Friday, September 04, 2009
GOOD
by Gil from Sanford FL USA 
Review: The overall performance of this headset is good, noise cancellation works. The only thing I dont like is that I have to literally squeeze my ear with the "hook" for the microphone because it constatly falls off and this can be critical in a busy cockpit plus the pain 5 minutes after the flight.

Saturday, June 06, 2009
Nice headset.
by A Customer from Saint Louis, MO 
Pros: lightweight, cool in the summer.
Cons: the ear tips that come from lightspeed are unconfortable and noisy.
Review: Good headset overall. I can hear pretty well and the mic works clearly. The cellphone and ipod jack also work nicely. The headset takes a little getting used to, but I find it to be very comfortable on long cross countries and with multiple flights a day. The in the ear style is extremely nice for summer flying. I fly Cessna 172s, Piper Arrows and Piper Seminoles, and the headset works well in all three planes. The only reason why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because the ear tips that come with the headset are awful. The I found the lightspeed ear tips to be uncomfortable and the noise-blocking was only ok, about as good as my David Clark headset. I ended up buying the Clarity Aloft ear tips, which turn out to be interchangeable with the Mach1. With the Clarity Aloft ear tips it is definitely quieter than passive noise resistance headsets I've used, but not as good as ANR headsets I've tried. Also, the CA eartips are much more comfortable and fit better.

Saturday, May 09, 2009
Not a bad choice
by A Customer from Albany NY 
Pros: Lightweight, great sound quality, durable overall quality, good mic
Cons: the clip hurt my ear after little use
Review: The only thing I don't like is that the clip that goes around your ear to hold the side with the mic onto your head hurt my ear. I couldn't fine tune it enough to not cause irritation and discomfort. None of the ear pieces held the unit tight enough to not have that clip very secure and tight to my ear. Other than that the Mach 1 is great. I fly the EMB 145 which is notoriously loud, but this headset does just as good as my 30-3g lightspeed and definatley better than my DCs. I am going to try the clarity alofts now...

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
just sucks
by PAUL from BAKERSFIELD CA USA 
Pros: light
Cons: so loud they are worthless
Review: Not even worth using. So much louder than on ear sets it is useless. I fly a pretty quiet King air. Tried them once and tossed both units in a box. Lesson learned. Have two at greatly reduced price, or you can have them back

Monday, February 02, 2009
Great little headset
by Andrew from AUCKLAND New Zealand 
Pros: Light and comfortable for the long trips
Cons: No shop for earmolds in New Zealand
Review: I fly a G200 and found that I had to adjust the mic level to the highest position to break through the squelch on the comm box.  More comfortable and quieter than the headsets supplied by Gulfstream.

Thursday, August 28, 2008
This is a great headset!
by J.D.A from Miami, fl 
Pros: Light weight, great noise reduction, compact storage
Cons: haven't really found one
Review: I've had my M1 now for about two years. I fly an Emb-145. Anyone who has flown one knows how loud the flight deck is. This headset provides great noise reduction even without the custom ear molds. I recently had the ear molds made and all i can say is wow! I am in and out of the airplane all day long flying up to 14 segments in 4 days. This little thing is surprisingly durable!

Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Great! But not for all pilots.
by Donald from Las Vegas NV USA 
Pros: Good sound, less sweat.
Cons: Bad for GA pilots
Review: As a commercial pilot based in "Hot" Vegas, I am extremely excited with the Mach1. It's very lightweight. Easy to put on and remove, especially when I need to talk to cabin crew off the PA system. Sound quality rivals anything else on the market. Not that I EVER do this, but the mix between ATC/internal mic and your iPod/cell phone is great. It cut's in and out smoothly and makes the long flights great. The one caveat to this is I am using a Clarity Aloft "ear insert" on my Mach 1 headset!?! I did not like the ear inserts that Lightspeed made. But it SEEMS that M1 and CA ear inserts work interchangeably. On a bad note, the few seconds after landing, I must pay really close attention to the call outs when we put the props in reverse. And I fly a fairly quiet turbo-prop. Therefore I would NOT recommend this headset for anyone in a loud, unpressurized turbo-prop or GA aircraft, unless Lightspeed where to seriously re-modify their ear inserts. Also the M1 is set up for left ear as the main ear for the mic boom and headphone unit. You have to use an included "wire clip" to reverse that, which is recommended if you are working as an FO.

