Interface for home practice using headphones

[Al Krow]

Haha! Well I withdrew mine listed at £25 posted in the FS after all the really positive feedback  and put it on eBay with a lower starting price, as I mentioned above.

Currently has 10 'watchers' and still with the 3 hours  (which is an eternity in eBay terms right?), it's currently at... £24 SOLD for £27.55 posted (and reassuring that my assessment of 'market price' for my fellow BCers was not too shabby)  

All's well that ends well.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Al Krow

[Al Krow]

Vox Amplug - not  nearly as bad as folk are implying!

As mine is just about to be sold on eBay, I thought I'd best put it through its paces to make sure it is 100% before moving it on.

Interesting - having just given it a proper workout, I'd say that some of the negative comments above have been overdone. So for the sake of providing some balance, here's what I found:

1) Good power output and clear bass coming through my (albeit very good) headphones;

2) The hiss that everyone's being moaning about - well the bass tone coming through is much more sensitive to the tone control on the bass than it is to the tone control on this little headphone amp; so a pretty simple solution for eliminating 90% of the hiss - just turn the tone dial on the Amplug right down and you still get a very adjustable tone control via the bass itself without noticeable hiss when you're playing;

3) It's very compact / and allows you the freedom to move about without having to be either tied down to a large pedal with headphone out (e.g. my B3n) or having to lug around a headphone amp (even the size of the B1on is much less convenient for portability);

4) It has an aux in;

5) It's a little pricey but not outlandish;

6) You won't have a problem selling it on eBay  

Edited February 10, 2018 by Al Krow

[stewblack]

Thank goodness I'm not the only one happily using the Amplug! Sure it's plastic and feels flimsy but plenty good enough for learning songs at anti social hours. The hiss disappears when the tone is rolled back to about halfway and with a small MP3 player clipped to my guitar strap I can wander merrily naked around the house and garden playing along to my favourite tunes - without bothering the neighbours.

[ped]

2 hours ago, stewblack said:

Thank goodness I'm not the only one happily using the Amplug! Sure it's plastic and feels flimsy but plenty good enough for learning songs at anti social hours. The hiss disappears when the tone is rolled back to about halfway and with a small MP3 player clipped to my guitar strap I can wander merrily naked around the house and garden playing along to my favourite tunes - without bothering the neighbours.

In my defence I never tried it naked!

[Marc S]

It's a shame the Vox Amplug seems to be so bad. I almost bought one.... phew
I did opt for a pair of Vox bass Amphones, and I must say, I quite like them
You need to tweak your EQ a bit, as they can be overly midrangey (is that a word? lol)

And being critical of them, they've made the jack lead a bit on the short side. Said lead is also a bit thin and wimpy and could've done with better shielding too
which is annoying, given they aren't a cheap alternative! That said, I use mine a lot, and find them simple to use and nice & portable - in case we're staying away anywhere
i.e. no need to pack some headphones and a pedal unit.

[jrixn1]

On 10/02/2018 at 12:58, Al Krow said:

Vox Amplug - not  nearly as bad as folk are implying!

As mine is just about to be sold on eBay, I thought I'd best put it through its paces to make sure it is 100% before moving it on.

Interesting - having just given it a proper workout, I'd say that some of the negative comments above have been overdone. So for the sake of providing some balance, here's what I found:

1) Good power output and clear bass coming through my (albeit very good) headphones;

2) The hiss that everyone's being moaning about - well the bass tone coming through is much more sensitive to the tone control on the bass than it is to the tone control on this little headphone amp; so a pretty simple solution for eliminating 90% of the hiss - just turn the tone dial on the Amplug right down and you still get a very adjustable tone control via the bass itself without noticeable hiss when you're playing;

3) It's very compact / and allows you the freedom to move about without having to be either tied down to a large pedal with headphone out (e.g. my B3n) or having to lug around a headphone amp (even the size of the B1on is much less convenient for portability);

4) It has an aux in;

5) It's a little pricey but not outlandish;

6) You won't have a problem selling it on eBay  

7) Tempo-adjustable drum machine with different beats.

[Marc S]

4 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

7) Tempo-adjustable drum machine with different beats.

This is the reason I nearly bought one of these.....

[Al Krow]

Mine's sold now (for more than I had it listed on BC for!) and I have no 'axe to grind' with this thing, other than it gets a balanced review.

If the big concern that folk have with these is the hiss, then simply turn the tone dial down on the Amplug and use it with a decent set of headphones:  they really are just fine and amazingly portable. Absolutely nothing wrong with the build quality either; yes it's plastic so don't stand on it, right?  

Don't be expecting lovely PJB BigHead quality (£175 new) if you're paying a fraction of the cost. For a £35 (new) piece of kit they're completely fine for what they are.

Here's my Q: what's better out there, that delivers this level of portability for the same price?

 

[stewblack]

56 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Here's my Q: what's better out there, that delivers this level of portability for the same price?

 

I used to like my Pocket Rockit but they don't seem to be available any more. Which kind of supports your point.

Edited February 16, 2018 by stewblack

[stewblack]

3 hours ago, ped said:

In my defence I never tried it naked!

That's the entire point surely?

[ped]

3 minutes ago, stewblack said:

That's the entire point surely?

Well surely it's an improvement on you waking around with a 'Pocket Rockit'

[Al Krow]

As much as I want to jump to your defence @stewblack, in terms of Ped's riposte you did leave yourself somewhat exposed...

[Al Krow]

...and besides I'm not sure that such a defence is any longer capable of being erected (well any better than you seem to be doing yourself?)

The hole you're in has been completely Ampluged, as far as I can tell.

[stewblack]

33 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

...and besides I'm not sure that such a defence is any longer capable of being erected (well any better than you seem to be doing yourself?)

The hole you're in has been completely Ampluged, as far as I can tell.

You win the internet

 

[cLepto-bass]

On 30/01/2018 at 17:07, Briton said:

An Audient ID14 or a Focusrite 2i4 if you are just using it for Bass alone. Then download Amplitube 4 and use the amp,cabs,effect pedals etc.The Ampeg amps and cabs are great in Amplitube, really close to the real thing.

 

This is my mode of operation too and works well enough for me.