Bose Proflight

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MrTurbine
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Bose Proflight

Post by MrTurbine »

If any of you get your hands on the new Bose Proflight aviation headset, could you please share your experience on here? It would be nice to get some feedback from people using it on the line, before I invest $$$$ into it.

Also, what type of aircraft your using it in.
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willfly4food
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Re: Bose Proflight

Post by willfly4food »

I don't know that anyone has one yet. I stopped in at a pilot supply store recently to check them out. I was told that they were not expecting their first ones to arrive until the end of July or early August.
I would also like some feedback. Seems like the best thing going right now and as a tool that you interact with every day and prevents hearing loss, we should all get the best headset we can.
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TOGA Party
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Re: Bose Proflight

Post by TOGA Party »

Ordered mine as soon as I woke up this morning. First day orders were allowed. It said temporarily out of stock, but I’ll post a review when I get it.

I fly the 320.
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Taco Joe
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Re: Bose Proflight

Post by Taco Joe »

I tried it on the other day in AvWorld before they went on sale earlier on in the week. It's a very different feeling headset (not uncomfortable, just feels different compared to a traditional headset). As you can probably see in the photos on their website, the frame that goes across the top of your head stops and sits just above your ears. Out of that frame is where the cord and boom mike come from (on about a 20 degree angle out from the bottom), which means your mike boom has to go down your temple and the side of your face before coming forward. I found, if you didn't have the headset sitting on your head in the absolute perfect position, the mic and cord going into the plane would be in your peripheral vision the whole time (which drives me crazy) and if you looked down at your lap to look at a chart or write something down, the cords would bunch up in your face. That was a deal breaker for me and I ended up getting the DC Pro-X, I tried that out in the Lear 45 on the way down to Florida yesterday and at least for me, I think was the better purchase.
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Adam Oke
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Re: Bose Proflight

Post by Adam Oke »

Taco Joe wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 6:09 amI ended up getting the DC Pro-X, I tried that out in the Lear 45 on the way down to Florida yesterday and at least for me, I think was the better purchase.
I think I'm sold on getting the Pro-X, but I've yet to try it on. I keep bouncing back and forth from Clarity Aloft vs Pro-X. Does the Pro-X move when you move your head around? My understanding is they must be positioned just right for the ENC to work (obviously). It seems with the number of different hinges it makes it easy for it to slide around. Is the ENC sufficient?

Call me a wimp, and I've been called worse in my life, but the A20's are too heavy on the longer flights and I think I will give up the excellent noise cancelling to cut the weight in half.
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Taco Joe
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Re: Bose Proflight

Post by Taco Joe »

Adam Oke wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 7:34 am
Taco Joe wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 6:09 amI ended up getting the DC Pro-X, I tried that out in the Lear 45 on the way down to Florida yesterday and at least for me, I think was the better purchase.
I think I'm sold on getting the Pro-X, but I've yet to try it on. I keep bouncing back and forth from Clarity Aloft vs Pro-X. Does the Pro-X move when you move your head around? My understanding is they must be positioned just right for the ENC to work (obviously). It seems with the number of different hinges it makes it easy for it to slide around. Is the ENC sufficient?

Call me a wimp, and I've been called worse in my life, but the A20's are too heavy on the longer flights and I think I will give up the excellent noise cancelling to cut the weight in half.
On my head, they don’t move around. It’s a very good fit, snug but not tight. They’re also pretty light weight with the magnesium frame.

As for the ENC, they do need to be positioned correctly (in line with the ear canal, according to the manual), but once they’re there, the memory foam on the ear seal takes shape and it works beautifully. I barely heard any wind or engine noise for the 2.5-3 hours I wore them yesterday. Some of the best ENC/ANR that I’ve experienced.

I understand you’ll be on the 737 soon? I’ve heard they’re loud (someone please correct me if I’m wrong). I think these will work well, the 45 is a pretty loud plane (seems standard for Bombardier products) and I was impressed with them. You could always try them out for a flight or two and return them to the store.
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Airbrake
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Re: Bose Proflight

Post by Airbrake »

I have had one in the 737 for the last 3 days. Flew a turn to SFO, PHX and to YXX.
I currently have the A20 and QC20i.
The new headset is way lighter. 1/3 or more lighter, not including the cable.
Love the way the new strap fits my head and allows the arms of my glasses to not be pressed into my head at all. There seems to be lots of room for adjustment.
The side pads are comfortable as well for long trips without adjustment.
The mic is a great mic that doesn’t pic up a lot of background noise and doesn’t need to be 1mm from your lips.
The active noise canceling has the 3 options.
I have consistently used the middle one for the NG, I have been in the -800 for the PHX and SFO turns and they are significantly quieter than the -700 from today. Still only needs the medium setting to make it all tolerable.
The passive noise cancelling obviously is not like the A20 but if you set your mind up for that you won’t be disappointed. I use the QC20i for walk arounds and the Pro is similar or better active noise cancelling.
The ear buds with 3 sizes allows you to find the right fit. Some ears may find hot spots, moving them a little adjusts that quickly.

The A20 has at times gotten interference when your head is close to the windows from the heating system. The Pro has no such interference.