Sunday, March 02, 2008
Workable but not great
by Doc from Memphis 
Pros: Lightweight, nice clarity, compact
Cons: Inadequate length speaker posts, poor quality clip, carrying case
Review: This headset has some good points and more bad points. A positive is the weight and ease of use (only with custom ear pieces). The negatives, poor clip attachment, Custom ear peices that WILL NOT stay on the speaker post,PERIOD. I fly a Citation X and most of the time this headset works fine, but in my opinion several short filghts make this headset a pain in the backside. The carrying case that comes with the headset is very difficult to store the headset. I like the lightness of the headset but will not buy or recommend this to any other pilots that fly for a living. Lightspeed needs to extend the length of the speaker posts or design another systems to retain the earpieces better.

Thursday, September 13, 2007
I encourage colleagues to buy the same headset
by Bart Hellebaut from De Pinte, Belgium 
Pros: It's like not having a headset on at all.
Cons: Can't think of any.
Review: Perfect headset, only problem was that on about half of the aircraft (BAe146/AvroRJ) within my company there was a problem with the intercom. After a few email exchanges with Lightspeed they thought the cause could be the cellular phone interface. I shipped my headset to them, they disconnected or removed this interface. Now the headset is working fine! Very good after-sales!

Monday, September 10, 2007
Not Professional Grade
by A Customer from Memphis, TN 
Pros: Sound quality, MP3/Cell interface, light weight
Cons: Pricey, uncomfortable, fragile
Review: The Mach 1 is a great headset in theory and for people who fly only occasionally. I fly between 5 and 8 hours every day and had my Mach 1 for about a week before it broke (I think the particular headset I got is a lemon, which I believe to be the exception rather than the rule). I sent it back to have it repaired which LightSPEED did promptly and for free, though not throughly as it broke again 2 days after I got it back. I called LightSPEED and they offered to replace it, but I just don't find the headset to be very comfortable.

I am pretty rough on the headset. I put it on and take it off several times a day and stuff it in its case and take it out if I have to swap airplanes. I have a pair of David Clark's (a.k.a. tanks) and a headset similar to the Mach 1 from Panther Electronics which I found to be much more comfortable and durable.

Friday, September 07, 2007
by Barton Gault from Glendale, AZ 
Review: Excellent sound and lightweight. I would do two things different. There are times when the headset needs to be worn on the right side of the head, so I believe that the wiring should out either on top, along the ear loop or straight (horizontal) out the arm. Additionally, when operating much of the time in a two pilot operation, the single earpiece is removed for simpler communication in the cockpit. This part should be able to be unplugged rather than dangling from the headset.

Thursday, September 06, 2007
Update to my initial post. . .
by Tyler the SR-20 and C-150 Pilot. from Kalamazoo, MI 
Pros: Customer Service Rocks!
Cons: None
Review: Called LightSPEED's customer service, and what a pleasant experience it was! Took me 2 rings to get to a receptionist and 2 more rings to get speak with a helpful clerk who told me the old Mach1's had problem's with the plastic in the clip due to a supplier who has since fixed the problem. The gentlemen offered to fix the problem for free by mail, or to ship me a new clip. He even threw in a new bag when I told him I had the old hard plastic case. I had always heard how great LightSPEED's customer service was, but you always have to see it for yourself to believe it, dont ya?
review on my blog

Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Great Headset Overall. But. . .
by Tyler the SR-20 and C-150 Pilot. from Kalamazoo, MI 
Pros: Lightweight, music port, doesn't mess up hair, sounds great, great mic.
Cons: Hard to store and unravel, cheaply made clip, replacing ear plugs.
Review: The clip on the battery pack broke off rather easily, it was not designed as well as I believe a belt clip should be. I will still never wear a giant headset again. This headset sounds great! The lightness and ability to play music or talk on your phone while wearing the headset is a must have feature and this one rocks it.
The only down side, aside from the tender clip, is that the earplugs must be changed regularly (every 30 - 80 hours I would estimate) or they will get dirty and begin to loose there ability to fill the ear quickly and block sound. But again, I love this headset and will never wear an over the ear headset again (if I can help it).

Monday, August 06, 2007
Junk
by B from Seattle 
Pros: Light, good sound, good mic
Cons: Not easy to use, pain in the butt
Review: The headset is a nightmare. The foam, no-roll earplugs are horrible. Custom earmolds will NOT stay attached to the speaker posts. The headset is tough to put away and is a tangled mess when you get it back out. You can't throw it on quickly. Clips broke off w/ hardly any use. As I would try to plug it in, it kept falling on nasty cockpit floor. The music muting function did not consistently. Try the Clarity Aloft if you want a good, quality headset that works in every way.

