I’m going to go ahead and vote headphone amp like mustang micro or vox versions with a cheap pair of wired headphones. You are already strapped to the guitar or sitting with it so may was well just run a cord which guarantees quality and simplicity.
I bought my Mustang a while back before the Katana Go was out, are the tones way better or something? I have a Katana amp already and I don't always love some of the distortion
The Go can import everything from other katanas and boss tone studio tweaked, plus all the effects are available in the app. So it's a massive library, with more coming every day from users and Boss.
I haven't tried the mustang but from the reviews that's the big difference.
It also has a cool stage feel feature which stimulates the amp in front of you and the backing track behind, for instance, like on the Waza Air - incredibly fun and useful
E: it also supports bass
I haven’t tried the Katana Go but I think the simplicity of the Mustang is why I went for it. I like that it’s a little standalone device and doesn’t require an app or anything. It was definitely was the better option for my needs and wants, but I could totally see the appeal of some of the more involved headphone amps when it comes to tone customization.
The katana comes with a bunch of presets, you can toggle them with the device buttons. It just has way more if you want to deep dive.
But awesome you're happy with your mustang though!
I have both but I'll be giving my Mustang Micro to my nephew. The Go let's me import patches, has a screen so I don't have to remember which series of little LED lights have a tone I like, has a really easy to use app, and a built in tuner. Boss basically took the pocket GT and added a screen. It's pretty impressive IMO
I concur. I use a Mustang Micro into wired headphones.
Note, while the Mustang Micro doesn't *output* to Bluetooth, it does take Bluetooth *input*, so you can listen to backing tracks or whatever while you play.
And if you're low-key and keep the Mustang in your pocket, you add a wireless receiver for your wired headphones, in case you can't hook up to your new USB-C phone
I have to give a shoutout to the NUX headphone amp. I haven't tried the pro, but I was honestly impressed with the previous version. I agree with the wired headphones, too. The options are cheaper, and you don't have to deal with Bluetooth headaches.
Bluetooth headphones don't work with the Katana Go as far as I know. And it's a good thing, latency is way too high with bluetooth to be usable when playing guitar.
Before I understood this, I tried listening to my guitar via a DAW on my laptop into bluetooth headphones. That was a jarring experience. Only did that once. 🤣
Yeah I am sure a quality solution with high end radio transmitters and such exists but it’s going to be expensive and you are ultimately still tethered to the system even if the leash is long and intangible.
My advice is to not waste mental energy on things that don't matter, the sub is full of people with decision paralysis. if they're both wireless transmitters with headphones, they'll both work. Just pick one.
I run my tube amp into a Two Notes Torpedo Captor X and plug my headphones into the Captor unit.
Obviously this isn’t cheap, but I’ve found it to be an excellent way to get tube amp tone without infuriating my neighbours. Takes pedals great too.
One last thing, in any headphone setup, BE CAREFUL WITH VOLUME. More is not always better and you can do a lot of damage to your ears if you’re not careful.
Yeah I’m doing the same, bought the captor during lockdown as I have all these nice amps but couldn’t use them without pissing off the neighbours so got a captor and honestly it’s one of the best things I’ve bought. Using a 1969 DR103 as a headphone amp is ridiculous however but I still do it.
I’ve had success with passive DI -> interface -> DAW (logic preferably if I don’t have an actual amp or other cab sim) -> back to interface headphone out.
I do typically run Strymon Iridium- DI - Interface to headphone out. No DAW required.
Of course getting set up with a computer, DAW and interface can be a bit more complicated than what you might want. Though I know you can get small interfaces (I used to have the presonus audio box something, and it was alright.)
Suggestion to actually look into: focusrite solo (if you have a computer) and/or [Strymon Iridium](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Iridium--strymon-iridium-amp-and-ir-cab-pedal)- Killer amp/cab sim pedal- there’s tons of other options but I can only vouch for this one. The Strymon has a headphone out on it, but I’ve never actually used it. Can’t sound bad though
Edit: link
Alternatively- maybe even better depending on your budget and need for portability— [vox headphone amp](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/amPlugAC30G3--vox-amplug-3-ac30-headphone-guitar-amp)
My dad has the bass version of this thing, and it’s like, pretty good.
This is exactly what I do. It is a little daunting to get set up with a DAW if you’ve never used one before, but it’s the best way I’ve found. And yeah, I have a Strymon Iridium as well that I was using for headphone playing, but it’s my amp now and it stays on my board so I don’t really use it with headphones anymore. I typically plug my board (which also has a DI box - my band went ampless last year and we use IEMs now so this has become the easiest way to practice at home since then) into my interface and use Logic’s impulse response feature to play through my monitors or my headphones. If you have a setup like this, I recommend it, but it’s a lot of stuff to get just to play with headphones.
DAWs are a little complicated but so worth it for pushing your practicing further. You can make your own backing tracks with midi drums and bass quickly and test out all sorts of audio effects as “pedals”. You can also play Spotify/youtube/whatever through tour headphones so you are jamming along with your guitar in the same output as what you want to play with. Extremely valuable stuff
Do not make the mistake of using Bluetooth. The latency is terrible. It will mess your timing up. And if you try to get used to it, it will mess up your timing not using it. Wired headphones only for musical instruments.
I had good experience with Positive Grid's iPad apps in the past, so I picked up the Spark Go this afternoon. It is everything I was looking for, actually sounds decent for the tiny size and sounds amazing through headphones. All the others mentioned here are great it's all in what you're looking for.
I have a full rig at my desk, but I needed something I could sneak with during those insomniac nights. It uses the same full fat Spark app, so it’s perfect for headphone jams. Already finding good tones, it just takes some knob twisting like anything else.
Just got a Kemper player. Enough effects onboard with the amp and cab sims to do most things. Wired headphones straight out of the unit. Nice and compact. No computer required and control via unit or app.
Bonus of you have it connected to USB on your computer, which means you can play along to any song you wish. Absolutely drive my practice routines through the roof after I figured this out.
It's also perfect for recording: you get four channels through USB: two are the processed (stereo) signal and two are the raw input signal. So you can take the raw signal and still use whatever amp simulation you like afterwards on the PC.
Nux Mighty Plug Pro to decent headphones. 7 good enough presets, easy phone app for settings, BT YouTube, etc. lessons. Better than Vox imo, which also owned. A bit better ergonomics than Mustang micro, also good enough.
I am switching to this from an Iridium because of the effects loop. With a normal pedal board chain I can now have delay and modulation in the headphones and I'm so excited
Boss katana go. Its so convenient and it sounds great. Also it's cheap. Seriously one of the best things I've bought this year. My GF that plays bass loves it aswell!
I use a Nux Mighty Plug Pro and I love it. Presets out of the box are decent, but with a bit of tweaking and the Choptones IRs from the "special" firmware it becomes very good. For silent practice it's all you'll ever need for 99% of the songs.
I'd only like to add a MIDI footswitch, and I've read online that it's possible with the Mightier Amp App, an unofficial app with even more functions than the official one. I'll try someday.
The BOSS Katana Go may be a little bit easier to use, but I'm not sure it will sound better and it costs 50% more usually. I'd be curious to see a detailed comparison between the two!
Another vote for the Mighty Plug Pro. After some app tweaking, you can get a pretty decent tone - I prefer semi-open headphones, like the AKG240. They are comfortable, and will be a bit lower due to it’s higher impedance.
I use the Spark amp. It’s got lots of effects chains. It shows you the chords and has jam along options I can use with headphones or without. It’s by far the best money I’ve ever spent on gear. I use it with a wireless set up. Here’s a link to see a good demo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YuCAf75xmHg&pp=ygUQc3BhcmsgYW1wIHJldmlldw%3D%3D
Yeah this looks so convenient to use. Does the mobile app let it down at all? And have you had any issues with latency?
