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Headphones and headphone amp recommendations please
- Thread starter Inconnu
- Start date
I thought about it, but… otherwise it’s perfect and aside from the level thing it works great. A new interface with the same features I have would be expensive just for a question of output level.
I have sworn by Sony MDR 7506's for 20 + years.
99 bucks...can't beat them.
99 bucks...can't beat them.
Never cared about "big names" regarding headphones. Had a Sennheiser years before, liked it, but OTOH I have a JVC actually, it was dirt cheap and sound tremendous for the price. Very confortable, sounds great, costing a fraction of other brands.
For the headphone amp, well... You can go after an interface OR you can buy a bass amp/head WITH interface, if portability is not a main requirement.
For the headphone amp, well... You can go after an interface OR you can buy a bass amp/head WITH interface, if portability is not a main requirement.
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My headphones are planar magnetics from Hifi Man HE400SE, Sundara and Arya and Senheisser HD 650.
Just a thought, I just put a Sennheiser RS175 to play in the practice area. I often run things through a Mackie mixer and to headphones so I don't bother others who are sleeping. It's nice to not have to dodge another wire in the way. Plus, the 175 has a bass boost button so I can hear myself on top of the mix. RS 175 | Sennheiser (sennheiser-hearing.com)
I would replace the headphones before replacing the interface. Find something with a higher sensitivity rating, which can make a dramatic difference in volume. I love the Sony MDR-V6 (discontinued but you can find them on eBay) and Sony 7506.
If the input is weak… are you plugging a passive bass with low output pickups directly into the interface? First, this may be obvious but make sure the input is set to instrument and not line.
Cranking the input gain can get noisy, so you might want to use a clean boost out front instead.
If you are doing a little mixing, I’d look at studio monitoring headphones rather than audiophile/hi-fi headphones.
Cranking the input gain can get noisy, so you might want to use a clean boost out front instead.
If you are doing a little mixing, I’d look at studio monitoring headphones rather than audiophile/hi-fi headphones.
I’ve tried a few and here’s what I learned from four headphone amp possibilities.
1. VOX Ampeg for bass - very affordable, has an aux input and a three basic drum beats. Not the best sound but it gets the job done on the cheap.
2. Headphone output on an Ampeg BA210 Combo Amp. Nice feature to have on any amp. Also, you have all the EQ knobs, effects and aux input to utilize.
3. Phil Jones Headphone Pro. All the PJ stuff is a little pricey but they make quality products and this headphone amp is a prime example. The sound quality is the best I’ve heard. This is a very clean amp and will reproduce any flaw in your technique faithfully. If you want to improve your technique then this is a good tool for that. It takes pedals very well and I’d recommend using a compressor or a pedal of your choice if you’d don’t want to hear your playing so cleanly. Also, it makes an excellent audiophile headphone or preamp for your phone or other line-level source component.
4. Boss Waza Air Bass - This is more than the cost of a Phil Jones but you’re getting a headphone with a built-in amp and battery. I find that this is excellent for silent bass practice and it’s loaded with useful features to include a variety of drum patterns. The headphone sound quality is very good I don’t know if ithe Air Bass headphone is different from the electric guitar version but the app software certainly is bass specific. It’s loaded with features and since it’s Bluetooth there are no cables to get yanked around. Also, excellent as a very good sounding headphone for your Bluetooth personal device. Requires an app.
1. VOX Ampeg for bass - very affordable, has an aux input and a three basic drum beats. Not the best sound but it gets the job done on the cheap.
2. Headphone output on an Ampeg BA210 Combo Amp. Nice feature to have on any amp. Also, you have all the EQ knobs, effects and aux input to utilize.
3. Phil Jones Headphone Pro. All the PJ stuff is a little pricey but they make quality products and this headphone amp is a prime example. The sound quality is the best I’ve heard. This is a very clean amp and will reproduce any flaw in your technique faithfully. If you want to improve your technique then this is a good tool for that. It takes pedals very well and I’d recommend using a compressor or a pedal of your choice if you’d don’t want to hear your playing so cleanly. Also, it makes an excellent audiophile headphone or preamp for your phone or other line-level source component.
4. Boss Waza Air Bass - This is more than the cost of a Phil Jones but you’re getting a headphone with a built-in amp and battery. I find that this is excellent for silent bass practice and it’s loaded with useful features to include a variety of drum patterns. The headphone sound quality is very good I don’t know if ithe Air Bass headphone is different from the electric guitar version but the app software certainly is bass specific. It’s loaded with features and since it’s Bluetooth there are no cables to get yanked around. Also, excellent as a very good sounding headphone for your Bluetooth personal device. Requires an app.
