Oscar Avalle Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Well, to share a nice experience with you guys. I called Bose today to upgrade my A20 and they were extremely helpful. If you have an A20, I bought mine several years ago, they offer an upgrade path for it to bring it up to date. You pay 295 and then you once you return the old control unit they reimburse you 150. Not bad... Oscar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameIsNobody Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 I just replaced earcups (leather $20 bucks from Spruce) in my 15 year old Headset X. It still looks like new. Bose gave me a great deal back in the day as they accidently sent me two units....Never requested payment. Sold other new pair for $700 on Ebay. Headset X for $300. About what they should cost... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Well, to share a nice experience with you guys. I called Bose today to upgrade my A20 and they were extremely helpful. If you have an A20, I bought mine several years ago, they offer an upgrade path for it to bring it up to date. You pay 295 and then you once you return the old control unit they reimburse you 150. Not bad... Oscar So total cost is $145? Not bad - but what does the new control unit do that the old one does not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB65E Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Anyone know where to order the Lemo plug itself? There is a UK version that Bose uses to corner the market. Last week an avionics tech broke the little plastic male connector. Bose has the new harness at spruce for 175, but it's just the plug... Also Oregon Aero sells their upgrade kits at spruce. I've always been happy with both Bose and Oregon aero. -Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Avalle Posted August 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 So total cost is $145? Not bad - but what does the new control unit do that the old one does not. It allows you to stream music through bluetooth. The reason I upgraded was that I had the Lemo plugs installed in the plane, thus I needed a new control unit anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB65E Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Cool, so the new A20's can input music thru Bluetooth? I guess they fixed that because the old ones didn't allow that. -Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Cool, so the new A20's can input music thru Bluetooth? I guess they fixed that because the old ones didn't allow that. -Matt I was pretty annoyed actually when I got the A20 that it didn't already allow music input. I thought it would - and also I wanted to have my ipad to input stream traffic warnings into my headset which it currently does not. Does the new configuration do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Avalle Posted August 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 I was pretty annoyed actually when I got the A20 that it didn't already allow music input. I thought it would - and also I wanted to have my ipad to input stream traffic warnings into my headset which it currently does not. Does the new configuration do that? Yes it does... from what they tell me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Avalle Posted August 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Anyone know where to order the Lemo plug itself? There is a UK version that Bose uses to corner the market. Last week an avionics tech broke the little plastic male connector. Bose has the new harness at spruce for 175, but it's just the plug... Also Oregon Aero sells their upgrade kits at spruce. I've always been happy with both Bose and Oregon aero. -Matt You can order the plug through the Bose www side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N601RX Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Anyone know where to order the Lemo plug itself? There is a UK version that Bose uses to corner the market. Last week an avionics tech broke the little plastic male connector. Bose has the new harness at spruce for 175, but it's just the plug... Also Oregon Aero sells their upgrade kits at spruce. I've always been happy with both Bose and Oregon aero. -Matt I use a lot a Lemo plugs at work, Do you have a picture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 I will be in a market for a new headset sometime this year. For those Bosiacs who have owned other brands, are the Bose units much better than say a Zulu 2 or other brand? I am currently flying with a Halo. Not overly impressed with the sound quality of the mic and found my original Zulus, although hot to wear in the summer, had better transmission quality. Any feedback on how Bose stack up against the others? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB65E Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 I like the ANR. The light speeds are nice but I thought the ANR sounded tinny. RX- the LEMO connector says "REDEL" on mine. No P/N but looks like any other LEMO I have seen. Bose needs a S/N to complete service on the unit with their repair program. Mine S/N sticker has long dissapeard. I was just trying to see if anyone else has repaired theirs on their own. Thanks! -Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Avalle Posted August 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 I will be in a market for a new headset sometime this year. For those Bosiacs who have owned other brands, are the Bose units much better than say a Zulu 2 or other brand? I am currently flying with a Halo. Not overly impressed with the sound quality of the mic and found my original Zulus, although hot to wear in the summer, had better transmission quality. Any feedback on how Bose stack up against the others? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk I have been using the Halo's too for about two years. Before I had a Bose A20. I like the Halos but with the Halos you have to change the earfoams periodically and if you are not in the US it is sometimes hard to get them. On the other hand I really think that the sound quality of Bose is superb. I compared them to the Zulus and I really liked them better. Now, on the downside, the batteries for the Bose seem to run out exactly when you need them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 I have been using the Halo's too for about two years. Before I had a Bose A20. I like the Halos but with the Halos you have to change the earfoams periodically and if you are not in the US it is sometimes hard to get them. On the other hand I really think that the sound quality of Bose is superb. I compared them to the Zulus and I really liked them better. Now, on the downside, the batteries for the Bose seem to run out exactly when you need them.The Zulus I have run forever. Did you notice any difference in the quality of the mic transmitting? I just stuck a 16W radio in my plane and although the output is higher the transmission quality is no better on both the 10 and 16W radios. