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Before we dive into the "Review" of the QFR Solo, let’s talk a little about the manufacturer of this new headset. In yesteryears, the only real ANR headsets were very expensive. The new BOSE ran around $995.00 and the David Clark so-called ENR’s were in the $700.00 range. Then LightSPEED came along with the 20K ANR headset. This high-tech looking headset sold in the $400.00 range, which put ANR in range for just about any general aviation pilot. The lightSPEED 20K were low in weight, worked off two "AA" batteries and had a new look to it. Avionics West sold them by the hundreds and to this day, LightSPEED is still our best selling headset. LightSPEED has proven that if you sell a good product at a fair price and provide good customer service, success will follow. While most folks are wild about the "XL" ANR series some don’t want ANR and want a more conventional look. Does the new QFR Solo cut the mustard? I ordered up a Solo and put it to the test.

LightSPEED decided to manufacture a new series of headset. This is their first passive headset and the name "Solo" was bestowed on it. Before I forget, "QFR" stands for Quiet Flight Rules. I found out about the new LightSPEED Solo headset from an advertisement article in a popular aviation magazine. At first I didn’t think much about it but began to wonder if maybe there was room in this marketplace for another passive headset. This company has been very successful in the ANR headset arena but there are literally dozens of passive headsets on the market today. The new Solo is priced at $150.00, right in the middle of most of the other low priced passive headsets. I knew it would be hard for LightSPEED to obtain a market share in this area so I thought I’d put one through the ringer just to  see just how it compared with other passive headsets in this price range. 

The Solo was on a weight reduction plan, weighing in at only 11.8 ounces, and is one of the lightest headsets I’ve ever evaluated.  The Noise Reduction Rating is an outstanding 28.7 NRR which is 3dB quieter than any other passive headset on the market that I could find and 5-7dB quieter than the average passive headset. This means the headset is exceptionally quiet. In fact, the LightSPEED Solo is quieter NRR wise than some lower end ANR headsets. Take a look at the table at the bottom of this page; I’ve never seen a passive headset with this much attenuation at any price; much less one in the $150.00 range. The headset band is a low profile, padded headband that is comfortable. Because the headband is low profile it’s not as prone to hit the top of the cabin as with thick band headsets. I found the headband protruded only ¼" higher than my head. For once, I didn’t hit my head in a Mooney when I had a headset on; now this was a first for sure.

The ear seals are unlike any other passive headset I’ve ever tried. The openings are huge which is nice for my massive ears. I’m convinced that if I could wiggle my ears flight would began yes, they are that big. The ear seals didn’t feel overly padded and I wondered just how comfortable they would be on a long flight. The domes are big but don’t give you the "Johnny Rocket" look as the XL ANR headsets do. The Solo is a good- looking headset in my opinion. The ear cup is deep so your ear easily fits into the cup when properly placed on the head. For once, I found a passive headset that properly fit my ears. If I placed my huge ears in the Solo dome and wiggle the domes to make sure the ear seals were properly in place, the Solo fit was very comfortable. I could easily adjust the height of the headband via the stirrup rails. The domes slide up and down on the stirrup rails. I found the height adjustment was somewhat difficult to work unless the headset was on my head at which time it would easily slide up and down. In other words, to adjust the Solo, put it on your head first; what a marvelous concept…

The mic boom will rotate 180 degrees, thus you can have the cord coming out of the left or right ear. If you do place the mic on the right side of your head, the left/right volume controls are backwards but you soon figure this out. Being able to rotate the mic boom so the cord was under the right ear (normally headset cords are placed under the left ear only) made it nice when I was flying from the right side of the aircraft, the cord didn’t drape over my lap when plugged into the female jacks on the far right side of the aircraft. Few $150.00 headsets give you this option. Don’t forget to rotate the mic 180 degrees when the cord is under the right earpiece! The mic is marked "TALK", this should always be pointed toward your lips. I wish LightSPEED had highlighted the word "TALK" in white, making it easier to read. The brochure shows "TALK" highlighted in white but it’s not in real life. I’m sure I’ll get calls about the mic being poor only because the pilot had the mic turned in the wrong direction. On the bottom of the mic is a screw labeled gain. If you turn this screw the aircraft engine will quit! Well, the engine may not quit but don’t jack around with the screw, it’s to be adjusted at the factory only. I wish LightSPEED hadn’t given the pilot something to turn, you can bet most tech calls that I get on this headset will be related to someone jacking with the little Phillips screw. Surely LightSPEED will cover this screw in the future to keep idle minds from messing with something they shouldn’t. The mic position is rotateable 180 degrees making it adjustable to just about anyone’s lips. The mic boom is very flexible and stayed put when I placed it close to my lips. By the way, the gain and clarity of the mic were excellent on my bench testing.

