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Bose A10 vs budget model ANR - significant or subtle difference?

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prkaye

Well Known Member
**This post is not a classified ad - I previously posted it on the classified board by mistake. Moderators - please delete it from there but not from here***

I've been using an ANR headset made by Headsets Inc (EM-1) for a few years. They've served me well, and have good passive protection (gell filled earcups) in addition to the ANR.
However, after spending over 5 hours in the cockpit the other day, I began to find that even with the ANR, the droning of the engine still became irritating. I've been thinking about splurging next season on a Bose A20. My question - how significant an improvement in noise reduction will these be over my current ANR headset? Is it a relatively subtle difference, or will the difference be night-and-day?
 
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Bose

I have not had or used the Bose A20 but I have had a Bose Aviation-X and it was useless in my RV-4 while the old original Bose from back in the 90s was great. I sold the Bose and got a Zulu from Lightspeed, it is great, I then put a Head Sets Inc. kit in my back seat David Clark head set and it is just as good as the Zulu. The Zulu might be more comfortable for long rides thou, can?t say for sure. I see a lot of Bose sets for sale on this sight and very few Zulus for sale which tells me something, I won?t buy a Bose again.
 
Same Here

I have had the same experience in my 9A with the Headsets Inc. conversion in my Peltor headsets. Good for short flights but fatiguing for long trips. No criticism of Headsets Inc., it may just be that with glasses and a cap I can't get a good fit on any headset.
I haven't tried the Bose headset but I see a few local RV folks with Clarity Aloft and Halo units. They usually offer a money back guarantee so I think this will be the next step.
 
Like HeadSet Inc.

I have been using the Headsets Inc units for 8 years or so, very happy with them. I installed them in a couple of old David Clark headsets I got in the early 80s.

I also have another pair of conversions to equip my rear seats Peltors with.

I have used the Bose in a buddys RV10, and do not remember any difference-----other than the Bose were a lot heaver, and slid off my head pretty easy.
 
A note on the Bose A-10.
I had the X's and bought the A10 assuming the bluetooth feature would eliminate a cockpit wire with my music.
Well I was very disappointed that the bluetooth interface DOES NOT support music audio. Only phone.
While the phone interface is useful waiting on the ramp for clearance from uncontrolled airports, its not why I bought em.

I had LS 3G's before going to the Bose in my 8 cause I could not keep the heavy 3G's on my head during my operations. The Bose stay on and are comfortable. The ANR portion seems to work just fine compared to others I have used in the same cockpit.
 
FWIW

I have compared both Bose A20 and the Zulu's back to back same aircraft
exchanging them and hands down the bose A20 was better. That being said
I find the Bose to be the most confortable of all. I can fly for 8 hours and get
done flying and have no side effects or headache from the Bose. I was all ready to buy a set of Zulu's until I actually flew them side by side. Either
one the Zulu's or Bose are the 2 best. But after the comparision I give the
edge to Bose.

Geoff
 
I have a set of Lightspeed XL's that I thought were great until I tried the Halos by Quiet Technologies. I tried the Bose X in a Viking a couple of weeks ago and found that the noise reduction was irritatingly distorted in my ears ( the Viking is pretty noisy inside ). My money is with the Halo's for around $365 (I think). They work great as long as you get the foam plugs all the way in your ear. The only drawback that I found was no music input. So I opened the volume control box and soldered in a stereo jack on a pigtail. Light Speeds are made in China, not sure where Bose are made, and the Halos are made in the USA by the guy that takes your order....if that matters!
 
All can say is that my only regret after upgrading to the A20s is that I waited so long to do it!
 
All can say is that my only regret after upgrading to the A20s is that I waited so long to do it!
Click to expand...

What did you have prior to the A20?

So it sounds like there's NOT a strong consensus that the ANR provided by the A20 would be significantly better than what I already have with the EM-1. This isn't what I expected to hear... but I'm glad I asked. I certainly don't want to blow a thousand bucks to upgrade unless the upgrade would be a significantly quieter experience than i already have.
 
Every airplane is not the same, my -4 is very loud, no mufflers and no insulation, with the Bose Aviation-X it was actually ok at takeoff RPM but after pulling the prop back to 2400 RPM it sounded like a snare drum was being played on top of my head, Maybe the A20 works better then the Aviation-X, or maybe mine was defective. Either way I would never buy anything from them again because one day after receiving it they said they would not take it back because I bought it on an exchange program; luckily I was able to sell it for the price of a new Zulu. I am glad it works out for others and I have wondered if I had a defective one but for my application the Headsets Inc. and the Lightspeed are the right choice of the ones I’ve tried.

