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Bose a20 pirep question ?

L

Larry DeCamp

Well Known Member
I just ordered an a20 headset because my Halo QT is too noisy in my RV3B. My hearing is declining and I can't afford to lose more if possible. I know, if you push in the plugs and fiddle the Halo can vary , but I need to reduce the noise period.

My question is, Does anyone have personal experience with Bose a20 and MGL V6 ? The V6 was abear to get functional with the Halo :mad::mad:

I have Garmin 20R com for my -4 project. Any pireps on how the Bose a20 will get along with the new Garmin 20 com ?
 
I don?t have the comparison you asked for but used the a20s on the kc135 (very noisy cockpit) for about 1.5 years and my impressions in general are:
They rely on the active noise reduction (anr) function and go thru batteries faster than I liked. While the active noise reduction does work, I like passive noise reduction more. If you don?t use anr then they aren?t very good and I prefers David Clark?s as they block a lot more noise.
Also if you use glasses with the headset the noise reduction is even worse so I recommend the gel ear seals as they conform better around glasses.

I know it?s not exactly what you asked for but final impression the a20s are overpriced for what you get.
 
Headset

Larry,

Get the gel seal ear ups and do yourself a favor and install the LEMO plugs in the airplane. I have LEMO plugs in the front and back and don't have to worry about batteries anymore. Granted I don't have the A20s, I use the discontinued AKG AV100s but they still work great and I never worry about batteries.

When I bought the AKG AV100 I also bought an A20 headset and flew with both over a weekend. They were both outstanding headsets and equal in just about all cases. I picked the AV 100 purely for comfort but had I known the AV100 would eventually be discontinued I might have gone with the Bose A20. I was able to send the A20 back for a full refund.

By the way, the A20 worked well with my GTR 200 comm and music input was crystal clear.
 
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Hey Larry,
I?ve used the A20 for 5+ years in B737 and C172. I use a set of batteries every 9 days. I trade out rechargeable AA and they aren?t a problem. Comfort with glasses is great, although a small bit of noise canceling is lost. The only thing I wish is, I would have bought them the day they hit the market. I love them!
Happy New Year,
Shane Adair
Looking for a 7/7A
 
I converted my old DC's to ANR which was good but nothing in comparison to the Bose A20's which my wife and I have 1 each now. Really rich sound in stereo and good noise reduction and I can still hear the engine hum. Music is also like listening in your living room. I use it with the Garmin GTR 200 and Garmin 660 for alerts. Love it!! The blue tooth phone is also crisp and people don't know I'm flying in a noisy cockpit.
Hope this helps.
 
I've only tried a few headsets but have had a set of A20's for 4+ years now and love them. I'm putting the LEMO plugs on my project so I can stop fiddling with the batteries.
 
Lemon options ?

Jay, I would do the same on my -4 project, however, it looks like you would have to buy a complete new Bluetooth unit to get the lemo compatibility. I do not see a dual GA ( female ) to Lemo ( male ) cable option ???
 
Larry DeCamp said:
Jay, I would do the same on my -4 project, however, it looks like you would have to buy a complete new Bluetooth unit to get the lemo compatibility. I do not see a dual GA ( female ) to Lemo ( male ) cable option ???
Click to expand...

Yes, they exist, although not inexpensive. This is just one source.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/search/search.php?s=lemo&x=0&y=0[/URL

I would recommend getting the headset on a trial basis. Your head has a bigger impact to your satisfaction than the electronics. Depending on the shape of your head, the ear cushions seal better with one brand over another.

The quick test is to turn your head like you are looking over your shoulder. Do the seals stay intact or do they break? My family was about 50/50 with this. On some the Bose worked better and on some the Lightspeed worked better.
 
I have experience with A20 and the V6 in my rebel. Disable all the fancy VOGAD and set the box to midway and start from there. It works fine as long as vogad is disabled.
 
The advice from my ENT doc was get the best noise protection you can find, cheaper than hearing aids! I have used the A20 for about five years. I also wear ear plugs at the same time with slight increase in radio volume. I find this also cuts background noise. The A20 somewhat fragile, I have replace the cord under warranty and now the timer on mine does not turn it off, have to manually turn off. Happy with comfort and clarity.
 
Gisnar said:
The advice from my ENT doc was get the best noise protection you can find, cheaper than hearing aids! I have used the A20 for about five years. I also wear ear plugs at the same time with slight increase in radio volume. I find this also cuts background noise. The A20 somewhat fragile, I have replace the cord under warranty and now the timer on mine does not turn it off, have to manually turn off. Happy with comfort and clarity.
Click to expand...

Call Bose. The headset has a 5 year warranty. I just had to get my cord replaced due to the mic pulling out. Best customer service ever. Free overnight shipping and a free return label in the email for the old one.
 
I use an A20 in a radial Pitts. I had heard Chinese whispers that the A20 simply wouldn't handle the noise reduction in a loud radial, which turns out to be nonsense. It handles it fine.

Also I accidentally sat on it one day and snapped the headband, making it unusable. I called Bose and admitted it was my fault & asked if I could pay to have it repaired. They said they'd repair it under warranty anyway, sent a courier to pick it up, and had it courier delivered back to me, together with a bluetooth module upgrade to the latest version, and all new ear cup padding, mic muff, etc.

Nothing but positive things to say about them, or the service.
 
KUDOS for BOSE

Same with me.
Super fast FREE repair on 3 year old headset.
They replaced the entire cord/battery box assembly, and put on some new ear cups that I didn't even ask for!

This A20 has better noise reduction than my old Bose X headset, which in turn had better noise reduction than my Telex Echelon NR headset.
 
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