Bose Headset thoughts?

[helicrazi]

Just a bit of advice required from some of the more experienced headset users out there,

Im in the market for a new headset, looking at the bose aviation x on ebay item number 120522380316 any thoughts if this is fair priced for what it is, or should i be looking at something more like a David Clark

im just a light user, general aviation stuff, what are te other guys preferring out there? any thoughts or pointers please? much appreciated!!!

[SARBlade]

If you are looking for something like the Bose X, then look at the Lightspeed Zulu. For general aviation, they offer blu-tooth capability and mp3 jack. When using either and a transmission comes in, they are muted to allow you to hear the Tx. The set runs about $200 cheaper than the Bose, and they look cooler, with a little larger earcups.

[GoodGrief]

That price is a very good offer.
Never mind that mp3 nonsense. You are supposed to concentrate while flying. Might be ok for the lone wolfe crop duster, but not for a ppl.

[budgie2007]

I have used both Bose and Zulu's. I would strongly recommend the Zulu, it is very comfortable and well priced. The passive noise reduction on the Bose is non existent but in contrast very good on the Zulu, just in case the batteries run flat on you. Along with that, it is said that the Zulu's have marginally better active noise reduction. The Zulu's (like DC's) can handle more of a beating and won't break if you drop them. I never use the MP3 function on my headset and would agree that is a bit of a waste of time but sounds cool.

A word of warning. If you are buying Bose Aviation X's from ebay, make sure that you check that it has the right mic for the aircraft you are operating. There are two different types.

[matt82]

Well, in my opinion the Bose X is the best headset on market,
no other headset plays in the same class for years, no DC X11,
no one of the Lightspeed mp3/phone toys.
I wear Bose for 7 years now and I appreciate it on every flight.
(But take care of your spare battery for the X :O)

Best wishes
matt

[Gaseous]

I have a pair of these for pax as well as a pair of Pilot DNC17-79 which are cheaper and look it. Both work well and the ANR is equal in both. The Bose are a nicer bit of kit. I got them off ebay for a similar price to the ones above. I'm sure you'll be happy with them. Better still get an Alpha.

[HillerBee]

For recreational use I would definitely recommend the Bose.

[Paddyviking]

I have used my Bose X from R22 - S92 and the only reason I don't still use them is because I now wear a helmet with CEP's.
I will not part with my Bose X as they are an excellent back set to have
would give them 10/10 :ok:
never mind MP3 stuff as you should be concentrating on flying!!! :=

Paddy

[JTobias]

Bose X is by far my choice. I have 5 in my chopper and they are brilliant.
I borrowed the light speed zulu and they lasted 5 minutes.

Joel:ok:

[toptobottom]

The auction finished 20 minutes ago as I write this, so I hope you got them!

I've used a/c powered Bose for many years (with the lemo plug) and have a battery powered 'spare' set (with the u174 plug) for flying other machines. I rate the bose very highly, but (i) the lemo plugs are quite fragile and a careless pax can easily rip it out from the socket, damaging both and (ii) I've also heard the mics go on the bose after a couple of years although I've never had any problems. As for listening to MP3s, there's nothing wrong with this as far as I'm concerned! Obviously not in busy airspace, but its no worse than driving a car with the radio on <waits for flame>.

[VEMD]

Best of all!!!!!:ok:

[andyhelo]

Worn Bose for over 5 years now, from PPL(H) to FI(H) only ever had one problem, dropped it on the apron and cracked the ear cup holder. Sent it to Bose, they replaced it, the two ear cup pads and the little piece of sheepskin, all free of charge! Excellent customer service!
Tbh, only every worn Peltor and David Clarke as other headsets but in my experience, Bose beats them hands down!

[JTobias]

Top to bottom,
How are you ?

Joel:ok:

[pitot212]

If you were the winning bidder, then at that price you have had a result:ok:

[toptobottom]

Top to bottom,
How are you ?

Very well thanks chap - disappointed you didn't drop in for a cuppa during your trip south of the M4! :sad:

[hostile]

I have Bose X's and using in 92's and 76's. Works perfectly. I can't think of situation to connect MP3's or something else when I am on duty. You might found yourself explain that to your Cheaf pilot.:O

Some of my mate's were complain of noise in 92, but with Bose's I can't complain. It is noisy, but not that bad it was with regular headsets (Davis Clarks) I have in back up. Some pilot's are using Speed Zulus and likes them, so... Both are expensive, but if I can safe my hearing (and my Medical!) with that investment there is no problem. Always you can get money back from Tax.

