PDA

View Full Version : Self imposed headset frustration


double_barrel
3rd Aug 2018, 13:51
My nice Sennehieser noise-cancelling entertainment headphones just died. I travel a lot as a passenger in the back of big aeroplanes and really love them to isolate myself from the chaos around me.
Meanwhile, I will soon need to spring for a headset for GA. Being a fully paid-up geek/sucker it is likely to be the Bose A20 that I can ill afford.


You can probably see where I am going with this. Why can't I use the 'phones' component of one for both purposes ? The A20 has bluetooth and an auxiliary sound input, but I am not eager to sit around in public with a microphone boom stuck up in the air and yards of unconnected cables dangling around my feet. Similarly, I am sure a decent ANR Bose headset would work very well as comms headphones, but there seems no way to stick a microphone on them. I reckon it would be trivial for Bose to design a modular system for both purposes - after all the microphone is already removable - that would save me >$500.

I guess the reason they won't do that is that it would save me $500. Has anyone ever tried something like that?

Gentoo
3rd Aug 2018, 14:26
I imagine the quality control and durability testing for aviation headsets is a lot tougher as you don't want it to fail in the air.

While for something worn for sound quality the engineering effort will be spent testing frequency response or whatever

A detachable mic for example is something that may be an added point of failure you don't really want in an aviation headsets.

jez d
3rd Aug 2018, 14:57
The Bose A20 is modular, in that you can replace the mic/lead combo with different variants, depending on your aircraft set-up. They might therefore have a solution for you - a lead without microphone. Worth asking.

kirkbymoorside
3rd Aug 2018, 17:19
You could look at the NFlightMic that converts Bose QC35 headphones to aviation use. Supposed to be not quite as good a solution as the A20 but gives you the versatility and saves quite a few $$$

There are other similar converter units out there if you get googling but not all work with the current Bose headphone models.

double_barrel
3rd Aug 2018, 19:25
You could look at the NFlightMic that converts Bose QC35 headphones to aviation use. Supposed to be not quite as good a solution as the A20 but gives you the versatility and saves quite a few $$$

There are other similar converter units out there if you get googling but not all work with the current Bose headphone models.


Yay! Thanks. I had not seen that. Looks perfect

A and C
4th Aug 2018, 09:03
I have seen the Nflightmic used by a number of my colleagues at work , it seems to work but I’m not sure about its durability as the number of them seen appreing in a flight desk near me seems to be declining.

About three years back my old Seenehiser ( thank you XL airways ) stopped working after nine years in service and it was time for a new headset, the Bose A20 won the race dispite being worth more that my wife’s car and it is a move that I don’t regret. After three years of airline flying the only think that will soon need replacing are the ear cuffs and the reduction in the fatigue level is remarkable.

I also use it when traveling in the back of the aircraft to watch movies on my iPad , I can disappear into a world of my own and not have to talk to passengers who want to ask me the same stupid questions about flying or complaining about the airline.

Buy the A20 or you are likely to become a victim of the old saying “ buy cheap buy twice”.

flyingkeyboard
6th Aug 2018, 17:02
Any tips on where to look for the best value A20s in the UK? Avoiding the term 'cheapest' as at nearly £1k there is nothing cheap about it :D

Cole Burner
6th Aug 2018, 20:50
uflymike (https://uflymike.com)

Works for me, lighter, cheaper and more compact than A20.

double_barrel
7th Aug 2018, 04:17
Any tips on where to look for the best value A20s in the UK? Avoiding the term 'cheapest' as at nearly £1k there is nothing cheap about it :D
America! As with most electronics, the USA $ price is the same number they are going for in the UK in £ !

double_barrel
20th Aug 2018, 07:01
In case anyone is interested, I just order one of these Avee Microphone Add-on Kit ? www.getavee.com (http://www.getavee.com/product/avee-combination-kit/)

And a pair of Bose QC35-II - which cost me nothing but 120,000 of my flying blue miles (which are not much use for anything else but shopping)

Avee were super helpful and communicative and uflymike don't have their QC35 system ready to ship yet.

So. I am hopeful that I will have a decent headset for around £200 - got to be worth a try! I will report back after using them.

double_barrel
15th Sep 2018, 20:22
In case anyone is interested, I just order one of these Avee Microphone Add-on Kit ? www.getavee.com (http://www.getavee.com/product/avee-combination-kit/)

And a pair of Bose QC35-II - which cost me nothing but 120,000 of my flying blue miles (which are not much use for anything else but shopping)

Avee were super helpful and communicative and uflymike don't have their QC35 system ready to ship yet.

So. I am hopeful that I will have a decent headset for around £200 - got to be worth a try! I will report back after using them.

