Bose headset
 

Hi, I‘m looking for a new pair of headset and I can’t decide btw the classic A20 and the Proflight 2 (or at least to give them a try and eventually send them back and choose the A20 tbh) and In have a couple. of questions about them.

I“ll use the headset both professional and for pleasure in GA and searching in the Bose website, I found this info on the technical specs of the headset:

”Maximum ambient noise level 115 dB SPL for full active noise reduction level” (120dB for the A20)

is this value the maximum level of noise level that can be cancelled out by the headset? I mean in cockpit with noise level below these value are both the headset able to do the same job or not?

Even with the indication that the PF2 are suited for pressurized jet engine aircraft, a C172 has a noise level between 76 and 96 dB well below the max value of 115.

Are the Bluetooth versions allowed in the airline market?

Thx

I don’t do any GA at the moment but I’ve gone from A20 which was great to Proflight 2 and I love it. For the airline cockpit environment the proflight is very lightweight and comfortable.

For what it’s worth I had the A20 and bought the new ones , used them for a week and sold them and went back to the A20 .
found the new ones to be awkward and uncomfortable, the buds didn’t fit my ears properly and had a feeling the heavy cable was dragging on the headset as it’s so light .
B737 operations with long days .

Thx both for the replies.
After some research, feedback and reviews, the A20 are some step forward because the new ones seem to be lighter and not so durable as the A20 and I didn’t try to wear them with its process to find the right size of the earbuds.
I’m going to use the BT feature only to connect the iPad and I could use the classic cable (I don’t think to use it to receive or make call because in Europe we do not need them to pick up the IFR clearance, and we know that the cell network doesn’t work above some thousands feet AGL and at the moment this is the only case to have the BT version)

If you’re planning to do GA flying, perhaps go with the A20. The proflight was designed with the relatively quieter jet cockpits in mind, so I understand they aren’t quite as quiet in a Cessna. I’ve never used the proflight personally though.

As to the Bluetooth feature- I’ve had to call the tower on my phone after having a radio failure. It works a lot better than light signals. :)

This is definitely a plus for the BT version 🙂
The doubt is due to the amount of contrasting opinion about the PF2 in GA environment because they are not as quite as the A20 but better than a passive headset and a lot of people think that the A20 are "too active sometimes because it seems to be in a cavern" and on the other hand there are people who use the PF2 in GA without any issue and are happy with them.
Maybe worth the possibility to try them risk-free for 60 days and than make a decision..

I have the PF2 in an airline jet and am in absolute love with it. I'd shy away from them for GA usage (though have never tried it myself), first because of Bose's own warning about possibly insufficient nose reduction, and also because they don't have a volume control. So depending on the audio panel of the airplane, if you don't have your own volume control, you might be at the mercy of the other pilot if they're half-deaf and need it cranked up.

Tho Vessbot, you made my day! I didn’t notice that the PF2 haven’t the volume control and a part from the level of noise reduction, this could be the key factor and IMHO the reason why Bose don’t recommend the PS2 in general aviation.

I've had my A20 for nearly ten years now, and I'm still very happy with them. I've used them both on 737s as well as the 777, and since I recently replaced the ear pads they feel like they're brand new again.

I've never come across a headset that was too quiet. The A20 is certainly not so good that you can't hear the engine in a Cessna. It cuts a lot of the noise, but not nearly so much that you can't hear slight RPM changes.

It's a bit different on a jet. I really can't hear the engines, and I'm very happy. Between the trend vector and the ECAM, you really don't need to hear the engines.

So for this reason the stall warning is can be fully and clearly heard,isn´t it?

Last week a friend borrowed me a pair of DC Pro X2 ANR which seem to be halfway between the PF2 and the A20 and to be honest I thought that they would had been better. Just to know is there any experience about the PF2 donning the o2 mask? IMO shouldn't be so easy the process due to its design specially in the -bus with the goggle included.

When Bose introduced the first version, there was a short video how to don the quick donning mask over the headset. Doesn't matter if full face mask or the grandfather mask. Sadly i cannot find that video anywhere now, so it seems bose has removed it. Basically, just pull the mask over the headset if i remember correctly.

You can hear the stall warning just fine with a good ANC headset.

Thx all, I gave the PF2 a try but they doesn't work for me so I've sent them back and ordered a pair of A20 without BT because it's not allowed.
In case someone is interested, the noise reduction in piston aircraft works well without any kind pf problem and the comm are crisp clear. For sure they are better than a pair of passive headset and obviously a step under the A20 but this is due to the fact that they are in ear and not due to the quality itself of electric noise reduction of the headset.

Very satisfied with the A20 as well, I would be very surprised if a much better headset existed. Comparable, or even a bit better, why not, but much better I'd like to see for myself.

The PF works even better if one uses custom earpieces.

I used a german service to make mine, and they still work perfectly years later. I am sure there are comparable companies elsewhere.

That said, for prop and other very noisy aircraft i would rather use my A20, the PF is quite good on commercial jets.

I'm super satisfied with my A20 headset. I'm using it for 2 years now on the A320 and its performance is amazing.

I decided to go for the PF though, because I want to wear them for the duration of the flight, and when the other pilot doesn't have their own headset, it's easier to remove only the one earpiece.