AV100 ANR Headset

When I bought this headset the thing I wanted to know most was if I should get the AKG or the Bose A20. Here are my thoughts. The ANR on the AV100 is not quite as good as the Bose A20, but it is very close and is still excellent. This is a great product regardless. I purchased these over the A20 because they are more comfortable and durable. I compared over multiple flights. I have been using these for about 10 months now and do not regret my decision. The ANR on the AV100 is still excellent in a SR20. Pros: - DURABLE: The AV100 is very durable. When I was considering my purchase a guy took his and twisted the headband portion around into an S-shape to show off how durable they are. While it is wise to treat your headset investment as delicate, with the AV100 you don't really have to. I don't get worried about them getting crushed in my backpack or anything. - ANR: The noise cancellation is great - COMFORT: I don't find myself fidgeting with these as much as the A20. They go on your head and stay in place. The ear pads are very plush. I still get coverage around my ears even when wearing glasses or sunglasses with a larger temple like Wayfarers. You can wear them for several hours without getting uncomfortable. I also found they were more comfortable and fit my ears better than the A20. I think I have normal size ears. - CASE: The case is nice. It has a nice padded pouch on the back which perfectly fits my iPad Air 2. - MAP LIGHTS: Helpful when you need it. Cons: - Nothing that should stop you from purchasing this headset. The AV100 also has bluetooth for your phone, but I have only used that once to see if it works (it did). Maybe others, or passengers would find it more useful. If you are trying to decide whether to get these or the A20 you should decide whether the marginal improvement in noise cancellation or comfort is more important to you. While the ANR in the Bose is "slightly" better, that wasn't enough for me when considering the comfort. Have a safe flight.

I purchased these from Amazon because of the free 1 day shipping offer. You can't buy them off of AKGs site anyways, you have to go through an authorized dealer. The Amazon seller, Sarasota Avionics, is an authorized dealer. I received it on time but was very disappointed the first flight I tried them. I tow banners 8-10hrs a day in a Scout and have always ended the day with an aching head due to the head squeeze my Bose X gives me. So after reading the reviews I was convinced on the AV100. First thing I noticed was the control box,the part of the plastic where the battery door is was bent, also the box and the buttons on it just feel cheap. Ok, I can live with that. Next up, the right side light didn't work, upon putting them on I realized the right side ANR wasn't working either. After plugging them in, I came to the conclusion the right side was completely dead. No sound, no ANR, no light. I called AKGs authorized repair center and spoke with a really friendly employee. He assured me that it was just a defective headset from the original batch before they made a correction to the wires that go to the right side. Apparently the serial number was 30 units before they fixed this and it had been sitting on the shelf with the dealer rather than being recalled. He rushed me a new headset and just told me to send back the defective one. Ok great... I got the new one and tried it out this morning up in the pattern with a student of mine. Everything worked as expected, Bluetooth was great, sound was good, but a little disappointed with the noise cancellation. In my opinion not as good as the Bose X or A20. I didn't notice on the first set since the right side didn't work at all. Also, initially trying them on I found them to be very comfortable and I like that they don't have the hinge on top like the Bose X that causes the head squeeze, also I like the size of the ear cups as they cover the entire ear rather than just sitting on top. But after about 30 minutes in the pattern I noticed the top of my head getting sore. If only the cushion on top was a little bigger... The band seems to sit right on top and put a lot of pressure on the top of the head. I consider myself to have a fairly normal shaped head. This headset is a great idea just seems that it needs some improvements. I love the carbon look and the light weight. Also the LED lights are a cool feature. I really wanted this headset to work and am gonna give it one more try today on this 5 hour tow. Maybe I'll never find a headset that fits my need to be comfortable for daily long flights but I may have to go back to Bose after this. Update: Just tried it again towing banners and had to take it off and put the Bose back on due to low rumbling sound when I would turn my head a certain way (I guess the little ANR mic was catching a different angle of the engine noise or something) I'm sure in something quiet the ANR quality would work just fine but not impressed when compared to the Bose in the Scout or 172. Also tried the Bluetooth for music again. It seemed fine in the 172 with my phone in my lap and the control box right next to me but in the scout the jacks are above my head and control box hangs over my head from the ceiling. So my IPhone sat about 2 feet forward of the front seat in the cup holder and made the music coming through the Bluetooth buffer. It would only stop if I picked my phone up and held it near the control box. I would think that the Bluetooth should still work more than 2' from the device. After wearing it for another 30 minutes or less I started feeling the pressure on top of my head again similar to wearing a Bose without the head cushion velcroed on. Sorry this review isn't as positive as you may have wanted to read but I guess I'll have to go back to the Bose. (lightspeeds don't noise cancel well for me due to the bottoms of the ear cups not sealing well around my ear)

Microphone boom FELL off during the first flight. Huge safety hazard. The sound quality isn't the greatest, compared to a Bose A20. It lacks low end. It's just non existent. Also cannot make phone calls if the headphones are disconnected from the audio jacks in the aircraft. I called AKG about this issue, and they wanted me to send the whole headset back. Why not just send me the piece so I can replace it myself? Then they said they would send it, but about an hour later I was told they couldn't because it was purchased within the past 30 days. My five year warranty doesn't start the day I buy it?? The customer support was HORRIBLE. The first day I called the guy I needed to talk to wasn't even there... The headset kept getting called a pair of headphones, no one understood this is a 1000 aviation headset that is supposed to be well built. It also feels very cheap.