The SURPRISING reason the BOSE A20 HEADSET is worth $1,200

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Why do GA pilots pay out over £1,100 or $1,200 for a headset? Well there's a secret not many Bose GA pilots talk about and that's the overall cost of ownership which makes that high initial price worth paying. Premium headsets come with some advanced functions like ANR and certification but at the end of the day they also need to be comfortable have great sound quality and a fantastic warranty and the Bose A20's tick every box.
This short video looks at the history of Bose in aviation and the quality and value of their best selling headset the Bose A20 Aviation Headset.
This video is made possible with the kind support of the Flying Missionary RU-vid Channel, please give him a visit and sub at / @flyingmissionary
My name is Terry Kent and I am a General Aviation PPL private pilot operating out of North Weald EGSX about 12 miles to the north east of London in the UK. Short Field is my channel focused on the lighter side of General Aviation including flight and airfield reviews, equipment unboxing and review plus all things private pilot related. I use various cameras to record my videos including GoPro and Insta 360 and stills and edit them in Adobe Premiere Pro, I am an animator as well and often use animations to describe situations more clearly I use Blender and Adobe After Effects for these. I always attempt to post my videos in the highest possible quality, normally 4k.
I fly a 2011 Pipersport two seat single engine aircraft that is also known as the PS28 or SportCruiser in the USA (America) it is know under the FAA as an LSA or Light Sport Aircraft and can be flown on a very basic license. In the UK it is a Part 21 airplane which requires a full licence but it's generally cheap to run, affordable maintenance and great value for money. It cruises at 100 to 105 knots and has superb short take off and landing or STOL capabilities. I visit farm strips, back country and short airfields, some of them dangerous and I try not to crash :-), as well as international airports and try to learn something new every time I fly.
#bosea20 #generalaviation #pilotlife
I fly VFR and IFR as well as visual and instrument approaches.
My videos may give helpful information to pilots but please remember these are just for entertainment, I am not an instructor nor should anything shown in my videos be used for real world aviation, also the airfields I visit may have totally changed or even closed since the making of the video so always consult the latest information for your country.
If you enjoyed this video, please give it a ‘thumbs up’ and leave me a comment in the box below, I love to read them and I also like to hear what you like or dislike about my video. Please share it with anyone you think would be interested and I'd so love it if you ticked SUBSCRIBE and DING THE NOTIFICATION BELL to be informed by RU-vid when I upload my next video. Thank you so much.
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Опубликовано:

27 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 87

@pilotlanham Год назад

Great video Terry, let's be honest, the reason we really buy them is because everyone else has them! I've never looked back after buying mine during my PPL training!

@ShortField Год назад

Thanks Matt, yes I'm a big fan and as they say a companies product is only as good as the support it receives and with 5 years of worry free use Bose will do for me.

@remigiuszbloch Год назад

Or you can do, what I did, and frankenstein it for the fraction of cost: - buy bose control unit from China - 35$ - buy bose replacement mic with boom also from China - 75$ - buy tactical headset with noise canceling [and enhancement] like Earmor or Peltor with heli plug - 200-600$ [depends on your budget] - buy cheap bump helmet with ARC rails - 150$ - buy heli GA adapter - 20$ Assemble it , and you will have helmet [because ul pilots should fly with helmets imho] with noise canceling that you can plug into your aircraft, hop on a ride with your heli friends, go hunting, or go on a range. Also you can mount NV or GoPro directly to helmet for that sweet social media videos.

@ShortField Год назад

Awesome comment and agree lots of alternative options out there. Thank you

@hthomp9609 Год назад

Did the exact same thing to my mic jack. Bose Oceania were happy to repair it and was returned within 1 week. Great headset 👍

@ShortField Год назад

It's great that Bose is a really regional company which is the key to giving excellent service. Mine took 16 days although it was on top of Christmas but I hear 10 days is the norm outside of holiday periods. Thanks for the comment and watch.

@flexairz Год назад

Love, really love my DC ONE-X. Comfortable, can wear them for hours on end no pain or anything, folds very small and is light. Plus cheaper than the overhyped Bose.

@timmartin6410 Год назад

The Bose A20's are awesome, but are they $200 more awesome than DC ONE-X or Lightspeed Zulu 3? Probably not, but it says Bose on the headset and the perception is there's nothing equal or better, so folks are willing to bend over and pay the premium to have a headset that says Bose.

