Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - Those fake BOSE Noise Reduction headsets

Upon closer inspection, I realised that the BOSE look-a-like Noise Reduction headphones CX has in their new Biz and First class side armrests are in fact, NOT noise reduction at all.

They look like the BOSE headphones but the original has a side microphone on each earpiece ( as in all noise reduction headsets) to counter aircraft noise so that it will be muffed up. (Sorry I am not technical enough to give you the details). The CX ones look like they are made in China from some cheap plastic factory, and are definitely not Noise Cancelling.

Sure they cup over your ear so that you can hear the music better but they are not noise cancelling. Worse... the way the headphones are plugged into the seat, you can't even replace those with a decent set of your own! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

I noticed the same thing on my last flights. I can't tell you how disappointed I was - especially when somebody else in the cabin started snoring loudly. I was forced to resort to those orange 3M earplugs!

Incidentally, what is the correct way in which to deal with a snoring passenger? Ask a crew member to suffocate them?!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Guy Betsy:
Worse... the way the headphones are plugged into the seat, you can't even replace those with a decent set of your own! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif</font>

With the old built in CX headsets you could get to the plug if you were flexible enough and motivated enough - I always have been http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Is this something very new using a different design??

I thought those built-in headphones were Sony NR headphones. I too dislike the fact that you can't use your own headphone. B Watson, can you elaborate on how you plug in your own headphone? If CX was afraid that people steal their headsets, the least they can do is provide some way for passengers to use their own headphone without disconnecting the built-in one.

Well maybe this is dependent on which a/c you are flying but my recent YVR-HKG including return in F had the noise cancelling headsets on the A340-300. I thought they worked excellent. It was hard at first to tell if they were working since I am used to the Bose but after a short while of wearing the CX headsets I could certainly hear the difference.

I've never seen these headphones.. only the flimsy built in ones.... which routes are using these new headphones?

the bose look alikes are only in the new business class. in first class, CX are still using the sony NR headphones. both headphones can be removed, but the plug has 3 holes, i'm not sure if the real bose headphones can fit in the holes

Just flew HKG-YYZ on a 340-300 in First a couple of days ago. They have replaced the old Sony headsets with the fake bose headsets identical to the ones in Business Class.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by whitters:

Incidentally, what is the correct way in which to deal with a snoring passenger? Ask a crew member to suffocate them?!</font>

Hi there..

Just reminded me of something a friend said a while back.

He was in 1K on a BA flight, and couldn't get to sleep because the person in 1A was snoring SO loudly.

When he enquired about it, he learned the passenger was Jose Carreras.

Can you IMAGINE the noise?

But it was probably in tune AND had vibrato and rubato! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

MinS

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by B Watson:
With the old built in CX headsets you could get to the plug if you were flexible enough and motivated enough - I always have been http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Is this something very new using a different design??</font>

In the First Class seat, you could sort of get your hand into the headphone storage area and if you're selve enough, you could just unplug the headphone. However, the way the seats are built on the New Business Class, you cannot do this.

So what can we do? Write in and complain (again)?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Guy Betsy:
In the First Class seat, you could sort of get your hand into the headphone storage area and if you're selve enough, you could just unplug the headphone. However, the way the seats are built on the New Business Class, you cannot do this.

So what can we do? Write in and complain (again)?

</font>

GOT IT - I can only speak to the F seat - and that was hard enough to unplug!

Re letters, I am not convinced that CX bothers to read them - I am still waiting for any response to my letter about the palatial SFO F closet with the only food being Frito's Corn Chips!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by B Watson:
GOT IT - I can only speak to the F seat - and that was hard enough to unplug!

Re letters, I am not convinced that CX bothers to read them - I am still waiting for any response to my letter about the palatial SFO F closet with the only food being Frito's Corn Chips!</font>

CX do read the letters except that their turnarond time averages 4 months! Many times they send me letters for incidents I have no recollection of!

The SFO lounge is operated by JAL. CX unfortunately has no control over how JAL runs their lounge.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Guy Betsy:

The SFO lounge is operated by JAL. CX unfortunately has no control over how JAL runs their lounge.

</font>

Well, I really don't agree with that. CX pays for the lounge use making it at JAL customer. As a paying customer, they do have the right to assert themselves. Furthermore, if the lounge is so EMBARRASSINGLY BAD as it is, they may need to make other arrangements.

The SFO lounge arrangement is a shame and the first class setion is a joke. The biggest shame is that there is a BA Terraces Lounge (a lounge CX often uses when it doesn't have its own lounge) in the wing of the terminal from which CX operates, but it is used by China Airlines at the time the CX flight deaprts. Hopefully in the near future, CX can give China Air the boot and use its Oneworld partner's lounge.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PresRDC:
The SFO lounge arrangement is a shame and the first class setion is a joke. The biggest shame is that there is a BA Terraces Lounge (a lounge CX often uses when it doesn't have its own lounge) in the wing of the terminal from which CX operates, but it is used by China Airlines at the time the CX flight deaprts. Hopefully in the near future, CX can give China Air the boot and use its Oneworld partner's lounge.</font>

So what prevents us as Emeralds from using the BA lounge? I never do get OW lounge policies straight, but on *A you can pick and choose any lounge for which you qualify.

Is that BA lounge at SFO open before the CX flight?

I was there on Jan. 12 to take the CX flight out of SFO and went to the BA lounge but it was closed. Or was it me who could just not get it open?

I'd thought the BA lounge was used by Asiana (but maybe by China as well). The Asiana flight operates an hour or so after the CX flight, but only 3 or 4 days a week (seemingly never when I'm traveling).

I'm amazed that JAL has such an unpleasant 1st cl "lounge." For the CX flights, use of the 1st-cl lounge is on the honor system (and often not observed), and the signs requesting no cell phone usage seem to be equally ignored.

Fortunately, the 14 or 15 hours one spends on the plane makes the "lounge" experience bearable enough.

Regarding those Sony NR in 1st, the head FA knew exactly how to unplug them. There is a plastic cover held with velcro that you can remove to get to the actual plug. It is 3 prongs, but if you have your BOSE 2 prong adapter the adapter plugs in only 1 way. And vastly superior to those Sony's. I think they are the AWAI on the ear by the way.