I also wore my Air Force style glasses (with bayonet temples) and a baseball cap which is my norm for general aviation flying. In the settings of both the digital sound lever meter and the iPhone app, I choose to use a weighting level of A which most closely corresponds to the human hearing range. Now that I had an accurate phone app sound level reading, I put the Bose A20 headset on first without noise cancelation and then with. According to the website dangerousdecibels dot com, a 97 dB level of sound can result in hearing damage within only 30 minutes of exposure.
But since there isn’t a risk of hearing damage to begin with, I wouldn’t go to the effort of bringing a headset with me for flying this aircraft. Also on one day in which I wore the Bose A20 headset for an hour and half flight in the Citabria, in continuous noise canceling mode, after getting home and sitting in a quiet room I experienced a faint, high pitched ringing in my ears. But on taxi in after the flight in the C-172RG, I did notice that the Bose was having some trouble keeping up with the very low frequency sound of the 180HP engine at idle. But if you are flying a very loud aircraft, I would definitely recommend carrying a spare set of batteries and/or earplugs to protect yourself with in case the noise canceling feature stops working.
Bose A20 Review – Does it Live Up to the Hype?
Bose has a rich and varied history when it comes to Active Noise Reduction aviation headsets. The company designed the first commercial Active Noise Cancellation headset for pilots in 1989. It is largely this experience that puts them well ahead of their competitors when designing aviation headsets – not just in comfort and noise cancellation, but also in sound quality. If you’ve ever flown with a heavy headset sitting on top of your head for a couple of hours, you know just how much a lighter weight model can contribute to a more comfortable flying experience.
However, in Bose’s goal to make a headset as light and comfortable as possible, there are arguably a bit too many plastic parts. But some pilots can’t get along with an on-ear model (Pro-X2), and others can’t imagine using a headset without an audio input (DC One-X).
While you would expect the company to replace parts and fix anything that goes wrong within the warranty period – which they of course do (with a very quick turnaround) – there are countless stories of Bose sending replacement parts for free even once the warranty has expired. Not every pilot needs a TSO approved headset, but those who do can be safe in the knowledge that the A20 fulfills the stringent performance standards set by the FAA. But for pilots who don’t want to compromise on noise reduction, comfort, and audio quality there is nothing better.
Bose A20 Review: 7 Simple Reasons Why You Need This Tech
Are you going through or considering flight training and reading this Bose A20 review to help you decide on what headset to buy? I was about to go out solo for my night rating in a PA28 and curiosity of what the power button did on my Bose A20 headset adaptor got me. I couldn’t believe I had just done 100hrs of flying in a single-engine piston aircraft and not realised the noise cancelling feature had been turned off the whole time ?????
In this blog post, I’ll share seven reasons you need to get a Bose A20 if you will be doing a lot of flying.
I did 100hours in a noisy Piper PA28, not realising that to start the noise cancelling, I had actually to turn the headset on! When I started flying the B737, I actually did my first few flights with the noise cancelling off as I wanted to hear the engines’ tone etc.
The David Clark H10s was brilliant during PPL where I was strictly speaking, not doing that much flying. I used to find the David Clark headset used to clamp down on my head and become annoying after an hour or two.
Reason #3: The Bose A20 aviation headset Bluetooth functionality is handy The A20 has a selective mute function that allows any audio paying to be paused during intercom or ATC transmissions. Reason #4: Having a high-quality headset will improve your ATC radio work and interactions I had not realised how much having a good headset was a game-changer until I joined my airline.
One of the most annoying issues I have come across is when a fellow flight deck crew member has a mediocre headset, and you spend all day having to mess about with the volume on the intercom because their audio is not clear. I have lost count of the number of times I have dropped my headset onto the flight deck floor and it has been completely fine afterwards. The mic boom arm could probably do with tightening a little to give it some rigidity.
The modular nature of the A20 means most of the main components can be replaced as they wear. I am convinced though that the excellent build quality would save you money over the headset’s full life. A quick search of Bose A20 on eBay also gave a pleasant surprise. I found most buy it now options to be within 15-20% of a new headset’s sales price, which shows how desirable the product is second hand. Reason #7: I know pilots who have purchased the Bose ProFlight Series 2 Aviation and have said they would rather the A20 they had beforehand!
Some of my friends and colleagues have ‘upgraded’ to the ProFlight Series 2, and they say, it is not as hard-wearing a product, and they would have prefered to have an A20!
I tend to get around 5 long days of flying from a new set of AA batteries. Bose A20® Aviation Headset with enhanced features and Bluetooth audio came out 20th July 2015 The Bluetooth protocol for phones/tablets/communication is different to what is used for games consoles so audio will work but you may struggle to get your mic to function correctly.
Review: Bose A20 Aviation Headset
I took the headset with me on my second flight lesson, in which we flew over Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains for a couple hours in a Cessna 172m. My flight instructor coincidentally also had a pair of Bose A20’s, and we were able to chat as clearly and easily as we could in a vacant park on a quiet day, sitting right next to each other.
However, I did notice the audio cutting out when I turned my head to look out over Donner Lake when we flew over, and the microphone didn’t stay as securely pressed against my mouth as the Bose A20’s did. The audio-dampening ability worked fairly well, as I had to pull the speaker away from my ear to hear the changes in engine pitch as my boss and piloting mentor Bryan Stewart instructed me to listen as we adjusted the throttle, among other things, but the ambient plane noises seemed generally louder.
