I flew with my new A30 today.
There was some small difference to the A20. Overall noise level is basically the same, but there is considerably less white noise in the ANR on the A30, so despite the same attenuation I could hear more of the engine note.
This was tested in a TB20 GT which is already the quietest SEP cabin I’ve flown in. I don’t know if the GT models have more soundproofing than older ones, but it really is quiet. I’ll have to try the headset with my rag and tube Escapade (loud as hell) to see how that copes.
The mic and general audio quality was also better, but I’m really splitting hairs here. No way is it worth buying A30 to upgrade from A20.
Hope it doesn’t come across too harsh. Can’t help it but feel more of inventing the improved features of the A30 than pointing any real progress. Desperately trying to market this outrageously priced bulky thing (the same goes for A20 pricewise).
Bose QC35/45 and any of the aviation mic add-ons bring good ANR at fraction of the cost. Still good looking, much lighter and not just single purpose aviation device.
A20 has been selling for something like 13 years. It still had the best ANR on the market (in my opinion) which shows that it isn’t really possible to improve much.
By this point Bose had to release something new. The A30 is a similar end result but the design/architecture and construction is totally different. Also they are now manufactured by their consumer product division. From a manufacturing point of view it makes much more sense to design a new product to fit their production line than to adapt the line for a very old product.
I have Bose QC45 which I use all the time, but the noise attenuation, both passive and active, is absolutely nowhere comparable on these headphones compared to the aviation headsets. They are not the same thing and are not comparable.
One thing that I thought was quite striking was how biased all the review are.
Search youtube for Bose A30 review and you’ll find that all except 1 (at least that I could find) came out on the date that the new headset were announced. So Bose sent these reviewers a headset in advance for review. Obviously those people would be potentially biased as they wouldn’t want to give a bad review and be off the list for the next time. I’ve seen one reviewer comment that it wasn’t yet clear if they were allowed to keep the headset sent for review, or not. So again that might potentially bias a reviewer in that they’d obviously like to be allowed to keep it, and are more likely to be asked to send it back if the review isn’t favourable.
And pretty much every review I’ve read from someone who got the headset for review droned on about how great it was. Nobody really addressed the issue that it was just a ‘refresh’ rather than any serious development or progress.
Lots of comments about wires being hidden, tapping the ear cup to be able to turn off noise cancelling (I’m sure most will just lift the ear cup if they need that), three modes of ANR (which for GA will just be left at max) and being able to swap sides of the mike boom (which very few people will probably do). But nothing really questioning the lack of new developments or serious improvements (plenty of that in the comments sections!).
That’s not surprising for the reasons mentioned above.
And since the initial release I’ve only see 1 further review (from someone who bough them with their own funds) and IO390 above. So anyone looking for a genuine review gets lots of biased videos and very little genuine review.
It serves as a good reminder to take any reviews with caution, especially if the review is paid for or the item provided for free to the reviewer.
To be clear, I’ve nothing against it. I am almost certainly going to buy one as I was planning on buying an A20 as I need an additional headset. I just find it striking how biased all the currently available video reviews are.
how biased all the review are.
Try ski and ski equipment reviews 
These are 100% (100%) purchased and paid for. The reviewers are not the most literate to start with and they totally struggle with writing just enough bland BS to knock up a YT video or a mag article, which doesn’t sound exactly like every other.
I’m sure most will just lift the ear cup if they need that
If I want to hear the enging, yes, I lift off the headset cup
dublinpilot wrote:
tapping the ear cup to be able to turn off noise cancelling
Aimed at the airline market where pilots may want to communicate with other crew members but not via the intercomm
dublinpilot wrote:
just find it striking how biased all the currently available video reviews are
Well if it is a good headset they would be wouldn’t they.
dublinpilot wrote:
I’ve seen one reviewer comment that it wasn’t yet clear if they were allowed to keep the headset sent for review, or not.
It is difficult to put a smiley in a video. Knowing the reviewer involved I suspect you are missing the humour
It serves as a good reminder to take any reviews with caution
Don’t you always do that ?
Particularly when it’s Garmin, Foreflight and Bose, who try to contract each and every of the top GA youtubers to act as their “ambassadors” or whatever they call it and produce videos advertising their kit. That’s the marketing strategy of these companies.
Today, almost nobody reads printed mags, so mfgs need to do something different, and with so many social media “heroes” being, ahem, “heroes” that is where they go.
It’s the same everywhere else – in industry too. In industrial B2B, everybody is doing exhibitions…
