If an amp lacks phones socket, what options do you have?

[Samfordia]

I very much need to use headphones for most of the time when playing at home. Although I live alone the apartment isn't too well suited for playing without them in terms of disturbing neighbours.

I have a chance of buying a decent amp for cheap but there is no phones socket, and I'm unsure how I can get around this.

Is there a pedal or a D.I. box I can use that will allow me to use headphones? Are there other options that I have available to me?

[icastle]

The Zoom B1, B2 and B3 multi effect units have a facility to plug headphones in.

HTH

[Samfordia]

That was actually my first thought. With the scenario I have in my head the Zoom would only be used for its headphone capabilities, whereas I was hoping to find something that I could uae for more than that.

[xgsjx]

You couldn't use a multi fx unit for more than a headphone amp?

What about the fx or amp modelling?

Another option is the iPad with an interface & whatever app you fancy.

[chris_b]

You could play very quietly. I play through my amp and cab at TV and radio volume.

Or you could get this amp and a headphone amp, or spend the money on an amp that better suits your criteria and playing situation.

[Old_Ben]

Or buy a cheap pc interface, most of them have a headphone output

[kyboo]

How about to use your computer? If your bass has active electronics, you can more than likely plug in right into line-in of the onboard sound card and use some audio application to 'route' it into headphones.

[Mykesbass]

This question (or similar) often crops up and always baffles me - am I the only one who never plugs in at home? I can happily play along to CDs or MP3s either through quiet speakers or in one ear on headphones.

[planer]

Vox Amplug? Cheap as chips with an aux in.

[HowieBass]

I'll second the advice to buy something like a Zoom multi-effects unit. The amp/cab simulations are pretty good, you'll get some decent stomp box equivalents like octaver, chorus, reverb, overdrive, a chromatic tuner, plus your desired headphone output and on many of the Zoom units there's a built-in drum machine - all of which can be employed with both headphones only and also running into an amp for band rehearsal/performance use.

Edited December 14, 2014 by HowieBass

[Maude]

I use a pair of cheap Behringer active monitor speakers. They have two inputs and two volume controls, bass through one and computer through the other and the all important headphone out.
Play your bass by itself or play along with CDs, youtube or whatever other music source you want on your computer.

[jezzaboy]

I use a small Alto Mixer (£40) and a BD121. You can plug in the headphones and your computer and use it for silent pratice, jam along to tracks or plug the mixer into your hi fi and play at quiet volume through the speakers. It is the best solution for me.

Or the newish Zoom B1 bass pedal does the same thing but is ugly.

Edited December 14, 2014 by jezzaboy

[lonestar]

Vox amplug

[dincz]

If you're reasonably handy, a box, a couple of resistors and jacks would do the trick. Info here: http://robrobinette.com/HeadphoneResistorNetworkCalculator.htm

[Graham]

DI out the head into a mixer - assuming it has a DI out and isn't all valve.

You can then blend in a CD player/ipod/phone to play along with.

[Horizontalste]

Another one for the mixer.
Alesis multimix 4, allows you to plug your bass straight in (no DI needed) and your phone or other source then you can either use headphones or monitors.

[fretmeister]

iPhone, Line6 Sonic Port, and Amplitude

[lemmywinks]

I use a Behringer Xenyx 302USB desk, it's tiny (pedal sized) and connects with just one USB port for power and MP3 in, so no bulky power adapters or line in cables to worry about. You can also use a 3.5mm jack for audio in if you wish.

It also acts as a USB interface and comes with a free download of Tracktion 4 but I just use it for convenient practice, less cables means less hassle for me! It's also great for listening to music with headphones on a laptop as it beefs up the weak internal sound card as well as giving you some physical eq options.

Was a bit over £30 when I got mine:
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/302USB.aspx

[Samfordia]

I probably didn't do very well in explaining myself in my initial post. Although most of it has now become clear after receiving an amp on loan and having a fiddle.

On loan, I have an Ashdown MAG C115-300 EVO III. What I need is something that can sit in a pedal chain and work with the amp, as opposed to an alternative device that I can use solely with the bass. Also having the ability to connect something so I can play along to songs would be great too, such as phones or laptops etc. The only two things I would miss from my present amp (thanks Steve) is the ability to use headphones and to connect my chromebook to play along with tracks.

It's difficult to make any noise whatsoever where I live. I can only turn the volume up on the amp a very small amount, the tiniest of smidgens, before plates rattle and neighbours come a knocking. Having a headphone option somewhere along the chain will enable me to become familiar with the amp and to experiment with the sound that I can get from it. Doing this will also mean that when I play with others or live I will be able to use the exact set-up that I practice with at home, minus whatever I get for my headphone problem, if it has no other use.

The mixer suggestions sound closer to something I could use, but I'm not sure if they're a dead end and unable to join a chain. They can also take a phone/laptop etc.

Sorry if I was vague initially, I was probably thinking out loud.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Samfordia

[Grangur]

If you're looking for a way that you can test out your sound out of the amp for a gig doesn't that need to involve the cabs too?

Surely, how the cabs contribute to the sound is also a factor.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Grangur

[Samfordia]

What I have is a combo. If it had a phones socket then I'd have no problem. I would like to actually use the amp and familiarise myself with all it can do and the sound I can get from it. At the same time I would like to use my pedals.

It's highly possible I'm being a tad thick, though.

(The amp does have the ability to connect a phone etc, so that's all okay)

[icastle]

[quote name='Samfordia' timestamp='1418615363' post='2631725']
What I have is a combo. If it had a phones socket then I'd have no problem. I would like to actually use the amp and familiarise myself with all it can do and the sound I can get from it. At the same time I would like to use my pedals.

It's highly possible I'm being a tad thick, though.

(The amp does have the ability to connect a phone etc, so that's all okay)
[/quote]

If the amp you are looking at buying doesn't have a headphone socket then there's no device that will allow you to experiment with the amp controls without making a noise.

If that's a major requirement then the proposed amp is not for you.

[floFC]

I have an Ashdown Electric Blue combo and it has the same limitation (no headphone). If I remember correctly the manual said you could disconnect the cable that plugs the amp into the cab at the back and plug your headphones in there - with a risk of blowing them up :-D As Grangur said that takes the cab out of the sound chain.
Get the manual from the Ashdown website and see what they suggest for your model.

Edited December 15, 2014 by floFC

[Ant]

headphone amp in the effects loop? then turn the master volume of the amp down?

[SubsonicSimpleton]

What sounds good at home often doesn't work effectively in a band situation, and what works well with a band isn't necessarily going to sound great in isolation, also worth noting that that the sound you get will change as you crank the volume up due to the limitations of the amp/cab and the non-linear way that the human ear perceives volume at different frequencies - really you need to tweak your equipment at rehearsal where it is running at band volume and you can make adjustments so it fits within the overall mix properly.

Using the headphone socket on an amp is also not going to give an accurate idea of the end result, because you will be bypassing the speaker cab, which will have a large influence on the sound when you have the amp cranked.