@flyingmissionary Год назад

As well as flying a formation photo chase mission with you in CZ, getting a pair of these is on next year’s bucket list. Alternatively, send me your old ones if BOSE eventually send you a complimentary pair for such a very well done video in my opinion 😉😁 Thanks for the feature.

@ShortField Год назад

Thanks Dollar and really appreciate the footage, hope you didn't think I took liberties with it.

@flyingmissionary Год назад

@@ShortField Not at all buddy! Well put together 👏

@jurofox Год назад

I agree, my mic broke on a 2017 model and they were still under waranty, just like you, i sent them and got them back as new just paying for the postage! I can only agree that this alone makes them highly recommendable!

@ShortField Год назад

I'm not sure about other headsets but 5 years of a no questions asked warranty is what makes Bose the best.

@SuperRealityKid Год назад

I never regretted sticking with Bose since my original BoseX, before upgrading to the A20. I had an issue with the BoseX shortly after purchase, turned out to be my mobile phone interference, but it didn't stop Bose's Agents, Aviation Headsets at Shoreham, taking them back a couple of times before finally working out what the problem was. The BoseX did have a weak point, the composite yokes became very brittle and many BoseX users have suffered breakages after many years of usage, or, in my case, someone sits on them😒. I solved this by making stainless steel yokes and have sold about 30 pairs to date. This problem was completely remedied by the introduction of the A20's. It is so important to be able to hear ATC clearances and this, in turn, greatly reduces the stress of a high work load in congested airspace or marginal conditions. The resale value is a very good point but I won't be trading mine any day soon.

@ShortField Год назад

Agree with everything you say, the resale value really only comes into it's own when you want to upgrade or leave aviation but it makes the high initial purchase much more bearable.

@ThePhobicFlyer Год назад

A real interesting video Terry regarding the development of the Bose Aviation range of headsets. I have a pair of Bluetooth A20's and wouldn't fly with anything else. They are the only ones I've tried that don't make my tinnitus any worse after flying. I find the Bluetooth addition a great safety feature so I can hear any conspicuity announcements or safety alerts from Sky Demon. 😀👍👍

@ShortField Год назад

Thank you Andy, I agree I love mine.

@FlyingDarkLord Год назад

Great video Terry 👍🏼 I agree with you, advanced technology & manufacture means there’s little between them these days but Bose aftercare is exceptional (at the moment) 😊

@ShortField Год назад

Thanks Geoff. I watched your video which was why I made a point of saying "BUY THE BLUETOOTH ONES"!!! :-)

@FlyingDarkLord Год назад

@@ShortField 😄 my fault for being cheap when I bought my A20s!

@ShortField Год назад

@@FlyingDarkLord "CHEAP" no just careful, but that was a great video and advisory for others.

@grahamlees4394 Год назад

Hi Terry Merry Christmas!. 👍for Bose Dave Clarks = Headclamps...

@DodInTheSky Год назад

I've got Clarks and have recently done 3 hours of flying with them with no issues whatsoever. The best part - I only paid like 150£ for mine.

@ShortField Год назад

Thanks Graham. Merry Christmas to you.

@colinpotter7764 Год назад

Appropriately I have just watched this on my iPad while listening to my brilliant Bose QC35 headphones.

@grahamlees4394 Год назад

@@DodInTheSky My longest flight in a GA aircraft in a single hop was 8 hours wearing Bose ANR headsets (about 2007) so an earlier version than those used by Terry but they were fantastic. Have given up flying now but still have them - maybe time to sell them on 🤔

@BjoernKarlsson Год назад

Nobody mentions the UFQ A7 's. I have a pair, and they are light, durable, acceptable ANR, good sound quality, excellent battery life. And also about a third of the price of A20 's. It sure as hell is more than good enough for a weekend warrior like me!

@ShortField Год назад

I agree Bjorn there's loads of great headsets at much better prices out there. Thanks for the watch.

@Droladnap Год назад

Great video; unfortunately as a student 1 pair of Bose A20’s = 4 training flights in price, one day down the road I’ll get a pair.

@ShortField Год назад

Training comes first, flight time is far far more important than a trendy headset. Keep it up and good luck with it.

@GolfFoxtrot22 Год назад

Bose need to make an integrated helmet for the microlight community. But I know you like them😜.

@ShortField Год назад

Agree Giles, I love them, more so since I broke them 🙂 Can you not integrate any GA headset into a universal helmet?

