Bose A20 Aviation Headset Review & Instructions
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- Опубліковано 10 жов 2022
- Now for something completely different!
With weather conditions limiting flying I have no choice but to create content indoors! In a change from my usual format, in this video I review my Bose A20 Aviation Headset & explain why this headset is the most expensive mistake I've made so far with my aviation purchases.
I've broken this video into sections for those wanting to find the section of most interest to them...
0:20 Intro
1:23 Audio Quality
2:18 What's in the box?
3:14 A20 models available
3:44 General operation & components
5:13 Changing the batteries
5:58 Turning the headset on & off
6:28 Battery status indicator
6:57 Battery & power options
7:39 Custom audio settings
8:42 Auto power settings
9:07 External audio input controls
10:26 Bluetooth connection & operation
12:00 Bluetooth phone controls
12:39 Physical features
13:03 Customising the fit & format of the headset
13:33 Price
13:57 Summary - Розваги
Thank you for your seriously comprehensive review. As a student pilot (currently), one of the most annoying and concerning aspects I've experienced in my training to date has been the poor quality of audio in the student headsets. I agree that there are many contributing factors (to which you alluded in your review), however, to increase the opportunity to hear correctly what other air traffic is saying is fundamentally priceless. I'm certainly sold!
Good luck with the training 🤞🏼👍🏼
I’m confident that you will find the change to an active noise reduction transformative 😊
They ARE expensive, but I’m confident that once you try them you’ll understand why everyone buys them & are willing to pay so much for them.
Remember that Bose is just about to release a new headset so keep your eyes open on eBay as I’m confident that there will be lots of people wanting to ‘upgrade’ & you could grab a deal on a second hand unit 😉👍🏼
A first class review and instructional video with very clear and concise explanations.
Unlike so many other UA-cam reviews, there is, thank goodness, no longwinded, unnessesary banter and time flling rubbish.
I learned much about my own A20, so many thanks.
Those are very kind words, thank you for taking the time to both watch & comment 🙏🏻 Your positive feedbacks makes the effort seem worthwhile 😊👍🏼
I have the A20 BT version and it was the best aviation purchase I made.
They are phenomenal!
An excellent review, thank you!
I’ve had mine for nearly 2 years and I now know I can store 2 spare batteries in the headset bag which means I won’t now have to go rummaging through my kit bag in flight (always a nightmare) if I need a quick change 👍👏👏
I’m sure a lot of people who are comparing the set with others will find this video useful.
I love mine 👍
Thank you! 😄 Those little loops are such a simple & clever way to store batteries!
I’m glad you found the review interesting. It’s not my normal style of content (as you know) 😊👍🏼
THIS is the video I needed. Thank you!
You're so welcome! 🙏🏻👍🏼
Very clear description - even I could follow it! 🙂
😂 thanks Dan 👍🏼
I can vouch for the quality of your audio - I was taxing to the hold in front of you as you vacated the runway at Compton Abbas on Saturday! Sorry I missed you, maybe next time. Thanks for the content, always good to watch.
Sorry to have missed you Tim, but hopefully will get an opportunity to see you there again soon 😊
I’ll eventually be making a video of that flight & if so I’ll lookout to see if I captured you & include it 👍🏼
Thanks for a very detailed guide!
Wow, I’m so pleased you found it useful 😊👍🏼
Thanks for taking time to comment too, it’s greatly appreciated 🥳
Great new format of video! I feel you, i bought my pair of A20 used (both without BT), for half the price (still had to buy a new mic, head and ear pads) but the BT module really made THE differrence for me too👍
In some ways I don’t quite understand why they make the non-BT version 🤷🏻♂️
But same as you, I ended up spending more money to upgrade!!! 😂
I have had my Bose A20 for three years and had the same pain of updating to Bluetooth 😊 Great video for anyone considering and wholly recommend Base.
They are such a great product & I think we probably wouldn’t bother upgrading to Bluetooth if we didn’t think they were worth it!
…Bose should sponsor us all for saying such nice things about their products!!!!!!
Good descriptive , informative video, Dark Lord…..
And your mistake tip is a real bonus for anyone shopping for Bose unit ….
