Bikeguy

Going to do a zero to hero program starting on Monday, and figured if I'm going to be flying that much, I may as well get a nice set of headphones.

Decided on Bose A20 bluetooth model.

There is a large used, new and refurbished market on eBay.

Here is a guide on what to look for.

If you want the bluetooth model, you want the Gen 2. Gen 2 allows for both streaming of music and phone calls. Even if you don't want streaming of music, you still want Gen 2 headphones, solely because they are still in warranty.

And, very few buyers have any idea how to tell the difference on eBay and Gen 1 and Gen 2 sell for the same price. I couldn't believe it, so I decided to write this thread.

Gen 2 Bluetooth came out in July 2015. The way you can tell they are Gen 2 is the switch below the Bluetooth symbol has three settings, Off, Mute and Mix. As of now, they are all still in warranty, because the warranty is 5 years.

Gen 1 has been around since at least 2010. The Bluetooth is only for phone calls, not music or podcast streaming. The switch below the Bluetooth button has either Off or symbols. As there is a 5 year warranty, these sets are mostly out of warranty.

The seller descriptions on eBay say stuff like "Purchased new 7 months ago and only flown 275 hours." But when you look at the switch, it is pre July 2015 Gen 1.

So, because of the lack of education of eBay buyers, both Gen 1 and Gen 2 are getting bid to the same price. Why buy a Gen 1 when you could buy a Gen 2?

If you want an even better deal, it is possible to get a Gen 2 with a LEMO and buy the GA adapter from Sportys. The LEMO connector ones don't get as high a price, because the GA dual plugs are the most used, so demand is higher. Although you may get a good deal on a helicopter plug, they come in low and high impedence. Only one works with a GA simple adapter. And I'm not confident all the eBay sellers will know which they have.

Lastly, beware the zero rating sellers. There are a lot of bogus accounts, people with zero ratings, selling "New Bose A20 Bluetooth Headphones", and they are showing pictures of the Gen 1s that are at least 4 years old. If someone has less than 10 or 20 deals, I'd stay away. You'll eventually get your money back, but it will be a hassle.

If you are set on new, there are sometimes deals where you can get a set of speakers or earphones when you buy. May as well take advantage of that if you can wait. And CFIs get a $125 discount on the Bluetooth version.

I just bought my pair of Gen 2 Bluetooth for $720 shipped tonight with Buy It Now. IMHO, if you can get used Gen 2 Bluetooth for $750 or under, you are doing well, especially seeing how many Gen 1's sell for more than that.