It turns out the new neighbors in my apartment complex aren’t crazy about late night jams and practice sessions lol. I would really like to find a set of headphones to use without having to worry about pissing them off more. Im basically looking for something I can practice with that would also have Bluetooth capabilities. I’d love to be able to hear whatever song I’m playing along to as well as hear my bass through the headset - it would be a great to be able to focus on what I’m working on and playing how I want to play without worry about how loud it is.
I really dont know where to start, is it possible to find headphones that do both? And if so do you guys have any suggestions on what to get?
Thanks in advance!
7 Likes
You will do much better in price/performance going with wired headphones.
I am a big fan of Beyerdynamic here, I love my DT-990 Pros. AKG makes some great sub-$100 phones too.
5 Likes
It depends on what equipment you already have as to what the best recommendation would be. That way we will know where to start.
2 Likes
I’ve asked this question in other places and done quite a bit of research here as I’m about to buy some myself. The most common recommendations I get are:
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50X
- AKG K240
There are of course higher priced options, but most people seem happy with either of these two. The Audio-Technica is known to be a bit better than the AKG, but costs more too. I’m going to get an ATH-M50X in white. Looks slick to me, but maybe not to everyones tastes. 
6 Likes
Both of those get great reviews.
3 Likes
I use the K-240’s and enjoy them. One of the things I like is that the cord can be removed and replaced if necessary. The last pair I owned (American Audio HP-700) started cutting in and out due to the wire that attaches to the headset wearing out over time. Having a wired set with a replaceable cord is a plus for me.
4 Likes
yeah that’s a nice feature, especially in that price range.
3 Likes
If Bluetooth is an absolute must, then my two suggestions won’t be helpful. However, if you want some non-Bluetooth food for thought, then here’s my two cents. So a couple things to consider here. Each leading to potential solutions that are less than $50.
First, will you potentially be performing on stage at any time in the near future? If so, then one thing to think about is maybe just getting some in ear monitors which would save you some money in the long run. Even if you don’t plan to be preforming, this option gives you some theoretical “future-proofing” for what that’s worth and is lower profile. All of those being largely fringe benefits of in ears.
Second, are you looking for ear candy or for something that will reproduce the sound/music as originally intended/recorded. I personally feel like headphones more often than not focus on candy which is boosting the ranges that sound really good, namely lows and highs. While in ears, focus on flat reproduction of the original sound. I’m painting in broad strokes here, and you can certainly find flat headphones and candy in ears, but those are the over arching themes of the two IMO. So with that said here are the two that I own and highly recommend depending on what you are looking for.
If you want some candy headphones that will easily allow you to listen to your amp and music from another source at the same time, which I saw you indicated as a perk above. Then these headphones will get the job done right out of the box as they have two audio inputs. You still need an amplifier between your bass and the headphones however.
If you like the idea of in ears with flat sound reproduction then these are what I suggest. I use them to play at my church and love how they feel and sound. They come stock with some adequate quality rubber ear buds which feel fine and noise cancel decently. Though if you want some additional noise canceling and comfort then these memory foam earbuds really take the overall experience to the next level.
Anyway, hope at least some of that is helpful even though neither are Bluetooth.
3 Likes
thanks I’ll look into those! Do they have bluetooth pairing as well? Wire/Wireless isn’t as big of a deal for me right now as I’d be using it to practice in a small room. If it’s more cost efficient for wired that makes sense and I’ll probably lean towards that right now.
1 Like
Thanks for the suggestions! I would probably lean towards the first pair as my ultimate goal right now is being able to hear myself play and the music I’m playing to. I probably wont be doing any major stage performances anytime soon but I’ve been coming across ear monitors a lot online, just don’t know much about them
3 Likes
@eric.kiser I have a very basic set up… a fender rumble 100 and a squire p bass i got like 15 years ago lol. I wouldn’t be looking at anything real fancy just something that gets the job done
2 Likes
I’ve been planning on buying the Vox Bass Headphone amp soon, but it would be silly of me not to ask here first if anyone can tell me if that one is good, or if there is something better I should be looking at? I like it because it will let me play into my headphones away from my amp, provide some drum beats for practice, and has the aux in for my music.
5 Likes
I own it and its great! I’ve been happy with the battery life but YMMV. What I like is it allows me to practice and still be in the same room as my family opposed to isolation in my office where my amp is.
Speaking of @BrySquire, something like this would also solve your want of listening to a track and hearing your bass at the same time. Since the Vox Bass amPlug has a aux in port, as well as a headphone out, you can run the music through the aux in. Which at that point wouldn’t require the headphones above. You could use a set of in ears or any normal “single source” headphones as both the music and the bass are being output by the amPlug.
5 Likes
I have one for my bass and one for my guitars. They work great! Hook up an iPhone or iPad with music, plug in a headset or earbuds, and thump away! I even actually used mine several times with my iPad when I was taking the B2B course.
5 Likes
@BrySquire You’re all set then. The Rumble 100 has a headphone out that will silence the speaker and an aux in for connecting to phone, computer, or whatever else. 
3 Likes
Not that I am aware of. They have other models that do, but they are much more expensive. These are simply high quality, open-backed headphones.
3 Likes
Yeah, I would avoid a dual-in headset. Buy a better high quality set of studio monitors like the AKG K240’s, Sony MDR-V6, or Beyerdynamic DT-990s, and go with an aux in cable to the amp like Eric suggests.
Those little things are super fun, I started out with one.
5 Likes
Thanks for the feedback! I picked up my Vox Headphone Amp yesterday and I love it so far. The built in drum machine so I can select a beat/tempo right from there and just get to thumping is a really nice feature. To this point I was finding drum tracks one YouTube to play along with. Having it portable and right into my headphones is a big step up and let’s me practice anywhere!
My only concern is how cheap the unit itself feels. For the $45 price I hope it holds up long enough to be worth it.
6 Likes
@eric.kiser good point! I didn’t think of that - I ordered an aux cord and AKG K240’s so waiting for those to come in.
3 Likes
@BrySquire - You should be happy with the K240’s… I use mine all the time and love 'em! Especially since I’m pretty hard on cords, and these have a replaceable one.
4 Likes