Bose A20 aviation headset
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Across Continents
Age: 65
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I sent mine too for the repairs on some noise in the right earphone ...they did an amazing job with new ear pads , clips and shipped it back for Free .....
Very impressed with their after sales service ....
Very impressed with their after sales service ....
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: UK
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Holding stock
I'm heading to New York from the UK next week (22nd January) and wondered if anyone would know if the New York Bose stores hold stock of the Bose A20 headset. In particular the dual plug non Bluetooth version. I have tried emailing Bose to ask but have heard nothing back.
I know asking this is a long shot but thought I'd ask in case anyone lives locally or has been over recently.
Cheers
I know asking this is a long shot but thought I'd ask in case anyone lives locally or has been over recently.
Cheers
Yes, the New York City stores (SoHo and Columbus Circle) both stock the A20. Not sure which model(s) though. Best to call ahead! I've demo'ed the A20 at the SoHo store, but didn't end up purchasing, so I'm not sure what options they have there.
Bluetooth stopped working
I got mine just a month ago. The Bluetooth pairing with phone worked without a problem.
Then, out of the blue (excuse the pun) the Bluetooth stopped working. The blue LED on the headset controller would not come on, regardless how long or short I pressed the Bluetooth button.
The local reseller opened the battery pack, took out one battery and flicked the two micro switches in the battery compartment (for "AutoOff", and for "Mono/Stereo") back and forth. Then he put back the battery and - voila - everything was working again!
While this is not documented anywhere in the 'trouble shooting' section of the A20 manual, this procedure seem to work like a reboot for dreaded Microsoft computers. It may well be the taking out of the batteries in itself that did a 'soft reset' - not sure what toggling of switches can help with no power source present. But then again, I don't really understand how these things work.
Then, out of the blue (excuse the pun) the Bluetooth stopped working. The blue LED on the headset controller would not come on, regardless how long or short I pressed the Bluetooth button.
The local reseller opened the battery pack, took out one battery and flicked the two micro switches in the battery compartment (for "AutoOff", and for "Mono/Stereo") back and forth. Then he put back the battery and - voila - everything was working again!
While this is not documented anywhere in the 'trouble shooting' section of the A20 manual, this procedure seem to work like a reboot for dreaded Microsoft computers. It may well be the taking out of the batteries in itself that did a 'soft reset' - not sure what toggling of switches can help with no power source present. But then again, I don't really understand how these things work.
Join Date: May 2000
Location: uk
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happily fly whilst listening to tunes. Keeps me focused, is less fatiguing on long duties and makes time pass quicker.
We prefer to keep focused on long duties by staring at the fuel guage, the weather radar, the T's and P's and praying to any god that we think might be capable of keeping the Jesus nut nice and tight. lol
Join Date: May 2012
Location: there
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Hey guys!
Can any of you A20 users confirm, that its not possible to regulate the volume of an AUX audio source with the A20 Volume Control (or is it ONLY to regulate intercom volume)?
Thanks!
Can any of you A20 users confirm, that its not possible to regulate the volume of an AUX audio source with the A20 Volume Control (or is it ONLY to regulate intercom volume)?
Thanks!
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Mars
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Actual answer
1. Can't listen to music over Bluetooth, only through aux cable.
2. Music volume is controlled by your music playing device, not by the A20 itself.
3. IMHO the Bluetooth isn't worth the extra money. It can be quite useful to talk on your mobile (to Ops/despatcher/duty manager) via your headset which keeps you in the loop about what's going on in the aircraft, but its only a very, very minor benefit on an occasional basis.
2. Music volume is controlled by your music playing device, not by the A20 itself.
3. IMHO the Bluetooth isn't worth the extra money. It can be quite useful to talk on your mobile (to Ops/despatcher/duty manager) via your headset which keeps you in the loop about what's going on in the aircraft, but its only a very, very minor benefit on an occasional basis.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: 18 Degrees North
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just got the new A20 and can now bluetooth the music and control volume from the A20, its awesome
the bluetooth now is worth it, I agree it wasn't really before, plus they are a bit cheaper than they were before.
the bluetooth now is worth it, I agree it wasn't really before, plus they are a bit cheaper than they were before.
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: France
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Hello
I tested about one week ago the Bose A20 during a flight : i was thrilled by the ANR and the music capability. I was literally dancing in my aircraft, although that was also due to the heavy turbulences of that day
I still have one question though : when I put on my headset in a calm environment, with the ANR on, i can hear a small sizzling sound. It's like a very light white noise, like this video but very light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMThO1Nq-f0
Is it normal for any ANR headset to produce that kind of small noise when anr is active ?
