Phil Jones Bass H850 Headphones Review

[Jellyfish]

The Phil Jones brand has a history of [i]extremely[/i] high-quality Bass related sound gear, and the new addition to the line are the Phil Jones Bass H850 Headphones.They fill a very specific, but much needed gap in the market for a tailored set of headphones for bass players that give defined and punchy lows while still retaining those sparkling highs for when you need them, or really just a set of headphones that don’t completely suck the life out of your tone. As they clearly put it “[i]When it comes to headphones, not all are suitable for bass instruments. Many may sound good for music but plug them into the headphone jack of a bass amp and you will soon find their limitations[/i].” For those of us who have tried just that, the results are far from most of us want.

In the box you’ll find two parts, the headphones themselves and the [b]2-metre long cable[/b] that attaches them headphones to whatever device you’re plugging them into. These headphones are [b]light[/b], especially compared to some over-ear headphones on the market currently, but they’re comfortably light. The matte leather headband over the top is fairly thin, but is [b]more than enough padding for sitting atop one’s head nicely[/b]. The outsides of the ear cups are brushed aluminium with the ‘PJB’ logo printed on.

Each side is adjustable, but even for my big head, I didn’t need to extend the band past half-way. The leather cushions on each side are [b]very padded[/b], and have quite a slim profile that make them[b] comfy to wear for easily a couple of hours or longer[/b]. As well as being very ergonomic, the headphones also fold flat (but do not fold inwards like a lot of headphones currently on the market) for easy transportation and also have a detachable headphone cable. One nice addition is the [b]locking socket in the headphones themselves[/b]. Much like a lock and key, once you’ve plugged the 3.5mm jack into the headphones, a quarter turn will secure it in place and will [b]prevent it from bring pulled out accidentally[/b].

I tested these headphones using my Dingwall Combustion, going straight into a TC Electronic BH250 head and straight out to the headphones. Straight away they’re [b]better than any standard hi-fi headphones I’ve tried in the past[/b]. They translate, very well, the tone of both the amp and instrument and [b]cope very well with EQ adjustments[/b], even harsh ones. The headphones also coped very well when effects were introduced into the mix and one thing that is worth noting was that there was [b]absolutely zero hum[/b]. There’s not much other to say than that; they’re made to do one job and they do it very well.

It’s hard not to be impressed with these headphones when you factor in the price. For [b]£71[/b] (current price on Thomann.de) you get a comfortable, sturdy set of headphones that allow you to hear a true representation of what should be coming out of your amplifier. As well as being great for silent practice, these headphones excel at allowing you to [b]properly hear ever [i]nuance[/i] of your playing[/b] and already I can see these really helping me to iron out the rough parts of my playing.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Jellyfish

[LukeFRC]

odd how they changed the look of them from the outside

[bjelkeman]

How do they sound with a band mix though, used when recording for example?

[Jellyfish]

[quote name='bjelkeman' timestamp='1370673646' post='2104177']
How do they sound with a band mix though, used when recording for example?
[/quote]

They're not bad. I found that whatever I tried to make sound good through my monitors also sounded great through the headphones. I did also try and record a small clip through the headphones with drums and guitar and got it as nice sounding as possible, but then there was a bit of room for improvement when transferring to monitors. It all depends how good you are at mixing though, I suppose.

[Jack]

Good review Jellyfish, thanks for the link. Is the cable straight? I read somewhere that it was coiled. Mine will pull double duty as music headphones, how do they handle being plugged into a pc with itunes-type software?

[Jellyfish]

They're good for music playback, no worse than most £50-£80 headphones I've owned in the past (if that's what you mean!) and the cable is actually quite nice. It is straight, and thin, but doesn't feel cheap and despite being wrapped up tightly in the packaging, doesn't have any kinks in it.

[bjelkeman]

Thanks Jellyfish!

[SpaceChick]

My bass teacher told me about these last week. great to hear a review on them

Can't afford to buy them yet though

[Jellyfish]

No problem. It's nice that there is a set of headphones that exists that you know is going to sound great with your bass tone pouring through it, rather than making it sound like your underwater!