kept saying…“not gonna spend that much”… but flying 400 miles twice a week in my skyhawk (as I wait for SR22 #96 to call me)means “comfort at any cost”…so after a couple of months with the Lightspeed 20XL (I thought they were great and they are!) I began to notice the weight and pinch after a few hours and I decided to 30 day trial on a set of Bose…flew them this week…7.2 hrs and 800 miles later, they are MUCH better…lighter, quieter (by a surprising margin). I took along the lightspeeds to compare during the trip, and I have to say I’m glad I spent the extra 400.00 for the Bose…careful buying from Bose on the internet, though, they collect sales tax (others don’t…yet).
Charlie,
I owned 20XLs before buying a set of Bose X. For my head, the 20XLs are more comfortable but the Bose have better electronics (clear sound better in my Archer).
My partners and I have SR22 #95 so we might get to meet you in Duluth.
Chris
kept saying…“not gonna spend that much”… but flying 400 miles twice a week in my skyhawk (as I wait for SR22 #96 to call me)means “comfort at any cost”…so after a couple of months with the Lightspeed 20XL (I thought they were great and they are!) I began to notice the weight and pinch after a few hours and I decided to 30 day trial on a set of Bose…flew them this week…7.2 hrs and 800 miles later, they are MUCH better…lighter, quieter (by a surprising margin). I took along the lightspeeds to compare during the trip, and I have to say I’m glad I spent the extra 400.00 for the Bose…careful buying from Bose on the internet, though, they collect sales tax (others don’t…yet).
…set of Bose…flew them this week…7.2 hrs and 800 miles later, they are MUCH better…lighter, quieter (by a surprising margin). I took along the lightspeeds to compare during the trip, and I have to say I’m glad I spent the extra 400.00 for the Bose…
I agree.
I started out with a Lightspeed 25XL and was pretty happy with it, until I tried on a Bose X. I find them much more comfortable, ANR is as good or better than the 25XL. Though they are twice as pricey, they are not twice as good. But, they are easier to justify than a new SR22.
Charlie: Thanks for the firsthand report. I have a SR22 for delivery in January 2002, and I plan to get the Bose before I strart training for my BFR and ICC at Wings Aloft. I have a couple of Bose suggestions:
-
Bose runs ads in Flying and elsewhere where you can spread the payments on the headset over a period of time. I think the most generous is 12 mos. These are probably intended to motivate the gift-buying portion of the market as they seem to run before Christmas, but it works the same if you are the reciepient. They will bill your credit card in installments. Ask about the terms.
-
I recall that there is a Bose product for the aviation headset which is a sheepskin pad that goes under the headband. It has a Bose part number. If the headband bumps the top of your head, ask Bose about it.
I have tried, without success so far, to get Cirrus to change the existing “NR Power” connector to the connector that mates with the Bose 5 pin single point connection. Tom Bergeron reports recently in an email that the existing Cirrus connector mates with another headset and is supposed to the “industry standard, but not followed”. If you want ship’s power to the Bose, be prepared to pay to have the connectors changed to Bose standard.
I love the Bose and think it is significantly more comfortable than the Lightspeed, which I have the SR20 model. More importantly, my wife likes the Bose. I figure that I expect to own the SR22 and headsets for many years and the difference in cost is very little on a per hour basisamortized over more than 1,000 hours.
The Bose battery powered models have a battery box which includes the on/off switch and volume controls. this box is about the size of a cigarette pack (Give of take a bit: I don’t smoke).
The installed interphase version uses the same exact box, except that the box does not have an opening for the battery compartment. What a waste. I have seen a prototype of a replacement for this box which I’ve been told will eventually be used on the he installed versions. this ‘box’ resembles a shapely (tapered) pen (MOL). This is clearly more elegant and convenient. sales has said it would be out last year and the techies said they have no idea when it will be out.
You may want to ask about this feature. The more of us that ask, the more likely Bose will be to change over.
I’ve been flying with the Bose Headset X for a couple years now and I am totally happy with it. (I actually have two, one for the wife.) I have the battery powered ones, and my only gripe is that the batteries don’t last very long. Like maybe 20 hours.
Bose’s support is second to none. I had a slight problem with one of the “ports” on one headset and they repaired it and turned it around in one day, and shipped it FedEx overnight on their dime.
I did get the little pads for the top of the band. I just asked for them on the phone and they sent them the same day, free.
I will definately want to get my SR22 wired for them. Bose will convert the battery model to the wired model (not for free, though). Has anyone wired their SRxx for the Bose? I’d like to know what’s involved. I gather Cirrus won’t do it. Maybe by the time I get mine they will. (SR22 #234 Scheduled 5/02 but I’m guessing August.)
Gordon
kept saying…“not gonna spend that much”… but flying 400 miles twice a week in my skyhawk (as I wait for SR22 #96 to call me)means “comfort at any cost”…so after a couple of months with the Lightspeed 20XL (I thought they were great and they are!) I began to notice the weight and pinch after a few hours and I decided to 30 day trial on a set of Bose…flew them this week…7.2 hrs and 800 miles later, they are MUCH better…lighter, quieter (by a surprising margin). I took along the lightspeeds to compare during the trip, and I have to say I’m glad I spent the extra 400.00 for the Bose…careful buying from Bose on the internet, though, they collect sales tax (others don’t…yet).
Definitely a personal thing. My partner had a set of Bose X. I didn’t like them. In fact, he didn’t either. He returned them and I bought a lightspeed 25XL. We both like them much better.
sales has said it would be out last year and the techies said they have no idea when it will be out.
You may want to ask about this feature. The more of us that ask, the more likely Bose will be to change over.
I’ve been told in Friedrichshafen by the (dutch ?) sales agent it will be out this summer.
Wilfried
I’ve been told in Friedrichshafen by the (dutch ?) sales agent it will be out this summer.
Wilfried
thanks, but watch out for those sael guys!. I was originally told by a salesman at NBAA (Oct. 2000) that it would be out by the end of the year. the guy in Mass. (Bose corp.) said that it was somewhere in the thought process, but definately not that year.
Let’s hope it’s soon.
somewhere in the thought process, but definately not that year.
Let’s hope it’s soon.
he had a real piece (prototype ?) in his hands…
I’ve been flying with the Bose Headset X for a couple years now and I am totally happy with it. (I actually have two, one for the wife.) I have the battery powered ones, and my only gripe is that the batteries don’t last very long. Like maybe 20 hours.
Bose’s support is second to none. I had a slight problem with one of the “ports” on one headset and they repaired it and turned it around in one day, and shipped it FedEx overnight on their dime.
I did get the little pads for the top of the band. I just asked for them on the phone and they sent them the same day, free.
I will definately want to get my SR22 wired for them. Bose will convert the battery model to the wired model (not for free, though). Has anyone wired their SRxx for the Bose? I’d like to know what’s involved. I gather Cirrus won’t do it. Maybe by the time I get mine they will. (SR22 #234 Scheduled 5/02 but I’m guessing August.)
Gordon
kept saying…“not gonna spend that much”… but flying 400 miles twice a week in my skyhawk (as I wait for SR22 #96 to call me)means “comfort at any cost”…so after a couple of months with the Lightspeed 20XL (I thought they were great and they are!) I began to notice the weight and pinch after a few hours and I decided to 30 day trial on a set of Bose…flew them this week…7.2 hrs and 800 miles later, they are MUCH better…lighter, quieter (by a surprising margin). I took along the lightspeeds to compare during the trip, and I have to say I’m glad I spent the extra 400.00 for the Bose…careful buying from Bose on the internet, though, they collect sales tax (others don’t…yet).
Cirrus will do it at the factory!