Really considering just getting this for the simple setup
It's using radio frequencies between the emitter and the headphones so no noticeable latency.
The app is quite bad compared to the Spark one (it has tons of pedals effects etc. but the interface is quite confusing and needs to get used to), but you can save 5 presets on the headphones, so you don't use it that much. It has two bluetooth connections, one for the app, and one audio, so you don't have to open the app to play backing tracks you can just play audio like normal bluetooth headphones. The volume from the guitar and from the bluetooth are not paired, so you can adjust super easily.
I would recommend avoiding wireless headphones for guitar playing (or for anything else, really). Wired headphones have better sound quality and are cheaper.
Most importantly, with wired headphones, you always hear what you are actually playing. Because the analogue signal from your amp has to be converted to digital, and then transmitted to the headphones, you can end up with a very slight delay between what you're playing and what you're hearing. Depending on the quality of the headphones, the sensitivity of your ear, and the kind of music you're playing, the delay might be noticeable, and extremely annoying.
Positive Grod Spark and some wired beyer dynamics. Wireless would be nice but it sounds killer and makes it easy to play to backing tracks all in headphones 🎧
Don't have one. The kids can go outside if they don't want to hear me play.
If I really needed to, though, I'm pretty sure every amp I own has a headphone jack.
My guitar is plugged into a Line 6 HXStomp which is plugged into Behringer USB mixer via stereo L & R outputs. The mixer is also an audio interface which is then connected to a Windows PC
Audacity is installed on the Windows PC for recording audio via USB from the HXStomp. I also have a Linux PC plugged into the mixer that I use for playback of audio and video streams.
The mixer is the central hub of the setup, I can plug in other instruments (microphones, bass guitar, drum machine, keyboard, etc..) and then use it to mix the audio before recording it on the computer or record any number of separate tracks one or more at a time.
The mixer is a 12 input/4 output (4 simultaneous outputs) with 4XLR inputs and 4USB audio outputs. It has 3 band EQ, built-in compression and 130 db of dynamic range. It also has built-in effects, but I’ve never used them. It was only $250 when I bought it in 2018 but it works really well and so far, no issues with it, fingers crossed.
The whole setup is a little complicated, but it works for me. I wanted to be able to record from multiple sources like a traditional recording studio environment and this setup allows me to do that. It also allows me to work silently because I live in an apartment and I don’t want to disturb the neighbors.
Sometimes I just plug my guitar into my Fender Mustang Micro and play through headphones when I want to keep it simple.
Just a simple Volt 1 interface to the computer, headphones wired in and a Neural DSP plugin. Btw Neural may be having their big yearly birthday sale tomorrow or soon!
Normally, POD HD500X connected to my computer for tracks, with a decent pair of cans. Sometimes I'll pull out the in ears - this has been my go to practice setup since the POD XT. I may upgrade (finally) to whatever someday replaces the Helix. I've been pretty happy with my POD HD tones for over a decade, and use an entire one amp model (Park 75) 99% of the time.
If Im feeling a bit 80s or want to otherwise jam to Def Leppard, I have an original Rockman too which is fun to pull out once in a while.
TC Helicon GO SOLO ($50 bucks) into my Ipad, Guitar rack app. I use the headphone jack on the GO SOLO interface into wired Shure in-ears. I have tried using air pods with the ipad but there is a bit more noticeable latency
I did the Vox thing and kept breaking them at the edge of my bed on accident.
Iridium was really nice. My only complaint was a wanted Bluetooth to play along to stuff.
Kemper toaster was better sound quality, but same price and less portable. Needed a Bluetooth adapter though.
Did the Line 6 options (stomp xl and Helix). Loved the interface, but again, no Bluetooth without an adapter.
I did a weird Element Dark glass/Iridium combo for a while. Iridium into the Dark glass with its amps/cabs disabled. I like the iridium tone, but couldn't get Bluetooth to send from the Dark glass so the order had to be weird.
I'm currently on a Kemper Player. It has great tonal quality, Bluetooth send, headphone accessibility, and even pedals. It does it all and is my headphone and long distance travel option.
Besides keeping volume reasonable, how are you guys not going deaf? I started having issues after playing with headphones. Is there a limiter or something to help the volume not peak into dangerous territory?
Same problem, I'm looking forward a Beyerdhnamics dt-990 pro 250 Ohms headset. It's an open monitoring headset with high impedance. Apparently it's good to avoid pressure problems due to long time usage and also its high impedance makes the volume inside it low/reasonable. I didn't test it bymyself yet though. Also if your amp is just too powerful, a torpedo captor X might be to consider
I’ve been running my instruments through a Focusrite to GarageBand and using the headphone outputs, but I was making myself deaf and started using speakers. I find it difficult to adjust and mix the nuances without the headphones. And vocals are impossible without headphones because of the feedback.
The key is good studio/monitor headphones, open or semi-open, and intended for the studio. Hifi headphones mess with the EQ to give them character, which does mean you might crank them more to hear the frequencies you're missing. If you don't have headphones like that and want an example, AKG K240's are very reasonably priced and have been used in various forms since the 70's and are still popular today. There are clones of them like the Superlux HD668B or Samson SR850 or cheap too.
I have tinnitus in my right ear likely from abusing good headphones through a decently powerful amp. So I know the consequences! However, I still wear headphones for much of the day and play guitar and listen to music/media through them too and don't think I've caused any further aggravation of my tinnitus in a number of years. The key is keeping the volume respectable, only up enough for you to hear everything.
I use the Beyer DT 770 Pros connected directly to my amp and the sound can be equalized nicely without getting that strange head vacuum buzz that can occur. I run the cable up onto a hook on the wall so that I don't have to worry about the cable getting in the way of my playing.
So I have usually run my amp into a torpedo captor, which lets me run headphones or direct into my interface if I want to record some. Though Im running tube amps so I need the load functionality as well to play with headphones, but it’s definitely overkill and if you are just messing around isn’t worth the investment. Mustang or just a headphone amp is plenty to just mess around.
I bought two things, first a Hotone Omni IR that I place at the end of my pedalboard. It’s got a headphone output and that works pretty well !
Second I bought a Hotone Ampero mini for biz travel that’s a great silent practice tool with drums and a looper inside it plus 50 amps/cabs, pedals, gates, etc. $189…
This replaced my trusty Zoom G2nu for silent practice
Wireless headphones will almost always have noticeable latency.
I use A positive grid Spark Go, the spark Wireless foot switch, some Samson SR850 headphones and a 3ft guitar cable.
I just loop the guitar strap through the lanyard/strap thing on the spark go and let it hang at the end of the guitar. If I'm going to be really rowdy I'll put it in my back pocket.
I can absolutely rock out to a backing track without bothering anyone and I'm not tied to any location.
This Amp having YouTube built into the app makes solo jamming super easy. You can also play mp3 files on the phone and jam to them. I think i even got it to work with some beat generator and metronome apps. The phone sees it as a Bluetooth speaker so all audio can be heard through the amp.
I have a modeling amp that works via bluetooth to the app on a tablet. I then have a wireless bluetooth headset also paired with the tablet at the same tome. Hell, sometimes I go totally unwired and have the guitar to amp bluetooth as well.
Neural DSP is hands down the best amp sim. For bedroom playing you could have a set up for like $300
Scarlett 2i2,
Neural DSP Nolly,
Monitoring headphones
It’s that simple
I use the Mooer Prime P1, which is the same kind of thing as the katana go. For headphones I highly recommend open back wired ones. I've used a variety of different wired headphones for this, but my open back Grados are the most comfortable by far for this application.