Well done , sir
Keep ‘em coming…
Captain Ray 👨✈️
P.S….. I love how you are not even slightly predictable !! 😉👏
😂👍🏼 thanks Captain Ray 🫡
I prefer videos of flying myself, but sometimes I must feed the UA-cam monster & the weather or circumstances have deprived me of aviation content!
Also worth trying to push a little out of my comfort zone! 😄
Saved the best for last eh?
Good video and quite smooth presentation.
Now can I have your non-Bluetooth one then? 😂
I’ve only got the control module, there’s no additional headset I’m afraid! 😂👍🏼
Nice review Geoff. The A20's are a great headset but very expensive and some do ask why spend so much on a pair of cans, well there are other great alternatives from the likes of Sennheiser and David Clark, however, none of these hold their value like the A20's. Buying a pair of A20's for £1,000 is a big initial layout, however you can quite easily get £750 for them after 4-5 years use on eBay, making an actual cost per year of around £50 a year, a bargain. I wouldn't buy anything else because of this alone, I actually ended up buying two at the same time as they offered a 10% discount on the second one and a smart speaker which I sold for £180 on eBay. Thanks Geoff.
I think eBay is a great place to look for used bargains as people often upgrade or change headsets & there is no need to spend big money, especially as a student or low hours pilot, I agree! 😊👍🏼
I’ll shortly be posting a video on the new modified approach to Lee on Solent… was it you that was interested in that 🤔
🤷🏻♂️ Can’t remember now 😄
@@FlyingDarkLord not sure you got my point about Bose holding their value? No it was Lukesfield I was after an approach vid for.
😂👍🏼 my apologies understood now & makes more sense on re-reading!
I don’t mind paying more for them as I know they will last & also many of the components can be replaced or repaired… so agree with you entirely…
Lukesfield, of course! 😂😂😂 Given some of the postage stamps you land on, I was confused as to why you wanted to see the approach to Lee!!!
Will definitely do Lukesfield next time… hoping to go soon 😄👍🏼
Great review. Really interesting. I've been wondering why everyone seems to have moved to Bose. (I haven't flown for 30 yrs ☹️)
Thanks for commenting 👍🏼 I was really nervous about posting this video as it’s so different from my other videos & I always cringe when I watch myself ‘vlog’, but I’m delighted someone has already found it useful!
I think all Headset manufacturers have greatly improved their products but I believe that it’s because there is more competition in the market than years ago.
When I was younger David Clark headsets were more or less the only option… it’s a different world now! 😄👍🏼
Hope you get in the air soon 🛫
I use Bose A20, having said that I have found they can be a pain whilst Instructing. My 22 yr old Dave Clarks are my go to daily set! they are more robust.
Absolutely! Every pilot will have their own favourite when it comes to equipment choice 👍🏼
Lightspeed ZULU 3s BT myself (had some bulky Sennheisers when I first started). Couldn't believe how much difference ANR made. Crisp video - I need to do more like this but my house is a tip. Could invest in Greenscreen I suppose. 🤣Or tidy my room! I think the funny thing at the moment is that whilst the CT is still being repaired and I am finishing off my training in the X-Air the headset costs 1/6th of what of the aircraft did! Better ratio with a CT or Eurofox!
😂 tidying up! Let’s not get too carried away! You just need to create one clean patch where the video is aimed, the rest of the room stays ‘as is’!!!
These videos are so much easier to edit than flying videos, but feel a little soulless too 🤷🏻♂️
I thought I should give it a go & mix things up a bit… I nearly didn’t post it 🫣
@@FlyingDarkLord Always better to post! Good to try new things. Did a bit more solo today around Grantham, but didn't film for a change.
Get those hours up!!! 💪🏽
You don’t use rechargeable batteries because you don’t know when they are going to fail unless you keep track of the number of charging cycles.
I use rechargeable batteries for most devices at home, but for my Bose headset I follow their recommendation. They have nothing to gain from recommending alkaline vs lithium batteries, so that being the case, there must be a reason they want us to stick with alkaline batteries 🤷🏻♂️
I use alkaline but I’ve heard some other pilots say they do use lithium.
I carry lots of new spare alkaline batteries in my flight bag 😊👍🏼
Meticulous as always. Thank you Dark Lord!
Thank you 😊🤓👍🏼
Hello. Thank you for the review.
Any recommandation maybe for affordable sunglasses thin enough to not break the sound isolation of the headset ?
