It is built to last, that being said looking after the microphone, headset sensors and correctly storing your headset will ensure it stays ‘good as new’. The headset frame itself is very high quality strong material. The clamping mechanism does slowly lose its strength but never to a point that it affects performance. I replaced the ear cups around 6 years into owning the headset, something that will be done if you use the Bose servicing offer (within 5 years of initial purchase). While I haven’t quite given it the ‘Toto Wolf’ treatment beyond a few scratches on the audio control box, the headset hasn’t dropped a beat. I am forever trapping the cable, dropping the headset and crushing the storage bag. I do not treat my headset like it is worth £1000. Thin framed glasses makes this manageable however for total glasses/headset comparability in-ear headphones such as the new Bose Proflight 2 offer far better results. Wearing thick framed glasses with the A20s does decrease the noise cancelling as it breaks the passive noise reduction seal being provided by the ear cups.

The headset is not invasive, the earcups are inclined slightly to facilitate all ear shapes and sizes making it a headset for anyone. It’s all part of their design as it provides a level of passive noise reduction. The A20 comfortably sits around my ears, with room to spare. Many over ear headphones attempt to surround my ears unsuccessfully and instead rest uncomfortably upon them or require ear origami to fit. I am graced with “human radar dishes” as my friends refer to them, big ears. You don’t have to be eating the microphone as you speak, but proper placement is important - the rigidity and strength of the headset means once you have the correct position it won’t move away. The microphone is crystal clear and the windbreak blocks out almost all external noise from your transmissions alongside the built in background noise suppression from the microphone technology. The audio output into your headphones is fantastic, or it’s at-least as clear as the aircraft is capable of receiving. Where the A20s excel is their ability to provide a high level of ANR in any aircraft type, with just the push of a button. While yes the cockpit soundscape changes when you fly with an ANR headset, it is a pleasant change – in fact, the A20s, take the often invasive drone of light aircraft engines and the intrusive hiss of commercial cockpits and blends them into a manageable ambiance.īose are renowned for their ANR technology, that doesn’t mean to say you don’t notice 12 hours in the 737 – which is admittedly one of the noisier flight decks. I too was in this camp to the point that I purposely didn’t use my freshly purchased A20s in my PPL skills test for fear that the lack of engine noise and change in audio cues would put me off. Now with a number of years of flying the Boeing 737-800 I thought I’d talk about my experience incase you are also considering making the investment.Ī common misconception, especially for those not familiar with ANR (active noise reduction), is that at the push of a button all external noise disappears. Initially introduced to the headset by a flying instructor who offered me a few ‘flying trials’ I ended up taking the £1000+ leap just before my PPL Skills Test.

It’s almost 7 years since I bought my Bose A20 Aviation Headset.

Flying with the Bose A20 Aviation Headset

Bose aviation headset financing