A20 use as intercom headset

I have been watching drive to survive on Netflix. I notice that Mercedes team appear to use the A20 headset in their garage on the Riedel talkback system. 
I know Bose make the b40 headset for intercom use.
But if the A20 could also be used for intercom use what converter cable would be required.
Intercom panel connection is a 4 pin male xlr and would not provide power out. 
It may be that Bose sponsor Mercedes so this is a bespoke solution. 

Hi Ben,

Whole load of questions here and not sure what you want to achieve. I am a user, not Bose, but can maybe help a little.

Firstly, I have seen Bose as you have on the race circuit, so assume they have provided a customised solution as you say. I did have a Headset come by me not so long ago and it was an A20 based Unit and it was off the race Circuit.

For your questions:-

The B40 Unit has a 150 ohm Mic I see, not sure that would suit you?

If you want to use an A20 Aviation Headset for Intercom use - the best way I would do it is to buy an off-the-shelf Aviation Intercom system from someone like PS Engineering? You can buy a 'six place' one that will need wiring. For this you will be better off with twin plug G/A Aviation A20 Headsets - with an Electret Mic. You could wire this to suit up to six Headsets, with the added bonus of providing a 12/24v power input so that it would power the Headsets.

I see the systems you refer to of Riedel. These use Male XLR Inputs, so you would need a female Plug on your Headset. Unfortunately, Bose are also Male XLR's, so to connect to a Riedel, you would need a Female to Female adapter. Then, you have connection, Impedance and Mic Impedances to worry about. Not sure where all this will get you? You could contact Riedel and ask them for that data perhaps? I think it may be getting in to the 'difficult' box.

Good luck with your project though and all the best,

Larry

 

Hey Ben2021, 

 

Welcome to the forums! 

 

To answer your questions: 

  •  We needed a special cable because the F1 team needed it to be longer and they wanted to use a 6-Pin XLR connector on the end to connect to the communication system. We provided the F1 Team with a down cable to meet their specifications and they made their own modifications to the headset and down cable.
  • In general, it’s a pretty custom solution and may not be easily replicated because there were quite a bit of modifications made on the headset side. Additionally, there’s quite a bit involved and more complicated than simply modifying the connector on the cable. Other factors, such as system impedance, had to be accounted for.
  • If you are interested in a headset to be used with a communication system, we recommend looking into the SoundComm B40 headset as this headset is engineered to deliver the best combination of noise cancellation performance, clear communication, comfort, and durability to live event professionals, production crews, and sport sideline coaching and support staff. 

I hope this helps.