Micro amp suggestion for headphone practice?

[Al Krow]

54 minutes ago, SumOne said:

The Zoom B1 four is great value but is quite different to the Nux so it depends how its going to be be used. For a second practice room I'd go for the Zoom, for being completely mobile I'd go for the Nux. 

 

The Nux is rechargeable, it's small, light, clicks directly into the Bass and it streams bluetooth music from your phone so you're cable free (other than your headphones). It's the sort of thing you can easily walk room to room around the house using or use in the garden etc. or take in your pocket to a practice session/gig/bass shop if you want a quick private noodle! (and who doesn't like a quick private noodle?!) 

 

The Zoom needs batteries or power cable and a cable from the Bass and a cable from your phone (and the cable to your headphones),  that's quite a lot of cables if you want to be mobile. It's also heavier and big enough that it needs to sit on a floor/desk (not able to click onto the Bass as you walk about, and is not pocket sized unless you've got some massive pockets!). It beats the Nux in having tuner, more effects, drum loops and footswitch control though so is what I'd go for if I wanted a semi-permanent second practice room in the house and didn't plan on moving it around too much. 

 

Yup - that's all good advice! I guess with the benefit of my Boss WL-20s there's another degree of flexibility with something like the B1-4 which, of course, has a bunch of other uses for "live" work, besides being an excellent headphone amp with aux in, drum machine and looper.

[Velarian]

I started with the Vox, then got a Zoom B1-4, which is great but not very spontaneous to set up and use, so I found myself using the Vox more because of its convenience. Now I’ve got the NUX I think it’s the perfect compromise. Convenience beyond the Vox due to being rechargeable and having Bluetooth aux in but still relatively capable with effects, amp sims and a few more drum patterns. I like the idea of taking it to a bass shop to test stuff relatively privately too. I think I’ll be using it a lot. 😀

[Al Krow]

8 minutes ago, Velarian said:

I started with the Vox, then got a Zoom B1-4, which is great but not very spontaneous to set up and use, so I found myself using the Vox more because of its convenience. Now I’ve got the NUX I think it’s the perfect compromise. Convenience beyond the Vox due to being rechargeable and having Bluetooth aux in but still relatively capable with effects, amp sims and a few more drum patterns. I like the idea of taking it to a bass shop to test stuff relatively privately too. I think I’ll be using it a lot. 😀

 

Hah! I also had a little Vox Bass Amplug a few years back which was ok but not great in terms of sound (you had dial the treble right down to get rid of the hiss) and obviously now have the B1-4. So I guess if I'm after the perfect compromise...😁

 

Can you bluetooth with the Nux and, if so, what's the latency like?

 

@ped would likely say he's had the Nux and the thing to get is the Boss Waza-Air (Bass)!

[ped]

The Nux is great for what it is. No latency as you use a cable to your headphones and Bluetooth music to the device so latency isn’t on your live playing.

 

Waza Air is an absolute dream 😆 

[Al Krow]

Just now, ped said:

The Nux is great for what it is. No latency as you use a cable to your headphones and Bluetooth music to the device so latency isn’t on your live playing.

 

Waza Air is an absolute dream 😆 

 

Cheers ped. Understood that there will be no latency with wired heaphones. But I was just wondering if you can go wireless with the Nux with a pair of bluetooth headphones (and if so what the latency would be)?

[Velarian]

No you can’t go Bluetooth for the headphones, they have to be wired. When I’ve tried Bluetooth headphones in the past (with a dongle in my Zoom) the latency makes it unusable. 
 

I’d love a Waza Air - one day may be. 😉

[ped]

Yeah I’m afraid Bluetooth latency is far too high for sending in time signal. The WAZA use something else but dunno what 🤷🏻‍♂️ there’s no detectable latency though, and I’m as picky about that as I am my number one enemy, noise!!

[BabyBlueSound]

I have tried a lot of these by now (at one point I had 5 of them, constantly swapping them), and in the end decided on the Nux! Will write a short review and adjust my opening comment as well to reflect my findings.

 

Thanks for the ideas, everyone!

[RhythmJunky]

I never understood why Korg killed off the Pandora. Perfect little headphone practice amp, with effects, cab modelling, drum loops and a line in. All this 20 years ago.

 

I still have mine but it's suffered because I stupidly left some batteries in it which leaked.

 

If I can't get it to work properly then that Nux looks good.

[RhythmJunky]

3 hours ago, RhythmJunky said:

I never understood why Korg killed off the Pandora. Perfect little headphone practice amp, with effects, cab modelling, drum loops and a line in. All this 20 years ago.

 

I still have mine but it's suffered because I stupidly left some batteries in it which leaked.

 

If I can't get it to work properly then that Nux looks good.

After I wrote this, I found a PX4D which is a later model than mine, for sale locally and cheap. I put in an offer which has been accepted, so at least I now have a back up to my px3b. 😆 

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, RhythmJunky said:

After I wrote this, I found a PX4D which is a later model than mine, for sale locally and cheap. I put in an offer which has been accepted, so at least I now have a back up to my px3b. 😆 

 

I had a PX3B a while ago but couldn't get on with it, didn't like any of the effects (not really what I bought it for) and it was a bit on the quiet side for practice (which is what I bought it for), very handy little things though and hold their value. I suppose the Mooer PE100 is the modern equivalent and is around the same price as a used Pandora, no bluetooth though.

[RhythmJunky]

1 hour ago, lemmywinks said:

 

I had a PX3B a while ago but couldn't get on with it, didn't like any of the effects (not really what I bought it for) and it was a bit on the quiet side for practice (which is what I bought it for), very handy little things though and hold their value. I suppose the Mooer PE100 is the modern equivalent and is around the same price as a used Pandora, no bluetooth though.

I'd never heard of the Mooer until now. I agree about the effects in the px3b as they're not all the best, but I only really use a few presets.

 

I've never had a problem with volume on it though but I normally use lowish impedance (32 ohm) headphones. For most of its life I used it with Grado 80's, which have now sadly departed this world.

[BabyBlueSound]

So I tried the following stuff:

 

VOX - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NAUKJTY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1

Almost a solid choice, BUT. It's not nearly loud enough (at least for some passive basses I guess), and there is a terribly, terribly loud HISS. The hiss is not coming from the bass, because the microamp does it even when it's not plugged in to a bass. Sound quality is pretty decent, your bass sounds like a bass... a lot of compromises here.

 

Sonicake bass - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079FGN89H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ugh, sounds like rattling a plastic can inside a tin can. Very artificial, dull sound, and the deeps even end up being distorted. Would not give a penny for this sound.

 

Valeton RH-100 Rushead Max - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07W3K92ZM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Like the Sonicake, terrible plastic-y sound without a real body or any deeps. Sounds like a toy.

 

EHX Headphone Amp - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003UIBQEI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now this one was a quality build, the volume was great, and there was enough bass too. But it does not have an AUX-IN for practicing, and compared to the Vox, it has basically no treble at all. If you're in the game for a very deep sound, this can be a pretty good choice. But I like my zing, so this was a no.

 

NUX MP2 Might Plug - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084JB519R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My choice! Sound quality is not exactly as great as the Vox or the EHX, but almost! And there is no hiss, there is enough volume, and there is enough treble. It actually has bluetooth aux-in which makes practicing very comfortable, it's got drum machines, and a lot of different amp simulators and effects. These were not really a factor for me as I rarely use any effects, and these sometimes (with some settings) sound a bit toy-like once again, but there are enough options to find a sound that works for your taste.

 

Hope I helped some of you.  

Edited November 23, 2021 by whave