Headphone amp too "bassy"??

[lark_z]

I've been playing almost a year through a Donner "Basement" headphone amp. It works OK, nothing special. It's started cutting out on me a bit. I'd attribute this to my repeated accidental stepping on the AUX cord which then torques the unit a bit until the plug pops out. I always run it full out on volume and tone, with drive at maybe 50% to get enough volume.

https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Headphone-Basement-Rechargeable-Amplifier/dp/B079G6Y5Y5

Anyway, needing to get another on the way. I'd been intrigued by the Yamaha Sessioncake since I'd first seen them. Amazon had them for $27, so what the heck. It comes in today and it works, but it seems to have a LOT of bass response. There is no tone adjustment. The lack of midrange makes it much harder to hear myself when playing along with mp3, which is virtually all that I do. I haven't spent hours (yet) twiddling with it, but it's mostly just AUX volume vs. my volume options. Yamaha's stuff is generally high quality - I'm puzzled.

SessionCake - Overview - Yamaha - United States

Maybe I've just gotten used to the poor bass response on the Donner? Or I should return the Yamaha and look at other options, like the Vox Amplug.

 

[abarson]

SessionCake, not SoundCake (good band name, though!). Interesting device.

In your clips the SessionCake sounds "bassier" because I perceive less treble (and a lot less noise!). That amount of hiss would prevent me from using the Donner at all. I can't say which one sounds truer to your instrument's actual tone, but I think the SessionCake sounds better.

Yamaha says you can connect an IOS device to the SessionCake to add effects: maybe that's how you control the tone?

 

[lark_z]

SessionCake, not SoundCake (good band name, though!). Interesting device.

In your clips the SessionCake sounds "bassier" because I perceive less treble (and a lot less noise!). That amount of hiss would prevent me from using the Donner at all. I can't say which one sounds truer to your instrument's actual tone, but I think the SessionCake sounds better.

Yamaha says you can connect an IOS device to the SessionCake to add effects: maybe that's how you control the tone?

Thanks. It's a Parts P-Bass with a Fender Alnico split-coil pickup, 4 month old Fender flats, volume and tone both at 10. And yes - you can do all sorts of 'stuff' with IOS. Android user here, but maybe I can pry the iPad out of my spouse's hands for a bit.

 

[lark_z]

Well, it's going back. Spent more time with it today. Playing just the bass, it sounds great, nice and bass-y. Add Aux mp3 and it's just too muddy. It's just too hard to hear myself. I really believe that some mids in the bass signal would "pop" it right out of the mix. I'm wondering if Yamaha tailored it more to guitar, as that's likely the more popular choice with it.