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