It's about time Bose...

sr22driver said:
Or you could spend $850.00 and get a better headset IMHO.

https://www.lightspeedaviation.com/content.cfm/Store
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Absolutely agree. Aside from the fact that anyone who knows anything about audio knows Bose to be an absolutely worthless company, their aviation headsets utilize absolutely zero passive noise damping (unless something has changed in the new one).

I think the best thing on the market at the moment for a full headset is the Zulu.
 
aloft said:
How can you say this, when the A20 just came out today? Unless you beta-tested the thing, for all you know, the A20 could eat the Zulu's lunch.
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I should have said:
Unless they did a major desgin overhaul, to reduce clamping pressure and have earseals that allowed for a thicker set of arms on sunglasses. I don't see the atractiveness of Bose anymore.

Sorry.
 
Champcar said:
I still use a $200 Avcomm headset. Gives me a headache after a hour or so but nothing a cheap bottle of Advil won't cure. I still just cant get my head around spending that kind of cash on a headset.
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Advil's not cheap, sure $650 in Advil (based on cost difference with Zulu or Bose X) will last a while, but not forever. Plus in 30 years you'll thank yourself for making an investment in your hearing. Its not perfect but every flight with a non-ANR headset is going to cost you more hearing loss than one with ANR. You wont be as fatigued after/during long flights either.

You may not like a particular brand and im not endorsing a particular headset, but for the higher end ANR hedsets out there, I cant get my head around not spending a little money on your long-term hearing and safety. (Yes, i will go out on a limb and say ANR increases safety, by enabling clearer communications and hearing the subtleties of your engine that the drone drowns out without the ANR, as well as reducing fatigue).

And I dont want to hear the recurring cost about batteries, buy rechargeables. One recharger and 2 sets of batteries will keep you set for years. Keep the second set charged and in your bag to counter the people that complain "what will i do if my batteries run out?.

rant over.
 
Champcar said:
I still use a $200 Avcomm headset. Gives me a headache after a hour or so but nothing a cheap bottle of Advil won't cure. I still just cant get my head around spending that kind of cash on a headset.
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I agree with you on this. $1100 is a big chunk of change for a headset, but I don't believe in telling others how to spend their money. I will stick with my DC's.
 
I've got a set of 4 of the AA size Lithium ion monster cable brand rechargeables. Supposedly better output for longer duration....anyone used these before in a headset? I figure if I've got 'em I may as well use 'em, but if/when they crap out they will be pricey to replace.
 
BajtheJino said:
Comparing audio components to an aviation headset does not compute.

I'm a Bose kinda guy myself. I've worn/owned the others and for the comfort and anr I prefer the Bose.
Will probably buy the A20 minus the blue tooth in a few days.
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It does to a point though. the point of the thread he posted was not only that Bose consumer audio products suck compared to their competition, but the price point. They package $30 worth of electronics and sell it for $1100. However there is a severe disconnect between all aviation headsets and actual unit cost.

Also, very few companies produce a crappy product in one market segment and an outstanding one in another. Bose is just a name brand that people "think" is better because of their marketing department. I would be willing to bet very few people have actually compared their products side by side.

That all said, if you like it, and can justify the price tag, then by all means buy it.
 
Champcar said:
I still use a $200 Avcomm headset. Gives me a headache after a hour or so but nothing a cheap bottle of Advil won't cure. I still just cant get my head around spending that kind of cash on a headset.
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I love mine and not much is cheaper than $.50 per flight hour for a top of the line headset. If my X ever gives up the ghost I'm sure these will be their replacement.
 
dvtpilot said:
I've got a set of 4 of the AA size Lithium ion monster cable brand rechargeables. Supposedly better output for longer duration....anyone used these before in a headset? I figure if I've got 'em I may as well use 'em, but if/when they crap out they will be pricey to replace.
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The problem with running Lithium Ion AA's in consumer electronics is they operate at 3.6v and Alkaline, which the product was designed for operate at, are 1.5V. A lot of things won't take this. Try the 2500mAh NiMH, while they operate at 1.2V, most electronics are designed to be able to work on this today.
 
Don't you just love when you buy something that is this expensive and then about 4 months later they come out with a new version? :mad:
 
I have had my bose x for about 3 years, put about 1500 hrs on them and they're great. I do complain about not having an audio in, finally. I'm not going to replace mine till they die, but I would get the new bose. I've done side by sides with the zulu's and they're pretty much the same to me, just a different fit. I like the zulu's, I guess I would say I would get the zulu's over the bose x. Glad to see bose finally stepped up to the plate.
 
I bought em today. Should have them by Thursday and should be flying this weekend....I will let you guys know how they are. I had the X's and I was not happy with the clamp force and the fact there was no audio input. These are supposed to be much better. I had the Zulu's...fit was great but for me I had a fitment issue and b/c of it I would get a humming when wind came across the earcup. It was bad. I tried several things but in the end they just didn't work out for me. I personally think that headsets are a very, very personal thing. I have had really bad headaches from bad sets. If you truly spend a lot of time in the air, then having ones that fit your head well are def important. They will pay for themselves over time IMHO. I am excited to give these new A20's a whirl.....:D
 
z987k said:
It does to a point though. the point of the thread he posted was not only that Bose consumer audio products suck compared to their competition, but the price point. They package $30 worth of electronics and sell it for $1100. However there is a severe disconnect between all aviation headsets and actual unit cost.

Also, very few companies produce a crappy product in one market segment and an outstanding one in another. Bose is just a name brand that people "think" is better because of their marketing department. I would be willing to bet very few people have actually compared their products side by side.

That all said, if you like it, and can justify the price tag, then by all means buy it.
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A friend of mine started the AVS forum, and everything you read on any audio forum about Bose is the same.

I'll stick by my original comment: Bose is a crap company, and I refuse to buy anything they produce.

As to ALL aviation headsets, all of these things cost pennies on the dollar to make vs what they sell for. Part of that can be attributed to R&D, but to say that there is an incredible profit on these things is an understatement.
 
Champcar said:
I still use a $200 Avcomm headset. Gives me a headache after a hour or so but nothing a cheap bottle of Advil won't cure. I still just cant get my head around spending that kind of cash on a headset.
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Try flying more than a few hours. Doing aerial survey I was logging up to 10hrs hobbs a day and my Bose X came through. I love the Bose X and would love to upgrade to these A20s if they're any good.

I still don't get why people complain about price so much either. We're willing to pay literally hundreds of dollars per hour for an airplane, but to drop $1k ONE time that will last you the rest of your career it's a big no-no?
 
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