PJPS BASS BUDDY & other questions (Noob questions)

BenOz · #1 07-24-2010, 01:42 AM

Hi All

Was looking around for a good headphone practicing system and came across the PJPS BASS BUDDY which I must admit looks really impressive. Is it as good as the raves?
Not only can you have a really cool mobile practice system, but you can connect your iPod to it and much much more. It also doubles up as a preamp for any amp you already own.
Does anyone know if you can connect it directly to your PC sound card for recording?

Next question. It says it work best with headphones with an impedance of between 16-60 ohms. Now I know what impedance and ohms is, but I have never fully understood what it means in terms of speakers. How is a 8ohm speaker different from a 16 ohm speaker? etc.

I'm really keen on the Beyerdynamic DT 880 headphones, but it has a rating of 250 ohms. What would this mean? Will it even work? The reason for the Beyerdynamic DT 880 is because apparently it's excellent for bass.

Next question. What is "volume creep"?

Thanks I would appreciate you comments.

Ben

MIJ-VI · #2 07-24-2010, 01:56 AM

It is unlikely that the Bass Buddy could drive 250 Ω 'phones to a useable volume level.

Why not e-mail Phil Jones and ask him which headphones he uses with his Bass Buddy?

http://www.philjonespuresound.com/contact/

BenOz · #3 07-24-2010, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIJ-VI

It is unlikely that the Bass Buddy could drive 250 Ω 'phones to a useable volume level.

Why not e-mail Phil Jones and ask him which headphones he uses with his Bass Buddy?

http://www.philjonespuresound.com/contact/

Good idea. I just have.

Ben

bongomania · #4 07-24-2010, 02:17 AM

So, FYI the Bass Buddy has gotten a lot of love in this forum, meaning there are a bunch of threads for you to read.

As far as connecting it directly to your soundcard, generally the answer is yes, but you have to ask yourself: what does that mean? What are the requirements of your soundcard? What devices are intended to be used with it? What makes one device compatible and another not compatible? If you can answer those questions, then you'll be able to figure out the Bass Buddy as well as any other device you might want to connect to your computer.

I use the Beyerdynamic phones (the 770 and 990), and they are superb. With the BB and other headphone amps that specify lower impedance values, the result is that the Beyers are not very loud. They are perfectly adequate, for non-ear-injuring play-along levels; but if you want ear-blasting loud bass from your phones, you need a different set with lower impedance.

There's an explanation of speaker impedance in the FAQ, so check that out.

"Volume creep" is where you listen to a steady stream of loud sounds/music, and your ears become desensitized after a while, so it doesn't sound as loud anymore. So then you turn up the volume knob on your amp or w/ever, and it sounds as loud as you like... for a while... then your ears become desensitized more, and they turn down the volume going to your brain again, and again it doesn't sound so loud anymore. So you turn up the volume knob on your amp...

So at the start of your gig you have your volume at like "3" (figuratively), and by the end of the gig it is at "10". It sounds fine to you at that moment, but your ears are ringing, and they have probably been permanently damaged.

Solution: ear plugs.

MIJ-VI · #5 07-24-2010, 02:23 AM

'Volume creep' is a term I'd use to describe a progressive increase in headphone volume over a prolonged period of use as the listener jacks up the volume at the start of each new session in order to maintain a BIG sound in the 'phones.

An example:

Back in the early '90's I did a little home recording project in which I tracked via headphones (neighbours) for approx. four months.

One day I decided to have a beer at a bar I hadn't been to since before I started recording. It was one of those bars with hardwood floors and varnished furniture which gave the room a very lively sound.

I walked in & ordered, and while waiting for a cold one I noticed that the room sounded dead & muffled, as if carpet had been installed. So I looked down to check out the new carpet and there wasn't any.

Then the waiter arrived with my beer and I had to have him repeat what he was saying to me three times before I could understand him. I then realized that I was literally half deaf!

Genuinely concerned for my hearing, I ceased all headphone use for a month and then gingerly listened to the final track I had recorded at the last volume settings I'd used. It was deafeningly LOUD even though I didn't remember it being so at the time I was recording.

