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Best headphones for bass?

Ringhammer

Ringhammer

Supporting Member
Sep 3, 2016
3,526
18,154
S. F. Bay Area
#1
Id like to know what everyone thinks are the best headphones to use to plug into my amp for practicing quietly at home. I have some Bose, but they do break up a bit and I'm wondering if there are any that are tougher and can handle low end without breaking up.
 
#2
Ringhammer said:
Id like to know what everyone thinks are the best headphones to use to plug into my amp for practicing quietly at home. I have some Bose, but they do break up a bit and I'm wondering if there are any that are tougher and can handle low end without breaking up.
Click to expand...
I just ordered a pair of Phil Jones bass H850 headphones.
The reviews overall are good and it's Phil Jones I'll let you know when I get them
 
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#5
Save your hearing with semi-open or semi sealed, depending if you are a beer half full or a beer half empty type.

AKG K240 Studio Headphones - Over Ear, Semi-Open

Read the reviews on these. Hard to beat these with twice the price. I bought a pair as a kit when it was on sale for the same price: Sweetwater K240S Studio Headphone Package

"Great for mixing
I bought these to replace an old set Iv'e had for 25 or so years.. These have been the "go to" cans for many pro engineers for years. They are great for getting a final mix together before going to your'e field monitors.. I usually find having to make very few changes after going to the reference monitors. They take the room out of the picture, which can be a problem if it's not tuned correctly which most home studios are not.. To many null and hot spots make it difficult to get a handle on low end frequencies in particular.. Putting a good set of "speakers" directly over your'e ears is the only real answer..."

Seriously, read the reviews. AKG K240 Studio Headphones - Over Ear, Semi-Open Reviews | Sweetwater.com

I don't wear headphones much at home, but did test these with a 5 string and sounded very good to me.
 
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#6
Tectonic said:
I just ordered a pair of Phil Jones bass H850 headphones.
The reviews overall are good and it's Phil Jones I'll let you know when I get them
Click to expand...

Those might be better sounding, being made for bass, but the K240 are sweet boobies if you need to hear higher frequencies. IDK what type the PJs are, but I would never play full sealed loud. Very hard on your hearing. Naval Aviation has taken enough away from me!
 
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#8
BadExample said:
Those might be better sounding, being made for bass, but the K240 are sweet boobies if you need to hear higher frequencies. IDK what type the PJs are, but I would never play full sealed loud. Very hard on your hearing. Naval Aviation has taken enough away from me!
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You are absolutely right about the volume with sealed phones which I believe pjb's are.
 
#9
I have a set of the PJB headphones, and I like them a lot. Not just for practicing, I find them pretty darn good to just listen to your favourite music, too. I also have a set of Sennheiser HD200, but to my taste they're a bit too much on the boomy side. I feel the PJB heaphones give me more of a "neutral" sound that I can get "just right" with minor EQ tweaks.
 
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#10
Ringhammer said:
Id like to know what everyone thinks are the best headphones to use to plug into my amp for practicing quietly at home. I have some Bose, but they do break up a bit and I'm wondering if there are any that are tougher and can handle low end without breaking up.
Click to expand...

Hello. I don't know from best. But I recommend avoiding Sennheiser. And I highly recommend trying Grado SR 225e.
 
#12
I second the AKG K240. I've been using them for a couple of years. Comfortable and great sound. These were recommended by my audiologist as the best headphones to use for practice. Actually, he would rather I didn't use any headphones and earplugs instead.
 
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#17
I have owned HD280's, ATH-M50's, Grado SR60's and AKG K240's. The HD280s are long gone, my son stole my M50's for drumming practice so I switch between the SR60's and 240s for home practice. I dunno if they are the 'best', per se, but they both sound good, neither is too expensive, and since they are open back, I can hear what's going on in the house if needed.
 
#18
I've tried many - I stopped when got to these, about 1.5 years ago. They handle the deepest, loudest 5 string without complaining. I live in an apartment, so about 80% of my practicing is through phones.

Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro Headphones (250 Ohm)

Semi-open is what you want for sound, comfort and safety - sealed phones tend to distort when the sound is very deep and they get uncomfortable pretty quickly.


 
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