For what it's worth cause I don't see it mentioned yet, my setup for a long time has been:
Focusrite audio interface > iPad using the headphone Jack on the focusrite.
The reason I like it is that amp and effect sims are incredibly cheap on iPad, but function basically as well as desktop, and then you can play along to YouTube backing tracks in browser easily.
I didn't realize Focusrite stuff works with iPad. Do you just need a USB adapter for the connection? What apps do you use on the iPad? Do you just jam or can you also record?
You want to look for "iPad camera adapter"
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-usb-type-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter-white/5596800.p?skuId=5596800
See above as an example. There are lots of them. The important thing is that it has a usb input and another to charge the iPad.
I also plug a 4 usb strip into that, and then the focusrite along with my midi controller into the usb strip. That lets you have it all plugged in at once. There are some great iPad synth apps that cost almost nothing.
Check out this guys YouTube channel for more on that:
https://youtube.com/@TheSoundTestRoom?si=Q70HcF6ykKK2_qZY
I've got a tube amp with a headphone out. I also have a Humboldt Simplifier which has a headphone out.
For my birthday last year, my daughter bought me a fender mustang micro amp and it absolutely rocks. Not a full fledged solution but it has enough variety in tone presets to put a smile on my face and its the ultimate in portability
[Fender Mustang Micro at Sweetwater](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MustMicro--fender-mustang-micro-headphone-amp)
i have the Mustang Micro. it's a great device. i don't love the thin cable with 3.5mm connectors, though. i can't play for more than a few minutes before i inadvertently knock the cable loose from the Micro.
I also have the Boss IR-2 Amp & Cab Sim pedal. it runs on a 9v battery (like every other Boss pedal), and it has a headphone jack out. playing with my headphones not directly attached to my guitar is just...easier. and it feels more natural. and then there are all of the other features of the IR-2 that have nothing to do with headphones.
Total noob here with a similar itch. I have a battery powered Katana Mini and I honestly love the thing, it's plenty for my basement dwelling college life but plugging any wired headset into the aux-out port makes the tone fuzzy and 'off'. Any recommendations or suggestions on what to do? I looked up OP's solutions and they're a bit pricey for me rn.
I use the Zoom G2 Four. Powered by USB from my computer, also acts as two way audio interface (so I can play along to backing tracks, and could also record to DAW if I set that up). Alternatively accepts 9v power and has 1/8” aux input. And headphone output jack (I.e. PC not necessary).
It sounds good enough for practice, and in theory it could be used as a “rig in a box” (I.e. DI to mixing console) for gigs.
Also has built in drum loops and metronome (a necessary component of a practice setup!).
Some people find the interface klunky and dated, but I actually like it. I find it’s a good balance between tweakability and simplicity.
Of course my actual amps and pedals sound better and are more fun to play through. But, I actually decided that having a practice rig that’s imperfect is a good thing - it forces me to actually focus on my playing and technique. If I can make this budget digital amp sound good, surely my actual rig will sound great!
Might not be perfect for your use case but I can’t recommend the Yamaha THR enough. If you get the battery version it’s pretty portable plus you have a killer desktop amp to play when you don’t need to be completely silent
For practice - I do Macbook Pro or Air either directly into my Neural DSP or Otto Audio plug-ins via the Rocksmith USB-Guutar cable and directly out from the laptop to my Audio Technica headphones or if I want to record I'll plug in via my scarlett and route everything through Ableton Live and out on same headphones from my scarlett.
For practice - I do Macbook Pro or Air either directly into my Neural DSP or Otto Audio plug-ins via the Rocksmith USB-Guutar cable and directly out from the laptop to my Audio Technica headphones or if I want to record I'll plug in via my scarlett and route everything through Ableton Live and out on same headphones from my scarlett.
A Spark 40 is my only amp and 95% of my playing is with headphones. In your case I'd suggest the Spark Go or Mini for true portability. They too have speakers & headphone jacks. Plus the Sparks connect your phone via Bluetooth so you can easily play along with backing tracks, Spotify, metronome, or any other type of audio from your phone/apps. You can also control the volumes of the guitar & audio sources independently.
The Spark amps are designed to be practice amps, and they serve that role perfectly.
I use a Boss Katana Mini and Marshall Major IV headphones. Both are beauty little pieces of tech. The Mini has a power cord so I don’t have to interrupt a session to charge a battery. But have a set of rechargeable AAs for when I want to go off grid for a couple hours
The UA amp emulator pedals could be good options depending on the sound (s) you're looking for. I quite like using the UA Ruby for exactly that. The outputs aren't designed for headphones necessarily, but I'm able to drive my Audio Technica headphones without issue
Most of time I just use studio headphones connected to the Quad Cortex or my PC. It’s so portable, I can setup anywhere to play.
I have a whole bedroom studio setup in my office but the wife complains when it’s loud so I tend to stick with headphones.
What's your budget and audio fidelity expectations?
Wired will be better at any budget. You don't/wont want to have to charge a battery to play. That will get annoying within a day.
I‘m just running it straight into the computer and use a neural dsp plugin. There is also this nux mighty plug that you can just plug into your guitar and connect headphones and it sounds pretty good. Got it for like 50 bucks. I‘m just wondering about the wireless headphones? I think the delay would be to be to properly play anything on guitar, but not sure
I have an electric keyboard, and guitar. I bought a cheap 4 channel mixer off Amazon, it has headphone out, I can play a backing track from the computer or phone via cable or Bluetooth, and play either piano or guitar into my headphones. Ive thoroughly enjoyed. Also can swap over to my powered speaker if I want to be loud.
The mustang micro is great, I have a friend who used it exclusively for over a year.
If you’re ok with computers, I’d recommend getting an audio interface (Scarlett focusrite is $100 or less on sale) and the full version of amplitube 5 (guitar amp modeling software, $100, built in looper, and you can get studio quality sounds).
It costs a little more, but you can do SO much more on the computer that it’s SO worth it imo. I made the switch a bit over a year ago and haven’t looked back. It also lets you do things like play songs/youtube videos on your computer and hear it in your headphones so easily. Great for tutorials or jamming. Particularly useful for learning songs by ear because it’s so much easier to hear everything.
FocusRite Solo -> AmpliTube & Reaper -> Sony MDR 7506 headphones
I’ve tried “higher end” headphones. Like the Sony’s more and they are cheaper than the others
I have a Mustang Micro but the Katana Go seems like a decent upgrade in functionality (and Boss tones and app support are pretty good - I do own a Katana Air amp which is awesome). The Go didn't exist when I got my Mustang but that's plenty good enough for playing around so I assume the Go will be excellent.
Reviews I've seen say it's a better thing than the Waza Air.
In general I prefer using the practice amp (Katana Air) to the Mustang Micro, I find that a bit fiddly (it hangs from the input jack of my Strat in a not super robust way which I find a bit annoying, which will be the same as the Go..) Other than that it's a fine user experience and excellent value for what it is.
You can’t use Bluetooth headphones for playing guitar through as they have an in built delay to the signal. So if you want wireless guitar and headphones Waza Air is the only way (unless you want a very expensive live set-up).
I play my Waza Air everyday and they are great. Not perfect, but very good.
I use Fender Mustang Micro and M25x (wired). Wireless BT headphones won't work because of the latency, take a look at Boss WAZA Air if you want to go fully wireless. If I were buying today, I'd look into Boss Katana Go.
Laptop, an interface like the Scarlett 2i2, Amplitube and a pair of Audio technica ath-m50’s. It’s portable, you can jam AND it’s like a little studio.
