Are the Bose A20's worth the $$

The bottom line is whether you pay $800 or $1200 for a headset, unless it completely sucks you're gonna tell everyone it's great.
 
I have a set of new a20s and I'm a little disappointed. After about an hour and a half they start to bother me. I can't tell you exactly why, they just get uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, their a beautiful head-set, just something about them doesn't work for "me". The zulu's on the other hand i find very comfortable for extended amounts of wearing time.
 
Silvaire said:
The bottom line is whether you pay $800 or $1200 for a headset, unless it completely sucks you're gonna tell everyone it's great.
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There is a great wisdom in it, and applies to everything else not just headsets. :yes:
 
I've been using the A20 for about 120 hours and love it. I tried the Zulu & Faro noise cancelling models, but the Bose A20 was by far the best fit for me.

I did have a problem with the A20 after about 50 hours of usage, where the automatic power off function stopped working so it would drain my batteries. Called Bose & they sent me a new cable/switch assembly overnight. Was very happy with their support.
 
sferguson524 said:
they have 0% financing if you pay with a credit/debit card. http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/aviation_headsets/a20/index.jsp
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Finance a house, or car, do not finance a head set. Just my opinion. On a different note, I have a pair of A20 that I use and they are awesome, I also have a pair of Bose X which are nice, but more for passengers. My wife Loves her Zulu 2, and Zulu has a trade up program. They will give you $200 for an old David Clark set. It is a pretty slick deal, but really any nice noise cancelling headset are great. Harmon makes a pair, as does the German company. Save up, go to a show where you can try them all on, and get a nice set. Your hearing will appreciate it.
 
I have the A20. I also got a zulu2 for my wife. I'd have gone with the zulu2 Over the Bose if I had it to do over again.

All this said are they nice? Yes. Worth the $1100 price tag? Debatable.
 
AggieMike88 said:
I've got the "over" on the hamburger bet that this thread gets 35 posts or more before we hear from our headset guy in Austin....
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Hehe, I like reading everything first, and see how it goes. ;)

My only addition is what others have said, and that is to find out what works on. YOUR head. Focusing on "worth" from others is a mistake. What may be "worth it" to others, may very well not be, for you. Try as many as you can, and then make your final purchase. The good makers will have a trial period (*cough cough... us) hehe.

I'm always here if anyone has questions about headsets. I know all of them, inside, outside, and every other way.


Shane
The Squawk Shoppe
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I just got checked out in a new airplane yesterday and the cool CFI (learjet pilot) let me try on his new Bose headsets..

I had them on for a little bit and looked at him and said TAKE THESE FROM ME or you may never get them back.. :goofy:

The noise cancelling effect was odd for the first few seconds (kind of a fluttering sound) then it was absolutely amazing! I could fly forever as it sounds like the sounds is reduced to a whisper.


Now does anyone have suggestions on how to convince my wife to buy these for me for Christmas ?????? :dunno:
 
For those on a budget, who'd still like active noise reduction, here is what I use myself.

IMO, it is nothing short of phenomenal, esp. given the price. I have had this ANR headset for about a year now, and I love it. I have tried lots of different headsets over the years, in both fixed and rotary wings, and this one is the best I've found so far. I have compared it to the A20, albeit very briefly (in the heli one time, CFI said "try mine"), and didn't notice a huge difference noise-reduction-wise.
I would say the best part about this set (besides the price) is the comfort. My ears feel pampered, so much so that it's hard to take it off at the end of a flight. Another bonus is the case, which is great for keeping a lot of extra loose stuff besides the headset itself.
I would love to hear feedback from others about this unit. I originally found the ad in Flying, but have yet to see a review from a pilot.
 
Silvaire said:
The bottom line is whether you pay $800 or $1200 for a headset, unless it completely sucks you're gonna tell everyone it's great.
Click to expand...
Yup. There is also bit of conflict also in wanting the latest and greatest so you can use them for a long time. Remember how great the iphone Y was? Somewhere along the line headsets jumped on the consumer electronics model of obsolete because the commercial for the new version implies it. Yes the new ones are better, but in the old days you used the same headset for decades. Kinda like the phone mounted on the wall...:D
 
To me, the issue isn't whether the ANR is worth it. It is. The question is whether the Bose ANR at a premium is worth it over the other available ANR options out there.