The QFR Solo has a control box much like the XL series but without the batteries, remember, it’s a passive headset so batteries are not required. The control box is about one half inch thick. The Solo had dual slider volume controls and a mono/stereo switch. How can you tell if your aircraft has a mono or stereo system? Easy, if you only hear out of one earpiece, slide the switch to mono and chances are you will then hear in both earpieces. If so, then you have a mono system in your aircraft. Because of the mono/stereo switch, the Solo will work in just about any aircraft. There’s plenty of volume available with the LightSPEED Solo and they audio is very clear. Even at full volume, with the aircraft radio turned fully up, I didn’t notice any distortion. I put enough power through the Solo ear speakers to blow them out but they just kept on working. The cord is excellent. It is well strain-relieved where it goes into the ear cup and the strain-relief at the male jacks are longer than most headsets, thus protecting the cord from getting yanked out of the jacks. The male jacks appear to be nickel-plated and high quality. On the bench I crammed enough audio into the ear speakers to melt them down but to my amazement they little speakers kept working. The mic was subject to temperatures from 0F-150F and it kept on working; in fact the output of the mic changed very little even with a temperature change of 150 degrees. The Solo was placed in the freezer overnight (0F) and the next day it worked as soon as I plugged it in to the bench test set. The ear seals were somewhat stiff at 30F but as soon as they were placed on my head, the seals softened up and fit well over my big ears. At this point I was frustrated with the Solo; I thought I had done a bang up job of killing the $150.00 headset but it just wouldn’t quit. Even some of the TSOed headsets I’ve tested failed the above mic and ear speaker test. The mic comes with a muff to help with wind noise. Oh, before I forget, do not under any circumstances take the control box apart. For one thing, you will void the warranty and secondly you’ll never get all the parts back inside. I’ve still got parts left after my venture inside the control box but it seems to work just fine. But then again, about everything I work on seems to have extra parts that are not needed, go figure…

Overall the Solo Passive headset is well built. It’s not Sherman tank quality like the David Clark but unless you are one of those "Bull in a china shop" type persons, the Solo will stay together just fine. The Stirrup Rails could have been a little heaver metal but then the total weight would have increased; remember the Solo only weighs 11.8 ounces. Don’t thrash the Solo or sit on it and it will be with you for years. This headset comes with a two-year warranty from LightSPEED. For two weeks I flew with the Solo, constantly twisted the mic, boom and played with the switches and the Solo just kept on ticking. This headset  comes in a nice carrying bag; in fact it's the same bag the XL ANR series use.  For the price, quality is better than it has to be.

Now it’s time to fly with the LightSPEED SOLO passive headset. The Solo male jacks plugged into the aircraft jacks and fit nicely. On went the headset, inside of the ear cups went my big ears and I fired up the Piper. The first thing I did was get a radio check from the control tower and asked how the mic sounded. The reply was 5X5, which is as good as it gets. Once the engine was started it was obvious this passive headset was exceptionally quiet. I had two other passive headsets with me to compare against the Solo and an inexpensive ANR headset. While rumbling down the runway it was easy to tell the Solo had a lot of attenuation even though there was little clamping action. I despise a headset that attenuates via the sole means of clamping hard on ones head. Once up to 3,500ft the engine RPM was left at redline for my test. I removed the Solo and placed a $116.00 headset on and instantly noticed the difference. This headset was heavier, didn’t fit as well and by far allowed more cockpit noise to enter. Compared to the Solo, this headset was useless. Next I tried on a headset that cost in the neighborhood of $350.00. This headset was somewhat quieter than the cheap $116.00 headset but at the expense of heavy clamping action on my head. This headset also was very heavy and just didn’t fit my head correctly. At this point I put the Solo back on, what a difference. Things got quiet again and no more clamping effect. I’ve flown with just about every passive headset on the market, and bar none, the LightSPEED Solo is the best passive headset I’ve ever used at any price to date. I flew with the Solo for over two weeks logging over eight hours and at times I’d forget it was on my head. Hearing ATC and utilizing the ICS was a pleasure using the Solo. Once during my test flight I plugged in the inexpensive ANR headset. I had to pay close attention but around the 60-100Hz range the ANR headset was somewhat quieter. Above the 100Hz range, the Solo was no doubt the top dog. Chances are the LightSPEED Solo will be the King of passive headsets just as the 20XL is top dog in the ANR arena. There was a time that I really didn’t think it was wise to purchase a passive headset because while they help in noise attenuation, the clamping effect and less than desirable Noise Reduction Rating (NNR) turned me off. The LightSPEED Solo totally changed my view of passive headsets.

LightSPEED did error seriously in one area. LightSPEED is selling a product that should be on the market in the $300.00 price range but they are only charging  $150.00. In my opinion, you’ll not find a better value in any aviation product. To be honest, I feel the LightSPEED Solo is the "King Rat" of passive headsets.

General Data About the LightSPEED QFR Series Solo:

• At 28.7 NRR, the Solo is quieter than any other passive headset I could find and 5-7dB quieter than most.
• Weighs in at only 11.8 oz!  Your supper steak weighs more.
• Low profile and padded headband for comfortable use.
• Large, deep ear openings for more comfort and better sealing.
• Reversible boom mic, allows left or right side operation.
• Two year warranty & 48 hour turnaround times.
• Frequency response: 24-17,000 Hz.
• Impedance: 300 ohms for stereo & 150 ohms for mono
• Mic is noise canceling electret type.
• Mic frequency response: 200-5000 Hz.
• Mic bias voltage: 8-16 Vdc Appx 5-12mA
  

LightSPEED Soloc	MAP $155.00
LightSPEED Solo SS	MAP $195.00
Optional Soft Ear Seals Learn More	$20.00