Bose A20

[Bruce Carlson]

My Bose was shipped with a non-standard size mike plug which did not fit snugly in the jack. They shipped me an ungainly dongle to remedy it.

So today I thought I would cut the dongle up leaving a few inches of cable on the new plug and correct plug, and then cut the cord from the headset where it terminates in the improper plug.

I expected to find the same cable group inn the dongle section as in the main cable, but no luck.

So here is the problem: there are about 6 wires in the main cable and I do not know which ones should be used in a new mic plug. The schematics in the user manual are all for the permanent installed type, not the GA type with 2 plugs.

Directions to a different (Bose ?) forum?

 

[sarangan]

Would they not take the incorrect unit back and ship you the correct one?

 

[RyanB]

Did you order the wrong A20 variant? I’m thinking so.

In that case, I’d send it back and exchange it for the correct one. The headset is too expensive to be splicing wires and trying to rig it correctly on your own. If you want to tear it up and render it less valuable, that’s a great way to do it.

 

[MuseChaser]

My Bose was shipped with a non-standard size mike plug which did not fit snugly in the jack. They shipped me an ungainly dongle to remedy it.

The bold italics, added by yours truly, illustrate why I will NEVER own a Bose product. That, and as an audio guy, their emphasis on marketing over actual high quality in the audio world, have completely soured me against the company. I KNOW their aviation headsets are held in very high esteem, and possibly deservedly so, but I can't stand the company. Even if you DID order the incorrect terminations, virtually any company would (should?) have offered you a return/exchange opportunity for the correct product. Having to use an adapter/dongle because you either have the wrong product or poorly manufactured product should NEVER be a solution.

 

[N1120A]

The mic change is 2 screws. They should be able to send you that quickly. They did for me when I had a pin break.

 

[SloRoam]

Lol.i posted my own son story of over 15 hours of time with their various support groups trying to find my headset after I sent it in!

After six weeks I finally had a new one in hand.

Can't recommend bose at all.

 

[Stan Cooper]

I love my A20, purchased from Aircraft Spruce. It was configured exactly as I ordered it and has performed flawlessly. Not a shill, but a happy customer.

 

[pigpenracing]

Bose offers a 30 day return policy... Did it take more than 30 days to decide it was wrong? Or is the headset correct and you have some ghetto plug in the airplane?

 

[Juliet Hotel]

He cut the wires. That generally falls into the category of user induced damage abuse or alteration. I would expect any return policy would exclude items that have been damaged due to abuse or alteration.

 

[RussR]

Understanding that the OP has not responded since the first post, and in fact hasn't even logged in since that first day...

Before we're too critical on Bose here, there are a lot of ambiguous details in the OP's post. A "non-standard" mic connector? That's hard to believe. Did he accidentally order the "helicopter plug" version? I know there is an adapter for that to be used in 2-plug airplanes. Is that what he means by a dongle? If so, why not just return it? Was it bought used? ("My Bose was shipped..." does not necessarily mean it was shipped from Bose.)

Further, anybody who has the experience and ability to attempt to try to cut and splice wires should also have the experience and ability to use an ohmmeter to determine which wire goes where. Not that this is a recommended solution, though.

 

[sarangan]

The bold italics, added by yours truly, illustrate why I will NEVER own a Bose product. That, and as an audio guy, their emphasis on marketing over actual high quality in the audio world, have completely soured me against the company. I KNOW their aviation headsets are held in very high esteem, and possibly deservedly so, but I can't stand the company. Even if you DID order the incorrect terminations, virtually any company would (should?) have offered you a return/exchange opportunity for the correct product. Having to use an adapter/dongle because you either have the wrong product or poorly manufactured product should NEVER be a solution.

Did you buy directly from Bose or from a dealer? I have found that dealers are more flexible with regard to returns. If you bought it from Amazon, you can even return it for a full refund. This is one reason I try not to buy directly from the factory.

 

[MuseChaser]

Did you buy directly from Bose or from a dealer? I have found that dealers are more flexible with regard to returns. If you bought it from Amazon, you can even return it for a full refund. This is one reason I try not to buy directly from the factory.

You're probably replying to the original poster. I've never bought anything from Bose, and it's going to stay that way. I agree with your assessment of the ease of returns through Amazon. The last thing I returned, I didn't even have to package.. some new program where you show a QR code to the UPS store, and THEY package it and return it.. awesome. If any of you get me anything made by Bose as a gift, please include a gift receipt.