Saturday, July 21, 2007
Very Happy
by Dr. Joe from Charleston, SC 
Pros: Lightweight
Cons: none yet
Review: I decided to try an in-ear headset because of the discomfort that the typical style headset was causing for me. The pressure from the ear cups on a traditional headset caused me headaches and aggravated a TMJ problem. So after thorough research, I decided on the Mach 1 and have been very pleased with it's overall performance. I fly a Cessna 172, so the noise of a piston engine plane can be extreme, but even with the included standard blue foam ear pieces, the noise attenuation is superior to the David Clarks that I had been using. I have ordered the custom molds and am anxious to see if it gets even better. The sound quality is excellent, and my passengers and ATC say that I come through loud and clear through the mic. Also, I have found no problems with the headset shifting or the earpieces loosening during flight.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Did not work 4 me
by Jerry Brockhaus from Kansas 
Cons: bend in mike made it hard 2 seal in my ear
Review: Could not hear with it in my V35 Bonanza, it was better in the PC-12, but because of the bend in the mike I had trouble getting the ear plug 2 seal. Still think LightSpeed is a great product, especially of the cell phone jack.

Saturday, May 19, 2007
Fantastic!
by Scott from New Orleans, LA 
Pros: Lightweight, small, excellent quality, NO SWEATING!
Cons: A little background noise, could have better case standard
Review: Before purchasing, I spent hours and hours researching this relatively-new headset. Of course, people selling it said it was great, and there were a few critics as well, but only a few independent reviews. I decided to take the plunge, and at worst could ebay it for a small loss. But no need for that!

This headset is nearly IDEAL. No cupping, no sweating, no sore neck. I've worn it now for about 40 hours and even after having it on for 3-4 hours at a time I still don't even notice it's there! The sound quality is very good, and have never had a problem in others hearing me (as some critics said they had), but if so there is a mic gain knob that could be adjusted. IPOD works well with it, but still have to figure out the cell phone (likely a user error on my part) but have only tried that a couple times. Some critics also complained about the ear clip, but even with sunglasses I don't notice it. And, if you don't mind engine/prop noise, you can get by with just one ear plugged in, and leave the other dangling to hear backseat passengers who may not have a headset.

Now, why I said 4 stars instead of 5: No ANC, of course, so you still get background engine/prop noise, which can be a good thing I suppose but the ear foams don't do that great a job. Don't misunderstand, it does cancel out at least half of the noise, and I never had a problem hearing others over the radio, but the softer songs on the IPOD are a little harder to hear. :) I'm planning on getting the custom ear molds, and several reviews have said that this takes care of that issue, and also eliminates the need for the ear clip (which again, was never a problem to me but may annoy some sensitive people). The only other drawback I can see so far is the case. They do give you a very nice leather case, compact for easy storage in your flight bag, but it takes several minutes to pack it in carefully (and I worry about the mic boom weakening over time on this account). I plan to custom make a foam-lined case of my own to remedy this, after I get the ear molds, and then I think it will be the ideal headset!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007
by marz from saudi arabia 
Review: Really guys it is worth every cent, after you fly for a while you are going to forget even that you are wearing a headset. Only one thing if you fly from the right seat it wont be comfy because it's designed for the left ear only.

Monday, April 02, 2007
Fantastic!
by Wild Girl Yonder from Northern, CA 
Pros: Lightweight, comfortable, can listen to music easily, no batteries needed for the noise cancelling!
Cons: A bit of a learning curve to wear.
Review: I switched from my Bose X to the LightSpeed Mach 1 after we got the free Molded ear plugs at AOPA and what a difference. It is LOTS lighter and overall gives me better noise cancellation when I fly (I have a Baron B-55 so it is noisy).

After a few hours in the plane, I don't have a headache and am not messing with my headset trying to keep it from feeling like a vice. My hair isn't messed up, and when I'm not listening to ATC, I can listen to music from either my cell phone or my Garmin 496. When ATC calls, the Mach 1 automatically lowers the music, so I can choose which one to listen to easily. And the best part is that it is passive noise cancelling vs Active, so nothing to turn off or accidentally leave on unless I am listening to music!

I used it with the foam earplugs and they would get 4 stars as the tubes they use to let sound through are somewhat uncomfortable, but if you go to an audiologist and get your ears molded (the same way they do for hearing aids) it can't be beat! I can still hear when the engine is running rough, but the squeak in my seat is fairly muted.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007
by Ricardo 737 pilot from México 
Pros: very lightweight
Cons: sometimes you get tired of wearing the earplugs
Review: Very comfortable, and the music interface is great when you gotta fly a lot of hours,the music volume goes down when a communication comes so there is no risk that you won´t listen when they call you