top notch.

 

 

Comfort:

 

As far as wearing an 'over the ear' headset goes, personally I say the Zulu 2 takes the cake. It has large, soft, ear phones that apply nearly no perceived clamping force which leads to very little fatigue even after wearing for hours on end. There is a sort of notch cut into the headband that will allow for a button on the top of a ball cap without causing a hot spot ( kind of a non issue as I find that the most comfortable position leaves the headband aft of the ball cap button).

The comfort alone is one of the driving reasons I tried so hard to love this headset.

 

ANR:

 

Time for the fatal flaw. As long as the headset maintains a PERFECT seal around your head (which is 95% of the time), the ANR is quite good, maybe even very good. The problem is that the headset can be very finicky regarding its position. If you wear a hat and/or sunglasses while flying (I usually wear both), expect there to be a sort of weird 'warble' during either certain maneuvers or while you turn your head to scan for traffic. The first time I really noticed it was while coming in for a steep approach. The best way I can describe this sound is to imagine that for whatever reason the helicopter doors aren't properly closed, and are constantly being shaken. Not trying to be a drama queen about it but that's about the size of it.

 

A disclaimer: I have only flown in an R44 and 300C, with doors off, and on. Doors off is worse. I've tried shedding the sunglasses (for test purposes) but that only makes a marginal difference. I actually called Lightspeed about this issue and they emailed me a video about how to 'bend' the headband so it applies a higher clamping force which hopefully creates a tighter ear seal. Again, this made a marginal improvement, but at the cost of comfort.

 

I don't mean to focus on the negative. The over all sound quality and ANR of the headset was quite good (95% of the time). Personally though, I think a headset that costs $900 should simply blow my mind. Maybe I'm unrealistic.

 

Ironically, I tried the Bose A20 for a 1.5 hour flight and didn't experience this crazy 'warble' with the ANR, but did notice a much higher clamping force. I may have a big noggin, but I wear a 7 and 3/8 patrol cap (for reference).

 

Clarity Aloft (classic edition)

 

Initial Reaction/ Build Quality:

 

When I first opened the case to the headset, I was surprised by how sturdy it was. Let's face it, the headset looks flimsy and fragile. Don't get me wrong, you don't want to go flinging this thing across the flightline, but initial impression regarding the build quality is better than I was afraid it would be. I have only had a single 2 hr flight with it, so other than wearing it around the house, and to the grocery store (kidding), my testing is limited. Will report further.

 

Noise canceling:

 

I'm gonna be honest here (again, only tested in R44 with doors on to this point), but honestly, it's pretty dang good. I have read a lot about people saying that 'proper ear insertion is key' here. I have worn plenty of foam ear protectors from shooting, and other jobs, but don't consider myself a foam ear protection wearing pro. That being said the process is pretty simple. Squeeze the ear foamies and stuff them in your ear. That being said, it obviously isn't as quick as throwing a headset on your head, but after factoring in the added time for fidgeting during flight on an ANR.... whatever. I feel that the headset blocks as much noise (no more/ no less) as a decent ANR (again this is based off of a 2 hr flight so may have to report back).

 

I'll throw in a little about sound quality with this section. The quality of communication is very, very good. Nothing against any of the headsets I've previously worn as they have all been quite good as well but, the clarity (yeah I know) with this headset is unmatched.

 

My biggest fear about this headset was the mic boom. It looks flimsy and short in the pictures. Not only does it reach to the 12 o'clock position of my mouth, but it picks up everything I need it to. Nothing makes me crazier than half of a transmission being picked up by my headset, and this hasn't been an issue so far.

 

Comfort:

 

This is where it really shines. I realize that everyone has a different shaped melon, so this will be subjective but, it actually feels a little weird for the first time without a traditional headset on. It almost feels like you are forgetting to do something. Some people have said that it is so comfortable you will forget you are wearing it, while others have said it causes ear discomfort.

 

So far, I will say I fall somewhere in the middle. I never really reached a point where I forgot I was wearing the headset, but I certainly wouldn't say it was uncomfortable at any point. Well, maybe at one point about 1.2 into the flight. I didn't bother using the supplied lapel clip (which sucks btw), but once I clipped it to my shoulder... end of discomfort on the top of my ears.

 

The mic boom, which was a big concern for me stayed put for the entire flight, with lots of looking up, down, left, and right (a nice surprise).

 

In summary, I wound up sending the Zulu 2 back (with awesome customer service as is no secret), and kind of wish I had have gotten the Clarity Aloft on the first day of training. Not meaning to gush, and if anything changes I will certainly report back, but so far I'm a fan of the Clarity Aloft.

 

I hope this helps, and if any of you guys want any details on something I forgot to mention, feel free to post it or PM me.