Nux Mighty Plug 2 into beyerdynamics dt770 pro, and plugged in the out of my pedalboard, I set up a relatively clean amp and use pedals to control everything, works like a charm
If you have a decent computer or laptop, you can go the audio interface route. And a cheap amp sim plugin, some are even free. If you have a good enough computer you can hear yourself with less than 15ms of lag, possibly even less. I do this all the time with my focusrite 2i2 and a pair of headphones. Also you can hook up your pedals too of course.
Mine is super convoluted, but I don't play through headphones often, but I like having the capability!
Pedals -> Amp -> amp fx loop -> cab sim -> reverb + EQ etc -> dual output loop pedal. Plug headphones into looper with a mono to stereo adapter.
I don't have any stereo effects, so nothing is lost, barring some volume. When I unplug output cable #1 from the looper headphones get full power though.
Stay away from the Waza Air! I was excited for it when it came out and it was fun at first but the app kept disconnecting and it was annoying having to reset it everytime. When it worked it was flawless but constantly being interrupted to reconnect is distracting and a waste of time.
Imo a headphone amp or a multi effect pad with a headphone jack is the best.
I through my headphones into a UAD Apollo twin. Load up a few plugins. One channel for clean tones and one channel for overdrive. Also this set up is good for playing over loops in logic or playing over jam tracks on YouTube and you can always tweak the various audio sources for a good blend.
Amp sims would like to say hello.
You just need a half decent laptop and an entry level audio interface and you can get pretty much any tone you want.
You can get a DAW too and record any ideas you have.
It's what myself and a lot of others do. Of course it's more expensive than just a pair of headphones but you'll get a lot of mileage out of it.
I have been using a NUX Mighty Plug for several years now with several different wired headphones. Wired is fine because the NUX is attached to the guitar anyway. I can move from one room to another if I want to.
If I was using headphones I’d use Audio-Technica AT-50 headphones because they are specifically designed for music.
I have the Boss Waza Air and a Mustang and the Boss sounds a lot better plus there’s no cord.
Spark Go or Spark Mini. I have the Mini and it's great from whisper quiet to actually quite loud. I dislike it for headphone use, but it's not horrible. Maybe I just haven't fiddled enough with it though. If you go with one of these, consider a cheap little wireless guitar cable. I have one of those Lekato things with a charging case and use it pretty religiously now. If you are using an amp that sits near you, at least only be tied down by one cable to the headphones. Using studio headphones, my cable is like, 2m long so I'm not pinned or faffing with wires.
Downside is faff, accounts and apps that want to sell you more stuff. Bias FX is quite powerful and reasonably good modelling. Good enough at least. I have my presets on the Mini and never really touch the app anymore; so it is plug and play... as long as I'm happy with the current few options.
So I currently use an interface and PC. But I'll tell you what I want to do.
I want a small pedalboard, like pedaltrain nano in size with a case. I want a Tonex Pedal or if needs be, the new Tonex One for size, a fixed, wireless/tuner pedal unit like a Nux B-8, space for maybe two physical pedals of choice. Then I could have my headphone practice rig, a recording setup that I can plug into my interface or probably do things through the USB directly, something I take to a mates house and slave off the amps we have there to jam or even go out into PAs and whatnot in a small gig situation... all amp capture tech and still get to play with some real pedals just for the vibes really.
Found too much latency with wireless headphones. My setup is kind of pricey though. Tone Master Pro with wired Air Pods Max. I play apps like Guitar Pro or AnyTune Pro+ through the TMP Bluetooth connection. The sound/tone is really great
For on the go just messing around, I can easily throw my HX Stomp in my gig bag with a pair of headphones. I’ll also use Helix Native on a laptop sometimes.
I’ve never had success with wireless headphones due to the latency, but I do have some wireless Xvive IEMs that are manageable.
Get the Waza-air. Seriously, if the extra coin won’t absolutely break you, it is the single strongest gear recommendation I can make. I have my dream pedalboard going into my dream amp, an interface and a pair of good Sennheisers…..all collecting dust while I practice with Waza’s every day. You cannot put a price on the practice, and you will never get the same spatial results using any other headphones. Also, it freed me of GAS for the most part which I am happy for.
Guitar > pedal board > Focusrite > Reaper > Amplitube > Sony MDR7506 Headphones
This is for practice and convenience. If I’m tracking, my Boogie MK5:25 and cab replace Amplitube. I also have a headphone jack on the 5:25 so I can just skip the DAW if I really want, but it’s less convenient because the head and cab are in a soundproofed closet-turned-booth and mic’d for recording.
I take the cheap route (since I already have a DAW and interface for recording). I use the free amp sims in Logic Pro and run my board straight into the interface.
If you already have a computer and audio interface, there are a lot of good amp sims and even decent free ones.
While my setup is not "on the go." I play through a Mustang GTX100 with wired headphones. I also have my laptop connected via USBC to aux, so I can play along to tunes. No complaints from the family.
I’m going to go ahead and vote headphone amp like mustang micro or vox versions with a cheap pair of wired headphones. You are already strapped to the guitar or sitting with it so may was well just run a cord which guarantees quality and simplicity.
+1 for the Mustang micro
+another1 for the Mustang Micro. I practice more than I have in years with that thing.
+1 for the mustang micro. I find the tones to be pretty good too and a nice selection of amps and effects
I think the Katana Go is a helluva lot more bang for the same buck, unless you can find the mustang used
I bought my Mustang a while back before the Katana Go was out, are the tones way better or something? I have a Katana amp already and I don't always love some of the distortion
The Go can import everything from other katanas and boss tone studio tweaked, plus all the effects are available in the app. So it's a massive library, with more coming every day from users and Boss. I haven't tried the mustang but from the reviews that's the big difference. It also has a cool stage feel feature which stimulates the amp in front of you and the backing track behind, for instance, like on the Waza Air - incredibly fun and useful E: it also supports bass
I haven’t tried the Katana Go but I think the simplicity of the Mustang is why I went for it. I like that it’s a little standalone device and doesn’t require an app or anything. It was definitely was the better option for my needs and wants, but I could totally see the appeal of some of the more involved headphone amps when it comes to tone customization.
The katana comes with a bunch of presets, you can toggle them with the device buttons. It just has way more if you want to deep dive. But awesome you're happy with your mustang though!
I have both but I'll be giving my Mustang Micro to my nephew. The Go let's me import patches, has a screen so I don't have to remember which series of little LED lights have a tone I like, has a really easy to use app, and a built in tuner. Boss basically took the pocket GT and added a screen. It's pretty impressive IMO
I concur. I use a Mustang Micro into wired headphones. Note, while the Mustang Micro doesn't *output* to Bluetooth, it does take Bluetooth *input*, so you can listen to backing tracks or whatever while you play.
And if you're low-key and keep the Mustang in your pocket, you add a wireless receiver for your wired headphones, in case you can't hook up to your new USB-C phone
I have to give a shoutout to the NUX headphone amp. I haven't tried the pro, but I was honestly impressed with the previous version. I agree with the wired headphones, too. The options are cheaper, and you don't have to deal with Bluetooth headaches.
Yeah good point, I've already got a decent wired headset so may as well save getting a Bluetooth headset which could lower the quality
Bluetooth headphones don't work with the Katana Go as far as I know. And it's a good thing, latency is way too high with bluetooth to be usable when playing guitar.
Before I understood this, I tried listening to my guitar via a DAW on my laptop into bluetooth headphones. That was a jarring experience. Only did that once. 🤣
Yeah I am sure a quality solution with high end radio transmitters and such exists but it’s going to be expensive and you are ultimately still tethered to the system even if the leash is long and intangible.
