How does the Lightspeed Zulu compare to the Bose Aviation Headset X and David Clark X11? All three are great headsets. The Bose Aviation Headset X and the Lightspeed Zulu are comparable in both comfort and noise reduction. The weight of the Lightspeed Zulu is about 1.5 ounces heavier than Bose. Even with the extra weight, the Lightspeed Zulu is still very comfortable. I put a lot of emphasis on comfort. The comfort of the headset depends on the individual. Trying on headsets is like trying on shoes. One that is comfortable for me may not be comfortable for you. Nobody can give a review and tell you that you will find the headset comfortable, it is too subjective. I find both the Bose Aviation Headset X and the Lightspeed Zulu very comfortable. Which one is more comfortable for you? Well, I can't answer that. Only you can.

Order the headset. If you are not happy with it, I have a 30 day return policy.

When compared to the David Clark X11 the David Clark is generally considered a little more comfortable. I am being very critical when saying that because they are both very comfortable. The ANR on the Lightspeed Zulu does seem to out perform the X11 by a small margin. So the question comes down to whether you want a Very Comfortable Headset with good ANR(X11) or a Very Comfortable Headset with Great ANR (Lightspeed Zulu).

This is of course just my opinion...

Order the headset. If you are not happy with it, I have a 30 day return policy.
Thanks
David Rochin
Airport Pilot Shop

Now for the standard marketing information:

The Lightspeed Zulu is by far the quietest, lightest, and most comfortable headset the company has ever made. In addition, it incorporates advanced Audiophile technology that has never before been available on any type of headset or headphone. In addition, the Lightspeed Zulu has Bluetooth compatibility for cordless cellphone access. The Lightspeed Zulu is the first premium priced headset from Lightspeed and will be the basis for a whole new line of products.

One of the first clues that the Lightspeed Zulu is different is the size of the ear cups. They're shallow. Earlier Lightspeed headsets achieved optimal ANR performance with earcups that had a distinctively prominent profile. With the Lightspeed Zulu, Lightspeed engineers figured out a way to give the headset much better passive performance while making the ear cup significantly smaller.

They accomplished this by using magnesium in combination with specially tuned plastics. When it comes to reflecting airborne acoustic waves, magnesium reflects 10 times more sound than traditional plastic cups while being both stronger and lighter. But by itself, magnesium resonates sound. So Lightspeed engineers created a design that uses both the sound reflecting properties of magnesium and the damping properties of plastics to provide an optimally quiet experience.

The sturdy Lightspeed Zulu weighs just over 13 ounces, not counting the cord and battery case. Inside the headband is a core of thin, flexible spring steel, which gives an excellent fit with 40% lower side pressure than Lightspeed's 3G series headsets. Luxurious, soft leather surrounds extra wide earseals made from temperature sensitive foam. Calibrated magnesium sliders adjust ergonomically to the wearer's exact head size with uniform pressure. The Zulu's vented headpad evenly distributes the weight of the headset and can be removed. All wiring is fully concealed, using patented design features, and the headset folds flat for easy storage.

“Lightspeed engineers didn't set out to make a headset that was just measurably quieter,” says Mark Shepard, Lightspeed vice president of Marketing. “They set out to make a headset that is noticeably quieter. They want people to put them on and say 'Wow.'”

Lightspeed engineers analyzed how engine noise at different frequencies is experienced by the ear. Then they worked on cutting the most sound at the amplitudes that are perceived as the noisiest. They discovered that a 3dB cut at one frequency can make a bigger difference than a 10dB reduction at another. As a result, the Lightspeed Zulu is really is noticeably quieter than any other model available for comparison.

The Lightspeed Zulu is so quiet, it's actually possible to appreciate high end audio performance. Typical aircraft headset designs allow distortion around 1%. The Lightspeed Zulu's distortion is one tenth this amount. To achieve this, Lightspeed used audiophile components throughout, including gold contacts for all wire connections and high grade audio quality film capacitors. They also developed special Noise Gating Technology (NGT) to eliminate intercom noise. The Lightspeed Zulu has two independent auxiliary inputs, both capable of cellphone and stereo connectivity. One is wired and the other is Bluetooth compatible, allowing the user to listen wirelessly to music or talk on a cell phone. The switchover from music source to phone is seamless, with an incoming call automatically getting priority.

Human ears hearing music through headphones perceive it differently from music played over speakers. Because the right and left channels on headphones are totally isolated from each other, the brain is not able to create a true a 3D sound image. Lightspeed engineers solved this problem by electronically duplicating the sounds the left ear would hear from the right speaker and vice versa. As a result, someone listening to a commercial recording on the Lightspeed Zulu headset has the experience of being in the optimal listening position. Lightspeed aptly calls this new technology Front Row Center (FRC).

The Lightspeed Zulu FRC processor closely matches the shadowing effect of the head for the crossfeed signal to either ear. The signal is both amplitude and delay corrected to compensate for the increased distance the sound would travel.

The Lightspeed Zulu headset marks a new direction for Lightspeed. The innovations discovered (and in many cases patented) while developing the Lightspeed Zulu headset will be incorporated in future models.

Lightspeed Zulu Headset Factsheet

• Lightspeed Zulu Headset name: Taken from “Zulu time,” the pilot term for Greenwich Mean Time.
• Noise reduction: The best combination of Active and Passive in the market is found in the Lightspeed Zulu
• Materials: Made from metal and composite plastics. The Lightspeed Zulu's Magnesium Ear cups are half the thickness of typical plastic cups yet provide a better rigid barrier for attenuation. Ear cups have heat sensitive foam covered in soft leather.
• Headband: The Lightspeed Zulu has Removable, vented headpad for comfortable weight distribution. Thin, flexible, formable spring steel band design produces 40% lower side pressure on ear cups than on the 3G series. Calibrated magnesium sliders adjust ergonomically to accommodate larger heads with uniform pressure.
• Weight: 13.9 ounces.
• Batteries: The Lightspeed Zulu Requires 2 A batteries. Estimated to last 40 hrs.
• Storage: Headset folds up when not in use.
• Bluetooth compatible: the Lightspeed Zulu has a Wireless phone and music interface with controls is embedded into the battery box.
• Comm. Priority Mute: The Lightspeed Zulu has Circuitry gives priority to incoming radio calls, automatically muting the aux music source.
• Audio System: The Lightspeed Zulu has Full wireless stereo interface with patented Front Row Center (FRC) audio circuitry. One wireless audio input and one wired.
• The Lightspeed Zulu FRC solves the problem of left/right channel isolation on stereo headphones. The processor closely matches the shadowing affect of the head for the crossfeed signal to the left (or right) ear. The signal is both amplitude and delay corrected to compensate for the increased distance the sound would travel. The results are extremely pleasing and akin to switching from mono to stereo