The speakers themselves were the dentist-office-green I associate with old fashioned aviation equipment, and had a slightly busier appearance, due to the cords and wires being exposed (as is most common). The Bose A20’s will spoil you, because the cords are built inside the structure of the headset band, giving it a very sleek, modern appearance. For years, it’s been a battle between constant adjusting a pair of headphones or just suffering through it as clumps of surgical steel are painfully pressed against my head, resulting in sore, tender ears, and oftentimes headaches (depending on how long I was wearing them). The light metal band is made of two sections, connected with a hinge in the middle, and so the stretchiness of the furry padding also contributes to an increased, more comfortable fit for larger heads.
Unlike every other pair of headphones or headsets I’ve ever tried, it didn’t squeeze the life out of my brain while also holding the speakers in place.
The speakers were unbelievably clear, and the oblong shape of the cushion really helped prevent any pain from pressing against my ear piercings. The microphone is attached to a bendy, rubber coated wire that provides excellent positioning ability, and didn’t subject me to that uncomfortable cold-metal sensation when it brushed against my cheek turning my head while banking and such. While taxiing back to the hangar, I decided to try out the noise-cancelling button and suddenly gained a very empathetic connection to deaf people.
When I brought up that point to my flight instructor, she clued me into the fact that everything in aviation is expensive, and that when you spend as many hours a day as she does wearing a headset, the best in comfort and ear-protection becomes a prerequisite. After consulting the Bose website out of curiosity, I noticed that a replacement cord/control module will run you nearly $300, and they took a page out of Apples book with an $80 6-pin to U174 cord adapter in case you need a U174 plug for your aircraft.
The right fit: A review of aviation headsets
Editor’s note: Private Air chief pilot, Adam Fuller, reviewed three leading aviation headsets over a two-month period — the Lightspeed Zulu 3, Bose A20, and David Clark DC One-X. Spending a hot summer weekend at Airshow London, Ontario, every year with my parents and friends sealed my fate. He opened the trunk of his dad’s blue Oldsmobile that was backed into our narrow driveway, and there it lay: safely resting on top of the luggage, the unmistakably cool aviation headset. Thirty years later, I am the chief pilot of Private Air, a fast-growing charter and management company here in Ontario, experiencing the latest and greatest active noise reduction aviation headsets from Lightspeed, David Clark, and Bose. Conversely, what lies behind the gel or foam-filled earcups and boom microphone is what symbiotically connects the pilot and airplane to the surface dwellers. In the early years of my career — when I could barely afford my mortgage — I purchased an original Lightspeed Zulu, and have also used various Bose headsets in several of the aircraft in Private Air’s current fleet.
Keeping a seal around the ears is necessary to prevent what Bose senior product manager, Matt Ruwe, refers to as “leak.” Each of the three headsets set about this in very different ways. David Clark features a “fully adjustable suspension assembly” system that incorporates a solid, yet flexible, headband coupled with “swivel hinge stirrups to disperse clamping pressure” — which works exceptionally well.
Though the “tapered performance ear seals designed to hug the curve of the jaw for a natural fit,” with cup cavities that allow the entire ear to fit inside, are extremely comfortable, the side pressure in the Lightspeed Zulu 3 was conspicuously greater than either the Bose or David Clark. Whether you’re flying your weekend whip or your intercontinental business jet, that comfort level becomes increasingly more imperative in battling fit, fatigue, and focus for any leg over two hours. The David Clark DC One-X headset features swivel hinge stirrups to disperse clamping pressure. Critical in any operation — especially in busy airspace found adjacent to most major cities around the world — is having a well-functioning, active noise canceling headset, even if the batteries were to die.
The last thing any pilot wants is to lose or have severely degraded communications with air traffic control (ATC) during a critical phase of flight. While there is a noticeable decline in the clarity of transmissions with the added noise, all of the headsets continued to function to allow clear, yet slightly degraded, reception. I discovered that this must be manually adjusted on the DC One-X headset after losing a couple of sets of AA batteries when the airplane sat for a few days. All are Bluetooth capable, with auxiliary cable inputs, volume control, and various options for automatic muting or continuation of external devices.
On the first flight in the Challenger 605 from Tucson, Arizona, to Toronto, Ontario, the first thing I noticed was how heavy the Bose controller box is. Whether they were close to the mouth or several centimeters away, the communication within the cockpit and with ATC was always crisp and clear — as long as the foam was over the microphone.
After some light reading of the instruction manuals, an iPhone was connected to each headset, and music was played during non-critical phases of flight. The Bluetooth connection on the Bose A20 was actually designed around what senior project manager Ruwe referred to as the “golden curve” — attenuated for optimal music listening.
The controllers allowed for music to either be muted for radio transmissions or continue playing in the background with the push of a button or flip of a switch.
The Canadian retail price points for the Bose, David Clark, and Lightspeed headsets, which were recorded at press time, are as follows:
A20 Aviation Headset for Pilots
I figured flying would keep my mind focusing on that task at hand. Well the ANR, comfort and lightness, created for me, a “safe” place in the cockpit. Ive flown for 6 years with regular cheap headsets I really regret it.
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