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Which Headphone Amp Should I Get?


DrPAR
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Any ideas as to what I should get? It needs to be portable, small and good for practising with at home. I've read great things about the Phil Jones Bass Bighead amp, but £180 is a fair wedge of cash to pay. I've also had the Korg Pandora and Zoom B1on mentioned as good cheaper alternatives.

On the same subject, which headphones are recommended for use with a headphone amp for the bass?

All recommendations will be gratefully received.

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I found the Zoom to be a little noisy and very much lacking in volume compared to the PJB, but you have to decide on cost vs sound quality vs features, where the Zoom wins 2 out of 3! I think the PJB is well worth the £70 I paid for mine used but £180 is taking the pee a bit.

I think I would rather pair a Behringer BDI21 and MA400 than go for the Zoom personally though. A better preamp and headphone amp (IMHO) for about the same price as a B1on. Not battery powered though...

I have only tried the PJB headphones everyone seems to rave about (but I thought they sounded a bit thin) and the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm). I LOVE the Beyers and have zero desire to try any other cans out. Very comfortable with skull rattling sub bass!

Edited by dannybuoy
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I have a Dunlop headphone amp I got off here cheap, they are cheap for a reason. Sound is poor to say the least and the volume control isn't the best (doesn't provide anything like the range you would think). The jack socket is also dicky but that's just this one I guess.

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[quote name='DrPAR' timestamp='1507053580' post='3383074']
Thanks, Cato. Any particular model of Sennheiser headphones that you would recommend?
[/quote]

I use HD201s, but I think they've been discontinued and I'm not sure what the replacement model is.

Edit.

Just checked and Amazon are still selling the 201s, although the HD206s for £24 might be a better deal.

Edited by Cato
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[quote name='ead' timestamp='1507061482' post='3383149']
How about one of these: http://www.sfxsound.com/h1/

I've heard very good things about them. Beyerdynamic DT-770s are the dog's danglies.
[/quote]

The H1 is probably top notch, but unfortunately more expensive than the PJB at £185 (!) and has no EQ, built in rechargeable battery or USB audio interface.

Edited by dannybuoy
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Cheap option: Korg Pandora PX4D, should be less than 60 quid. Solid piece of equipment, lots of good tone options.

If you can spend more money, I would recommend Zoom B3, works as an audio interface, comes with an oem Cubase, much more versatile than Pandora.

As for headphones, would rather recommend Sennheiser HD202 than 201, but that's probably a personal choice.

Edited by shamrock198804
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I use a [url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/VOX-amPlug-Bass-AP2-BS-Headphone/dp/B00NAUKJTY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8"]Vox AP2-BS[/url]. Good sound production and enough puff to run a set of cans, its about the size of a chocolate bar, runs off AAA batteries and plugs into your bass; it has jack sockets for headphones and connecting mp3 player, laptop etc if you want to play along to a track. It can also produce a rhythm track but I must admit to not using that function a lot.

As for cans, I use a pair of TGI H3O. I find them comfortable and they have good sound production, my only gripe is the cable is a bit on the short side.

For silent practice without upsetting family / neighbours, the VOX is hard to beat IMO. One thing to watch is that by wearing headphones and cutting out external sound, you can get engrossed in what you're doing and suddenly realise its much later than you think.

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The Korg Pandora PX4D is a great bit of kit, and includes a serviceable tuner. I love the fact that it's so small and battery powered, so you can practice literally anywhere. I've often chucked it into my bass case so that I can practice in hotel rooms when I'm away from home. I'd recommend in-ear Sennheiser headphones, as they give better bass-response than over ear 'phones, and are light and less fatiguing to wear for longer periods.

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I spent ages looking for something. Ended up with a PX4D which I haven't played with much yet but it seems like a great device. My main requirements were light and small, battery powered with reverb, line in and limiter. PX4D does it all and can be quite cheap.

[quote name='Mcgiver69' timestamp='1507122663' post='3383456']
What about this one? very cheap and according to people in TB works very well

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_custom_line_bass_di_ex_b_stock.htm
[/quote]

I had one briefly. Whilst it sounded ok it was a bit noisy, the compressor was quite harsh and even more noisy plus I really missed having reverb for solo practice.

I use Bose ae2w headphones which have always been great for bass. They give a nice sound that seems to me the same as the bass does going to desk so I know what I hear is what goes down on the recording.

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[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1507158268' post='3383691']
Just to piddle on a couple of suggestions so far - the EHX has no aux in, and the PX4D is very noisy.
[/quote]

I think the PX4D CAN be noisy but if you make your own presets and set them up well I've found it to be pretty quiet. My normal setting seems to be an amp head, no cab, little eq, limiter and reverb - there's very little hiss. Certainly not as much as the HB or Vox

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Thanks to everyone who's offered suggestions so far. Looking at all the available options, I think that the way to go may be to get a Zoom B1on or B3n. What are the main differences and, for someone like me who's relatively new to bass-playing (I've only been doing it for just over a year), is a B3n too sophisticated? Can I justify paying an extra stack of cash on the higher-end model?

Edited by DrPAR
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http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/POCKET-AMP-MK-2-Portable-Guitar-Preamp-PEPAMPMKII.htm

Palmer pocket amp is a great bit of kit for the price.

Also the sennheiser and PJB headphones whilst close are not the same just re-badged, there are some differences sonically which make it better for bass guitar

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