@GolfFoxtrot22 Год назад

@@ShortField my paramotor helmet has mounts but it's whether the Bose have the ability to accept the mounts. My full face helmet has the ear ups mounted inside and would need to be specifically for that type.

@LeeRussell Год назад

Still using my DC's for now, although I have updated them with the noise reduction kit. 15 years old and still going strong 😃.... maybe just maybe an upgrade is due LOL. Thanks for the informative video Terry👍

@ShortField Год назад

Thanks for the watch and comment Lee. There's deffo cheaper alternatives :-)

@DeadReckoner Год назад

Great video - I especially enjoyed the history part! I love my A20s.

@ShortField Год назад

Thanks Scott.

@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi 11 месяцев назад

The reasons are as follows. -Aviation, everything is triple the price. -Because they can charge more -They dont sell as many as say consumer headsets. -Repairable, but essentially its a brand name, your paying for the name. The warranty is country dependant. Here in australia it costs a afortune to send them back and then your at the whim of the company who says nah not worth it buy another pair.

@crazycons Год назад

Well, I own both the A20 and the Zulu 3. First of all, most jumbo pilots are provided Senheiser and seem to be happy with them as well. I personally prefer the Zulu 3 simply because of their much better passive noise cancelling unit and because the cable is much more durable. However, comfort of the A20 is indeed slightly better. I feel, they are both worth the investment while the Zulu 3 was (even before the new model was introduced) already up to 20% cheaper than the A20. After flying with both of them, I don't feel that the A20 is 20% better. Hence, value for money points at the Zulu. Over all, I guess the question which headset to pick is overrated as long as you pick a headset with has a capable ANR and comfortable fit. A20 seem to be the only choice mainly for RU-vidrs - image is what counts here ;-)

@ShortField Год назад

Excellent comment. From my experience with the earlier Aviation X headset from Bose and the fact that I had them for 10 years and the overall cost was just £350 or £35 a year I'm not sure if that can be beaten with a premium headset. The only time I'm likely to realise the second hand value is when I go to sell them which will probably be when the A30's come out. I tried to be as impartial regarding other headsets as possible as I know they are all very good but looking at re-sale values and desirability the A20's come out on top everytime. There's so many proper great reviews on YT which always seem to favour the A20 but as I and you say I don't think there's a lot between them just the name and the ease of disposal which actually means very little when it comes to function.

@ThePilotshop Год назад

Point to note - Sennheiser no longer make aviation headsets

@ShortField Год назад

@@ThePilotshop thanks for that, they were really cool but even more expensive. As a shop which premium headset is the most popular for you?

@ThePilotshop Год назад

@@ShortField We sell more Bose A20 than every other make/model together. Enjoying the channel :)

@ShortField Год назад

@@ThePilotshop wow that's so interesting to know and are you treated well as a reseller of Bose? Thanks also for the very kind comment.

@stevenstyles7602 Год назад

Terry Slightly off piste, but what does the HS34 do? Is it worth having, or can you do everything through the AP74 panel anyway. I’ve been looking to add one to my set up, which is almost identical to yours, minus the HS34.

@ShortField Год назад

PM'd you Steve.

@Icarus410a Год назад

I tried a set of these at an airshow a few years back and the noise cancelling "sound" hurt my ears. A kind of hiss or pressure. I mentioned this to the smarmy salesman and it didn't go down well. Seems I'm not the only one, a simple google check reveals many similar reactions. In flight it might not be noticeable maybe. I'll stick with the David Clarks. 👍

@ShortField Год назад

Yes they are over priced but DC's are great.

@flyingkub Год назад

Love a set but Father Christmas kept them for himself to reduce the volume of Rudolph's farts 🙂

@ShortField Год назад

Brilliant. Happy New Year Algy.

@shawn1810 Год назад

Delta Zulu 3’s far better, especially for older pilots with hearing loss to some degree. The built in carbon monoxide detector is amazing and a life saver. A20’s are old tech, they’re good but not as good as the delta Zulu 3.

@ShortField Год назад

Both great and I do say that in the video, however my point about A20's are that they just don't lose money, however I see a new Bose Aviation headset is just about to be launched so I wonder how that will affect second hand A20 prices?