I have used the Bluetooth on a call and it works seamlessly. So far roughy 12 hours on the batteries and I’m certain they are a long way from needing recharging.
I have used the Bluetooth to listen to music on the ground only and cannot comment inflight on that yet.
I played with the double tapping of the ear buds to turn off individual noise canceling, works as advertised. No issue and a cool tool when starting the engines or having a visitor in the flghtdeck.

The only possible negative comment I have is about the case. There is no strap to hook into another bag or carry it. The case itself is a semi hard one that protects the headset very well.

From my flights I love it.
I can see why to may be perfect for some and not others. Having a in ear system is not for everyone but definitely is for me.
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Cap'n Tripps
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Re: Bose Proflight

Post by Cap'n Tripps »

Hey all!

2 flights (9 hours) in a Conquest, and so far so good. ANR on high is excellent, much better than the Clarity Aloft with custom ear molds I was using previously. Spare batteries on hand would be a necessity. I'm considering ear molds for the Proflight as well, but so far, don't see the need. Music over bluetooth works great. You can sync 2 devices at once (eg: ipod/phone)

No hot spots with ears/glasses/hats/ etc. Slightly heavier than Clarity Aloft, but fits better than the metal band on the CA. Felt a little weird at the beginning, especially trying to make sure the buds were inserted properly. A well made product.

I was planning on returning them if they weren't going to work out with the 441, after hearing they may not work so well in a (relatively loud) turboprop as opposed to a jet, but I'm hanging onto mine.

Next day delivery from Calgary (paid for 2 day) in the sticks 3 provinces over.

Hope that helps.

Cheers!
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willfly4food
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Re: Bose Proflight

Post by willfly4food »

I have tried other headsets including ones with passive custom moulded ear pieces. None seemed to keep me happy and I begrudgingly kept switching back to my Lightspeed Zulu's which I had been using in turboprops for the last decade. I just didn't like the weight and hot spots for the long flights.

I just flew with these for the first time today. Bose got the ergonomics right with this headset. It was comfortable to wear for the whole day. I didn't find any fatigue, hot spots etc from the head pads above my ears. I wasn't constantly adjusting it like I often did with my traditional headset cups. I also like the fit and finish. These seem to be well engineered and well built. My first impression is that they should be able to last a long time without needing repair.

Although I did not buy it for the tap feature (figured it was just a sales gimmick), I found it extremely handy. At my company, none of the machines we have use a locking intercom on the Captain's side. Some of the FO's intercoms lock. Consequently, most of the pilots I work with don't use the intercom for start, taxi and takeoff. Some don't use it at all and just shout for 6-10 hours a day. The tap feature worked superbly for this function. I could hear the radios clearly in one ear and despite all the wind and engine noise, I had no problem hearing the non-intercom communication. I think the microphone is also picking up the non-intercom voice and playing it through the headset which helps clarify and boost the volume here. I liked that I wasn't cracking one ear cup off to the side to do this. I used to hate flying with old dinosaurs that couldn't figure out how to push the intercom button to talk to me. Flying with one ear cup off and one on just gave me headaches. Problem solved.
The microphone was crystal clear. It doesn't need to be right up against your lips like most of my older headsets.

When it comes to the ANR function, it does an awesome job at reducing the ambient noise in the 737 cockpit. I believe it does a better job of this than my Lightspeed Zulus do and they have a titanium ear cup to isolate a good portion of the noise before applying the ANR. This is the first headset I have tried that seemed to actually make the 737 seem quiet-ish. FWIW, I used the high setting on my ANR. I'll try out the lower settings tomorrow when I have some longer legs, but I'm not sure why I wouldn't want to use the maximum setting to reduce as much noise as I can. Really impressed with the ANR on this headset.

The headset auto-shut off feature worked well. My Zulu's would usually stay on for an entire turn around because of the APU and other noises. I have even seen them stay on once put away in my case while doing a tail swap. The Bose shut off within a minute or two of the engine being cut off. This will really extend the battery life and I'm curious to see how long I get out of a set before charging.

If I had to add any negative comments, I guess I would have to say that putting them back into the case is a little tricky and yes the case doesn't have a strap. Maybe I'm just not putting them back properly. I would also love it if there was a bit more space in the case for a battery charger as I use rechargeable batteries. The strap isn't that big of a deal since everyone flying a jet carries around a brain bag anyway. As soon as I'm done work the case goes back into my flight bag. As for seeing the mic boom in the corner of my eye, I guess I did see it. I can also see the frame of my glasses if I am looking for them. After a few seconds though you don't notice.

This isn't a headset for turboprop drivers. You guys are susceptible to conductive hearing loss from the low frequency vibrations in your machines. For a jet jockey this headset is probably the best modern headset that addresses most of the needs of people operating at an airline.

I do believe that your headset is the piece of equipment you interact with the most on a daily basis and you can never get your hearing back once it's gone. It is worth having the best headset that is most suited to your type of flying that you can afford. I would not have bought this headset if I were not already in the market for something new. I got 10 or more years out of my light speed zulu's and I hope to do the same with these.
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