What do you think about using your ANR headset to listen to music, at home ? Audio quality with a 1/4" jack to 1/8" jack adapter is terrible..
Thank you
I tested about one week ago the Bose A20 during a flight : i was thrilled by the ANR and the music capability. I was literally dancing in my aircraft, although that was also due to the heavy turbulences of that day
I still have one question though : when I put on my headset in a calm environment, with the ANR on, i can hear a small sizzling sound. It's like a very light white noise, like this video but very light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMThO1Nq-f0
Is it normal for any ANR headset to produce that kind of small noise when anr is active ?
What do you think about using your ANR headset to listen to music, at home ? Audio quality with a 1/4" jack to 1/8" jack adapter is terrible..
Thank you
KayPam
Is your ANR specific to your aircraft type? It is around 15 years since generic broadband ANR systems were rendered obsolescent by programmable ones.
Remember, an ANR headset or helmet is no longer just an Aircrew Equipment Assembly, it now also forms an integral part of the Intercom/Comms System and must be designed to match it. In practice most will "work" in the sense you will notice a reduction in background noise, but it will be a compromise. This may manifest itself in odd noises. Also, ANR is designed to reduce damaging noise, not necessarily annoying noise.
Is your ANR specific to your aircraft type? It is around 15 years since generic broadband ANR systems were rendered obsolescent by programmable ones.
Remember, an ANR headset or helmet is no longer just an Aircrew Equipment Assembly, it now also forms an integral part of the Intercom/Comms System and must be designed to match it. In practice most will "work" in the sense you will notice a reduction in background noise, but it will be a compromise. This may manifest itself in odd noises. Also, ANR is designed to reduce damaging noise, not necessarily annoying noise.
Background noise
Wow, it is amazing to see that there are people who live in a parallel universe that seem to have no similarity with the world I live in.
I have no doubt that your world, tecumseh, appears as real to you as mine to me.
But, KayPam, rest assured, the non-programmable "generic broadband" 1,000 $ Bose A20 is the best ANR headset that any of the hundreds of private and commercial pilots I know (including myself) have ever had the privilege to own. It's works brilliantly, and certainly perfectly does the job of protecting your ears in even very noisy (e.g., helicopter) cockpits.
I am afraid, yours is broken though. Mine has no considerable white noise when switched on, even in a totally silent ambience. Any noise, be it just the avionics fans or gyros, will - while substantially muted by the ANR - mask any very low noise the active headset may generate.
All this seems to become completely irrelevant once the engines are running. Here it is all about how much of the annoying engine roar is filtered out, regardless of head position, or spectacles worn, how well you can still discern changes in relevant noise (e.g., warning horns, changes in engine note), and how clearly you hear the voices of other pax and ATC. In all this the Bose is "the boss".
Is your ANR specific to your aircraft type? It is around 15 years since generic broadband ANR systems were rendered obsolescent by programmable ones.
But, KayPam, rest assured, the non-programmable "generic broadband" 1,000 $ Bose A20 is the best ANR headset that any of the hundreds of private and commercial pilots I know (including myself) have ever had the privilege to own. It's works brilliantly, and certainly perfectly does the job of protecting your ears in even very noisy (e.g., helicopter) cockpits.
I am afraid, yours is broken though. Mine has no considerable white noise when switched on, even in a totally silent ambience. Any noise, be it just the avionics fans or gyros, will - while substantially muted by the ANR - mask any very low noise the active headset may generate.
All this seems to become completely irrelevant once the engines are running. Here it is all about how much of the annoying engine roar is filtered out, regardless of head position, or spectacles worn, how well you can still discern changes in relevant noise (e.g., warning horns, changes in engine note), and how clearly you hear the voices of other pax and ATC. In all this the Bose is "the boss".
Hot and Hi
Not sure where that came from. I attended the final trials in 2000 for the upgraded, progammable system that rendered the analog system obsolescent. As the programme manager in MoD (UK), for both analog and digital systems, I signed off on them, thus initiating the production phase. MoD was, by definition, the lead, as it owns the Intellectual Property Rights to the latter. The aim of that upgrade was to meet the new legal limit of 75dB(A). Analog had reached its practical limit of about 83dB(A), against the old legal requirement of 85dB(A).
There are many ways of expressing noise exposure and effects. Reams of decibel notation doesn't work. To acquire the funding for the upgrade, I simply pointed out that (in the lead aircraft at the time) aircrew were limited to 59 flying hours per year, before damage set in. The threat of litigation is powerful. The operational requirement was 600. It so happened that, if we achieved 75dB(A), this permitted 600+ hours. That was a happy coincidence.
