/ Register

Headphone amps for practice

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by Fungjones, Dec 7, 2001.

  1. Dec 7, 2001 #1
    Fungjones

    Fungjones

    Jan 30, 2000
    Anyone have any experience/opinions with small Walk-man size headphone amps? Dean's Bass in a Box is one example. My practice area gets cold in winter and I'd like move upstairs!:D
     
  2. Dec 7, 2001 #2
    Tonto_Goldstein

    Tonto_Goldstein

    Aug 26, 2001
    Saint Clair, MO
    Has the Dean "Bass in a Box" for about $39 or $49. I never did buy one.
     
  3. Dec 7, 2001 #3
    count_funkula

    count_funkula

    Dec 13, 1999
    Greenville, Tx
    I have the Korg Pandora. It is a great practice tool. It does a lot more than just act as a headphone amp. Check out Korg's web page.
     
  4. Dec 7, 2001 #4
    bgavin

    bgavin

    May 3, 2001
    Orangevale, CA 95662
    If the Pandora is a neat red box with a drum machine, etc built in, and priced around $200 or higher, I got to play one all evening at our last bass fest party. Killer practice unit, and beautiful tone with a set of Sony headphones.
     
  5. Dec 8, 2001 #5
    leper

    leper

    Jun 21, 2001
    dear lord, i just played my bass through my denon headphones last night...thats what im talkin about!

    new quest: buy a trillion pairs of denon head cans to use as a bass rig

    seriously, ive never heard a bass sound so good. every amp ive ever played through has sounded absolutely terrible by comparison (think eden compared to rogue). it really sounds that damn good.

    sorry to get off topic, but i just needed to say that :)
     
  6. Dec 8, 2001 #6
    JMX

    JMX Vorsprung durch Technik

    Sep 4, 2000
    Cologne, Germany
    Use a preamp or a stompbox to boost the signal (to line level) and plug it into your stereo.

    Sounds amazing.
    I've been doing this for years with my home recording and it sounds like going direct in the studio.
     
  7. Dec 8, 2001 #7
    HeavyDuty

    HeavyDuty Supporting Curmudgeon Staff Member Gold Supporting Member

    Jun 26, 2000
    Central Texas
    I have three different options for headphone play:

    1) A Dean Bass-in-a-box. Nice and cheap, good but basic tone, not a lot of volume. Good for business travel or just around the house. ItÂ’s also the one I take with me when I go bass drooling (shopping without money).

    2) A Korg PX3B Bass Pandora. A great device! Has a built in metronome with many patterns, mucho effects (most of which I never use), and EQ. I use mine in my living room for casual practice when the wife is home, rather than locking myself back in the bedroom where I normally practice.

    3) (The sleeper) A Johnson J-Station. I use this the most for headphone practice. To me, the J is the most versatile for fixed-site headphone practice. It has a set of effects that IMO sound better than the Pandora's. It's heavy enough to not be dragged off the table by the instrument cord. And it can also be used for recording, and as a preamp, and as a DI. It's footswitchable for performance use, too. I like it better than the Bass Pod, which I returned after A/B'ing one with the J.

    I would seriously consider a J-Station if I were you - a hell of a bargain at $150!
     
  8. Dec 8, 2001 #8
    12Toes

    12Toes

    Apr 19, 2001
    Lexington, KY
    In all honesty, for $200 ~ $250, you could ebay an ART nightbass. It'll give you a hell of alot more to play with than the others, and a clean headphone setup, really as an afterthought to all the effects.

    I use mine for a small practice setup, running through a little amp. Loads of fun. Before I got the little amp, I just used the nightbass for a headphone setup. The headphone setup is the main reason I bought the nightbass in the first place.

    I think you'd be nuts to spend ~$200 for a headphone setup and not let the nightbass be your first consideration.

    I've had mine for about three years.
     
  9. Dec 9, 2001 #9
    leper

    leper

    Jun 21, 2001
    yeah, my stereo sounds good, but not as good as the phones...but i will try using it as a bass amp next practice

    probably not enough wattage (200 jvc watts...so more like 100 real watts), but that is an intriqing idea

    big tower stereo speakers for a bass rig...hifi here we come :)