I went with the Lightspeed Sierras. While I believe the ANR is worth it, I can't imagine that the ANR in the Bose are worth twice the price over the ANR in the Lightspeed Sierras. The Sierra's are comfortable. The only nit is that the padding on the top is big enough that you could potentially be bumping your head on the ceiling, depending on your plane and seat position.

I used to have a set of very nice in-ear headphones (Etymotic) for listening to music. The noise reduction on those passive noise reduction buds was excellent. I could listen to music on a commercial plane, or while blowing leaves with the volume turned way down. As a result of my positive experience with those, I might some time try the Clarity Aloft because I know that type of noise protection really works. I could see the Clarity Aloft headsets being comfortable from the standpoint of not having the weight on your head of the full over the ear sized ear pieces if you can stand having the smaller buds down in your ear canals. But, with my experience with the Etymotics, you have to really get the ear pieces down there to get a good sound resistant seal, which means having to lubricate them to get them to slide in far enough. (A little saliva on your fingers rubbed on the outside of the buds works. Gross, I know.) I presume you have to do the same with the Clarity Aloft headsets.
 
eman1200 said:
I'm not arguing against them or against 'hearing protection', I'm just saying when the car stereo is loud, I turn it down, when my work headset is loud, I turn it down, but when I'm in the plane I haven't ever noticed it being "loud". I mean, I hear the engine and 'noise', but I've never said "dayum it's loud up in here". maybe bose should send me a sample to try, you know, convince me I should own them. :wink2:

oh, lastly, there's an archer for sale here that's about $40k. when I think about the bose headsets, I think they are about 1/40th the price of the entire freakin plane. tough to think about it in those terms.
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I picked up 2 pairs of Telex ANR headsets off eBay for ~$70. Put batteries in them and they work fine. The difference between ANR on & off is dramatic! And they are pretty decent PNR setup without.

I didn't want to dump $400-$800 into a headset to try it, but at $70 wow!

I can only guess the current generation is even better.

John

Edit: Look at these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Telex-ANR...o_Comm_Headsets_Earpieces&hash=item3cebe69413
 
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I also love my A20s (have used the Xs on long trips and the Zulu.2s) - give them a try, risk-free return...you may want to look at the new crop of stuff coming out too (but they are all within $100 of each other)...
 
jsstevens said:
I picked up 2 pairs of Telex ANR headsets off eBay for ~$70. Put batteries in them and they work fine. The difference between ANR on & off is dramatic! And they are pretty decent PNR setup without.

I didn't want to dump $400-$800 into a headset to try it, but at $70 wow!

I can only guess the current generation is even better.

John

Edit: Look at these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Telex-ANR...o_Comm_Headsets_Earpieces&hash=item3cebe69413
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I would say the same here. You can get ANR for cheaper, but I like the Bose A20s and went with them.

Also, it's not about "loud." It's about the continuous drone of sound frequencies that will eventually damage your hearing. I'd rather pay now for a decent ANR set than deal with hearing aids later on.
 
eman1200 said:
As someone who has never tried them, I find it hard to believe they can be so much better, and at TEN times the cost, of my cheap POS Rugged's. At no point of any flight do I feel like it's loud enough under my headset to the point where I'd want to spend over a freakin grand on a headset. BUT, like I said, I never tried em lol.
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Holy cr@p. Just stumbled into a local Bose shop and asked if they had the A20s. And, they did. Picture walking into a Bose shop where absolutely no one is looking for an aviation headset but everyone and their brother and sister is cranking music on every system they have. Which I could clearly hear with the headset on. Once the NR was fired up, couldn't even hear the base pumping. Truly amazing. A grand amazing? I'm gonna need an extra paper route if that's gonna happen, but today I was 'wowed'.
 
I recently visited Marv Golden's at KMYF in San Diego and had a chance to try the Bose A20's vs Lightspeed Zulu 2 vs Clarity Aloft vs AKG's.

I must say, the difference between the A20 and Zulu 2 is barely anything. The only reason I'd pick the A20's is because they're TSO approved (which I'll never need). For the money, the Zulu 2's are a better choice given the features they have and they're all around more comfortable to put on your head. I will say that the A20's are more compact but they don't have the standard bluetooth music features that the Zulu has.

