How to get Great tone on Headphones?

[ejbasses]

How do i get a nice tone on my headphones?

I listen to music through my headphones all the time but when I plug my bass into my headphone amp the sound i get is really crappy with lots of distortion.

How can i get the tone like from what i hear on songs? Would an amp simulator do it? Or effects that are used on records?

[petemoore]

I'm just biting here...
1  Guitar, compressor, amp, speaker[s, nice Mic, board, headphones [not].
 or
2  DSP
3  ...an amp Simulator will tend to sound somewhat or more like the amp it's fashioned after.
I'm Playing Devils advocate here for DSP I guess.
 1's alot of trouble and you might as well just take the headphones off...2 is probly pretty good or better [expecially if you're factoring in  the decrease in setup and versatility...] 3 means build it and try it, then tweek it and 'see.

[d95err]

Your headphone amp is most likely intended for a line level signal. The bass signal is much lower, so presumably you have to crank the headphone amp to more or less max to get some sound. This causes the distortion.

You need some kind of preamp to get the signal up to line level. The easiest solution is probably to skip the headphone amp and get a small practice amp with a headphone jack. There are also small headphone amps specifically for guitar or bass that will do the trick.

[gez]

Try some EQ to cut some of the low end out...

[petemoore]

"Great' headphone tone...Here would be my BCScenario.
 A 'smaller' tube amp and real nice drivers in the 'headbox'.
  :lol:  I'm working on thinking about a headbox, suspended so standing it'll cover over my shoulders and have a heavy cloth 'seal'.
 Fitted with tiles as variable filter [for liver tone] or installing egg carton panels [for dead tone], having small, external 'sub' cabinets for the drivers to keep them quiet outside.
 I hate headphone cables, they tangle with guitar cable, and pull jacks or stuff off the table ARRRRGHHH...by the time I do the 'right brain' tasks [settings of recorder, amp, pedals, etc....sorting the cables], I find it may take a second to switch to the 'left brain' tasks such as actually playing an instrument. Plus, with my glasses [I pull them up to relieve ear pressures] the headphones clamping my head is uncomfortable.
 Of course a clear front...maybe a curved front like NASA..
 I use [because 'H/phones work so good to isolate and hear] headphones alot during recording, but find the 'impact' they have on my ears is fatigueing, I think having the driver cones adjacent to and directly driving [theres nowhere for the wave to 'go' but into the side of the head] the eardrum is a 'less than desirable' approach, much preferring having the damping that 'natural air' filter provides.
 I feel certain it would look 'stupid' but wouldn't be, because I'd prefer it greatly to headphones...hang it/stand it right in front of the recorder board. PUt in some LED"s for effect !!

[ejbasses]

pete, i dont want to build something like that  :wink: . So with DSP I might get that tone im looking for? I mean would that make it sound more real? A digital effect unit like a korg or a zoom would do that?

d95err, If i raise the input signal and make an amp with higher current output, do you think that will get rid of distortion?

I listen to music through my headphones most of the time so listening to my bass through my cans seems like a good idea

[bwanasonic]

One thing to keep in mind is the music you are listening to in your headphones has been quite heavily processed in most cases. From the original recording phase to the final mastering, the tones you hear have been molded. That's why even if you work out the gain/level issues causing undesirable distortion with your headphone amp, you might still be rather uninspired by the sounds you get. Tom Scholz realized this when he pioneered the Rockman line. A little bit of compression, some tone shaping, and some ambience and you might have something you can live with. If you do come up with something you like, don't forget to take off the headphones  once in a while, and actually move some real air  :wink:

Kerry M

[vortex]

Not the only option, but my hasty vote is for DSP. I live in an apartment and often use headphones. I currently like the Boss VF-1, a half rack amp sim & effects unit. There are some nice satisfying tones to be had in the headphone environment with this setup.

On the other hand, you may be encountering impedance issues and that can be solved with a preamp of some sort. For a more "professional" sound compression is a good effect to use on bass.

[petemoore]

DSP....seems especially suited to this purpose.
 for headphones, which can sound quite 'dry' a DSP will compress, distort, and add some 'delay' [whether it be chorus, reverb, echo etc.], which would otherwise be 'missing'.
 The sound of a cab in a room has 'ambience', because of the natural delays the walls of a room provide...and alot of other 'stuff' having to do with speaker rolloffs etc.
 DSP mimics' amp, speaker, echo, distortion...basically tries ['comparitively' successfully I might add] to provide the signal 'content' of ..."Everything' in a line level source. Doing everything DSP does with analog to achieve the 'content' you want for headphone listening will be a more intensive task....digital is PD Cheep, quick etc., mainly coming up with the purchase price for the processer of choice...
 I'm not saying that analog is better or worse performance wise, that'd be stating opinion as fact anyway, for headphone tone digital will certainly be at least 'competitive' and way more 'instant'...once you get it you're done...
 The Rockman reference is a good one if your'e attempting an analog project for attaining the 'content' you want for line signal processing...I comment that it would be the 'long way around' compared to just getting the digital unit that 'inserts' popular signal content at line levels.
 The digital will do this' that' and the other as soon as you get it, DSP say's "It's my job'..."It's what I DO".