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Beyerdynamic dt770 or 990. The 990 have more bass and are therefore less true to the original soundsource. But they're also open back, which makes them very comfortable if you're hot headed person haha
Fiio k5 pro is a nice little DAC/amp combo. If you have a bit more money to spend, you could go for a schiit amp. But honestly, you wouldn't hear a difference to the fiio...
AKG 240..mine is Mk. 2 It's not expensive and quite nice....In my opinion, it produces a rather bright sound. So you may need to adjust the bass setting on your EQ.
Aoother option is IEM...My favorite is Sennheiser IE40 Pro, in ear monitor...not expensive, doesn't make your ears hot and much more comfortable than over-ear headphones.
This. For headphone amp...I recommend a Fiio K5 Pro...not expensive adn it stays plugged into my PC.
Aoother option is IEM...My favorite is Sennheiser IE40 Pro, in ear monitor...not expensive, doesn't make your ears hot and much more comfortable than over-ear headphones.
This. For headphone amp...I recommend a Fiio K5 Pro...not expensive adn it stays plugged into my PC.
I only practice with headphones. I use Shure SRH440 headphones and a Fender Mustang Micro (clean channel, no effects). Both easy to find and not very expensive for what they do (USB output, Bluetooth input). NOTE: this setup will let the highs through very clearly, so it's merciless on your fretting technique, so good for practice 
. I roll off the treble on my active bass a bit to get a more realistic amp sound.
. I roll off the treble on my active bass a bit to get a more realistic amp sound.
Beyerdynamic 770 pro or 990pro (770 is closed, 990 is open) are very good choices that won't break the bank but have a reputation for a clean, even sound.
I myself prefer my Sennheiser HD650 for practice. I love their sound. They are open, but when I'm playing bass, there's not much sound bleeding into the environment. You can find them second hand for around 170. They have been around for a long time.
Since the HD650 is 320 Ohms, you can't really get any juice from it from an IEM bodypack or mobile phone, should you want to use it that way. I have a Fiio A5 headphone amp. AFAIK it's neutral, with a switchable bass boost. The Fiio gets the Sennheiser to produce ear splitting volume levels and it runs a very long time on a single charge.
I myself prefer my Sennheiser HD650 for practice. I love their sound. They are open, but when I'm playing bass, there's not much sound bleeding into the environment. You can find them second hand for around 170. They have been around for a long time.
Since the HD650 is 320 Ohms, you can't really get any juice from it from an IEM bodypack or mobile phone, should you want to use it that way. I have a Fiio A5 headphone amp. AFAIK it's neutral, with a switchable bass boost. The Fiio gets the Sennheiser to produce ear splitting volume levels and it runs a very long time on a single charge.
I use a Vox headphone amp and it works great for me. I use rechargeable batteries with no problems. You can get it from all the major retailers at a very affordable price.
Thanks for the replies!
Just to be clear, what I mean by headphone amp is something to boost the signal of the headphone out jack of my audio interface. I’m not looking for an headphone amp for my bass (I’m using a SansAmp RBI, which is plugged into my audio interface which doubles as a mixer, so the all point of getting a studio headphone amp is to get a decent volume in my headphones while playing with the SansAmp).
Now, back to headphone amps. I’m curious… is it so hard or expensive to actually put an on/off switch on these devices? There’s so many without!
Just to be clear, what I mean by headphone amp is something to boost the signal of the headphone out jack of my audio interface. I’m not looking for an headphone amp for my bass (I’m using a SansAmp RBI, which is plugged into my audio interface which doubles as a mixer, so the all point of getting a studio headphone amp is to get a decent volume in my headphones while playing with the SansAmp).
Now, back to headphone amps. I’m curious… is it so hard or expensive to actually put an on/off switch on these devices? There’s so many without!
What are you mixing on?
If you’re in the box, Sonarworks Sound ID is a pretty good headphone calibration plugin. They have a thorough list of headphone reviews as well.
Sonarworks
I have AKG k52 for closed back and AKG k612 for open back.
If you’re in the box, Sonarworks Sound ID is a pretty good headphone calibration plugin. They have a thorough list of headphone reviews as well.
Sonarworks
I have AKG k52 for closed back and AKG k612 for open back.
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