Help me practice moar (headphone amp content)

Balog · #1 06-01-2011, 02:02 PM

I have a rig I absolutely adore (fEarful 12/6, Crown MicroTech 600, a couple different tube mic pre's, and a Rane PE 15) but we have a fairly small house and it's difficult to practice without being a disturbance. And in all fairness, I find it hard to avoid cranking it up, I love the way it sounds!

So I want a small headphone rig I can use without being a nuisance. Total budget is $100-150 for all parts.

Let's start with headphones: I've been looking at the Audio Technica ATHM40fs or ATH M35 both of which are inexpensive and reviewed favorably against some of the Sony and Grado offerings often mentioned here. Noise isolation (both from outside, and noise leaking out to the rest of the room) are very inportant to me, and these seem well regarded for that. Any thoughts?

I'm not sure what to do for a headphone amp. I've thought of something like a Tascam Bass Trainer to add in the playing along with music functionality, but I don't know much about this subject honestly.

cataract · #2 06-01-2011, 02:08 PM

I plug into my Ampeg Micro VR's headphone jack.

Edword · #3 06-01-2011, 02:10 PM

My Bass Trainer has proven to be very useful for late night individual practicing. I use Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones.

Balog · #4 06-01-2011, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cataract

I plug into my Ampeg Micro VR's headphone jack.

That's.... nice? I'm not sure how it relates to my question.

subdude67 · #5 06-02-2011, 03:01 AM

i can highly recommend the AKG K77 headphones and the korg PX4D pandora, it has tons of really good features, is tiny and runs hours on a set of batteries. it might be slightly over your budget but try second hand?

Balog · #6 06-02-2011, 08:41 AM

Of the headphones mentioned (Sennheiser HD 280 Pro and AKG K77's) how do you feel the isolation is? Blocking out noise from outside is important, but not allowing noise to leak out is even more important to me.

BassmanPaul · #7 06-02-2011, 09:55 AM

If the leakage from a good pair of headphones is too loud for others in the room your hearing is in considerable jeopardy!

A Headphone amp of any kind is a simple waste of money IMO. I bought the Tascam CD bass trainer but in hindsight I should just have bought a cheap micro mixer. These all have headphone sockets and two channels at minimum. One for the bass and on for the music player of your choice. They can be had for around $40 if you shop around.

Bassist4Life · #8 06-02-2011, 10:03 AM

Keep an open mind here...

You can easily have your amp modified to included a headphone driver. It shouldn't cost very much to have a driver installed inside the amp with an 1/8" or 1/4" jack and a trim pot for volume.

I'm having an amp made for me right now and one of the features I requested was a headphone driver mounted in the back.

I also asked to have an input installed next to it so I can plug my iPod into it. It's my total practice solution.

Currently, I'm using a Fostex MR-8. I plug my iPod into one channel (or my laptop), and my bass into another channel. I mix the two and practice for hours. I practice at night and I have 3 young children. So silent practice is a MUST.

For headphones, I either use my iPod earbuds or my old Sony over the ear headphones. I also have some Grado headphones, but you can hear those across the room due to their vented design.

Joe

BassmanPaul · #9 06-02-2011, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassist4Life

Keep an open mind here...

You can easily have your amp modified to included a headphone driver.

In different threads I have described how to construct an adaptor to allow use of headphones with any SS amp. If you do a search on my sig plus headphone it should just pop up.

hyp.spec · #10 06-02-2011, 10:18 AM

I use a USB recording interface, particularly the Lexicon Lambda (got it dirt cheap)

It allows me to hook it up to my computer so I can play back any song I want and can blend my bass signal in at the same time, making a great practice tool.

Mine is also 2-channel so I have my bass in one channel and an Alesis sr-16 drum machine in the other.

I can then record straight into Audacity if I come up with something I like

Balog · #11 06-02-2011, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

If the leakage from a good pair of headphones is too loud for others in the room your hearing is in considerable jeopardy!

A Headphone amp of any kind is a simple waste of money IMO. I bought the Tascam CD bass trainer but in hindsight I should just have bought a cheap micro mixer. These all have headphone sockets and two channels at minimum. One for the bass and on for the music player of your choice. They can be had for around $40 if you shop around.

Interesting. A small mixer would also have the advantage of being usable for playing with other people too, so that might be a good way to go.

Gearhead17 · #12 06-02-2011, 12:05 PM

I have a small Mackie mixer with the headphones connected into it along with my IPOD or computer. It's very clean sounding and you do not hear any static or annoying radio stations coming through. Typical bass combo amps (the Ampeg BA112 for example) seem to let every ounce of static and annoying RF noise come right in when I practiced with it.

Find a small mixer on Craigslist and save some money. The best way to evaluate noise isolation on headphones is to try them out at a music store during the busy hours. You can see how well you can isolate conversations and other people playing music. Most of the isolation headphones are great at keeping music in your ears instead of floating around for others to hear.

Balog · #13 06-02-2011, 02:13 PM

Any brands/models/features to look for in a mixer?

Gearhead17 · #14 06-02-2011, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balog

Any brands/models/features to look for in a mixer?

Stay away from Behringer and Samson. Samson is not the worst, but I have had their equipment give me nothing but trouble. Mackie, Peavey, Soundcraft, and Yamaha all make budget friendly gear that will sound great. Look for a signal to noise ratio of -97db or better. The higher that number, the quieter the unit will run. That is the extent to which I understand signal to noise ratio.

Edit: I own the Mackie 802-VLZ3. Got it used for $125.

AmpegUSA · #15 06-02-2011, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balog

Any brands/models/features to look for in a mixer?

Full disclosure: Ampeg also owns Mackie. There are plenty of other similar products on the market and I suggest this for its feature set and not because of brand affiliation.

Check out the Onyx Blackjack ([url=http://www.mackie.com/products/onyxblackjack/):]

There's a couple of inputs, both of which have a "hi-z" input so you can just plug your bass in. It is powered by USB from your computer. There's a headphone out with a level control. And since it is an interface, you can play back music from iTunes or whatever and blend your bass signal with the music from the computer. Plus, you can record if you are into it. Like I said, lots of other similar things on the market. Just thought it was a smart solution.

Balog · #16 06-03-2011, 04:20 PM

Local CL has a Mackie 402 vlz3 for sale cheap. Anyone have experience with this unit?

MACKIE 402-VLZ3