Customer reviews from bose.com
Bose - A20 Aviation Headset with Standard Dual Plug Cable, No Bluetooth - Black
Average customer rating
4.6
(79 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 79 reviews
5 Stars
61
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
7
2 Stars
2
1 Star
1
Customer Reviews for Bose - A20 Aviation Headset with Standard Dual Plug Cable, No Bluetooth - Black
Customer Rating
5
Totally worth the money
on September 25, 2018
Posted by: Olliemarriott
Gender:Male
I had a really hard time justifying the price as a newer pilot but one day I decided to pull the trigger and buy these, so glad that I did. The noise reduction is amazing and the bluetooth audio for calls and music is great, my clients don't even realize that I am flying when they call.
Written by a customer while visiting bose.com
Customer Rating
4
The best noise canceling feature ever
on August 9, 2018
Posted by: J R
Gender:Male
Length of ownership:6 months
I've been a corporate pilot, flying multiple types of jets, including Boeings, for over 35 years. Overall the A20 is the best I've ever used. Love the noise canceling feature however I often forget to even turn it on as it so quiet, even without using it. Love the blue tooth option as well and often stream music from my phone on long flights.
The only con is possibly the ear cup pressure on long flights. They become very uncomfortable after flights of more than 3 or 4 hours. I find myself constantly adjusting the fit to try and ease the ear pain. Seems to me there has to be a resolution to this problem as several reviewers have cited the same issue. I'm old enough to remember the old "David Clamps" and while the A20 is head and shoulders a better headset, no manufacturer has ever seemed to solve this age old
problem. Are there different options on replacement ear cups?
The only con is possibly the ear cup pressure on long flights. They become very uncomfortable after flights of more than 3 or 4 hours. I find myself constantly adjusting the fit to try and ease the ear pain. Seems to me there has to be a resolution to this problem as several reviewers have cited the same issue. I'm old enough to remember the old "David Clamps" and while the A20 is head and shoulders a better headset, no manufacturer has ever seemed to solve this age old
problem. Are there different options on replacement ear cups?
Written by a customer while visiting bose.com
Customer Rating
5
I Give up - BOSE Wins
on August 8, 2018
Posted by: loopnroll
Gender:Male
Length of ownership:1 month
I am always a skeptic and don't like to follow the crowd and like to go my own way. Some of my pilot friends had told me that the BOSE headset was the best but I didn't listen and bought another brand. While ANR headset I bought was nice, it does not compare to the BOSE. I just flew a Citabria from Great Falls MT to Cincinnati, OH over a weekend and wore the headset for over 14 hours over two days and never felt like I needed to take it off. The ANR is fantastic and listening to Bluetooth music was unbelievable for an aviation headset
Written by a customer while visiting bose.com
Customer Rating
4
Good, but...
on July 13, 2018
Posted by: GOM 407 driver
Gender:Male
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
I wore my A20's for about 3000 hot and hard Gulf of Mexico hours and here's what I thought about them:
First of all, I don't think a helicopter cockpit, with hydraulically boosted, protruding levers and handles is any place for a strong, unyielding cord. I'm just waiting for that incident where it was determined that the wire somehow got underneath the collective and the pilot inadvertently moved it when an arm/hand got tangled with the wire. This is not just Bose, though: it seems to be the fashion lately, and even the LS's have wires you could pull a truck with. Not cool. I had wanted a coiled cord, as an option, straight off the bat. A strong unyielding cord is DANGEROUS: bring back the coil, as a safety feature. I can't remember how many times I reached up for the rotor brake and my elbow caught that cord and yanked the headset off my left ear when lowering my arm. Annoying is not a strong enough word to describe it.
Secondly, Bose recommends changing the ear cushions every 6 months, which is excessive. I have a DC and late model Zulu that NEVER need cushion replacement. When the Bose cushions get old, they start to flake, and the little black flakes get on everything and everywhere, including in your ears. I also asked for BIGGER cushions because the stock cushions are just too small. My average sized earlobes (I measured them) was too big to fit inside without the edges of the cushions pushing on my ears. The cushions are very soft but over time, even the mild clamping force compresses them and you end up with a hard pressure on your ear lobes. Bose must offer a stiffer, bigger, interchangeable ear cushion, which I'm more than willing to pay for just to get that constant pressure off my ears. Believe me, after flying hour after hour after hour, day after day, it hurts.
