The Phil Jones brand has a history of [i]extremely[/i] high-quality Bass related sound gear, and the new addition to the line are the Phil Jones Bass H850 Headphones.They fill a very specific, but much needed gap in the market for a tailored set of headphones for bass players that give defined and punchy lows while still retaining those sparkling highs for when you need them, or really just a set of headphones that don’t completely suck the life out of your tone. As they clearly put it “[i]When it comes to headphones, not all are suitable for bass instruments. Many may sound good for music but plug them into the headphone jack of a bass amp and you will soon find their limitations[/i].” For those of us who have tried just that, the results are far from most of us want.
In the box you’ll find two parts, the headphones themselves and the [b]2-metre long cable[/b] that attaches them headphones to whatever device you’re plugging them into. These headphones are [b]light[/b], especially compared to some over-ear headphones on the market currently, but they’re comfortably light. The matte leather headband over the top is fairly thin, but is [b]more than enough padding for sitting atop one’s head nicely[/b]. The outsides of the ear cups are brushed aluminium with the ‘PJB’ logo printed on.
Each side is adjustable, but even for my big head, I didn’t need to extend the band past half-way. The leather cushions on each side are [b]very padded[/b], and have quite a slim profile that make them[b] comfy to wear for easily a couple of hours or longer[/b]. As well as being very ergonomic, the headphones also fold flat (but do not fold inwards like a lot of headphones currently on the market) for easy transportation and also have a detachable headphone cable. One nice addition is the [b]locking socket in the headphones themselves[/b]. Much like a lock and key, once you’ve plugged the 3.5mm jack into the headphones, a quarter turn will secure it in place and will [b]prevent it from bring pulled out accidentally[/b].
I tested these headphones using my Dingwall Combustion, going straight into a TC Electronic BH250 head and straight out to the headphones. Straight away they’re [b]better than any standard hi-fi headphones I’ve tried in the past[/b]. They translate, very well, the tone of both the amp and instrument and [b]cope very well with EQ adjustments[/b], even harsh ones. The headphones also coped very well when effects were introduced into the mix and one thing that is worth noting was that there was [b]absolutely zero hum[/b]. There’s not much other to say than that; they’re made to do one job and they do it very well.
It’s hard not to be impressed with these headphones when you factor in the price. For [b]£71[/b] (current price on Thomann.de) you get a comfortable, sturdy set of headphones that allow you to hear a true representation of what should be coming out of your amplifier. As well as being great for silent practice, these headphones excel at allowing you to [b]properly hear ever [i]nuance[/i] of your playing[/b] and already I can see these really helping me to iron out the rough parts of my playing.