Flew with them in my S7 and they were the quietest I've ever used,(Bose and Clarity Aloft) and I didn't even have them mapped to my ears. My friend who bought them flew a Cirrus SR22 and said he thought they were about the same as Bose.

I have some on the way for further testing. My biggest concern is are they too quiet and I might miss hearing some unusual engine noise.

Well, I returned my PFX to Aircraft Spruce and swapped them for a set of Bose A20s.

I was agonizing over the decision, as I love the customer service reputation that LS has (they even called me after Oshkosh to see how I liked the PFX), but the I just couldn't get over the two issues I had:

Battery life & changing ANR levels.

I truly believe they are a good headset, and if I had grown up on Zulus, I'd probably love them. But I wasn't - I have always used Bose, and the two things that really annoyed me simply aren't issues with the A20. Others might not even notice the ANR issue, as the PFX is getting great reviews (as it should), but I did and they bugged me. Simple as that.

I hate to lose the Bluetooth music (c'mon, Bose. Really?), but I guess I'll just have to put an ipod cable in the plane or wire up the music input on the intercom. No biggie.

Strange things, these headsets are. I like the A20, my daughter likes the Bose X, my son likes the old non-ANR David Clark, and my wife likes my on-ear David Clark ProX ANRs. What a strange group.

The ones I ordered are going back as well. I flew with them in a Rans S7 and Cirrus SR22. They are probably the quietest headset I have ever used, but I sometimes get the the re-mapping tone if I turn my head. Lightspeed said this is fairly common and is caused by head shape. The mic is pretty sensitive to wind noise as well. I'm sure that could be solved with a bigger muff. I really wanted these to work out as they are very quiet and super comfortable.

My dad just got some, he likes them so far.

Before leaving on my Arkansas trip in the SQ2 I decided to purchase a set of PFX's even though I've got a perfectly good set of Zulu 2's. Expensive for sure but what is my remaining hearing worth?

I flew them about 25 hours to, in, from Arkansas, before doing a firmware update. In FAVORITES mode I experienced a fair amount of "artifacts", especially moving my head around, but wow are they quiet, like they have no competition quiet. A few times the "artifacts" became to annoying so I switched to HOME mode. This drops them back to a baseline ANR mode, like what the Zulu 2's have. There was still a rare "artifact" but not enough to be a problem.

Now that I'm back home I did the firmware update, did the Acoustic Response Mapping, and took off in the SQ2 in FAVORITES. Whatever they did is a major improvement, a dramatic reduction in "artifacts". Haven't yet had a chance to try HOME mode to see if that's cleaned up.

Nor have I had a chance to try the PFX in my 185 as it is currently getting a tail overhaul.

For me this headset is a definite winner and is now my primary. Battery life is not a concern as I've wired all my planes with LEMO's in addition to traditional jacks, so the headsets get power from the plane.

Love mine for en route, hate them landing in rough terrain. They squawk terrible when you start bouncing over sod or cobble.

I have had two Lightspeed headsets. The first was an ANR XL20. For its time it was great, though kind of delicate. When it did break due the light weight construction Lightspeed repaired it free. Lightspeed customer service has always been excellent for me. Then I bought a first gen Zulu that I still use daily. It has been a great headset. I wore it back to back in the same aircraft with the same gen Bose and it was a better set to me. I was getting ready to send it in for its second refurbishment (Lightspeed will basically make them like new for $150) and decided to splurge on a new PFX, since I was breaking the bank buying an aircraft anyway. I have years of hearing abuse...motorcycles since I was a kid, firearms, a career as a firefighter (in the early days we rode outside with the siren, no protection) and then flying too, so any chance I have to lower noise is worth any cost to me. I had read all the reviews of the PFX and some said it was a quantum leap, so I was excited and optimistic about getting it. I dreamed of near silence while I flew...

I am pretty disappointed. The PFX has, for me, not performed as well as my old Zulu. I have tried the ear cup adjustment and headband tightening recommended by Lightspeed. I have not done the custom mapping, though I might try it in desperation. Lightspeed's customer service is still great, they are trying to help, while assuring me that I can return it anytime within 30 days for a full refund. I could use the time to send in my Zulu for a refurbishment, but to be frank the PFX leaves my ears ringing and I may be better off using my ancient but perfect condition Dave Clarks while it's gone. I have head that some folks are blown away buy this headset. Wish I was one of them. Sending mine back.

Thought I'd do a follow-on to my post below. It seems these things keep learning. Cause now, for the last four times flying the SQ2, the "artifacts" I was occasionally hearing are completely gone. At this point I'm extremely pleased cause these things are super-quiet.

Barnstormer wrote:Before leaving on my Arkansas trip in the SQ2 I decided to purchase a set of PFX's even though I've got a perfectly good set of Zulu 2's. Expensive for sure but what is my remaining hearing worth?

I flew them about 25 hours to, in, from Arkansas, before doing a firmware update. In FAVORITES mode I experienced a fair amount of "artifacts", especially moving my head around, but wow are they quiet, like they have no competition quiet. A few times the "artifacts" became to annoying so I switched to HOME mode. This drops them back to a baseline ANR mode, like what the Zulu 2's have. There was still a rare "artifact" but not enough to be a problem.

Now that I'm back home I did the firmware update, did the Acoustic Response Mapping, and took off in the SQ2 in FAVORITES. Whatever they did is a major improvement, a dramatic reduction in "artifacts". Haven't yet had a chance to try HOME mode to see if that's cleaned up.

Nor have I had a chance to try the PFX in my 185 as it is currently getting a tail overhaul.

For me this headset is a definite winner and is now my primary. Battery life is not a concern as I've wired all my planes with LEMO's in addition to traditional jacks, so the headsets get power from the plane.