Headphone amp recommendations?

[MattG]

To keep the peace with my family, I'm forced to do a lot of my practice through headphones. I'm looking for a headphone amp, one that takes pedals as well as my actual tube amps. It also needs some kind of auxiliary input for playing along to songs or backing tracks.

Currently I have a DSM Simplifier. It's decent, but it just doesn't seem to get along with some pedals - I can't figure out what it is, but some pedals (particularly overdrive/distortion) seem to cause it to clip in a really unpleasant way.

Something like this Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander would probably be ideal, but I don't really want to spend that kind of coin. I'd also prefer something in a portable form-factor as well. (Not to mention, in my queue is the JohnH DIY Attenuator, from which I could probably extend to include headphone out and aux in.)

It's kind of pricey too, but the Yamaha THR30ii looks appealing: the small form factor and aux-in might allow me to practice without headphones actually, but it does have headphone out. I'm just not too sure how well it will accept pedals.

What are all you using to test out your pedals through headphones?

 

[Robert]

I use an audio interface plugged into my PC along with Helix Native.

The Twin model is perfect for testing pedals, in my opinion.

 

[MattG]

I do have an audio interface, but currently my PC is running Linux, which limits me on the software availability. I've been thinking about moving to Windows though, so that's definitely something to keep in mind.

 

[Harry Klippton]

Just for testing pedals, I'm using an orange micro dark and headphones. It's not great but it lets me test that something works

 

[jubal81]

I picked up a used a Two-Notes Cab M+ for about $200 and love it. Had a Simplifier before that and also didn't really dig it.
Software is easy and intuitive. Sounds great. Aux in makes it easy to play along with other stuff. XLR out.

Two Notes Opus Amp Simulator and DynIR Engine Pedal

Guitar Multi-effects Pedal with Power Amp Modeling, Preamp Modeling, DynIR Engine, 99 Presets, MIDI, USB-C, Effects, Bluetooth, and App Editor

www.sweetwater.com

 

[Robert]

The THR30 takes pedals okay.

I wasn't as blown away by the amp overall as I had hoped, but it handled pedals fine.

 

[EGRENIER]

To keep the peace with my family, I'm forced to do a lot of my practice through headphones. I'm looking for a headphone amp, one that takes pedals as well as my actual tube amps. It also needs some kind of auxiliary input for playing along to songs or backing tracks.

Currently I have a DSM Simplifier. It's decent, but it just doesn't seem to get along with some pedals - I can't figure out what it is, but some pedals (particularly overdrive/distortion) seem to cause it to clip in a really unpleasant way.

Something like this Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander would probably be ideal, but I don't really want to spend that kind of coin. I'd also prefer something in a portable form-factor as well. (Not to mention, in my queue is the JohnH DIY Attenuator, from which I could probably extend to include headphone out and aux in.)

It's kind of pricey too, but the Yamaha THR30ii looks appealing: the small form factor and aux-in might allow me to practice without headphones actually, but it does have headphone out. I'm just not too sure how well it will accept pedals.

What are all you using to test out your pedals through headphones?

Just got a Joyo BantamP. They have different models that sounds like classic amp. They are cheap, small footprint, support headset and Bluetooth for backtrack.

Find more info in this thread:

NAD - A mini one

So, I was lured by Amazon Prime Day to buy something I really didn’t need. First impression: - When I picked up the box off my porch first thing to mind was - Dang it’s light ! - Once out the box, thought was - It’s much smaller than I thought. So at this point, I was thinking, yet...

forum.pedalpcb.com

 

[spi]

Is this still in the works?

Practice/Headphone Amp Project | PedalPCB Community Forum

 

[giovanni]

I use the Fender Mustang Micro which is truly portable but I haven’t tried it with pedals. I have my doubts that it could take pedals well but you never know.

 

[MattG]

I picked up a used a Two-Notes Cab M+ for about $200 and love it. Had a Simplifier before that and also didn't really dig it.
Software is easy and intuitive. Sounds great. Aux in makes it easy to play along with other stuff. XLR out.