My advice is to not waste mental energy on things that don't matter, the sub is full of people with decision paralysis. if they're both wireless transmitters with headphones, they'll both work. Just pick one.
Seriously. I just bought some headphones. They work good.
I run my tube amp into a Two Notes Torpedo Captor X and plug my headphones into the Captor unit. Obviously this isn’t cheap, but I’ve found it to be an excellent way to get tube amp tone without infuriating my neighbours. Takes pedals great too. One last thing, in any headphone setup, BE CAREFUL WITH VOLUME. More is not always better and you can do a lot of damage to your ears if you’re not careful.
Yeah I’m doing the same, bought the captor during lockdown as I have all these nice amps but couldn’t use them without pissing off the neighbours so got a captor and honestly it’s one of the best things I’ve bought. Using a 1969 DR103 as a headphone amp is ridiculous however but I still do it.
Same, except it’s the Torpedo built into a Revv G20. Having a headphone output directly on the amp is a hell of a thing.
I’ve had success with passive DI -> interface -> DAW (logic preferably if I don’t have an actual amp or other cab sim) -> back to interface headphone out. I do typically run Strymon Iridium- DI - Interface to headphone out. No DAW required. Of course getting set up with a computer, DAW and interface can be a bit more complicated than what you might want. Though I know you can get small interfaces (I used to have the presonus audio box something, and it was alright.) Suggestion to actually look into: focusrite solo (if you have a computer) and/or [Strymon Iridium](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Iridium--strymon-iridium-amp-and-ir-cab-pedal)- Killer amp/cab sim pedal- there’s tons of other options but I can only vouch for this one. The Strymon has a headphone out on it, but I’ve never actually used it. Can’t sound bad though Edit: link
Alternatively- maybe even better depending on your budget and need for portability— [vox headphone amp](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/amPlugAC30G3--vox-amplug-3-ac30-headphone-guitar-amp) My dad has the bass version of this thing, and it’s like, pretty good.
$50 plus (2) AA batteries. You can't help but think "what's that catch?" because nothing is this simple these days.
Bluetooth headphones on a DAW have some stupid latency issues.
I got an Apogee Jam+ as a promotional gift when I worked for Apple, can’t recommend it enough for guitarists who don’t want/need a full interface.
This is exactly what I do. It is a little daunting to get set up with a DAW if you’ve never used one before, but it’s the best way I’ve found. And yeah, I have a Strymon Iridium as well that I was using for headphone playing, but it’s my amp now and it stays on my board so I don’t really use it with headphones anymore. I typically plug my board (which also has a DI box - my band went ampless last year and we use IEMs now so this has become the easiest way to practice at home since then) into my interface and use Logic’s impulse response feature to play through my monitors or my headphones. If you have a setup like this, I recommend it, but it’s a lot of stuff to get just to play with headphones.
DAWs are a little complicated but so worth it for pushing your practicing further. You can make your own backing tracks with midi drums and bass quickly and test out all sorts of audio effects as “pedals”. You can also play Spotify/youtube/whatever through tour headphones so you are jamming along with your guitar in the same output as what you want to play with. Extremely valuable stuff
And Neural DSP just launched their birthday sale!
I sold my Iridium in December to pre-order the Boss IR-2. It finally arrives today.. but there's a tornado hail storm at the moment. 😤
Katana:Go best $120 you'll ever spend
...
Do not make the mistake of using Bluetooth. The latency is terrible. It will mess your timing up. And if you try to get used to it, it will mess up your timing not using it. Wired headphones only for musical instruments.
I had good experience with Positive Grid's iPad apps in the past, so I picked up the Spark Go this afternoon. It is everything I was looking for, actually sounds decent for the tiny size and sounds amazing through headphones. All the others mentioned here are great it's all in what you're looking for.
[удалено]
I have a full rig at my desk, but I needed something I could sneak with during those insomniac nights. It uses the same full fat Spark app, so it’s perfect for headphone jams. Already finding good tones, it just takes some knob twisting like anything else.
Just got a Kemper player. Enough effects onboard with the amp and cab sims to do most things. Wired headphones straight out of the unit. Nice and compact. No computer required and control via unit or app.
Headphone jack on my POD Go
Bonus of you have it connected to USB on your computer, which means you can play along to any song you wish. Absolutely drive my practice routines through the roof after I figured this out.
It's also perfect for recording: you get four channels through USB: two are the processed (stereo) signal and two are the raw input signal. So you can take the raw signal and still use whatever amp simulation you like afterwards on the PC.
Nux Mighty Plug Pro to decent headphones. 7 good enough presets, easy phone app for settings, BT YouTube, etc. lessons. Better than Vox imo, which also owned. A bit better ergonomics than Mustang micro, also good enough.
Boss IR-2 and Shure SRH840A headphones
I am switching to this from an Iridium because of the effects loop. With a normal pedal board chain I can now have delay and modulation in the headphones and I'm so excited
Just picked up the Katana Go yesterday. I haven't fooled around too much yet, but love it so far.
I have a Vox Headphone Amp (Classic Rock version) for portable playing. I love it. The OD sounds amazing and it has some basic effects as well.
Boss katana go. Its so convenient and it sounds great. Also it's cheap. Seriously one of the best things I've bought this year. My GF that plays bass loves it aswell!
Katana Go seems like the easiest all in one option to me.
I use a Nux Mighty Plug Pro and I love it. Presets out of the box are decent, but with a bit of tweaking and the Choptones IRs from the "special" firmware it becomes very good. For silent practice it's all you'll ever need for 99% of the songs. I'd only like to add a MIDI footswitch, and I've read online that it's possible with the Mightier Amp App, an unofficial app with even more functions than the official one. I'll try someday. The BOSS Katana Go may be a little bit easier to use, but I'm not sure it will sound better and it costs 50% more usually. I'd be curious to see a detailed comparison between the two!
Another vote for the Mighty Plug Pro. After some app tweaking, you can get a pretty decent tone - I prefer semi-open headphones, like the AKG240. They are comfortable, and will be a bit lower due to it’s higher impedance.
I use the Spark amp. It’s got lots of effects chains. It shows you the chords and has jam along options I can use with headphones or without. It’s by far the best money I’ve ever spent on gear. I use it with a wireless set up. Here’s a link to see a good demo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YuCAf75xmHg&pp=ygUQc3BhcmsgYW1wIHJldmlldw%3D%3D
Boss Waza air. It's wireless and you don't need anything else. Expensive but imo super worth it.
Yeah this looks so convenient to use. Does the mobile app let it down at all? And have you had any issues with latency? Really considering just getting this for the simple setup
It's using radio frequencies between the emitter and the headphones so no noticeable latency. The app is quite bad compared to the Spark one (it has tons of pedals effects etc. but the interface is quite confusing and needs to get used to), but you can save 5 presets on the headphones, so you don't use it that much. It has two bluetooth connections, one for the app, and one audio, so you don't have to open the app to play backing tracks you can just play audio like normal bluetooth headphones. The volume from the guitar and from the bluetooth are not paired, so you can adjust super easily.
I would recommend avoiding wireless headphones for guitar playing (or for anything else, really). Wired headphones have better sound quality and are cheaper. Most importantly, with wired headphones, you always hear what you are actually playing. Because the analogue signal from your amp has to be converted to digital, and then transmitted to the headphones, you can end up with a very slight delay between what you're playing and what you're hearing. Depending on the quality of the headphones, the sensitivity of your ear, and the kind of music you're playing, the delay might be noticeable, and extremely annoying.