Thirdly, the battery door 'lanyard' broke off the 2nd time I ever changed the batteries. Luckily I didn't lose it, or drop it the times I needed to change batteries in flight. I also wish they would change the design so that you could use a 9V battery that would last a MONTH. We're pilots, we can afford 9V batteries... Inserting a single battery instead of fumbling with 2 AA's is safer and much more convenient, in my opinion. This, too, is not a Bose-only problem.
Next up was the external microphones for the ANR function. I have to say that changing the plug doesn't make it a helicopter headset. I have the feeling that a loud helicopter was not a test bed for the headset, and in the heat, when you have the window air scoops catching air into the cockpit all day every day, the wind blows directly over the microphones and you have a CONSTANT wind scratch, like you have when your boom mic doesn't have a foam wind barrier over it. Literally the first day of using the headset I had to stick some heavy duty, one sided door sealing foam over all the external microphones just to stop the wind buffering. Without the foam the headset was absolutely worthless in my high wind buffering environment. I can't imagine using them in an open cockpit airplane. I think this was a major design fault, but then again, like I said above, I don't think their target customers were GOM helicopter drivers with the windows open.
The ANR is good, probably as good as it gets, but when the ear cushions get old/word, it affects the seals and I ended up having to wear additional in-ear hearing protection, which I felt was defying the purpose of expensive ANR.
For the price I paid, I wanted more comfort. START by making the ear cushions bigger, or at least make BIGGER options, and bring back the coiled wire!
All in all it was a good headset, just not a perfect fit for my. After about 4 years I traded it up and at least got $350 for it, which was pretty good. I think these headsets are perfect for closed cockpit airplanes, and small ears. If that's what you intend to fly, go for it. If you fly what I fly, take heed of my observations.
Written by a customer while visiting bose.com
Customer Rating
5
Incredibly quiet!
on July 6, 2018
Posted by: casey
Gender:Male
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
I've had noise canceling headsets for more than 20 years. I've used them in my first Mooney ('67 M20F and very noisy) and my second Mooney ('90 MSE). My first and second ones were so much better than standard headsets for noise reduction. My A20 headset makes those earlier headsets seem like they don't have noise cancellation at all! I speak from recent experience as I forgot my A20s and used my old pair of noise canceling headsets on a recent flight and was quite frankly astonished at the difference.
Written by a customer while visiting bose.com
Customer Rating
5
Great Product
on June 5, 2018
Posted by: Jordan
Gender:Male
I got this headset 8 months and have been very happy with it every time I use it.
Very comfortable
Written by a customer while visiting bose.com
Customer Rating
4
Great noise reduction
on May 2, 2018
Posted by: Matt
Gender:Male
Noise reduction is really great even you don’t use ANR. I sometimes forget to turn it on and still doing a great job. Comfort level is not same as the noise reduction when you wearing it. It doesn’t fit on my right ear well. I even checked the size of my ear to understand is bigger than left one.
Written by a customer while visiting bose.com
Customer Rating
5
Bose A20 Headset
on April 18, 2018
Posted by: Nelson
Gender:Male
The Bose aviation headset A20 model, is in my opinion a great investment. If you are a general aviation pilot who often flys for enjoyment, travel, or flight training, then I would highly recommend the A20 model headset. I have personally been using this model for more than a year now and I absolutely love it. Bose claims several different features for which these headphones come with. One thing Bose is known for is their sound cancelling technology. This particular headset is great when it comes to reducing monotone noises such as light piston engines, or airflow noises over the aircraft. However, other noises such as a stall horn can clearly be heard so situational awareness is not compromised. Another feature I would like to point out is the pleasant and comfortable fit that is offered with this headset. The ear muffs sit completely around the ear with no pressure being applied. This is perfect for those long cross country flights as there will rarely be pain involved for long term use. These are some of the features which I have noticed well with this particular model. Some others include the auxiliary input along with audio prioritization which is also nice for those long flights. Overall I would definitely recommend this headset model to all general aviation pilots. Well worth the money!
Written by a customer while visiting bose.com