Headphone Practice Rig?

[Kelly robinson]

I have a Cafe Walter and a Raven Labs for headphone practice . Both are hard to find at best but highly regarded for their exceptional quality . I prefer the Raven - it's very responsive and has some added capabilities but is no longer made . Folks here on TB have told me the the Phil Jones is the closest in quality for new gear but I have not tried one . Just my 2 cents .... Kelly

 

[Kelly robinson]

Any of those will do, I don’t know your budget but I wouldn’t spend crazy money on a headphone set up, it’s just practice...

I beg to differ as I have no way to practice outside of using headphones so the higher quality really does make a difference to me . Of course - phones do not sound like cabs and room set ups but for someone working on developing playing skills still - higher quality rules ..... My last 2 cents .... Kelly

 

[CameronJohnson]

Phil Jones BigHead for ultimate portability since it has a battery. The tone is totally clean and clear. I never use the 2 band EQ on mine to be honest.

If you don’t mind plugging in to a power socket, a Line 6 HX Stomp is just perfect - fits easily in a gig bag front pocket, lots of I/O and top quality amps/effects. Once you’ve set up a couple of patches you can ignore the knobs and menus and just concentrate on playing.

I have both and wouldn’t sell either one!

 

[MTN.bass72]

I wasn't sure whether to put this in Effects or Amps and Cabs..my apologies if this is the wrong sub forum.
I am looking at options for headphone practice and can't seem to make up my mind.
Background: I already have a decent set of cans (ATH-M40x) but don't have a small footprint way to practice through them. I do have an older combo amp with a headphone output but no aux or bluetooth input. Ideally, I would find something with a smallish footprint that had a headphone amp with enough juice, an aux input and/or bluetooth (independent aux volume ideally). I also play 6 string guitar so something that did double duty bass and guitar would be a plus but not required as I have other ways to deal with guitar practice if need be.

My sonic preferences: I often use the 'just right' size tube amp for bass (and always do for guitar) so that I can live on the edge of breakup. If I dig in I can OD or if I roll back the volume I can clean up a bit into warm Stax-Volt-Motown land. I have recently come to appreciate the sound of the GK RB series. The GK's and an old Traynor Monoblock are the only non tube rigs that I have truly vibed with, but in all fairness I have no experience with modern higher end class D rigs such as Mesa, Aguilar etc.

Solutions I have considered:
1. Phil Jones Bighead - I worry that this will be a one trick pony and that I won't like the trick. In my limited experience with Phil Jones (4B cab and Briefcase Combo) the tone was very modern (for lack of a better word). Both products were good quality (and surprisingly loud and clear) but not really to my taste.
2. Ampeg SCR-DI - I like me some Ampeg tube amps and the Ampeg tone in general but the only modern Ampeg product that I have mucked about with is the Scrambler OD pedal. There was nothing wrong with the pedal but it was an overdrive that I didn't really care for and took back to the store immediately. As affordable as the SCR-DI is, I am not sure I want to pay for and carry something that I know I will only use a portion of...I can't image ever engaging the OD function.
3. Line 6 HX Stomp - This probably makes the most sense (the most control, will do double duty guitar and bass)...but at almost twice the price of the second most expensive option here (Plex). I also worry that I will spend some time mucking about with menus vs. practicing. I also worry that like all modelling products that it will depreciate very quickly until it is eventually worthless (I bought an AXE-SYS 212 when it was first released).
4. Palmer Pepampbass Portable Bass Preamp - I have never heard of this maker or heard any demos but it seems to hit all the check boxes, has a nice form factor and decent price. I wish I knew more about it, the maker and its tone.
5. GK Plex Preamp - Kinda expensive for what it is but if it can make my cans sound anything like the 400RB through an EV loaded 2x15 it might be worth it. If it could make a crappy backline rig sound like that as well then even better.

I'm sure there are solutions that I am unaware of and I am happy to hear them. I would be especially interested in suggestions of common used gear that is similar to the above. I do not have a set budget but do not need to hear about products that cost more than the HX Stomp (799 Canadian). Thanks in advance for your help.

Check out the DSM Noisemaker Omni cab Sim Deluxe...

It's a fantastic little box and I've used for for what you seek...

 

[dr_gonzo]

I wholeheartedly recommend the Zoom b1 four. It's very (very) small, has a looper, drum machine, tuner, headphone input, aux input, and a ton of (VERY decent) amp/cab modelling, as well as a ton of effects if you're into that. I really can't recommend it enough.

 

[kjp360]

Thanks for all of the recent replies. There are a few good new options here that I was not aware of.
I already have a recording interface and PC but will need to be less tethered while practicing most of the time...although I had considered that option.
I will look through some of the other suggestions here and may have more questions later. Thanks again to everyone who has replied so far!

 

[SLO Surfer]

Vox Amplug; $40
So portable, can practice your bass on a walk around the neighborhood if you want.

This unit is a ridiculously convenient (and affordable) way to practice with headphones.