@ronjay1209 Год назад

Bose has the A30 now. 😊

@ShortField Год назад

Yes I may need to update this video :-)

@CoreQ 2 месяца назад

first for the video. it is well made. the only reason why these rubbish a20 headset selling for over 1000 dollar. 1. pilots can afford them, because there is nothing else to buy. 2. the market is so nitch. bose a20/a30 ANR is just outdated tech compare to any of the readily available Active noise cancellation tech on the market. "apple, beats, sony " bose are just a very average company even in their speaker market. and other company doesn't want to make aviation headset due to FAA rules, warranty and repair . there really nothing special about this product other than there is not many choices.

@smudent2010 Год назад

if you spend over a grand on your headset then you aren't smart enough to be flying

@ShortField Год назад

You are probably right 🤣🤣🤣

@GlensHangar Год назад

My wife and I currently have Bose A20 after years of Dave Clark, and Peltor headsets (remember Peltor?) Then along came the latest Lightspeed Delta Zulu and we decided to get a pair and test them out... But the Lightspeed Delta Zulu just don't fit my head, so the noise cancelling doesn't work all that well. Sticking with the A20

@ShortField Год назад

Thanks for the watch and comment Glen. I did have a pair of Zulu 3's for a bit but like you I couldn't get on with them. Cheers buddy.

@glennwatson Год назад

Don’t know. Bose are a great headset but Lightspeed are also a good value proposition for similar quality and my support experience with them is very similar to yours with Bose.

@ShortField Год назад

Merry Christmas Glenn. I borrowed some Lightspeeds while my A20's were away for repair and they are excellent, it's just the pessimist in me that likes to think "if I lose my medical I can at least get a decent amount back for my headset" 🙂

@tomholmez12 Год назад

I want to try the bose pro flight, the in ear headset. Problem is,i need to try them before buying. I saw some in a pilot shop in America at an FBO, but regrettably didn’t try them on. Sadly the uk doesn’t really have shops like this. Maybe one day I will come across someone that will let me try them in the future

@ShortField Год назад

There's a 60 day money back guarantee on all Bose headsets, just buy and if you don't like, send them back.

@halfrhovsquared Год назад

Do you know what BOSE stands for? Buy Other Sound Equipment ! ;)

@ShortField Год назад

:-)

@sbkarajan Год назад

Among audiophiles, there is a saying... "No highs no lows must be bose"

@kennyc8823 Год назад

Great video! I agree with you that they would be worth the price if only they were actually comfortable to wear. The bose A20s have insufficient padding on em rendering them completely useless since they become very uncomfortable after just a few minutes. Granted they are the best sounding and best everything...BUT..Lightspeed zulu = superior headset comfort wise.

@ShortField Год назад

Thanks Kenny for the kind comment. I have had a pair of Lightspeeds and agree they are just as good as A20's, it's just I found A20's so much easier with warranty in the EU as they have repair shops all over, Lightspeeds have to go back to the US which is a real pain for us.

@kennyc8823 Год назад

@@ShortField I see! I’ve had Bose headsets in the past and had very bad customer service from them!.. Guess it depends where you’re located. As a pilot I just value the comfort of a headset above everything else. If Bose used thicker ear pads I would purchase them hands down tho.

@ShortField Год назад

@@kennyc8823 I think you are right Kenny.

@nimbapilot6925 Год назад

I had the zulu 3 about a year and a half but decided to get rid of it. Don't get me wrong; this headset is an excellent headset. The only one thing that made me get rid of my zulu 3 was the length of the mic boom. It was too short. I find myself twisting my lips to speak into the mic. I also have the tengo, which is wireless. I kept this one because the mic is long enough to reach the center point of my lips. I must note that my zulu3 had a better ANR than my Tengo. I'm now trying to decide between bose and the new Delta zulu, but I'm afraid that I might run into the same mic boom issue that I had with zulu 3 with the delta zulu. When it comes to bose, the question is: should I go for the A 20 or A30? Any input will help. Thanks.

@acengineer737 Год назад

Don’t know anybody who owns either Bose or Lightspeed. Sometimes find a pair of Bose at work when I’m running one the jets. But I turn the ANR because it filters out to much of the engine noise. Even on a multi million pound jet I tend to find the crew tend to use the cheap crap headsets provided by the manufacturer than use an expensive headset they’d pay for themselves. Not paid more than £250 for a headset myself

@ShortField Год назад

Brilliant comment, ANR is not for everyone but I don't think I could go back to passive now. Over £1k is a lot of money for a pair of cans but knowing you can move them on for little loss helps a lot. Thank you as always and Festive greetings to you.