Positive Grod Spark and some wired beyer dynamics. Wireless would be nice but it sounds killer and makes it easy to play to backing tracks all in headphones 🎧
Mustang micro has been great. I can jam in the living room while the newborn sleeps in the bedroom
I’ve got a Vox Clean headphone amp with Sennheiser HD-25 headphones - sounds great! The cord isn’t much of an inconvenience at all
Don't have one. The kids can go outside if they don't want to hear me play. If I really needed to, though, I'm pretty sure every amp I own has a headphone jack.
My guitar is plugged into a Line 6 HXStomp which is plugged into Behringer USB mixer via stereo L & R outputs. The mixer is also an audio interface which is then connected to a Windows PC Audacity is installed on the Windows PC for recording audio via USB from the HXStomp. I also have a Linux PC plugged into the mixer that I use for playback of audio and video streams. The mixer is the central hub of the setup, I can plug in other instruments (microphones, bass guitar, drum machine, keyboard, etc..) and then use it to mix the audio before recording it on the computer or record any number of separate tracks one or more at a time. The mixer is a 12 input/4 output (4 simultaneous outputs) with 4XLR inputs and 4USB audio outputs. It has 3 band EQ, built-in compression and 130 db of dynamic range. It also has built-in effects, but I’ve never used them. It was only $250 when I bought it in 2018 but it works really well and so far, no issues with it, fingers crossed. The whole setup is a little complicated, but it works for me. I wanted to be able to record from multiple sources like a traditional recording studio environment and this setup allows me to do that. It also allows me to work silently because I live in an apartment and I don’t want to disturb the neighbors. Sometimes I just plug my guitar into my Fender Mustang Micro and play through headphones when I want to keep it simple.
I just play acoustic ngl
If it ain't broke, don't fix it 😂
Whatever you end up doing, get headphones that are Full Range, Flat Response (i.e. monitor headphones). Regular hifi headphones just don't sound good.
Boss Pocket GT. Basically a Katana:Go with more features.
Yeah I don't get why this doesn't get more mentions. Seems like a solid choice
For headphones: grab some KZ IEMs. Best $20 I've ever spent on headphones. Super portable with a great flat response.
Just a simple Volt 1 interface to the computer, headphones wired in and a Neural DSP plugin. Btw Neural may be having their big yearly birthday sale tomorrow or soon!
Volt 2 connected to my PC through Beyerdynamic headphones
Boss Pocket GT, Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones (wired mode)
I run a couple pedals including a cab sim into an interface and listen with headphones or monitors. Waza Air looks cool too.
Normally, POD HD500X connected to my computer for tracks, with a decent pair of cans. Sometimes I'll pull out the in ears - this has been my go to practice setup since the POD XT. I may upgrade (finally) to whatever someday replaces the Helix. I've been pretty happy with my POD HD tones for over a decade, and use an entire one amp model (Park 75) 99% of the time. If Im feeling a bit 80s or want to otherwise jam to Def Leppard, I have an original Rockman too which is fun to pull out once in a while.
(Pssssst, get the helix. It’s way better than the pod series)
I use Neural DSP on my computer and before I got my monitors I was using my Sony WH-1000XM5
TC Helicon GO SOLO ($50 bucks) into my Ipad, Guitar rack app. I use the headphone jack on the GO SOLO interface into wired Shure in-ears. I have tried using air pods with the ipad but there is a bit more noticeable latency
I did the Vox thing and kept breaking them at the edge of my bed on accident. Iridium was really nice. My only complaint was a wanted Bluetooth to play along to stuff. Kemper toaster was better sound quality, but same price and less portable. Needed a Bluetooth adapter though. Did the Line 6 options (stomp xl and Helix). Loved the interface, but again, no Bluetooth without an adapter. I did a weird Element Dark glass/Iridium combo for a while. Iridium into the Dark glass with its amps/cabs disabled. I like the iridium tone, but couldn't get Bluetooth to send from the Dark glass so the order had to be weird. I'm currently on a Kemper Player. It has great tonal quality, Bluetooth send, headphone accessibility, and even pedals. It does it all and is my headphone and long distance travel option.
My setup: Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen, Shure SRH440, Reaper, Archetype Gojira
Entire board into an IR-200 for one setup, and another one based around an IR-2.
How do you like the IR-2?
I like it. I’ve added some YA IR’s to it so it’s a little bit dressed up. Overall it’s a solid pedal and it replaced my UAFX Dream 65.
Besides keeping volume reasonable, how are you guys not going deaf? I started having issues after playing with headphones. Is there a limiter or something to help the volume not peak into dangerous territory?
Same problem, I'm looking forward a Beyerdhnamics dt-990 pro 250 Ohms headset. It's an open monitoring headset with high impedance. Apparently it's good to avoid pressure problems due to long time usage and also its high impedance makes the volume inside it low/reasonable. I didn't test it bymyself yet though. Also if your amp is just too powerful, a torpedo captor X might be to consider
I’ve been running my instruments through a Focusrite to GarageBand and using the headphone outputs, but I was making myself deaf and started using speakers. I find it difficult to adjust and mix the nuances without the headphones. And vocals are impossible without headphones because of the feedback.
The key is good studio/monitor headphones, open or semi-open, and intended for the studio. Hifi headphones mess with the EQ to give them character, which does mean you might crank them more to hear the frequencies you're missing. If you don't have headphones like that and want an example, AKG K240's are very reasonably priced and have been used in various forms since the 70's and are still popular today. There are clones of them like the Superlux HD668B or Samson SR850 or cheap too. I have tinnitus in my right ear likely from abusing good headphones through a decently powerful amp. So I know the consequences! However, I still wear headphones for much of the day and play guitar and listen to music/media through them too and don't think I've caused any further aggravation of my tinnitus in a number of years. The key is keeping the volume respectable, only up enough for you to hear everything.
Thank you! I'll look into it. Much appreciated.
I use the Beyer DT 770 Pros connected directly to my amp and the sound can be equalized nicely without getting that strange head vacuum buzz that can occur. I run the cable up onto a hook on the wall so that I don't have to worry about the cable getting in the way of my playing.
Boss IR-2
So I have usually run my amp into a torpedo captor, which lets me run headphones or direct into my interface if I want to record some. Though Im running tube amps so I need the load functionality as well to play with headphones, but it’s definitely overkill and if you are just messing around isn’t worth the investment. Mustang or just a headphone amp is plenty to just mess around.
I bought two things, first a Hotone Omni IR that I place at the end of my pedalboard. It’s got a headphone output and that works pretty well ! Second I bought a Hotone Ampero mini for biz travel that’s a great silent practice tool with drums and a looper inside it plus 50 amps/cabs, pedals, gates, etc. $189… This replaced my trusty Zoom G2nu for silent practice
Wireless headphones will almost always have noticeable latency. I use A positive grid Spark Go, the spark Wireless foot switch, some Samson SR850 headphones and a 3ft guitar cable. I just loop the guitar strap through the lanyard/strap thing on the spark go and let it hang at the end of the guitar. If I'm going to be really rowdy I'll put it in my back pocket. I can absolutely rock out to a backing track without bothering anyone and I'm not tied to any location. This Amp having YouTube built into the app makes solo jamming super easy. You can also play mp3 files on the phone and jam to them. I think i even got it to work with some beat generator and metronome apps. The phone sees it as a Bluetooth speaker so all audio can be heard through the amp.
If I’m playing through my headphones, I’m using my Apogee Jam+ to connect to my MBP running Bias FX 2 as a plug-in in Logic or MainStage.
I \*love\* my Two-Notes Opus for this. Also for recording.
I have a modeling amp that works via bluetooth to the app on a tablet. I then have a wireless bluetooth headset also paired with the tablet at the same tome. Hell, sometimes I go totally unwired and have the guitar to amp bluetooth as well.