 

[G On Bass]

I use my SCR-DI for headphone rehearsal at home with a set of Beyer Dynamic DT990 Pros. It's the last pedal on my board, so I can dial everything in and hear it. When we gig with FOH support, I send the DI from the pedal instead of the amp so I kinda know what's being sent. That also frees up my amp for changing monitoring levels without affecting volume at the board. I've been happy so far. Everything sounds great, sound guys don't complain and I get compliments on tone.

 

[2112]

I've been using the Rolls PM351 for the past couple years... cheap ($85), can connect a device to pipe in music for play-along rehearsals, and mixable levels. Very pleased overall.

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[magyk8ball]

Hx stomp since you also play guitar.
The sheer number of ways you could use one is worth the (somewhat steep) price of admission.
Laptop connectivity could open up a whole new world to the way you practice compared to a headphone amp.

 

[b_carville]

Another shout out for the Zoom B1on.
You can still find them cheap & most of the amp emulations are decent.
Pretty good battery life & works fine with a standard adaptor.

 

[rtslinger]

Like most went with something else

or this one that doesn't need batteries

 

[StereoPlayer]

GK MB-200

Headphone jack
Line in jack
2 lbs
Works as a amp
Great tone

Bass in gig bag, amp head in gig bag, small cab. One trip load in/out.

I had 4 of these at one point. I only have one now but want another.
Tuner on top not part of the head.

 

[kbakerde]

This is what I use. I use a Mackie Mix8 mixer. Plug your bass into the L of channel 3/4 or 5/6 for Stereo sound, I use a 3.5mm to RCA cable to plug a computer or phone into the TAPE In, and plug in a good set of Sennheiser headphones, I think the HD 280. I like this cause it's really flexible, cause you could run this through a PA, you can add a microphone, another instrument etc. It's a high quality and bulletproof way to practice IMHO.

 

[Wito]

I understand the point of those that said that any of the above would work (which is very true). However, personally, I do enjoy practising and want to maximize my joy while doing it. Therefore, I wouldn't go for the solution that just "works". I would want my tone to be as awesome as possible while practicing, because if brings me joy, and makes me want to practice more.

That being said, if the OP is looking for something that just "works", there are maaany cheap options available (some have already been mentioned). But, if the OP shares my point of view, then I'd highly recommend to save some money until he/she can buy something that would sound great. My personal choice would be either the Shift Line Olympic (if planning to be used only on bass) or the Helix (if both bass and guitar must share the equipment).

 

[fhm555]

My vote goes to the Bighead.

IME, worrying too much about tone is a waste of time if it's headphone practice you're going for. It'll never match exactly what you get out of your amp/cab anyway, so why bother? What you want is to hear yourself clearly, so you can hone your technique.

For that the Bighead is excellent - small footprint, solidly built, long battery life, and it will give you the exact tone of your bass, no more, no less. One of the best bass-related purchases I ever made.

^this^
Another completely satisfied Bighead owner. I’ve had all manner of no amp alternatives, from a stethoscope with a clip to hold it on the headstock to cassette/disk players made for bass practice with headphones so you could play along with songs. It had been a long time since i had an actual need for silent practice to tracks so i usually just practiced unplugged if i couldn’t plug in. One day i found myself in a situation were i was having to learn new songs almost weekly and many were written by the singer/BL i was working with so all i got was a scratch track of him playing an acoustic and singing and was expected to have a bass part when we got together. This was a long distance situation where i did a 200 mile trip weekly to play and we were lucky if we got to run through stuff together before it got added to the setlist. Because of the drive and duration of my weekly stay which depended on bookings that week, I was spending a lot of time in motels or the BL’s guest room and needed something i could use to practice unplugged to recorded tracks. I looked at a lot of options and settled on the Cafe Walter headphone amp, but when i found out it would be at least three months before the next batch would be ready i went with the second runner up, the PJB Bighead. It’s the original so it lacks the bells and whistles of the current offering but it is the cleanest, simplest silent practice rig i’ve ever had. My phone is my music supply and i already had a set of good Sony headphones so the Bighead and it’s included cords had me up and running in minutes. Not only was it a lifesaver for practice, i’ve also used it to capture some bass tracks in Audacity for a pedal steel playing friend. IIRC Audacity didn’t see it when i first tried it, but a little time in their help file and i was up and running.
It’s been a while since i had any need for it and my usual MO is to off anything i’m not using but i’m keeping the Bighead. It charges on the same charger as my cell phone and i have yet to be cut short by a low battery and It’s just too simple, too versatile, and too good sounding to consider selling. Hope this helps.

 

[Frank77]

Since you already have an audio interface for your PC, if I were you I'd just get a preamp pedal I like. That's what I use to practice at home (Presonus Audiobox USB, Tech21 VT Bass DI or Q\Strip, and PJB headphones). It sounds good, it's loud enough, and it's easy to mix playback and instrument levels.

 

[Roosevelt]

My headphone practice rig.

 

[scowboy]

I've been using a PJ BigHead for 3 or 4 years. It's clean but works well for its intended use. Every time I look at something else I just ask why change, the BigHead does the job.

 

[nickpc]

My "Other" vote would be to look at:

IK Multimedia - iRig HD 2

I have to assume the "HD 2" makes it better than the original one, which I still have and use. The software (Amplitube) has the ability to speed up and slow down the play-along track with no tone shift, and it also has a drum machine.