Hostile:ok:

[s1lverback]

Started with Flightcom (functional), moved to David Clarke (comfortable), bought Bose (lightweight & comfortable with ANR) and never looked back (my backup set is David Clarke). Most of the aircraft I fly have Bose included!

They are more expensive and they are a little delicate, but the warranty is good. Haven't tried the Zulus and can't see the point of mp3 jack on the headset. If you want music get a decent audio panel and have it piped front and rear, so that it can be isolated to pax only or fades out when you transmit.

I always carry pack of spare batteries in my flight bag and swap them when they start flashing Orange - I know they will go longer, but the green flashing is more calming:ok:

[Pandalet]

I'm very happy with my Lightspeed Zulu, although I don't mind using Bose Xs when there is a need to. The bluetooth is useful if you want to be able to use your phone in flight. I believe there is a LEMO option for a little more.

My only complaint is that the flashing green light is a bit bright in a small cockpit at night. I now stick a bit of tape or something over it when night flying.

[lelebebbel]

i own a DC 10-56XL anr, and we have a Bose X and a Lightspeed Zulu in our R44. All three are great headsets - the Bose is small and light, the DC would survive a nuclear bomb (and if not, DC would fix it on warranty!), all three are nice and quiet. But if I had to choose one out of the three to keep, it would be the Zulu. More versatile than the Bose, sturdier, less plastic, and I far prefer the volume sliders over the wheels on the Bose.
Bluetooth is a great feature.

I don't see why a phone call would be more distracting than a radio call in flight - of course you need to use common sense when answering! I wouldn't try to discuss my tax return during an autorotation, but being able to phone your destination and tell them you'll be landing in 5 minutes can be quite handy.
And you can always leave it off, too.

The Bose and the Zulu sound slightly different, but I wouldn't say one is noisier than the other. The Zulu wins for me because of it's features - if you don't care about them, then pick the one that feels more comfortable on your head.

[TAG2000]

How about the Clarity Aloft Headsets. They are supposed to be the bees knees when it comes to sound quality and comfort. Has anybody any experience of using them?

Tag.

[GeorgeMandes]

While I could care less about connecting a music source to my headset, I see the advantage of the Zulu's interface is to be able to interface a cell phone to the headset.

[JTobias]

Top to Bottom

I'm sorry, I was basically, playing Chauffeur for two of my pals. I'm off to NY on Saturday where I'll be flyingin an EC135 and a Schweizer around New York.
Maybe we can set up a half way house visit in a couple of weeks. You fly North a bit and I'll fly South.

Joel:ok:

[toptobottom]

Pandalet may shortly have a solution for Bose X users who want to integrate mobile phones via Bluetooth...

We're all waiting with baited breath Pandalet (no pressure)! :ok:

TTB

[toptobottom]

Joel - i was only pulling your bits! A meeting in the middle is an excellent idea; I'll PM you, or the whole world will know about our affair :eek:

TTB

PS Also look forward to hearing about your NY trip - I'm out there again 5 weeks and would love a spin in an EC135 :ok:

[bb in ca]

My only complaint is that the flashing green light is a bit bright in a small cockpit at night. I now stick a bit of tape or something over it when night flying.

The on/off switch is also a dimmer switch.

[JTobias]

TTB

Sssshhhhhhh :oh:
I told you not to say anything!!!! ;)

Joel

[toptobottom]

Sorry JT - that came out loud, didn't it!

PS I saw Dave on the central line again this morning (he was in disguise, but it didn't fool me ;-)

[EN48]

a solution for Bose X users who want to integrate mobile phones via Bluetooth...



See: BLULINK (http://www.pilotblulink.com/)

Said by Aviation Consumer to work flawlessly.

[toptobottom]

EN48 - I believe Pandalet's design is based on the Blulink technology, but likely to be less than 20% of the cost :ok:

[asianrotorhunter]

Bose quality control is patchy at best, none existent at worst. In my company about 50% of the guys with Bose regretted forking out 1500USD for a light weight heap!:{ After many dramas I returned mine to Bose and they admitted it was not up to standard and replaced it, but the replacement was rubbish as well!!!
I replaced it with the clarity aloft and it was great great!!!! very good!!!

DON"T EVER BUY A BOSE!!!!

[Trans Lift]

I've had a Bose headset for just over three years and I have never had an issue. The only thing I have replaced is the ear muffs due to flying in hot weather in Florida and they get sweaty. The material started to break down. It was my fault because I should have cleaned them more regularly. This happened after a year or so and I was flying around 5 days a week for at least 4 hours a day.