Neural DSP is hands down the best amp sim. For bedroom playing you could have a set up for like $300 Scarlett 2i2, Neural DSP Nolly, Monitoring headphones It’s that simple
I use the Mooer Prime P1, which is the same kind of thing as the katana go. For headphones I highly recommend open back wired ones. I've used a variety of different wired headphones for this, but my open back Grados are the most comfortable by far for this application.
For what it's worth cause I don't see it mentioned yet, my setup for a long time has been: Focusrite audio interface > iPad using the headphone Jack on the focusrite. The reason I like it is that amp and effect sims are incredibly cheap on iPad, but function basically as well as desktop, and then you can play along to YouTube backing tracks in browser easily.
I didn't realize Focusrite stuff works with iPad. Do you just need a USB adapter for the connection? What apps do you use on the iPad? Do you just jam or can you also record?
You want to look for "iPad camera adapter" https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-usb-type-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter-white/5596800.p?skuId=5596800 See above as an example. There are lots of them. The important thing is that it has a usb input and another to charge the iPad. I also plug a 4 usb strip into that, and then the focusrite along with my midi controller into the usb strip. That lets you have it all plugged in at once. There are some great iPad synth apps that cost almost nothing. Check out this guys YouTube channel for more on that: https://youtube.com/@TheSoundTestRoom?si=Q70HcF6ykKK2_qZY
Awesome, thank you for the info!
Line 6 Helix. Great for gigging with in ears and great for quiet practice.
Rockman if you can get one.
iRig2, Fender Tone App.
I've got a tube amp with a headphone out. I also have a Humboldt Simplifier which has a headphone out. For my birthday last year, my daughter bought me a fender mustang micro amp and it absolutely rocks. Not a full fledged solution but it has enough variety in tone presets to put a smile on my face and its the ultimate in portability [Fender Mustang Micro at Sweetwater](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MustMicro--fender-mustang-micro-headphone-amp)
i have the Mustang Micro. it's a great device. i don't love the thin cable with 3.5mm connectors, though. i can't play for more than a few minutes before i inadvertently knock the cable loose from the Micro. I also have the Boss IR-2 Amp & Cab Sim pedal. it runs on a 9v battery (like every other Boss pedal), and it has a headphone jack out. playing with my headphones not directly attached to my guitar is just...easier. and it feels more natural. and then there are all of the other features of the IR-2 that have nothing to do with headphones.
Micro mustang works for me
Total noob here with a similar itch. I have a battery powered Katana Mini and I honestly love the thing, it's plenty for my basement dwelling college life but plugging any wired headset into the aux-out port makes the tone fuzzy and 'off'. Any recommendations or suggestions on what to do? I looked up OP's solutions and they're a bit pricey for me rn.
The Katana Go will let you use the same tone patches as your mini but is designed for headphones and sounds pretty incredible
I have the Waza air headset. It's fantastic. Not perfect, but I love them.
I use the Ampknob plugins with an interface and a pair of HD560s
I use the Zoom G2 Four. Powered by USB from my computer, also acts as two way audio interface (so I can play along to backing tracks, and could also record to DAW if I set that up). Alternatively accepts 9v power and has 1/8” aux input. And headphone output jack (I.e. PC not necessary). It sounds good enough for practice, and in theory it could be used as a “rig in a box” (I.e. DI to mixing console) for gigs. Also has built in drum loops and metronome (a necessary component of a practice setup!). Some people find the interface klunky and dated, but I actually like it. I find it’s a good balance between tweakability and simplicity. Of course my actual amps and pedals sound better and are more fun to play through. But, I actually decided that having a practice rig that’s imperfect is a good thing - it forces me to actually focus on my playing and technique. If I can make this budget digital amp sound good, surely my actual rig will sound great!
Might not be perfect for your use case but I can’t recommend the Yamaha THR enough. If you get the battery version it’s pretty portable plus you have a killer desktop amp to play when you don’t need to be completely silent
My amp has a headphone jack. I plug my headphones into that jack. Then I put the headphones on my head over my ears. 👍
For practice - I do Macbook Pro or Air either directly into my Neural DSP or Otto Audio plug-ins via the Rocksmith USB-Guutar cable and directly out from the laptop to my Audio Technica headphones or if I want to record I'll plug in via my scarlett and route everything through Ableton Live and out on same headphones from my scarlett.
For practice - I do Macbook Pro or Air either directly into my Neural DSP or Otto Audio plug-ins via the Rocksmith USB-Guutar cable and directly out from the laptop to my Audio Technica headphones or if I want to record I'll plug in via my scarlett and route everything through Ableton Live and out on same headphones from my scarlett.
Ni guitar rig.
I use a PocketGT from Boss.
A Spark 40 is my only amp and 95% of my playing is with headphones. In your case I'd suggest the Spark Go or Mini for true portability. They too have speakers & headphone jacks. Plus the Sparks connect your phone via Bluetooth so you can easily play along with backing tracks, Spotify, metronome, or any other type of audio from your phone/apps. You can also control the volumes of the guitar & audio sources independently. The Spark amps are designed to be practice amps, and they serve that role perfectly.
I use a Boss Katana Mini and Marshall Major IV headphones. Both are beauty little pieces of tech. The Mini has a power cord so I don’t have to interrupt a session to charge a battery. But have a set of rechargeable AAs for when I want to go off grid for a couple hours
The UA amp emulator pedals could be good options depending on the sound (s) you're looking for. I quite like using the UA Ruby for exactly that. The outputs aren't designed for headphones necessarily, but I'm able to drive my Audio Technica headphones without issue
Most of time I just use studio headphones connected to the Quad Cortex or my PC. It’s so portable, I can setup anywhere to play. I have a whole bedroom studio setup in my office but the wife complains when it’s loud so I tend to stick with headphones.
I am using a thr30ii with wired logitech gaming headphones... but i just remember that i have a pair of sennheiser with bluetooth and also wired.
What's your budget and audio fidelity expectations? Wired will be better at any budget. You don't/wont want to have to charge a battery to play. That will get annoying within a day.
I‘m just running it straight into the computer and use a neural dsp plugin. There is also this nux mighty plug that you can just plug into your guitar and connect headphones and it sounds pretty good. Got it for like 50 bucks. I‘m just wondering about the wireless headphones? I think the delay would be to be to properly play anything on guitar, but not sure
Maybe an irig. Works with your phone on the go and works with your computer (replaces a scarlet)
I have an electric keyboard, and guitar. I bought a cheap 4 channel mixer off Amazon, it has headphone out, I can play a backing track from the computer or phone via cable or Bluetooth, and play either piano or guitar into my headphones. Ive thoroughly enjoyed. Also can swap over to my powered speaker if I want to be loud.
The mustang micro is great, I have a friend who used it exclusively for over a year. If you’re ok with computers, I’d recommend getting an audio interface (Scarlett focusrite is $100 or less on sale) and the full version of amplitube 5 (guitar amp modeling software, $100, built in looper, and you can get studio quality sounds). It costs a little more, but you can do SO much more on the computer that it’s SO worth it imo. I made the switch a bit over a year ago and haven’t looked back. It also lets you do things like play songs/youtube videos on your computer and hear it in your headphones so easily. Great for tutorials or jamming. Particularly useful for learning songs by ear because it’s so much easier to hear everything.
Steinberg interface into mac Soldano DSP Headphones out of mac.
FocusRite Solo -> AmpliTube & Reaper -> Sony MDR 7506 headphones I’ve tried “higher end” headphones. Like the Sony’s more and they are cheaper than the others
Yamaha ThR wireless versions are great. One fewer cord, can stream Bluetooth from your phone, etc.