Thank you 😊 Kind of you to say 👍🏼
Sunglasses are a very personal choice & certain styles don’t suit everyone. Just make sure you don’t choose polarised lenses… the FAA & CAA both issue guidelines on what is acceptable for aviation. For this reason it tends to limit choice & things become less ‘affordable’. I need prescription lenses & have bought Bigatmo aviation glasses (which you see me wearing in almost all my videos). They are not cheap, but because of that I take great care of them & intend to keep them for years to get my money’s-worth out of them! 😄
Very nice!!!! Can you help me with something?! When i pair my A20 with my iPhone 12, i can use the Siri recourse by pressing once the bluetooth button, i can make a phone calls, but i can't listen music on spotfy and others apps. Do you know what can i do for listen to music? Many thanks.
Can I just check… when you listen to music are you using offline or online apps? 🤔
@@FlyingDarkLord I tried with spotfy online and offline. The music just play in the iphone 😕
I don’t understand why that is happening 🤔
I’ve just tried on my headset & all online & offline apps are playing through my headset without an issue.
I’m sure you’ve probably tried this already but give this a go…
- Open the Bluetooth settings on your phone & choose ‘forget this device’ for the A20 headset
- Turn your phone off totally & start it up again
- Whilst your phone is turned off go to your A20 headset & at the same time press & hold both the Bluetooth and volume DOWN buttons for 7 seconds (this will reset the Bluetooth settings)
- Once the phone is turned back on, try pairing your A20 headset with your phone again
Let me know if that solves the problem 🤞🏼
Thanks for the review. I have ordered the A20 Bluetooth, but as I'm new to this world (I just started PPL), I'm wondering how often do people take phone calls and listen to music whilst piloting. Just curious. Thanks!
I personally believe that it should not happen, but it may be useful for other equipment such as Pilot Aware which has a Bluetooth function & potentially you may be able to connect directly to that & similar aviation devices.
It is possible that long haul or freight pilots listen to music on flights, but I don’t have experience of that.
As a new pilot I’d definitely discourage flying & listening to music or taking phone calls.
We did use the phone facility once on approach to a Danger area & could not reach the military controller on the radio but did raise them on the phone… so it does have its uses 🤷🏻♂️😊👍🏼
@@FlyingDarkLord Thanks, that's helpful!
Does the dual jack stop working completely if the battery dies or will we atleast receive ATC calls but no noise cancellation ?
The headset functions as a ‘normal’ headset if it is not turned on. The noise cancelling & other functions are only available when there are batteries inserted & the unit is ‘switched on’.
So if the batteries fail the headset continues to function to allow for normal radio communication 😊👍🏼
A good question by the way!
@@FlyingDarkLord Sorry one more question. What kind of battery do you use for the headphones ? I mean do you use rechargeable ones or alkaline ones like the Bose recommends you to.
I use the normal alkaline batteries as they seem to fit better in the holder (not so tight) & I do not want to risk damaging my headset.
Also I like to reduce the number of lithium batteries in the aircraft… they are more of a fire risk than alkaline batteries 😊👍🏼
@@FlyingDarkLord okay thank you. It doesn’t take a big hit on the budget does it ? Buying more batteries.
They last for ages 😊👍🏼
Also, in aviation, batteries for the headset are probably the least of your financial concerns! 😂
biggest gripe with the a20s is that after owning them for a couple of years the cables start to tangle up on their own, and that can be really annoying.
I’ve heard that the Zulu units have better cables 🤔
Does the headset draw power from the Aircraft? Or are the AA’s a must?
You have a choice. The headset will work without the batteries but then the active noise reduction will not operate. Alternatively you can use the onboard aircraft power, assuming you have the non-GA plugs. If you use the aircraft power then the batteries are not required.
Borrow my Bluetooth lightspeed for a month, I’d be interested to see a comparison
You’re right! I should really do a comparison! 👍🏼… will they make me more attractive to the ladies? 🤔
@@FlyingDarkLord Ask your lady? 😏
😂👍🏼
Been done already. Bose won that comparison uands down. Audio quality of the Bose was sooo much better as well as comfort and anr.