@musoseven8218 Год назад

Great video Terry, really well presented. Happy Christmas and New Year to you and yours✌️👍😊 Are A20s that much now? I thought they'd kept em just under the bag of sand mark (after initial release prices) - but are they going up again, as everything is going back up in price? 🤔🤔 The DC One X's are really nice, great headset, but for UK/European service Bose has better parts and service facilities. Lightspeed are similar to DC in that regard, despite breaking new ground with the Zulu Delta's. I wonder how long before Bose do something similar and get around patents? I'd have preferred DC One X's but have a set of A20s with first generation Bluetooth - I've also got Bose QC35ii's, that an Avee mic can be added to, because spares and service are good from both companies. Sadly if DC kit has to go back to the USA (similar with Lightspeed) it could me many weeks before it's seen back. As well as the hygiene issue, I quickly realised how passive clamp type headsets gave me a headache. After suffering ear damage several years ago I also wanted to protect what's left of my hearing. I would consider flying eyes too - when I can get back to aviation (and afford them). I don't care if people think I'm a brand junky or flash git (I'm not these days I can't afford to be) my hearing and health are of great importance to me. I purchased mine second hand with refurbishing kit supplied in the price. Great value. I think, that, in the UK, Bose offer the best VFM and as you say the A20's hold their price, so do the X's. I've flown with Zulu 3's and other Lightspeed products and they don't seem as durable as Bose - although their armoured cable is much better than Bose's effort (easy to damage in a small cockpit IMHO). Swings and roundabouts. Very thoughtful video that, well said and done✌️👍😊

@ShortField Год назад

Festive greetings to you as well and as always thank you for the excellent and informed comment. If you are paying over £1k for a headset it needs to have simple and effective back up and I think Bose wins on all accounts especially in the UK although I have heard of people having some import tax issues when sending for service due to BREXIT as they get shipped to Holland for fixing even though the service is done at zero value. I wanted to be fair to all the quality headsets so I ranked them the same but looking at resale and warranty Bose edge it every time. £1,160 is a lot of money but when it's time to upgrade or hang up your headset for good it's nice to know you'll get a good chunk of that back.

@musoseven8218 Год назад

@@ShortField Thanks, Terry✨🍻 Wise words. I'm guessing that Brexit has pushed the price up again 🤔 Also I'd kick up a stink if something was zero rated and then HMRC et al tried to charge for such - I don't think that those charges would apply from even the USA (don't quote me on that - it needs more research from my POV). I think though that the EU are making life hard for us, there's gratitude for you after our shedding blood over Europe in two World Wars🤔🤕😠 - but then when one looks at the origins of the EU then such bias becomes clearer. I've found Bose Europe very efficient and helpful in the past and let's face it headsets can get knocked about in confined spaces. There are a couple of good independents who can repair old school head clamp DCs but the One X's require a return to the US and there's been one or two warranty claims for such (so I'm told) similar applies to Lightspeeds. You pays yer money and makes yer choice I guess🤔😊😊👍 I think Bose are still a good brand to own and as you mention resale prices are still very good👍😊

@ess64cee Год назад

HaHa ! I bought myself a brand new pair of your 'Boooooo!' SEHT headphones in the summer ! You should have told me earlier 😉. They are the carbon fibre, Bluetooth, noise cancelling top spec ones ... does that make them a bit less 'Booo'? I did also get a fee case and a torch with them from the kind man at SEHT at the LAA Popham weekend, and he thought they were rather good. In truth , they weren't Bose or Lightspeed, and that was the main reason, oh, and quite a bit less expensive too! 👍

@ShortField Год назад

🤣 the flight school set of SEHT I was taking the P out of was not that particular brand or model it was just that nobody wants to wear a personal item like a headset when every other student has worn them. £1k + is too much for a headset but flying is not exactly cheap full stop, whatever you fly. I like the A20's because my pessimistic side thinks "if I fail my medical or have to give up flying at least I can get something back for my cans". I knew this vid would look a bit 'high and mighty' but it was never meant to be and I apologise Steve if it came across that way.

@ess64cee Год назад

@@ShortField High and mighty? I don't think so. You're spot on : Bose leads the way for sure in quality and there's no denying the cache of the brand which makes them a really nice thing to have. With money in the wallet I'm sure I'd be following suit, but in the meantime, I'm pretending it's because I wanted something different 😜 Enjoying the channel , cheers.

@ShortField Год назад

@@ess64cee cheers buddy 👍