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Bose X report card...

smokyray

Well Known Member
I recently bought a used (maybe once) Bose Aviation X headset from Acft Spruce off Ebay at a significant savings. I was interested in how it stood up against my tried and true Lightspeed Cross Country ANR. (my fave so far in 30 years)
At first glance the Bose looks cool with it's unique folding frame, black color and Bose name. The frame is hinged in the middle of the top of your cranium, unlike any others I have seen. It squeezes your cranium about the same as most but seems to stay on a little easier while pulling G's or doing acro.
The earcups have the Bose earseals which are very comfortable but don't handle wire-frame sunglasses as well as my LS. I have gotten hot spots over a long XC day trip. Overall comfort is excellent, but not a quantum leap above my LS. Also, the metal frame is not padded on top so if you bump against your canopy(acro, dogfighting) you will scratch it. A definite need for moleskin or tape on the frame.
The Bose power supply is 2 AA batterys located in a plastic compartment with volume controls and a handy green light next to the activation button on the headset cord. It is simple, straightforward and similar to the LS. The downside for Bose is my LS has a plug in for accessories like my IPOD, Garmin 396 tunes or cellphone right into the power supply, the Bose does not.
As far as ANR goes, the Bose is excellent, absolutely knocking out the low end DB's and having great sound quality. It is not however, stellar and not (in my humble opinion) worth four times what my LS ANR XC is worth.

I personally think the Bose X is overrated/overpriced in most categories. My testing continues...As a side note, I use a Bose QC2 with the Uflymike in my professional flying job. I think it is a better, lighter and cheaper ANR aviation headset than the X! www.uflymike.com

Recommendations: Buy 2 nice headsets for the price of one Bose X. (or buy a Bose QC2 and uflymike).


Respecfully submitted..:)
Rob Ray
 
Hi Rob:

Thanks for the review on the Bose headsets. The LS headsets that you're referring to...which model number are they? Does Lightspeed no longer sell them? I'm looking at their website and I can't determine which ones you're writing about.

Thanks,
Jamie
 
Bose X is available with 6-pin LEMO connector which allows to power it from the plane and stereo audios as an extra compared to the normal headset connection (2 x 2-pole plugs).
 
Headset reviews

Thanks for taking the time to do the Bose/Lightspeed review. I think headsets are like primers, engine choices, prop choices and paint schemes, in all of which I guess I weigh in for the opposing view for my own reasons.

I have flown under two different Lightspeed Headsets for the past 11 years in my 182. I bought a Lightspeed 25xl when it came out, and then bought a Lighstpeed 30-3G two years ago. There was no comparison between the Lightspeeds and the David Clarks I had used previously. Both Lightspeed headsets broke twice and I drove up the road to have them repaired at the factory. The folks at Lightspeed were great about it, gave me the upgrades and fixed the headsets without so much as a grimace. I'd recommend them to anyone. As such things go sometimes, after two years I had pretty much determined I liked the older 25XL's better than the newer 30-3G's as far as the noise cancelling goes. Also the 30-3G's used batteries up quicker.

When I did transition training with Mike Seager in the RV, I took my Lightspeeds along to see how they did in that environment. After the first days, I switched to the Bose he had in the RV. On the third day, we flew to Pacific Coast and I bought a Bose set which I've been wearing ever since. I have since flown in my RV many times and gone back and forth between the two lightspeeds and the Bose. For ME...there is no comparison, I love the Bose set and would definitely purchase them again.

There are so many variables at play, it is hard to say for sure that one brand or type is "better" than the other or worth the extra $$. It has to be your choice. The shape of your head, the style of glasses you may wear, the noise profile for your particular craft and perhaps most of all...the condition of your hearing all play a big part in whether or not you prefer one style over another. I wired in a music input jack to my aircraft, so the lack of that on the Bose system isn't a big deal for me. I tried my IPOD and my cell phone on that jack in both my planes and there wasn't enough volume for me anyway. My music input is now wired through a preamp and works great...plus, I don't have wires all over me when I'm flying.

I'll have two excellent Lightspeed headsets for sale soon...
 
Ditto Bob's post above. I too went from the Lightspeed XL series, to the Lightspeed G series, back to the XL series and finally settled on Bose. I did keep 1 set of Lightspees 15XLs as a backup.
 
I love my Bose X, too. I have the hard wired (panel powered) sets, so I only have one wire and no batteries. I have the jack for them in the flap covers in the baggage compartment, run the wire along the side of the seats, and hang the headsets down near my left foot (passenger right foot). No hassle with wires at all. I have flown all day with no discomfort and noise cancelling is superb. I hated my DC 13.4s. They sit in a drawer now.

Roberta
 
Ipod, Music, satelite radio ???

I currently fly behind the DC 13.4's and really like them (not knowing any better probably helps). As far as listening to tunes.....I prefer to listem to my Lycoming singing a symphony from all 4 cylinders.....nothing sounds better in my headset than that :D

I'm being a little fasicious here......thanks for the different headset reviews. I have been thinking of retiring (or at least relegating) my DC's to third line (you hockey fans know what I'm talking about).. :) and appreciate the points made...
 
That's a great idea. I do currently have a Bose QC2, but the question is how effective is it at protecting one's hearing from damaging noise levels in a Cessna 172? The ear cups of the Bose are tiny compared every other aviation headset on the market, so I have to wonder about it's effectiveness in preventing long-term hearing damage.

What is the passive and also active noise reduction specs in both Bose products? I have been unable to find this information.

Also, does active noise reduction provide real protection from harmful noise levels?

Has anybody had an experience with the Telex Stratus D headset? I understand that's the best on the market. It's less expensive than Bose, but not by much.
 
telex experience

hi guys

i flew with the telex for most of my early flights and used them for about 40 hours total before upgrading to the Bose. I found the telex to be VERY heavy and bulky (both the headset and the battery pack). Also flying the 8, i found the top part of the telex always managed to hit the top of the canopy in any kind of turbulence or maneuver. I also do some light aerobatics and when you pull any kind of g's the telex makes your head feel like 100 lbs, and if you happen to pull any negative g's its falling off for sure. The padding is great but there?s just too much of it. And yes they cut out the noise (both active and passive) very well, however to lose the extra weight and bulk, the Bose were had only slightly less noise reduction.

The major positive to the telex is if you lose battery power they will still have great passive noise reduction. The Bose, as most will tell you, are almost unusable if you lose the active noise reduction.

Overall if i had to do it over again i would have started with the bose...more comfort and very lightweight!! But if you're not concerned with the weight and bulk go for the telex.

just some of my observations...
 
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