I personally ended up going with the QT Halo's instead. I need a headset, and I prefer a headset that I can travel with in case I want to fly in a new state.
 
Just how much sound do they attenuate? Is there any concern that you won't be able to notice a subtle change in engine noise? If the engine were starting to develop a problem, would a good ANR headset delay its discovery?
 
We had the X's, they sucked, and most people though so who used them.

I have a DCx11, over ear and its way more comfy.

My boss just got a brand new plane with 2 A20’s, also over ear. Really comfy! Just really dislike that I can't stream music to the bluetooth.
 
QuiQuog said:
Just how much sound do they attenuate? Is there any concern that you won't be able to notice a subtle change in engine noise? If the engine were starting to develop a problem, would a good ANR headset delay its discovery?
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I'd liken the change in sound to 1/5 of what you're used to hearing in a PNR set. Changes in sound are still noticeable but at a much lower volume level. I think I'd pick up on a change unless I'm blasting Metallica over the headset.
 
QT Halo for sale...

I love my A-20's. Great noise canceling and it is great being able to call for an IFR clearance via bluetooth from my uncontrolled home field...

I have a QT Halo headset for sale. They have only been used on one trip, for 4.1 hours of flight time. Bought it for my wife, but she prefers her original Bose X instead. I thought for sure she'd appreciate me getting her something that doesn't mess up her hair, but I was wrong (as usual)

They are in perfect condition.

All of the following are included, with the exception of two of the foam tips that were used for the one flight...


  • 10 Standard size foam tips
  • 6 pediatric size foam tips
  • 2 triple-flange rubber tips
  • 1 Microphone windsock
  • 1 Vinyl zipper case
  • Wire clip
New price is $359 plus shipping. According to the QT website, they are 2 weeks off from shipping new units due to the holiday rush. I can ship mine tomorrow.


My price, $275 includes shipping in the continental US.


Tom Chapman
San Antonio, TX
 
I think I bought the right one (A20s) for my wife. Yesterday, unsolicited, spontaneous, at 9K over west Tx (we had not been talking headsets, we had not been talking at all):

"These headsets are awesome!"
"You mean they are comfortable?"
"They are; but I meant they are sooo quiet! These are the greatest headsets I have worn."
:O
 
Thru Amazon I bought a pair of A20 and a pair of Zulu PFX. the return policy is great so I was going to return one.

Comfort: Zulu. The gel pads are nice!
Bluetooth: A20. I called a friend with both, the A20 sounded perfect, like I was at home. Zulu, sounded very soft, and my friend could barely hear me. I tried this at home with the same results

I wear glasses: The Zulu kept cutting out on me with the ANR. I think the sound mapping didn't like the glasses and how it changed when I moved my head back and forth. My instructor also had the same experience

So, i wanted to like the Zulu because I like the comfort of the Zulu and the xtra features, but I kept the A20.
 
I bought mine new w/BT for $500. To me they are great at $500 but I wouldn't pay a buck more.
 
NJP_MAN said:
I bought mine new w/BT for $500. To me they are great at $500 but I wouldn't pay a buck more.
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Understandable, and agreed, atleast with my budget right now. Im im the boat where, i would rather use 1,000$ for flight time, than use it on a headset.
 
I have a Lightspeed Zulu. Works just as well in my opinion, cheaper too...With Bose, it is my opinion you are mostly paying for the name. Just my opinion, feel free to disagree...
 
I've been using the A20 in the 737 since 2011, and I love the thing. I used the QC2/U Fly Mike setup for a few years prior, and liked that too.

I wore DCs for about 8000 hours in previous lives. Maybe my head is indented, but I find the A20 very comfortable for long periods.

The only issue I had with mine was in the audio connector where it plugs into the aircraft. After about a year, it started cutting out intermittently. I called Bose, and had a new connector assembly at my house in a few days. No issues since, and mine get used 600-700 hours a year. I don't abuse it, but I don't baby it either.

The bluetooth is great for calling dispatch, mx etc when fa's and ops agents are all trying to talk to me at the same time........ ;)
 
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