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Headphone amps


Bafflegab

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Currently go for an old iPod Touch running iRig connected with an Apogee Jam when travelling and never had a single latency issue with it,.  Currently waiting for the iOS release of Positive Gird’s long awaited Bias FX 2 - their macOS plug in is absolutely incredible and at home that’s my go-to

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11 hours ago, Al Krow said:

I suspect the Zoom B1four which the OP ended up getting is not going to be in the same league sound quality wise as the Ashdown or PJB kit. But as I've been finding over the past couple of days, it's pretty good nonetheless! And having a tuner and easy to access and adjust drum machine (a lot more so than it's predecessor B3N), plus a host of other fx, makes it a really useful bit of kit as a standalone headphone amp. And then there's its price... 

Yeah the price was a big draw for me, and although it’s not the most amazing sounding piece of kit ever, it’s really very good especially for the number of notes it cost me.  
 

Also the rhythm feature is really handy, and the effects are quite fun to mess with.

I’d still love a tonepocket though... am thinking about it... 😂

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3 minutes ago, Bafflegab said:

I’d still love a tonepocket though... am thinking about it... 😂

Haha - fair enough! 

Be interested to get folks' views on a PJB vs Tonepocket shootout if anyone has had both.

The other one to keep in view is the TC Spectradrive, which doubles up as a feature rich preamp DI.

One key Q - is the line in socket on the Tonepocket the same as an aux in? (If not, the lack of an aux in would be a deal breaker for me).

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13 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

One key Q - is the line in socket on the Tonepocket the same as an aux in? (If not, the lack of an aux in would be a deal breaker for me).

Yes it is an aux in.  Volume controlled from the source device (phone, iPad etc.) 🙂

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23 minutes ago, Bafflegab said:

Yeah the price was a big draw for me, and although it’s not the most amazing sounding piece of kit ever, it’s really very good especially for the number of notes it cost me.  

The one negative on the Zoom pedal sound front is that slight 'digital noise behind the notes'. Something I hadn't noticed until @ped kindly pointed it out to me and now I can't unhear it! Lol!

If Zoom could fix that they would have a killer pedal for the price on their hands.

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3 hours ago, Bassman Sam said:

I've not  timed it but it's quite fast to charge

I found a review on Amazon where one chap had contacted Ashdown. The green light goes out after a fast charge but a full charge takes 14 hours or so?  I’ve never charged mine for that long. Tricky thing is that there’s no indicator to show a full charge.....

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22 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

The other one to keep in view is the TC Spectradrive, which doubles up as a feature rich preamp DI.

And you could include B7K ultra/AO ultra/GK Plex and a few others.... all with DI, aux-in, headphones, etc.

The key factor of the Tone Pocket for me is that it’s rechargeable so you’re not tied to a power supply. 

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36 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

The one negative on the Zoom pedal sound front is that slight 'digital noise behind the notes'. Something I hadn't noticed until @ped kindly pointed it out to me and now I can't unhear it! Lol!

If Zoom could fix that they would have a killer pedal for the price on their hands.

I’ve only noticed it with high compression tbh, but found it offputting enough that I keep the compression quite low!  
 

 

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42 minutes ago, Bafflegab said:

I’ve only noticed it with high compression tbh, but found it offputting enough that I keep the compression quite low!  

Agreed. It's only noticeable on some patches and not others and only really in the gap between notes, rather than when playing. The noise gate ('ZNR') effect certainly help - I use them as standard in my fx patches - but it doesn't completely eliminate.

Interesting point about compression - I've got two patches for 'slap' one with dual band compression and the other without and the digital noise is definitely more noticeable with the comp. However the overall patch works better with the dual comp.

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1 hour ago, Muppet said:

And you could include B7K ultra/AO ultra/GK Plex and a few others.... all with DI, aux-in, headphones, etc.

The key factor of the Tone Pocket for me is that it’s rechargeable so you’re not tied to a power supply. 

Yes, agreed, it's good to have the freedom not to be tied into a PSU. The Zoom joins the Tonepocket in being capable of being battery operated and obviously nothing to stop you using rechargeable batteries.

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1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Agreed. It's only noticeable on some patches and not others and only really in the gap between notes, rather than when playing. The noise gate ('ZNR') effect certainly help - I use them as standard in my fx patches - but it doesn't completely eliminate.

Interesting point about compression - I've got two patches for 'slap' one with dual band compression and the other without and the digital noise is definitely more noticeable with the comp. However the overall patch works better with the dual comp.

I’d love to try those slap patches out, if you’re willing to share!

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27 minutes ago, barkin said:

I tried patches too. Went 'cold turkey' in the end though. Haven't slapped now since...since...since I realised I'm stinky poo at it...! 

:)

Well I was pretty pants at it too, but have improved a lot in that last couple of months from working through Mark at Talkbass Bass' "Basic Slap" course (half way through). Works out at about £1 per which is amazing value!

Highly recommend if you're someone like me who thought slap bass was beyond him! 

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I still haven't heard the digital artifacts on the Zoom so I'm still happy with it. But all this talk of dedicated headphone amps is getting my gasssss leaking 

Is there not an elephant in the room though? 

We're discussing amps without mentioning cabs. Which headphones pair best with which headphone amp? 

This seems crucial to me. But not as important as which cans can be comfortably worn by a spectacle wearer for long periods of time? 

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Good question! 

For my wired cans (I've got a separate set of wireless, but don't use that with my bass gear due to latency issues, although they're great otherwise), I've been very happy with my Audio Technica ATH Pro700 Mk2. I bought them and it was just over 6 years ago, so I've managed to get my money's worth, and they're still going strong!

High quality bit of kit and I remember at the time wanting to make sure they had a decent low end response which they have indeed got. 

Just checked - this particular model has been discontinued, but the brand seems to be a good one.

Edited by Al Krow
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