PAJ wrote:Tried on a pair at their booth... The bluetooth is cool but if I remember correctly, only works with a phone.
PAJ
So it won't work with my iPhone through BT, then Zulu it is.
Did you not read what he wrote? You even quoted him. "only works with a phone". The iPhone is a phone. Safe to say, the iphone will work with the BT. Yikes.
In either case, the new A20's are very lightweight and comfortable, but as mentioned, priced a bit high. Weren't the X's out for like 12 years? Crazy!
Just tried a set and sent them back. Went back to the Telex 850. They were just to quite! They worked great with an iphone but the music only works with the aux cable. Found them a little bulky but have been using the telex for over 8 years so you can understand this. I have a Blulink adapter that has been used once. It does not work well with the audio panel in my aircraft. If someone is interested in a good deal for a "like new" blulink pm me!
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rooster wrote:Did you not read what he wrote? You even quoted him. "only works with a phone". The iPhone is a phone. Safe to say, the iphone will work with the BT. Yikes.
I suppose I could have been a bit more specific. The bluetooth only works with the phone functions and if you want to listen to iTunes on your iPhone then you will need the Aux Cables as Hawkerflyer mentions. Pain in the rear if you ask me.
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Last edited by PAJ on Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I’m back to Kraft Dinner Suppers for the next while; I caved into my desires and went and picked up the A-20.
I’m really impressed with the level of noise canceling, its weight, and design. Compared to the DC XL-13, everything sounds so clear and not muffled – Voices, Mouth, and Cockpit noises – I felt born again and my ears were given a second chance at life. I was disappointed in learning that to listen to music you need to connect the phone/mp3 player/device/whatever into the Aux and you CAN’T stream music through Bluetooth like the Zulu. I gave Boss a call to investigate why and it was explained to me that the Boss doesn’t support A2DP functions (to stream music) because A2DP functions are a large battery drain which would kill your battery life and reduce the level of Active Noise Canceling so Plug-It-In. The Zulu has A2DP Support on its Bluetooth but it streams at low-Bitrate which is why the music is canny with poor Bit-Rate quality (so I was told) and Boss is all about sound quality so they don’t support it. Meh… At least I got an answer and know why.
Solution: I-Pod Shuffle strapped on the Headset remote by a 1 Inch piece of Stick-On Velcro.
I've picked the new one up, but haven't flown with it yet .. just tinkering around on the ground so far, comfort is HIGH compared to the previous Bose model that I had and loved for years. Also .. THE SOUND WITH AN IPOD PLUGGED IN IS PHENOMENAL !!! I can't wait to get this thing in the sky for a try
Here is my review of the A-20 Vs. Zulu. A co-worker has the Zulu and we tested them on the ground and in-flight. Here are the Pros and Cons:
IMO
Pros of the Zulu / Cons of A-20:
(1) You can’t stream music wirelessly through Bluetooth (because of the loss of sound quality, Bose doesn’t support wireless music streaming since they’re about the clearest sound)
(2) The Zulu has a “Front Row Centre” feature which makes your music sound “Fuller” with more Bass – I guess? I believe the Bose doesn’t have it because it would be considered tampering with the sound quality.
(3) The Zulu has a Sound Option that will dim the music to 20% when a transmission comes through. This allows you to blast your tunes as loud as you want without being afraid of missing a call and not missing a beat. The A-20 has a feature that will cut out the music completely during a transmission but you lose a bit of the beat of the song. I’m not one to blast my music anyways and after 10 minutes of the music dimming all the time, it was annoying and I had the music play continuously but not as loud – so not much loss.
Pros of the A-20 / Cons of the Zulu:
(1) My number 1 dislike of the Zulu was the Active noise cancelling “Gurgling” effect in the headset anytime that the pressure is lost from the seal. Even chewing gum or having sunglasses was disrupting the Active noise cancelling and creating the Gurgling. The A-20 doesn’t do this.
(2) The A-20 is much quieter than the Zulu. Period.
(3) The sound quality of the A-20 was superior, the transmissions were clearer with less background noise being picked up from the mic. The music quality with the Front Row Center of the Zulu did seem to amplify the Base of the music, however, I think with the lower noise cancellation that the music in-flight of the A-20 sounded better.
(4) The A-20 is smaller, lighter – more comfortable for myself
(5) The A-20 has beefier connector cables – the Zulu’s look slim and I question their durability in a professional’s field that is constantly disconnecting and switching aeroplanes
That’s my review – Take it for what it’s worth – I own the A-20 and I think it was well worth the extra money. I could have spent a week all inclusive in Mexico at a resort but instead, my kidneys are healthier, my hearing is protected, and quality of life is better.
The A20 survived the winter up in YGX, several days of minus forty! Really enjoy them, just sucks when it comes time to put them back on again, and have to rewarm them. Battery life is shortened abit by the cold, but by far the best investment yet!
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First, can you really write off a headeset on your taxes? Because if you can, that's awesome!
Second, with the A-20 when listening to music, does it always cut out when there is a radio transmission? or can you get it to continuously play, and just have the volume set lower?
I have been using the A-20's now for a couple of months up north and I have to say I have been impressed. They are light, very quiet and have had no problems at -40 degrees! The battery life seems to be quite long as well. When I was looking I compared them to the Zulu and found that the Bose had superior nose canceling.
Just wondering if everyone here is still enjoying their A20's? Any issues with them yet? I heard the X's plastic yoke that holds the ear pieces on would break fairly often (a $175 fix). Any similar issues' with the A20?
I noticed that the inner screen on each side is a bit off-looking. Like its not flush all the way across the ear cup. If I push on it it can move a bit too. I phoned Bose and they said this was normal. Is yours the same deal?
swervin wrote:Just wondering if everyone here is still enjoying their A20's? Any issues with them yet? I heard the X's plastic yoke that holds the ear pieces on would break fairly often (a $175 fix). Any similar issues' with the A20?
Blue tooth is a bit useless unless you are making phone calls, and that requires phone reception. Music is much better when played through a wired connection.
Yes, but when you are being discrete Bluetooth works much better (I don't want my passengers knowing I am rocking out, but for patrols and surveys I use the wire).