I cannot say what aircrew here fly in or what their noise dose is. But what is simple fact is that, to design a 75dB(A) system you need to measure the noise in each aircraft type and design the ANR to attack the damaging frequencies without masking audio cues. Separately, a pilot may assess his dose/usage and decide if he needs a system. For example (again, MoD UK), a Sea King ANR happens to work perfectly well in a Harrier, despite the noise sources being different (epicyclic gears vs engine). But it is almost entirely useless, in fact quite dangerous, in a Lynx, because the pilot can no longer hear certain critical audio cues. My point was, very few "commercial" ANRs are truly transferable between types. They must be a compromise. In analog days that meant multi-type pilots had a range of helmets. With digital systems, you plug into a work station and blow an EPROM, depending on type to be flown that day. I do of course concede technology may have moved on since then, but passive attenuation hasn't.
Not sure where that came from. I attended the final trials in 2000 for the upgraded, progammable system that rendered the analog system obsolescent. As the programme manager in MoD (UK), for both analog and digital systems, I signed off on them, thus initiating the production phase. MoD was, by definition, the lead, as it owns the Intellectual Property Rights to the latter. The aim of that upgrade was to meet the new legal limit of 75dB(A). Analog had reached its practical limit of about 83dB(A), against the old legal requirement of 85dB(A).
There are many ways of expressing noise exposure and effects. Reams of decibel notation doesn't work. To acquire the funding for the upgrade, I simply pointed out that (in the lead aircraft at the time) aircrew were limited to 59 flying hours per year, before damage set in. The threat of litigation is powerful. The operational requirement was 600. It so happened that, if we achieved 75dB(A), this permitted 600+ hours. That was a happy coincidence.
I cannot say what aircrew here fly in or what their noise dose is. But what is simple fact is that, to design a 75dB(A) system you need to measure the noise in each aircraft type and design the ANR to attack the damaging frequencies without masking audio cues. Separately, a pilot may assess his dose/usage and decide if he needs a system. For example (again, MoD UK), a Sea King ANR happens to work perfectly well in a Harrier, despite the noise sources being different (epicyclic gears vs engine). But it is almost entirely useless, in fact quite dangerous, in a Lynx, because the pilot can no longer hear certain critical audio cues. My point was, very few "commercial" ANRs are truly transferable between types. They must be a compromise. In analog days that meant multi-type pilots had a range of helmets. With digital systems, you plug into a work station and blow an EPROM, depending on type to be flown that day. I do of course concede technology may have moved on since then, but passive attenuation hasn't.
Parallel universes
OK, I see now. The one is called "Military"; the other one "General Aviation". Very interesting account though, by all means.
The Bose, like its competitors from Sennheiser or Lightspeed, is targeted at the GA market. And yes, ANR technology has vastly improved since I bought my first ANR headset around the year 2000. There is simply no comparison.
The Bose, like its competitors from Sennheiser or Lightspeed, is targeted at the GA market. And yes, ANR technology has vastly improved since I bought my first ANR headset around the year 2000. There is simply no comparison.
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Brussels
Age: 41
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Dear A20 owners,
Does, by any chance, any of you own a Bose QC35 headseat (general multimedia headset) on the top of your A20 ?
I have read that the QC35 has a "music sharing" feature which allows 2 headsets to share the same bluetooth stream (two people can listen to the same thing), of course there is no notes about any A20 compatibility, but I just wondered if anyone could confirm that it does not work ?
As a little bonus, how would you compare the audio and ANR quality between the 2 headsets ?
Thank you very much !
Does, by any chance, any of you own a Bose QC35 headseat (general multimedia headset) on the top of your A20 ?
I have read that the QC35 has a "music sharing" feature which allows 2 headsets to share the same bluetooth stream (two people can listen to the same thing), of course there is no notes about any A20 compatibility, but I just wondered if anyone could confirm that it does not work ?
As a little bonus, how would you compare the audio and ANR quality between the 2 headsets ?
Thank you very much !
Adapter Plug Heli (U-174) to Lemo
Does anybody know where I can get an adapter like the one in the link? Cheaper would be great too
Helicopter-Stecker U174 zu Lemo-Adapter - Avionik Zentrale - cockpit favourites
Greetings
Helicopter-Stecker U174 zu Lemo-Adapter - Avionik Zentrale - cockpit favourites
Greetings
Cheap, at Sportys: Helicopter Plug (U174) to Lemo Plug Adapter - from Sporty's Pilot Shop