headphone practice?

[dju]

I am looking at maybe picking up a Ampeg SCR DI pedal to use as a headphone practice amp. But before I do I was wondering if there are any other simple decent sounding options out there. I like the fact that the ampeg can run on batteries so I wouldn't have to have another wall wort and associated wires to mess with. but wall wort and wires aren't deal breakers. Any suggestions?

thanks,
dj

 

[rratajski]

EHX Headphone Amp. Less than $60. Very "what you hear is what you get" in that there is no coloring or crappy amp modeling.

 

[RoadRanger]

Zoom B1on.

But I usually use my Tascam MP-BT1 (discontinued ) or GB-10 (still available I think)

 

[Fuzzbass]

For headphone practice I would use the new Deluxe OmniCabSim by DSM Noisemaker. I have the original version, which does NOT have the headphone output, but I think the speaker simulation sounds fantastic. I use it at gigs to give my modern ported/tweetered cabs a more vintage tone, and also to tighten up the low end in boomy acoustic environments. I'm confident that the new Deluxe sounds excellent through headphones.

Of course this is not the "simple" device that you requested, and it might well be out of your price range. Still, I'm so impressed with its tone and versatility that I'm mentioning it anyway.

 

[neckdive]

I am looking at maybe picking up a Ampeg SCR DI pedal to use as a headphone practice amp. But before I do I was wondering if there are any other simple decent sounding options out there. I like the fact that the ampeg can run on batteries so I wouldn't have to have another wall wort and associated wires to mess with. but wall wort and wires aren't deal breakers. Any suggestions?

thanks,
dj

I have and use a SCR DI for headphones practice sometimes. I would recommend plugging it in as opposed to running off the battery.

You have one cable going from the bass into the DI. A cable out to the headphones. Another cable out to your phone/ipod etc. So the extra wire to the outlet won't be that big a deal.

 

[dju]

thanks for all of the replies so far.
I was hoping for a tiny bit more than what the EHX has (volume only) and probably not as much as the Zoom.
I have a line6 x3 which has some bass amps simulators in it. but it falls into the more category. I rarely use it and always have to get out the manual to remember how to navigate it's menu. some simple tone knobs and gain/volume are probably sufficient for me at this time.
I need to do a little more research on the OmniCabSim to better understand what it does before deciding on where it fits in.

thanks again,
dj

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

Cafe Walter is probably the simplest and has a powerful amp to deliver great sound to most cans (sounds great with my 80-Ohm Sennheisers). If you can find one used, it will be about the same price as the SCRDI.

Just my $.02

 

[malthumb]

I am very much partial to the Korg Pandora P5XD. About the size of a deck of cards. Sounds great through my headphones. Built in tuner, metronome, mild effects, and can record and slow down difficult passages without changing note.

 

[MrLenny1]

Tascam MP3 BT1.
Best practice gizmo I ever got.
Fits in my shirt pocket, plug in and go for a walk.

 

[slapagroov]

Do you have an iPhone? I use GarageBand. They just added bass amps. You can set it to run in the background and play with anything in your iTunes or other apps. All you needs is an iRig or anything else to connect your instrument.

 

[Rumbles]

I am looking at maybe picking up a Ampeg SCR DI pedal to use as a headphone practice amp. But before I do I was wondering if there are any other simple decent sounding options out there. I like the fact that the ampeg can run on batteries so I wouldn't have to have another wall wort and associated wires to mess with. but wall wort and wires aren't deal breakers. Any suggestions?

thanks,
dj

This has been like a Holy Grail to me, and I am still no closer in my quest, so much so that I built my own.

is there a good bass guitar headphone amp?

I will give my vote to the EHX Headphone Amp, though it does not have an AUX input, so if you want to play along with a pre-recorded track or a metronome, then you need to keep looking.

 

[Mechayoshi]

Do you have an iPhone? I use GarageBand. They just added bass amps. You can set it to run in the background and play with anything in your iTunes or other apps. All you needs is an iRig or anything else to connect your instrument.

Watch out. The irig sounded bad for me and I'm well versed in garageband (see my soundcloud link in my sig) I'm much happier using the zoom b1on.

 

[Tom Howland]

Cafe Walter is the bomb. Love mine.

 

[_godspeed_]

Depends on the budget and how exactly you're planning to practice. I have tried bunch on different headphone practice units - Korg PX4D, iRig, Positive Grid(BIAS), Line 6 Sonic Port, Tascam GB-10, Line 6 Bass PODXT, Line 6 POD X3, Ampeg SCR-DI and Zoom B3. So yeah, I could talk a bit about all of them as I play in church, I need to have access to computer - we have a large library of songs and we introduce new songs quite often as well as key changes. Tascam was a pretty good unit, but as mentioned above, I had to go to computer to put new songs on it all the time. Tone wise it's just meh. Ampeg has great tone, but I really didn't use it for more than just practicing(I play through REDDI at church), so I could justify that much money invested to a pedal that I don't use live. In the end I ended up with POD X3 which was the best option until I got Zoom B3. It's the best option for me - it has great tones(it can be absolutely clean and uncoloured), really versatile interface, drum machine, looper and is quite cheap! I'd say it's the best bang for your buck - you can bring it to any gig, use it is DI or as stop boxes, you can practice with it at home. I wish it would have additional AUX, so I might stay away from computer, but I could live without it. Again, it all depends on your particular situation. If you're fine practicing from your MP3 player/smartphone AND need a preamp/DI, then Ampeg is your best bet. If you want to save some cash, go buy used Zoom B3 and buy another pedal(or two)

 

[CatSquare]

I think a mixer and a headphone amp are both good investments in general, which is what I use: my preamp out to a mixer, and that to a headphone amp. I like the mixer approach because it's modular. I can plug my phone in and play along with DrumGenius or iReal Pro, or I can run my computer into it and play along to my music.

 

[swafran]

The Vox Amplug is another option. You can walk around with it, no jack, plugs directly into your bass and the headphones plug into it. Then if you want to play along to something you can plug in an aux.

 

[karter2000]

This has been like a Holy Grail to me, and I am still no closer in my quest, so much so that I built my own.

is there a good bass guitar headphone amp?

I will give my vote to the EHX Headphone Amp, though it does not have an AUX input, so if you want to play along with a pre-recorded track or a metronome, then you need to keep looking.

I just checked out that thread, and your amp looks great. Would you be okay with sharing the schematic or layout? Thanks!

 

[DChalo]

The Vox Amplug is another option. You can walk around with it, no jack, plugs directly into your bass and the headphones plug into it. Then if you want to play along to something you can plug in an aux.

That thing is awesome.

 

[blacktocomm]

I have a set of Vox Amphones for sale in the classifieds here at half the cost of a new pair. Battery powered, easy to use straight forward controls and decent sound if you're interested.

 

[Thumper19605]

Vox AP2BS amPlug Headphone Guitar Amp - Bass

I own this one and it works fine, making sure to grab the actual plug to remove is a great idea as well