Bose introduced its newest headset, the A30, on opening day of the 2023 SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida.
The A30 features reduced clamping force for comfort, improved clarity, and a new digital active noise reduction system that enables three modes of noise cancellation for use in different flight environments, from piston aircraft to commercial airliners, company officials said.
“When we asked pilots what improvement was most important to them, their overwhelming response was comfort,” said Matt Ruwe, a pilot and senior product manager for Bose. “We took that seriously and developed a new balance in the A30 with noticeably more comfort while maintaining and enhancing headset performance. The changes amplify the experience for our core A20 users while appealing to a broader range of pilots.”
Features of the A30 include:
- Reduced clamping force: The A30 retains the center pivot spring design in the A20’s headband but now boasts a 20% reduction in clamping force. Additionally, engineers shifted the headset’s center of gravity to ensure stability, company officials report. Together, these features reduce hot spots and improve fit across a wider range of head sizes, making long flights more comfortable, according to Bose officials..
- Swappable cable and mic: Pilots can transfer the A30’s boom mic and down cable to either side of the headset without tools. The headset’s down cable also is lighter and more flexible for easier movement and storage, company officials said.
- When enabled via a user selectable switch setting, the A30 allows pilots to double-tap the earcups for talk-through communication.
The headset sells for $1,249 in the U.S. and is available now.
I wonder if this new headset does anything to improve attenuation of the high frequency noise generated by the increasingly popular Rotax engines. When I bought my new A20 a year ago I was somewhat disappointed at it’s performance in my Rotax powered airplane. Nice headset but not great in this particular environment. In fact, it makes flying behind a Rotax more annoying since you can hear the high frequency screaming to the point a lot of people I know are switching to the Clarity Aloft or Halo passive earbuds.
When I read about the A30 I was hopping to see that the “Mode” switch would have a “Rotax Mode” but I don’t see anything like that advertised. I guess I will have to keep waiting.
I have a Rotax and the Bose are great. I did have some high pitched whining/noise when I had a USB charger and my table plugged in. Maybe check your ground or any electrical items?
Too much money.
Many of Bose’s competitors offer the same performance and features for substantially less.
However, if paying for a name, logo and bragging rights are important, go for it.