I am really happy with the setup. The audio quality while flying is a HUGE improvement on the beat-up old DA's I was using. Plenty of engine noise gets through the noise cancelling, but it is much less intrusive. The Avee system is very neat - my only regret is that I did not go for the longer version of microphone stem, the standard one only reaches to the corner of my mouth, but I seem to be audible. And the Bose QC35's are excellent bluetooth entertainment headphones. All round, very pleased.

Update update: Avee just sent me the longer the microphone free of charge, trusting me to return the shorter one. The positioning of the microphone is now perfect. Their customer service is very impressive.

Top Gun Jabiru
20th Sep 2018, 01:04
I fly as a passenger with my A20s. I am aware I look like an idiot but just tuck the cabling and controller into my jumper and fold the mic up, the mic really isn't obvious at all.

RomeoTango89
20th Sep 2018, 22:31
Used a friends pair of A20's for the first time today for an hour and a half flight... currently browsing the Mendelssohn website and trying to choose which one of my lesser vital organs I can live without. Don't think I'll be able to go back to the old DC's!

double_barrel
21st Sep 2018, 05:41
Used a friends pair of A20's for the first time today for an hour and a half flight... currently browsing the Mendelssohn website and trying to choose which one of my lesser vital organs I can live without. Don't think I'll be able to go back to the old DC's!

I would love to know how much better the A20 is from a noise cancelling point of view vs the consumer QC35. I suspect that the electronics will be identical but that the A20 will benefit from its more substantial shell. I think I will stick with the QC35 for a while, but will look for a chance to compare them.

Dave Gittins
21st Sep 2018, 12:33
After about 10 years of using my trusty DC H 10-13.4s and never a thought of spending a grand on Bose A20s, I had never known I could add a mic and take the Bose QC35s out of the house until I aw this thread but the $250 for a mic is a bit daunting. I suppose an ANR add on to the DCs would work but what's the cost differential and which works best ? Haven't seen a thread on "ANR for old DCs" since about 2010

I am curious rather than enthusiastic, as my monthly 2 - 3 hours in the DA-40 doesn't mean I "need" ANR.

double_barrel
21st Sep 2018, 15:15
After about 10 years of using my trusty DC H 10-13.4s and never a thought of spending a grand on Bose A20s, I had never known I could add a mic and take the Bose QC35s out of the house until I aw this thread but the $250 for a mic is a bit daunting. I suppose an ANR add on to the DCs would work but what's the cost differential and which works best ? Haven't seen a thread on "ANR for old DCs" since about 2010

I am curious rather than enthusiastic, as my monthly 2 - 3 hours in the DA-40 doesn't mean I "need" ANR.

You are right, you don't get much for your $250 - a bit of cable with plugs each end, a microphone and a nicely engineered adapter piece. But it is neat and I guess it gets you maybe 80% of the way to the performance of an A20 for 50% of the cost. And if you already have or want QC35s for normal purposes, the arithmetic is even better.

RomeoTango89
21st Sep 2018, 22:47
I would love to know how much better the A20 is from a noise cancelling point of view vs the consumer QC35. I suspect that the electronics will be identical but that the A20 will benefit from its more substantial shell. I think I will stick with the QC35 for a while, but will look for a chance to compare them.

Honestly I couldn't tell you, I'm not much of an electronics whizz. What I can tell you however, I that I was flying again today with the a20's, and I compared them inflight with my DC 13.4's... you can probably guess whats coming next!

Seriously, the difference is staggering. Every single pilot I've spoken to who flys with a20's or Lightspeeds says the same thing "You won't go back". And I concur. Granted however, if you're only flying 3-4 hours a month they are probably a bit excessive considering the price. Would be interested to hear from anyone who's gone for the DC One-X's though, they look like a great viable alternative.

Sam Rutherford
23rd Sep 2018, 12:41
So, anyone know of an off-the-shelf adaptor for LEMO A20, but that includes another cigar lighter plug? So that you can jump in another aircraft, plug the jacks in the audio sockets and the cigar lighter in the 12VDC socket...?

Just wondering.

PGP737
23rd Mar 2022, 17:36
In case anyone is interested, I just order one of these Avee Microphone Add-on Kit ? www.getavee.com (http://www.getavee.com/product/avee-combination-kit/)

And a pair of Bose QC35-II - which cost me nothing but 120,000 of my flying blue miles (which are not much use for anything else but shopping)

Avee were super helpful and communicative and uflymike don't have their QC35 system ready to ship yet.

So. I am hopeful that I will have a decent headset for around £200 - got to be worth a try! I will report back after using them.
Worst ever experience with avee ….
Bought the mic with the Bluetooth and after a few months it has started to make noises in the headsets.
Cant use it any more so I called them…
They are not changing, they are not refunding and I am over a year without a headset…
STAY AWAY!!!