Over those four months I had gradually turned the volume up and up and UP and UP. Hence: 'volume creep'.

MIJ-VI · #6 07-24-2010, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

So, FYI the Bass Buddy has gotten a lot of love in this forum, meaning there are a bunch of threads for you to read.

As far as connecting it directly to your soundcard, generally the answer is yes, but you have to ask yourself: what does that mean? What are the requirements of your soundcard? What devices are intended to be used with it? What makes one device compatible and another not compatible? If you can answer those questions, then you'll be able to figure out the Bass Buddy as well as any other device you might want to connect to your computer.

I use the Beyerdynamic phones (the 770 and 990), and they are superb. With the BB and other headphone amps that specify lower impedance values, the result is that the Beyers are not very loud. They are perfectly adequate, for non-ear-injuring play-along levels; but if you want ear-blasting loud bass from your phones, you need a different set with lower impedance.

There's an explanation of speaker impedance in the FAQ, so check that out.

"Volume creep" is where you listen to a steady stream of loud sounds/music, and your ears become desensitized after a while, so it doesn't sound as loud anymore. So then you turn up the volume knob on your amp or w/ever, and it sounds as loud as you like... for a while... then your ears become desensitized more, and they turn down the volume going to your brain again, and again it doesn't sound so loud anymore. So you turn up the volume knob on your amp...

So at the start of your gig you have your volume at like "3" (figuratively), and by the end of the gig it is at "10". It sounds fine to you at that moment, but your ears are ringing, and they have probably been permanently damaged.

Solution: ear plugs.

The Beyerdynamic DT 770M? (80 Ω)

EDIT: or the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO? (250 Ω)

BenOz · #7 07-24-2010, 02:36 AM

Thanks for the explanation on the "volume creep".

I'll have to watch out for that! I listen to alot of music on my ipod, but I find that my music levels don't really change that much.

Would there be a difference in headphones vs earbuds? I wouldn't think so.

Thanks again.

Ben

MIJ-VI · #8 07-24-2010, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenOz

Thanks for the explanation on the "volume creep".

I'll have to watch out for that! I listen to alot of music on my ipod, but I find that my music levels don't really change that much.

Would there be a difference in headphones vs earbuds? I wouldn't think so.

Thanks again.

Ben

What makes 'volume creep' so insidious is that one doesn't hear it.

It's best to make a conscious effort to listen to headphones & earbuds at a lower volume level.

Part of why so many people crank the volume on their ear-pods etc is to mask out surrounding noise (eg traffic).

That's where headphones which are designed to reject ambient noise come in handy. For example the Beyerdynamic DT 770M have an ambient noise rejection spec. that's >35 dB. I'd expect that there are many headphone and earbud makes & models which sport this design feature.

BTW. Earbuds are potentially more dangerous than headphones because they inject sound into the ear canals more directly.

Just as one can avoid getting fat by not overeating, so it is that one can avoid going prematurely deaf by not over-blasting the volume.

bongomania · #9 07-24-2010, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIJ-VI

The Beyerdynamic DT 770M? (80 Ω)

EDIT: or the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO? (250 Ω)

I use the 770Pro and the 990Pro. 770's for practicing (when I want to hear fuller bass), and 990's for recording (when I want flat response). I intend to get a set of the lower-impedance ones at some point, but I'm in no rush.

::::BASSIST:::: · #10 07-24-2010, 01:10 PM

The Bass Buddy is a great unit. I have one and love it. I recently commented about it at length in a thread. Search around for it, if you are so inclined.

BenOz · #11 07-25-2010, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

The Bass Buddy is a great unit. I have one and love it. I recently commented about it at length in a thread. Search around for it, if you are so inclined.

Thanks. Can you maybe remeber the heading of the post? I can't find it.

I found a Beyerdynamic DT 880 and Dt 770 32 ohm version. I would imagine that it would loose a bit of performance with such a low impedance, but I've read some reviews and people say it's pretty good still.

Ben