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 I will be in a market for a new headset sometime this year. For those Bosiacs who have owned other brands, are the Bose units much better than say a Zulu 2 or other brand? I am currently flying with a Halo. Not overly impressed with the sound quality of the mic and found my original Zulus, although hot to wear in the summer, had better transmission quality. Any feedback on how Bose stack up against the others? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk We've tried several over the years. During side by side comparisons one can discern differences beyween each of the high-end ANRs. However, these differences are less apparent when the headsets are used on a longer flight by themselves. They all sound very good. That said, we found fit and comfort, particularly with glasses and on longer flights to be most important. (If you can, try to demo them on a longer flight.) My husband preferred the new A20, but I was more comfortable with the previous X model. Note that Lightspeed used to have an optional thicker "spacer" for the top of the headband; this made it much more comfortable. This was 2 years ago, and may have been incorporated in newer units. No experience with Halos, however. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 I have flown with friends in their planes - with their Zulu 2. I own Bose X and A20. I prefer A20 of the three - mostly for the way it fits my head - so I am sure that is personal. A20 is better audio than the X - but the X is already superb. Zulu 2 is also superb, but I have only ever used it in a King Air - so a pressurized turbine is not a fair comparison. I own a QT halo which is good - and very comfortable but not as good as an A20 - not close in my opinion - and I find it annoying to put on and off and I develop a nervous tick to keep it sitting on my head correctly whereas with the A20 I put it on and I forget it. Plus I use an oxyarm on a lot of my flights which needs a real head set to mount to - and for o2 use - it is superbly simpler and more comfortable than standard cannulas - it doesn't tug on my ears or nose since it is already attached to the headset. http://www.oxyarmaviator.com/ I am thinking of trying a clark pro x - has anyone tried one? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danb Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Erik my oxyarm keeps popping off.. I have 2 sets Bose a20. 1 set sennheisher anr also about 1000 bucks.. I clearly like the Bose better, esp. Fit and comfort on long trips, sound quality is similar though.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 hi dan - what do you mean it keeps popping off? do you have the latest version? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Avalle Posted August 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 The Zulus I have run forever. Did you notice any difference in the quality of the mic transmitting? I just stuck a 16W radio in my plane and although the output is higher the transmission quality is no better on both the 10 and 16W radios. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Marauder, I did not find any significant difference in quality of Halo's mic transmitting. However, what I noticed was that the position of the Halo mic matters a lot. Once my mic was not positioned correctly close to and facing my mouth and the quality of my transmission went really DOWN! ATC complained even that they were not hearing me. I twisted and moved the mic and everything went back to normal. Now I try to make sure that the mike is positioned correctly... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkaye Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 It allows you to stream music through bluetooth. The reason I upgraded was that I had the Lemo plugs installed in the plane, thus I needed a new control unit anyway. The only problem is that it is only to one headset at a time. which may be good for some and not so good for others. The only way to stream to everyone simultaneously is through the audio panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Erik my oxyarm keeps popping off.. I have 2 sets Bose a20. 1 set sennheisher anr also about 1000 bucks.. I clearly like the Bose better, esp. Fit and comfort on long trips, sound quality is similar though.. Dan -- I would love to see how one of your A20s fit me. If you are free some weekend, can we meet up and let me try it on? I have found like Erik states, the fit is subjective. I have a Clark ANR set that always gives me a headache, the Zulus that fit great, the Halo and a Telex ANR that I rather would not talk about My wife keeps stealing my Zulus and I am debating about asking Santa for a new set this winter but never tried a Bose on, let alone fly with it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Marauder, I did not find any significant difference in quality of Halo's mic transmitting. However, what I noticed was that the position of the Halo mic matters a lot. Once my mic was not positioned correctly close to and facing my mouth and the quality of my transmission went really DOWN! ATC complained even that they were not hearing me. I twisted and moved the mic and everything went back to normal. Now I try to make sure that the mike is positioned correctly... Thanks Oscar, I will check that. I did but a new wind muff on them last winter and I wonder if it got twisted around in the process. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houman Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 I had 2 Bose A10 that came with the plane, they were old and one had a nasty hissing in one ear. Aircraft Spruce online would only give me about 200$ for each of them for an upgrade to a new headset, since I'm an inspiring CB member, I tought that was too much to spend and get 2 new ones. I brought both to Osh and at my great surprise, Aircraft Spruce at OSH gave me 450$ for each on the purchase of new headset, they did'nt mind the one hissing. I bought a LightSpeed Zulu PFX and a Bose A20. I already have a Zulu as my primary headset and think they are great, I am now even more amazed by the Zulu PFX, the Bose A20 are ok, but not the same fit as the Zulu's... Still paying half price for 2 new headsets is not too bad. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMuncy Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Bose headsets, in my opinion, have better audio quality than any other brand I have tried (admittedly, I have not tried too many). However, I bought a set of David Clark's back in the dark ages. After I replaced the ear covers with memory foam ones, "un-bent" the top band to relieve the clamp pressure, and installed Headsets, Inc. ANR units, I am quite satisfied with them. Especially since I am a CB and considering the cost of the Boses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_elliott Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 To my old ears, my Bose seemed 'tinny' compared to my Zulu PFX in the same plane, granted the Bose are gen 1, and the lightspeeds are the latest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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