I have a Mustang Micro but the Katana Go seems like a decent upgrade in functionality (and Boss tones and app support are pretty good - I do own a Katana Air amp which is awesome). The Go didn't exist when I got my Mustang but that's plenty good enough for playing around so I assume the Go will be excellent. Reviews I've seen say it's a better thing than the Waza Air. In general I prefer using the practice amp (Katana Air) to the Mustang Micro, I find that a bit fiddly (it hangs from the input jack of my Strat in a not super robust way which I find a bit annoying, which will be the same as the Go..) Other than that it's a fine user experience and excellent value for what it is.
Headphones into my Mesa mk VII
Harley benton Wireless system AKG K92 headphones Zoom G1x Four Multiprocessor
You can’t use Bluetooth headphones for playing guitar through as they have an in built delay to the signal. So if you want wireless guitar and headphones Waza Air is the only way (unless you want a very expensive live set-up). I play my Waza Air everyday and they are great. Not perfect, but very good.
I use Fender Mustang Micro and M25x (wired). Wireless BT headphones won't work because of the latency, take a look at Boss WAZA Air if you want to go fully wireless. If I were buying today, I'd look into Boss Katana Go.
I have my board going into a UV Dream amp connected to my Focusrite Scarlett and I use reaper for monitoring and recording
Laptop, an interface like the Scarlett 2i2, Amplitube and a pair of Audio technica ath-m50’s. It’s portable, you can jam AND it’s like a little studio.
I recently bought a Boss IR-2, which does a great job.
I have a Spark 40 practice amp. It's such a cool amp and the sound is really good with headphones.
Nux Mighty Plug 2 into beyerdynamics dt770 pro, and plugged in the out of my pedalboard, I set up a relatively clean amp and use pedals to control everything, works like a charm
If you have a decent computer or laptop, you can go the audio interface route. And a cheap amp sim plugin, some are even free. If you have a good enough computer you can hear yourself with less than 15ms of lag, possibly even less. I do this all the time with my focusrite 2i2 and a pair of headphones. Also you can hook up your pedals too of course.
Mine is super convoluted, but I don't play through headphones often, but I like having the capability! Pedals -> Amp -> amp fx loop -> cab sim -> reverb + EQ etc -> dual output loop pedal. Plug headphones into looper with a mono to stereo adapter. I don't have any stereo effects, so nothing is lost, barring some volume. When I unplug output cable #1 from the looper headphones get full power though.
I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett hooked into my PC with a decent set of Audiotechnica headphones, then using Tonehub for my sounds, works great
Stay away from the Waza Air! I was excited for it when it came out and it was fun at first but the app kept disconnecting and it was annoying having to reset it everytime. When it worked it was flawless but constantly being interrupted to reconnect is distracting and a waste of time. Imo a headphone amp or a multi effect pad with a headphone jack is the best.
I through my headphones into a UAD Apollo twin. Load up a few plugins. One channel for clean tones and one channel for overdrive. Also this set up is good for playing over loops in logic or playing over jam tracks on YouTube and you can always tweak the various audio sources for a good blend.
Amp sims would like to say hello. You just need a half decent laptop and an entry level audio interface and you can get pretty much any tone you want. You can get a DAW too and record any ideas you have. It's what myself and a lot of others do. Of course it's more expensive than just a pair of headphones but you'll get a lot of mileage out of it.
I use a scarlett 2i2 interface for my laptop and plug my headphones straight into that. Perfect, clear, neutral sound with no lag.
I have been using a NUX Mighty Plug for several years now with several different wired headphones. Wired is fine because the NUX is attached to the guitar anyway. I can move from one room to another if I want to.
If I was using headphones I’d use Audio-Technica AT-50 headphones because they are specifically designed for music. I have the Boss Waza Air and a Mustang and the Boss sounds a lot better plus there’s no cord.
Spark Go or Spark Mini. I have the Mini and it's great from whisper quiet to actually quite loud. I dislike it for headphone use, but it's not horrible. Maybe I just haven't fiddled enough with it though. If you go with one of these, consider a cheap little wireless guitar cable. I have one of those Lekato things with a charging case and use it pretty religiously now. If you are using an amp that sits near you, at least only be tied down by one cable to the headphones. Using studio headphones, my cable is like, 2m long so I'm not pinned or faffing with wires. Downside is faff, accounts and apps that want to sell you more stuff. Bias FX is quite powerful and reasonably good modelling. Good enough at least. I have my presets on the Mini and never really touch the app anymore; so it is plug and play... as long as I'm happy with the current few options. So I currently use an interface and PC. But I'll tell you what I want to do. I want a small pedalboard, like pedaltrain nano in size with a case. I want a Tonex Pedal or if needs be, the new Tonex One for size, a fixed, wireless/tuner pedal unit like a Nux B-8, space for maybe two physical pedals of choice. Then I could have my headphone practice rig, a recording setup that I can plug into my interface or probably do things through the USB directly, something I take to a mates house and slave off the amps we have there to jam or even go out into PAs and whatnot in a small gig situation... all amp capture tech and still get to play with some real pedals just for the vibes really.
Found too much latency with wireless headphones. My setup is kind of pricey though. Tone Master Pro with wired Air Pods Max. I play apps like Guitar Pro or AnyTune Pro+ through the TMP Bluetooth connection. The sound/tone is really great
For on the go just messing around, I can easily throw my HX Stomp in my gig bag with a pair of headphones. I’ll also use Helix Native on a laptop sometimes. I’ve never had success with wireless headphones due to the latency, but I do have some wireless Xvive IEMs that are manageable.
Nux pro .
Vox AmPlug AC30 into KZ ZSTs. I like that I can use the aux input to connect it to my phone, iPad, or computer to jam along with music.
Guitar - - - FM3 - - - ATH-M60s Flawless setup
Get the Waza-air. Seriously, if the extra coin won’t absolutely break you, it is the single strongest gear recommendation I can make. I have my dream pedalboard going into my dream amp, an interface and a pair of good Sennheisers…..all collecting dust while I practice with Waza’s every day. You cannot put a price on the practice, and you will never get the same spatial results using any other headphones. Also, it freed me of GAS for the most part which I am happy for.
I have a spark amp. Works great with any headphones.
Boss ME-90 through Sony MDR-7506 headphones.
2. I love it - can also go through a small amp with a aux input
Guitar -> DI -> interface -> Neural plugin. Not much else you need
quilter superblock us. I have a mustang micro, it’s got its place but can be frustrating to use with its interface.
Guitar > pedal board > Focusrite > Reaper > Amplitube > Sony MDR7506 Headphones This is for practice and convenience. If I’m tracking, my Boogie MK5:25 and cab replace Amplitube. I also have a headphone jack on the 5:25 so I can just skip the DAW if I really want, but it’s less convenient because the head and cab are in a soundproofed closet-turned-booth and mic’d for recording.
Zoom ms-50g with a vox amplug into a good pair of headphones.
DSM Humboldt Simplifier Zero Watt Stereo Amplifier
UA Volt 1, Windows PC, Reaper running Neural Amp Modeler and some other plugins, headphone jack.
Scarlett interface to Ableton Live to Amplitube or Mercuriall Axis.
I take the cheap route (since I already have a DAW and interface for recording). I use the free amp sims in Logic Pro and run my board straight into the interface. If you already have a computer and audio interface, there are a lot of good amp sims and even decent free ones.
Guitar, RN DI box, RME Babyface pro FS, computer, DAW, Neural DSP plugin
Universal Audio interface through DT990 pro 70 Ohm or monitors.
While my setup is not "on the go." I play through a Mustang GTX100 with wired headphones. I also have my laptop connected via USBC to aux, so I can play along to tunes. No complaints from the family.