I love them. I have tried on the lightspeed ones and they are nice too. I prefer the Bose ones though. The bluelink attchment looks pretty cool but it does add a lot of extra expense. I think I may invest though.:ok:

Asian rotor hunter; why were they so bad? What type of operations does your company do? Maybe you just got a bad batch!!!

[Heli-Jock]

Bose rocks :ok: I use Bose in a longranger and they are fantastic. :D
I used to use Peltor, but since i am now on Bose, would never consider going back to Peltor. Only slight disadvantage is the amount of AA batteries i go thru! I only get a cuple of days out of a set.

[ILblog]

Hi

I am using Bose headsets for more than a four years. Just an operational tip. Do not store headsets in a common way, with insides of earcups facing together. Try to turn both earcups to face each other opposit. The reason is, that whan you do it, the foam cushion remains much more elastic for longer time.

[s1lverback]

We bought ours from Aircraft Spruce (http://www.aircraftspruce.com/search/search.php) while in the USA , cheap local shipping.

Also: Replacement Headband cushion (http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/boseHeadband.php) only $20

And Replacement Earseals only $20 also.

Only seems to be Europe where we get robbed for the spares :ugh:

[Musket097]

I've had both and the Lightspeed Zulu is by far the best headset.

[John Eacott]

helicrazi originally asked about the Bose for GA use, but I'd be very cautious about using it (or buying with the intention of using) for any 'heavy' airwork. The passive noise attenuation is very low, and the ability of the ANR (ENR?) to cope with doors off ops is woeful.

[jeepys]

If anyone has a single plug (helicopter) low impedance cable for a Bose X headset then please pm me. I currently have a six pin lead (lemo) on mine which is designed to fit aircraft supplying the power and therefore no requirement for a battery pack.

Alternatively if anyone needs my lead then let me know.

Thanks,

J.

[rick1128]

Sliverback, if you think the DC's are comfortable, you must drive spikes with your forehead. Many years ago I purchased a Telex ANR 4000 which I used when flying turboprops like the Metroliner. I found it quite comfortable and effective. I tried a co-worker's Bose and found no appreciable difference in noise reduction. Plus the Telex was about 1/3 the price of the Bose. Used this headset until early last year for both FW and Helicopter flight. After trying the Telex Heli XT headset I upgraded to the XT and the ANR 4000 is now a backup headset. The XT was designed for helicopter operations. It is quite comfortable. You can plug your phone or ipod into the unit. While I don't do so when I have passengers, on long VFR cross countries, the ipod makes the trip go much faster. You have a multi power source. Rechargeable batteries with a recharging unit, regular AA batteries and a cigar lighter plug. Plus it is much less expensive then the Bose, less than half.

[Outwest]

I will add, that although the Bose X is very comfortable and its ANR works well, I agree with John that its passive noise reduction is zero and it is not very durable. Mine failed 3 times in 5 years.

[EN48]

Pandalet may shortly have a solution for Bose X users who want to integrate mobile phones via Bluetooth...



Another, and for some, a better, solution is in the works. PS Engineering, the audio opanel manufacturer, has recently announced the PMA 8000BT, an audio panel with integrated Blue Tooth capability. Said to be plug compatible with the PMA 8000B and Garmin GMA 340, both very popular audio panels. :ok: More info here: PS Engineering :audio select panels (http://www.ps-engineering.com/pma8000b.shtml)

[luisf4]

hey guys i am in the same situation here both are looking great options
but have you guys heard anything about beyerdynamics hs 600 "danr"???
it seems to beat the bose and the zulus.... at least for us in the helo zone!!
any coments?? i am almost buying one of those but i couldnt get any feedback from anyone that have one!!!!:ugh:

[papa68]

All,

Having used both ANR and CEP, if you're serious about noise attenuation in a helicopter (and don't use a helmet), there is NO comparison. CEP is by far a better solution. Better yet is a helmet with CEP.

The whole point of CEP is that it physically blocks most of the ambient noise using an ear plug whilst allowing you to reduce the volumes on your radios as they are delivered directly to your ears. Also, importantly, it still allows you to effectively pick up on the necessary audio cues required during normal and emergency operations.

In our Company (BHA) a number of guys forked out some big dollars for Bose ANR headsets and largely they have been either disappointed or have found them to be simply unusable. Most of them have (or are about to) switch to CEP as they are demonstrably better.

ANR has its place in FW but for RW (especially the larger, noisier acft) CEP is quieter - no question.

P68:O

[cessnapete]

I have used Bose -X in a Hughes 500 for over a year. Very good attenuation and no problems. 4 sets plumbed into a/c power supply.
Product support very good in UK, usually fixed no charge by Dealers at Shoreham.