Multi-purpose headphones for bass practice and general music listening

[Phf]

Recently I've been looking for a pair of quality headphones for listening to music with some good ANC to be able to hear more clearly when there's a lot of background noise like when I'm travelling. And then I thought what if I could get some that did that, and I could also use them for bass practice (as in having the right balance and low latency and I'm not sure what else). Ideally wireless, closed back, and comfort is a must. 

Does anything like this exist and if so what are some of the best options?

[BigRedX]

Apart from the Boss Waza-Air system all of the consumer wireless (Bluetooth) headphones will have too much latency to be of any use for practicing.

[Phf]

What about all of that but wired? Is that something more common? Or does listening to music and practicing bass never really come together in one pair of headphones?

[ped]

You can use the WAZA air as audio headphones too but they’re not the best tbh, I think the actual headphones limit the whole WAZA system a little bit. But they don’t have ANC. 
 

Frankly the best headphones for listening to music that I’ve tried are either Focal Bathys or Yamaha YHL700A but neither sound best in ANC mode. You could however use a cable from the headphones Into a ‘Katana Go’ and do that. 
 

I think the best ANC I’ve tried is actually the Apple Aipod Max but only because it sounds the same as with it off; I don’t think the actual audio quality overall is as good as the above. 
 

For playing bass I like Beyer DT770pro. Headphones are so personal though that everyone will recommend their faves (like I just did!) and you won’t know until you try them. Even sometimes I find ones I like the sound of but can’t stand the fit (I need a wide headband and very little clamping force, hence my love for the Yamahas)

[Phf]

Alright, very helpful, thanks!

[bremen]

DT770pro here too, and seem almost an industry standard. Like the SM57 is.

 

I'd also recommend custom iems (not all that much dearer than good cans) as much for air travel as for on silent stages.

[Phf]

Whereabouts would I be able to get some good custom IEMs, and what do they offer over a pair of regular headphones? And what is the customisation for - for a good fit?

Thanks

[bremen]

 

 

 

[bremen]

Mine are from Ultimateear.com.

 

The attenuation is much, much better than headphones. They don't fall out and are surprisingly comfortable. I can't tolerate ordinary earbuds. These are a completely different animal.

 

I'm just off stage and taken them out. It's a whole different world in there.

[Phf]

Thanks for that 👍

Look like a promising alternative

 

[simisker]

On 18/03/2025 at 09:22, BigRedX said:

Apart from the Boss Waza-Air system all of the consumer wireless (Bluetooth) headphones will have too much latency to be of any use for practicing.

There are also the Yamaha YH-WL500 wireless headphones, that are specifically targeted for musicians, and have latency on a par with the Waza Airs. I use them for monitoring my non-critical DAW/hardware synth jams, and they're more than up to the task.

 

[ped]

2 minutes ago, simisker said:

There are also the Yamaha YH-WL500 wireless headphones, that are specifically targeted for musicians, and have latency on a par with the Waza Airs. I use them for monitoring my non-critical DAW/hardware synth jams, and they're more than up to the task.

 

yeah I really want to try those!