If your going to make a change try it out first before you buy if you can.
 
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rebelflier said:
I have a set of Lightspeed XL's that I thought were great until I tried the Halos by Quiet Technologies. I tried the Bose X in a Viking a couple of weeks ago and found that the noise reduction was irritatingly distorted in my ears ( the Viking is pretty noisy inside ). My money is with the Halo's for around $365 (I think). They work great as long as you get the foam plugs all the way in your ear. The only drawback that I found was no music input. So I opened the volume control box and soldered in a stereo jack on a pigtail. Light Speeds are made in China, not sure where Bose are made, and the Halos are made in the USA by the guy that takes your order....if that matters!
Click to expand...
I will second (or perhaps 3rd) the suggestion to try the HALO headset. I have tried the Bose X and have had other over the ear passive headsets for many years. No matter what any marketing flyer will tell you that band across the top of your head will wear on you over time. The "clamping" force of these over the ear headsets are what causes discomfort.

As far as noise reduction, I have compared the HALO to an ANR headset and find that the HALO actually reduced more noise than the ANR headset in my RV. I am sold on the in-the-ear headsets. They work better than the ANR headsets I have tried. On top of that, they cost about $350 compared to $1000.
 
headset Inc.

I have a pair of A20s an older pair of Bose Xs and David Clark 40s with the Headset Inc. I got the Headset Inc. kit at OSH. and put them in the DCs and never went back to either pair of Bose.The clamping force is something i'm not to picky about so any passenger gets subjected to a pair of overpriced Bose.
 
I've got a Lightspeed Zulu, and i've tried one of the Headsets Inc. kits in a David Clark as well. They both work, but I didn't do an A/B test to compare the exact same noise environment. What I didn't like about the Headsets Inc. kit was the extra "bulk" that the extra wiring added to the headset. Maybe this has been improved in newer kits, but the one I tried really felt cobbled together. But it did work well.

I didn't know the bluetooth in the A20 wouldn't allow music playback... I use the bluetooth in my Zulu's more for music playback than for the phone! But it's nice to be able to do both. Answering the phone in the middle of a roll was a new experience for me... :p
 
Russ McCutcheon said:
I have not had or used the Bose A20 but I have had a Bose Aviation-X and it was useless in my RV-4 while the old original Bose from back in the 90s was great. I sold the Bose and got a Zulu from Lightspeed, it is great, I then put a Head Sets Inc. kit in my back seat David Clark head set and it is just as good as the Zulu. The Zulu might be more comfortable for long rides thou, can’t say for sure. I see a lot of Bose sets for sale on this sight and very few Zulus for sale which tells me something, I won’t buy a Bose again.
Click to expand...

I have both Headset X and Zulu. I find both comfortable and of high quality and fidelity. The Zulu's fly off your head when doing G's - no good there. The Headset X's stay on with the G's but clamping on a long flight can wear on you, especially if you're wearing glasses. I tried the QT Halo's which are awesome for aerobatics, and long term comfort, but just not as good for sound compared with the big daddy anrs. For me, I switch back and forth between bose and zulu based on mission and wouldn't trade either one, except maybe to upgrade to A20.
 
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prkaye said:
What did you have prior to the A20?

So it sounds like there's NOT a strong consensus that the ANR provided by the A20 would be significantly better than what I already have with the EM-1. This isn't what I expected to hear... but I'm glad I asked. I certainly don't want to blow a thousand bucks to upgrade unless the upgrade would be a significantly quieter experience than i already have.
Click to expand...

I was using a Telex passive which I liked very much and found to be quite comfortable. (I only replaced it because it was stolen.) Then the first time I flew with the Bose, I forgot to turn on the ANR until after I had started the engine. I was a little disappointed as the A20 seemed very little quieter than the Telex even though it did seem to be a little more comfortable. Then I realized my mistake and turned the ANR on. Then I had to look to see if the propeller was still turning! Yes the difference was that dramatic. FWIW the airplane was a '69 C172.
 
I have Zulu's and like them. Have not had a chance to try the Bose. The Lightspeed guys are great to work with, stand behind their product and have great upgrade programs.
 
I have a bose x and a Zulu. They are both nice, but I prefer the Bose. The bluetooth is handy on the Zulu, but my next purchase will be a Bose.
 
Headsets Inc.

I have 1990 era David Clark headsets retrofitted with the Headsets Inc. ANR module. I've only ever compared them to my friend's Lightspeed ANRs and IMHO my headset is better (quieter). Also, the Lightspeeds have had to be repaired several times, and while their customer support is outstanding, it's been a big inconvenience.
 
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