IO540
5th Oct 2010, 09:35
I have just got the A20. The noise reduction is very much better than the X - the plane sounds like a turboprop now http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif Comfort-wise it is perhaps a slight improvement. I do like the way the earcups do not meet up when the headset is stowed away; this used to damage the old ones through constant compression.
But the mike appears to be a lot worse. I have tried adjusting (bending) it carefully so it is close to my mouth and this helps a bit. But from own feedback and also from ATC feedback, comparing them in sequence, the X is clearer and has a higher output.
I wonder if perhaps Bose are up to their old trick of shipping duff mikes. I got four X headsets around 2002-2003. There was nothing to compare them with, but I did not like having to have the mike almost in one's mouth... Then about 2006 I tried a brand new X which a friend had, and I was amazed how much better the mike was. This was confirmed by trying one at an exhibition stand. Then I discovered that Bose shipped thousands of low-output mikes in the early 2000s; according to a Bose dealer / repair shop this was widely known and the output is about 1/2 of what it should be. I took my four headsets to the shop and they measured the mikes in front of me on a tester; all four were the duff type. I then discovered that Bose ran a very long free exchange period for these mikes, but only in the USA; here in the UK they washed their hands of them after ~ 2 years. So I paid 4 x $200 to "upgrade" the mikes. I sold the old mikes on U.S. Ebay; presumably some American pilot was able to swap them under the Bose US-only warranty.
Can anyone offer an opinion on the mike quality of the A20 v. the X?
The intercom is a PS 7000 which should be a good one.
But the mike appears to be a lot worse. I have tried adjusting (bending) it carefully so it is close to my mouth and this helps a bit. But from own feedback and also from ATC feedback, comparing them in sequence, the X is clearer and has a higher output.
I wonder if perhaps Bose are up to their old trick of shipping duff mikes. I got four X headsets around 2002-2003. There was nothing to compare them with, but I did not like having to have the mike almost in one's mouth... Then about 2006 I tried a brand new X which a friend had, and I was amazed how much better the mike was. This was confirmed by trying one at an exhibition stand. Then I discovered that Bose shipped thousands of low-output mikes in the early 2000s; according to a Bose dealer / repair shop this was widely known and the output is about 1/2 of what it should be. I took my four headsets to the shop and they measured the mikes in front of me on a tester; all four were the duff type. I then discovered that Bose ran a very long free exchange period for these mikes, but only in the USA; here in the UK they washed their hands of them after ~ 2 years. So I paid 4 x $200 to "upgrade" the mikes. I sold the old mikes on U.S. Ebay; presumably some American pilot was able to swap them under the Bose US-only warranty.
Can anyone offer an opinion on the mike quality of the A20 v. the X?
The intercom is a PS 7000 which should be a good one.