Two Notes Opus Amp Simulator and DynIR Engine Pedal

Guitar Multi-effects Pedal with Power Amp Modeling, Preamp Modeling, DynIR Engine, 99 Presets, MIDI, USB-C, Effects, Bluetooth, and App Editor

www.sweetwater.com

I picked up one of those, and I do like it better than the Simplifier, but it has the same problem, in that some pedals sound noticeably "boxy" or overly distorted - kind of like the sound I associate with terrible solid state overdrive. Two pedals in particular, my Ember Boost (Spark Boost) and Aion Hexeract (EHX Hot Tubes) exhibit this. If I disable the power amp on the Torpedo, it's a little better, but the "artifacts" or whatever are still there. I also picked up a Nux Solid Studio, same problem.

I can't quite figure out what it is. I have a Source Audio EQ2, and I spent a lot of time with it, seeing if I could EQ the sounds away, but that didn't help (or I didn't find the right combination).

 

[MichaelW]

I picked up one of those, and I do like it better than the Simplifier, but it has the same problem, in that some pedals sound noticeably "boxy" or overly distorted - kind of like the sound I associate with terrible solid state overdrive. Two pedals in particular, my Ember Boost (Spark Boost) and Aion Hexeract (EHX Hot Tubes) exhibit this. If I disable the power amp on the Torpedo, it's a little better, but the "artifacts" or whatever are still there. I also picked up a Nux Solid Studio, same problem.

I can't quite figure out what it is. I have a Source Audio EQ2, and I spent a lot of time with it, seeing if I could EQ the sounds away, but that didn't help (or I didn't find the right combination).

I think it's the lack of "air" between your ears and the sound source. Also the lack of reflections of your room.

For various reasons I have to do a lot of my playing, recording, mixing with headphones. I use the headphone jack of my UAD Apollo. My pedals always sound a little different as do mixes. I've kinda learned not to completely trust what I hear through the headphones when testing pedals. It sounds different through the monitors and through my amp.

 

[Deperduci]

I used a Vox plug in head phone amp until I located the guy in Oz that makes a fair amount of diy guitar stuff, can get a 3~5 watt(input voltage determined)bedroom/headphone amp with or w/o components. Quality of sound is good, only pedal I had/have issues with is a data corruptor clone but not sure if it was the parts I used or the 2 just don't play together.. I'm nice to the neighbors so I don't run THAT 1 through the 25watt Fender at any hour.

 

[peccary]

Just another option to possibly consider: I use a mixer to do everything - practice, record, test pedals, listen to music at home, etc. Mixers are pretty useful tools.

 

[vigilante398]

If you've already got a CAB M+ then there really isn't much better out there, and I would recommend spending some time getting the settings dialed in to get the sound you like.

If you were looking for more of a DIY approach though, I've had pretty good luck building the MXR headphone amp circuit into a couple pedals where I wanted to add a simple headphone out. The sound won't blow you away, and frankly won't beat an IR-based cabsim like the CAB, but it's a nice quick-and-dirty option.

 

[Deperduci]

Little amp I mentioned, guy even has a decent YT channel for the whole hobby.

 

[MattG]

I think it's the lack of "air" between your ears and the sound source. Also the lack of reflections of your room.

That may have something to do with it, but I don't think it's the whole story. Also, you gave me another idea, most guitar speakers are not full-range drivers, so they themselves act as EQ filters to some degree. Whereas, typical hifi speakers (and headphones) are designed to be full range.

That said, I did an experiment, I ran the Cab M+ into a set of full-range powered speakers. The "hash" is still there.

I also ran the Cab M+ into my amp (not the line out, but the "processed" output). That sounds terrible even without pedals, although that's to be expected, since I'm "double amping and cabbing". But just as a test, the "boxy fizz" is still there.

I spent a little more time listening closely to the Hexeract (Hot Tubes) straight into the amp (i.e. sans Cab M). That unflattering noise is there, but it's "buried" beneath all the pleasant tones. So it's not entirely the Cab M's fault, it appears that the pedal itself self-generates the noise. It just so happens, in a typical amp setup, it's really hard to hear that. And for whatever reason, the Cab M (as well as DSM Simplifier and Nux Amp Academy) all accentuate that... all of which makes me think maybe it is possible to EQ this away, or at least get it low enough to not be distracting.