Bose A20 Problems

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Arrow115

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Chris
Good morning all,

I have had my Bose A20 headset for about two years and probably around 200 hours. Recently, I have noticed that I get some annoying static if I touch/move the cord during flight, especially near the plugs. Now the audio is cutting in and out through out the flight whether the cord/plugs are touched or not almost causing me to miss radio calls. Obviously, this is an issue that I will need to resolve before flying with this headset again. I though it was an issue with my head phone jacks on the plane but I tried another headset there and found no issues. I tried the Bose on a different jack and the problem followed the headset so I know its an issue with the headset and not the plane.

So my question is has any one dealt with getting their A20's repaired under warranty? How did you get the process started? How long did it take? Did Bose just send you a refurb unit or did they repair and return your same headset?

Thanks in advance.
 
I was only getting sound out of one side. Checked all the recommended switches.
local pilot shop is a bose dealer. I gave her the headset. Got it back 2 weeks later and they had fixed the problem and replaced the faulty earpiece and went ahead and replaced the mic, and cable, hand control as well.

It was quick and simple.
 
Unfortunately, that main cable system / mic attachment is known to have those problems. Having said that, it's very easy to repair, and Bose has good customer service as well. They learned by watching us, hehe, j/k.

Just call Bose Aviation and tell them the issue that you're having. They, most likely, will send you out a new main cable. (Side note: They've upgraded their microphones so it should have their new mic on it as well.) You'll just attach the new main cable with the 2 little screws, box up the faulty one and send it back.

I'll bet they send you the cable in 2-3 days max.
 
Last edited:
Just sent mine in for repair under warranty. They are also paying for shipping both ways.
 
I just ordered the A20 headset. I'm hoping for trouble free ownership.
 
Call them up they'll send you whatever replacement I just called last week about my speaker not catching my voice they sent a whole new Bluetooth speaker assembly in 2 days


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Not picking on Bose - but a thousand dollar headset and they have a KNOWN problem with inferior cable :rolleyes2:

OK, having gotten that out of my system
I went with LightSpeed back when they were still trying to make a name for themselves and their headset was half the price of a Bose
Fast forward about 15 years or so (I lose track) and I just upgraded the original blue 3G's for their new ZULU 2
I do note that since LightSpeed is a premium brand their price has gone premium also
 
Just got off the phone with Bose. They are sending me a new cable. The phone call took less than 5 minutes. While I agree that for the money it shouldn't have any issues, I am happy with their response. I am glad to not have to ship the headset off.
 
Just received my brand new Bose A20. However, the unit seems to have a problem right out of the box!

I put the batteries in, and the unit would not power up. I checked the
polarity, OK, and still no power. I've discovered that if I don't quite
press the second battery down all the way at the positive end and leave
the cover open, the headset WILL power up. However, if I press the
battery all the way down into proper position so the cover will close, the
unit will either NOT power up at all, or power is intermittent and simply
tapping on the battery box will cause power to come on and off.

I will try a different brand of battery tomorrow, but I'm concerned that
there is something wrong with this headset such that the batteries don't
make good contact.

Have you ever seen this? Any other suggestions? I'm sure not happy with
the thought of sending it back. And tomorrow's Thanksgiving, so no talking with Bose or the retail outlet on the phone.
 
N5351Z said:
Just received my brand new Bose A20. However, the unit seems to have a problem right out of the box!

I put the batteries in, and the unit would not power up. I checked the
polarity, OK, and still no power. I've discovered that if I don't quite
press the second battery down all the way at the positive end and leave
the cover open, the headset WILL power up. However, if I press the
battery all the way down into proper position so the cover will close, the
unit will either NOT power up at all, or power is intermittent and simply
tapping on the battery box will cause power to come on and off.

I will try a different brand of battery tomorrow, but I'm concerned that
there is something wrong with this headset such that the batteries don't
make good contact.

Have you ever seen this? Any other suggestions? I'm sure not happy with
the thought of sending it back. And tomorrow's Thanksgiving, so no talking with Bose or the retail outlet on the phone.
Click to expand...
It's possible that the terminals on your batteries are oxidized and therefor not conducting well. I'd expect that a different set of batteries would cure this as would taking a pencil eraser and rubbing the ends of each battery till they shine.

OTOH there could be a poor connection inside the battery case between the terminal and the circuit board.
 
Thanks - I'll update results tomorrow. Batteries came with headset and were sealed as new in plastic. Maybe old. I hope it's something simple!
 
Regardless, Bose aviation support is great and *stuff* happens. You will be well-taken care of if you need to contact them for help. Be nice to support and they'll be nice back.
 
Same observations this morning after checking batteries out carefully. They look OK and have 2026 date on them, and I even "erased" the ends with a pencil eraser as suggested. The unit will variably power up, but if it does, the slightest pressure or tapping on the inferior end of the battery box will cause it to fail. I will try another set of batteries later today, but it looks like it's going to have to go back. It's fresh from a pilot supplier, so I assume I will start with them rather than calling Bose. Ugh. I did trade a brief email with the store where I got the headset, and they said they have never experienced this problem or even heard of it. I was hoping for a simple fix or something I was obviously doing wrong. Thanks for any other helpful comments.
 
Archammer said:
Unfortunately, that main cable system / mic attachment is known to have those problems. Having said that, it's very easy to repair, and Bose has good customer service as well. They learned by watching us, hehe, j/k.

Just call Bose Aviation and tell them the issue that you're having. They, most likely, will send you out a new main cable. (Side note: They've upgraded their microphones so it should have their new mic on it as well.) You'll just attach the new main cable with the 2 little screws, box up the faulty one and send it back.

I'll bet they send you the cable in 2-3 days max.
Click to expand...


Shane you said "they've upgraded their microphones," since when? Mine is less than a year old and I'm just wondering if I fall into the known problem category.
 
New batteries made no difference. Here's a link to a short video I made that demonstrates my battery box problem pretty well:
https://goo.gl/photos/uTkrzX6hjU1jJUk29
Since this is brand new from a retail outlet, I think I should see if they will exchange before contacting Bose. Thanks!
 
Sorry to hear you had problems. I have used mine regularly for years and no problems; love them. I bet you will too once they are replaced/repaired.
 
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