Diver Driver

Bose has a lengthy history of producing aviation headsets dating back to the late 1980’s. I’ve always been intrigued by their over-the-ear headsets, such as the Aviation X and the A20, however, my preference has always been in-ear style headsets for work. Since I do very little general aviation flying, the added noise protection capability of an over-the-ear headset wasn’t necessary for me flying a turbine aircraft. When Bose came out with the ProFlight Series 1 headset, I went to my local pilot shop and tried it on. Long story short, I really liked it… but life happens, and I ended up putting the purchase on hold for a while. So naturally, when Series 2 was announced, I was excited to get ahold of one.

With that said, I’ve spent the better part of the last month with the Bose ProFlight Series 2 Aviation Headset and wanted to share my experience with it so far. Let’s check it out.
The headset arrived well packaged for the journey in the mail. Opening the box revealed the instructions resting on top of the headset case.



The headset unit itself was secured within the case inside a plastic insert and contained an additional tag referencing earbud and microphone adjustments. Within the case there is also a velcro zipper pouch containing small and large earbuds, 2 AA batteries, a case clip and a control module lanyard (which allows you to hang your control module in the cockpit).



The headset itself comes pre-installed with the medium sized earbuds. Upon initial fitting, I found that these worked well for me – so I have yet to try to change them out. The earbuds can be cleaned in the field with sani-wipes and they can also be detached from the headset and gently hand-washed.



The boom mic position (Left side or Right) can be changed on the ProFlight Series 2 surprisingly easily and with no tools. The headset arrived with the boom mic attached to the left side of my unit, my preference being the right, I was able to make the swap in about 30 seconds. To do this, there is an arrow tab on the inside of the base on both sides – one with the boom mic attached and the other with a termination cap. Simply press the tab and gently pull the boom mic out, repeating the same process with the termination cap. Slide the boom mic into the desired side and replace the termination cap into the other open side and you’re done. It’s that easy.

Diver Driver

The face of the control module contains an On/Off button and ANC High, Medium and Low settings. Bluetooth models contain additional controls for Bluetooth On/Off with Mute, Mix and Off settings as well as a volume selector on the side of the control module. The Bluetooth function also allows the headset to be connected to your smart phone or tablet either with or without the Bose Connect app. Using the Bose Connect app will allow you to connect to multiple Bluetooth sources, such as an EFB and phone at the same time. It also allows for audio sharing with other Bose Connect app users in the cockpit if desired.



Inside the control module where the 2 – AA batteries are placed, there are a few toggle settings that can be adjusted to fit your preferred operation. In my unit they are, Mono/Stereo Intercom; Auto-Off On/Off; Aircraft Audio Normal/Low, two reserved positions for future updates and Tap Control On/Off. Mono/Stereo intercom placement will usually be in the Mono position for most transport category aircraft. I kept mine in the factory configuration apart from moving Tap Control from Off to On. If you’re not familiar with Tap Control, the feature allows you to double tap an earbud to kick off ANC for that side – handy when talking with a jumpseater or flight attendant in the cockpit outside of your aircraft’s intercom without having to remove an earbud.

First Flights:

Initial impressions are overwhelmingly positive, the headset is very light – just 4.5 oz on head. The cable connecting the headset to the control module is thin and lightweight. It comes with two cable clothing clips to assist with cord management. Putting on the headset prior to push was simple and quick the first time. It’s clear this is a well thought out design. The mic contains an alignment dot for easy positioning in your periphery. For night flights, a double press of the power button reduces the brightness of the power indicator lights. The headset band sits a little bit forward on the head compared to some other headsets, but it is a very natural and comfortable position for this design. The rotatable side cushions are soft and light, they rest high enough above the ears that they do not interfere with sunglasses or eyeglasses; it even does well over a baseball cap. Thanks to the lightweight design of the headset, they do not produce much pressure on the head at all. Even on longer flights (>4 hours), I find that there isn’t any pressure points or discomfort – leaving the sensation that you’re just wearing earbuds without the additional hardware.

ANC performance is excellent. I fly a medium-noise level aircraft and performed my first takeoff with the ANC in the High setting. Had it not been for tactile feel of the engines spooling up and aircraft moving down the runway, I could hear very little outside. Playing around with the High, Medium and Low settings, I have found that the Medium setting works the best for my application. If you happen to fly a louder aircraft, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how well this headset can perform.

The Bluetooth function works very well. If you’re listening to music (or have any other BT audio), the Mute setting on the control module will mute your music when a radio call or intercom communication comes through. Mix will reduce the volume of music equal to or lower than the aircraft comms so you don’t miss a radio call. The Off position simply allows you to turn Auto Bluetooth volume modification off.




Some of the aircraft I operate do not contain a hot-mic intercom system and instead employ a PTT-style intercom. It is common for us in these airframes to just leave one ear uncovered or an earbud out so we can converse in the cockpit without the additional steps of using the PTT intercom. The ProFlight Series 2 headset contains a small hook on the outside of both side cushions to hang an earbud if you decide to fly with one out. I find that I rely heavily on this and it works very well keeping one earbud secure and out of the way while flying.

Battery Life:

Battery life on the ProFlight Series 2 is advertised as 25 hours with the Bluetooth ON and over 45 hours with the Bluetooth function OFF. Average power consumption is 250mW. I have flown around 35 hours with a little bit of Bluetooth use (maybe 4-5 hours total), and I’m still on the original AA batteries. I had planned on using a set of rechargeable AA batteries when these finally went out, however, Bose does not recommend this for their headsets due to the uneven power delivery they discovered testing many rechargeable batteries. I might still give rechargeable batteries a try, but standard disposable AA batteries are recommended for use by Bose.

Final Thoughts:

The headset itself is very light weight, however, it has proven to be very strong. There have been several times that I’ve put pressure on it accidentally – including one where it fell on the floor of the cockpit and my EFB bag inadvertently got placed on top of it. The headset was fine, thankfully. The case is fairly rigid, and I have been carrying it around clipped to the outside of my EFB bag. So far, no issues with either the case, clip or damage to the headset. Bose has made available many of the common wear parts available for purchase on their website. The headset also includes a 5 – year warranty and a 30 – day risk free trial. I’ve been very happy with the ProFlight Series 2 so far and look forward to flying with it for many years to come. If you’re looking for a new headset or are just curious, I recommend you give this headset a try – I think you’ll be glad you did.

ZapBrannigan

Anybody use one of these in a 737 who can compare the noise reduction to other in ear headsets like the QT Halo or Clarity Aloft?

ReluctantEskimo

Can't compare.. but I dig it. It's good ANR. Not as good as QC45s. And the buds are exactly like wearing Sound Sports.

Triggs

I'm using it in the 737, and the mid ANR setting is perfect, cancels out the wind noise and you really can't hear the engines