This headset is the most expensive on the market, yet it does not list any data with regards to its NRR rating or how it performs across various frequency ranges. Other cheaper headsets have a standard test rating, but not BOSE. Seems strange for such an expensive headset. The rating also is more specific for frequencies above that of a GA aircraft, more specific for a jet than a piston plane/helicopter. Can you see any rating listed on your headset, or any mention of it within the manual?
Apparently it is certified to FAA TSO and E/TSO-C139… does that help?
There’s some regulatory information on page 3 of the instruction leaflet that gives some details on frequency & dB stuff
@@FlyingDarkLord I looked through all the documents on their website, it doesn't actually state what decibel reduction rating they are. Other brands have a chart/graph showing the reduction in decibels at a given frequency. Would have thought for the most expensive set on the market they would show what they are capable of.
@@FlyingDarkLord The TSO rating is just a compliance rating, meaning they will not fault, the speakers and mic are certified to be compatible with transceivers etc. It's not about their noise reduction.
Either that or they feel they sell enough headsets without having to try… a bit like Apple 🤷🏻♂️
I just bought a used set, first time use in GA yesterday. Question: should the mic be hot constantly? or just when speaking into it? My mic was hot, picking up all ambient noise over the ICS even when not speaking. Which offset the noise cancelling with enough white noise that the headset was louder than my David Clark passive headset, which I returned to inflight.
This might be a silly question, but did you check your squelch? Generally my mic is NOT hot unless talking… but that is dictated by the communication panel & not the headset itself. I can adjust the squelch on my comm panel & then the mic can be made to be constantly ‘hot’. If you’ve watched some of my other videos you may even see me adjust this on take off when ambient noise rises considerably & I get ‘break through’ & a constantly ‘hot mic’ which (as you say) negates the ANR.
That is unless the set you have purchased is faulty… without seeing it for myself I couldn’t tell you. If you know someone who has a Bose headset may be they could lend you there’s to check
@@FlyingDarkLord maybe, I'll try it again. But I assume the squelch would have effected the DC set the same way, but it was normal.
@@bradleys2320 If I remember I’ll try & do a little demonstration on a video in the future when I next go flying.
It might take a few weeks to go live though 😬
The Bose headsets have decent noise cancellation but do NOT buy into their six-pin jack system. Get the regular aviation plug style. The six pin jack necessarily defeats audio circuit isolation from airframe ground, meaning you will experience more P-static, more ignition RF problems, more noise from LED power supplies and even the "bzrt click click click" from ADS-B transponders sending high-speed data.
Their regular aviation-style plug headsets have to use batteries but the latest versions do a much better job of conserving that battery life and aren't nearly the pain that they used to be.
Having said all that, lightspeeds and DC's noise-cancelling headsets are still very good options at a fraction the price.
Come at me, Bose lawyers. I have definitive proof. You'll just expose your own product design deficiencies in a very public way.
That is a nice summary & good additional information. It’s always useful to have people talk about their experience with different products, both from Bose & other manufacturers, such as DC etc. Thanks for commenting, food for thought 👍🏼
Do you charge them?
I used normal alkaline batteries rather than rechargeable batteries, so I replace rather than recharge.
Some people do use rechargeable batteries but they advise against that in the instruction manual. The batteries last for ages anyway 😊👍🏼
boarderline clickbait..... So this video leads with why this was his biggest aviation purchase mistake, so we watched through all14 minutes to get to the guys saying the reason it was a mistake was becasue he didn't buy the Bluetooth version.... other than the sutle mislead, the info was informative. (The thumbnail text was a bit misleading as well)
I’m so sorry to have wasted your time 😔
In the accompanying text there was a full breakdown of exactly what would be covered in the video, so you could have just skipped to the section that was of most interest to you. Academic now, I suppose 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks for your feedback though 👍🏼
The Bose A20 headset has been highly disappointing due to several critical issues. The cable broke prematurely, showcasing poor durability for such a pricey item. Bose's after-sales service was unhelpful and inefficient, and they have discontinued selling replacement cables following the release of the new A30 model. This forces users to buy a new headset instead of fixing their current one, a tactic that seems profit-driven at the expense of consumer loyalty. I recommend not purchasing this product due to these significant flaws.
Thanks for sharing your experience 👍🏼
The BT sucks
I see 🤔
@@FlyingDarkLord it does. Let’s be real.
@@RaceMentally it’s everywhere these days