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2Box Drumit 5 Forum => DrumIt 5 Hardware => Topic started by: Baby Samus on January 07, 2011, 06:23:51 AM

Title: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Baby Samus on January 07, 2011, 06:23:51 AM
Does anyone have this figure in ohms of the 2Box headphone power output?  I checked the manual and it doesn't say - was looking at buying some new headphones, maybe the beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro, but it comes in 80ohm and 250ohm versions.  Just wondering if the 2Box headphone output can drive the 250ohm version or if the 80ohm ones would be a better match...

Answers on a postcard... :)

We need some more monitoring/headphone threads!
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Daniel on January 07, 2011, 08:10:03 AM
i have the 80ohms version and sounds great. enough volume.
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: fishmonkey on January 07, 2011, 09:42:30 AM
the 2 Box module definitely doesn't have enough power to cope well with 250 Ohm headphones.

when i plug my 250 Ohm DT 880 Pros in (which i don't normally use for drumming), there isn't even any sound until the output of the module is cranked up to more than a third. at maximum volume it's reasonably loud, but not deafening. also, if you have the output cranked up near maximum, you start to hear the noise in the drum samples.

so definitely don't get 250 Ohm headphones, unless you are also going to use some kind of headphone amp.
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: edtc on January 07, 2011, 10:12:17 AM
tAKE A LOOK AT THE "M" VERSION OF THE DT770 ...

its 80 ohm and has a better sound insulation the and more output volume than the DT770pro has ...  also has volume control on a long and straight 3 meter cable... they come with simili leather ear pads , but you can buy velvet earpads separately for 16 euros ,it makes the phones more confortables if you play long hours ...
Simili leather ear pads are fine when youre on a loud stage , or if you dont want to hear the neighbours knocking on the ceiling when you practice..:)

so in good english , beyer's site says :

"Difference between DT 770 PRO and DT 770 M

The dynamic, closed DT 770 M has especially been designed for drummers and FOH monitoring. The strengthened headband and the softskin ear pads provide an excellent isolation against ambient noise. The single sided straight cable allows a volume control directly at the headphone.
Excellent ambient noise attenuation (35 dBA) Superb sound quality with high sound pressure level (105 dB)"

i ve got 2 of them for my job since some years , and they are fine ... the sound has a bit less bass than the 770 PRO , but i think this helps for avoiding distortions at louder volumes ...
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: roel on January 07, 2011, 05:26:25 PM
Quote from: edtc on January 07, 2011, 10:12:17 AM
tAKE A LOOK AT THE "M" VERSION OF THE DT770 ...

its 80 ohm and has a better sound insulation the and more output volume than the DT770pro has ...  also has volume control on a long and straight 3 meter cable... they come with simili leather ear pads , but you can buy velvet earpads separately for 16 euros ,it makes the phones more confortables if you play long hours ...
Simili leather ear pads are fine when youre on a loud stage , or if you dont want to hear the neighbours knocking on the ceiling when you practice..:)

so in good english , beyer's site says :

"Difference between DT 770 PRO and DT 770 M

The dynamic, closed DT 770 M has especially been designed for drummers and FOH monitoring. The strengthened headband and the softskin ear pads provide an excellent isolation against ambient noise. The single sided straight cable allows a volume control directly at the headphone.
Excellent ambient noise attenuation (35 dBA) Superb sound quality with high sound pressure level (105 dB)"

i ve got 2 of them for my job since some years , and they are fine ... the sound has a bit less bass than the 770 PRO , but i think this helps for avoiding distortions at louder volumes ...


I have the DT 770 M TOO and I must say its one of the best headphones you can get for that money.
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Baby Samus on January 07, 2011, 07:41:34 PM
Thanks for the input guys, I think I will go for something under 150ohm, but there are so many good cans out there for drummers.  I have been looking at Ultrasone pro 550, Beyerydynamic DT 770 range, Audio Technica ATH-M50 mainly - budget has got to be under £150 and they need to be able to cut it for live monitoring too.  Any recommendations?  I can get custom moulds made for £99 so that is also a consideration but I do like the presence and sound stage you get from larger headphones.
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Baby Samus on January 08, 2011, 11:52:34 PM
First up, just wanna say Fishmonkey, could you not drive the 250ohm cans on the 2Box, or even 600Ohm and they would be fine by maybe using 2 line outs to drive them - best to have a headphone amp too for control but I guess the line outs would provide tons more power than the headphone out?  What do you think, maybe you could try with your 250Ohms?  It could sound amazing given the juice.  I have a headphone amp now too so I may try this soon, once....

...well (original point of post) - after tons of reading and musing over it for an age (and because no bloody shops will stock them, or if they do you can't try them out), I bought the Audio Technica ATH-M50s with straight cable online as my first semi-pro headphone.  Aside from reading up on reviews and articles which is par for the course, I took all the personal opinions from the HUUUUUUUGE V-Drum forum Headphone thread (I know, I know but the thread is just HUUUUUUU - well, you get the idea), Head-Fi, (because although some of them are a bit too into there cans over there if you know what I mean, some of those guys really know their stuff), and all that generally good shizz.

Bear in mind that this information is only born out of research, and I can't even say whether the choice was correct until I burn them in and compare.  But if I'm wrong I just send back within 30 days, no harm done.  So why the M50's?  Here's my list of 'reasons' ;-)


These other 'contenders' were whittled down for various reasons:


Please don't get uppity if you own one of the headphones I mentioned and don't agree - I am only passing on my thoughts and reasons behind getting the M50s based on the sources I mentioned.  :'(

I'm sure many of you can't afford to spend hundreds just on headphones alone, £100 to £150 is still a lot of money to me and that means its a lot to many of you too.  So if you are like me and cannot try headphones before buying, can only afford up to say £130/£150 price range and you still need your monitor to be honest with you, I say give the ATH-M50s a try.

Further impressions will follow after delivery...
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: fishmonkey on January 09, 2011, 12:09:32 AM
Quote from: Baby Samus on January 08, 2011, 11:52:34 PM
First up, just wanna say Fishmonkey, could you not drive the 250ohm cans on the 2Box, or even 600Ohm and they would be fine by maybe using 2 line outs to drive them - best to have a headphone amp too for control but I guess the line outs would provide tons more power than the headphone out?  What do you think, maybe you could try with your 250Ohms?  It could sound amazing given the juice.  I have a headphone amp now too so I may try this soon, once....

line outputs expect a very high impedance input, which also means that very little power is required to send the signal. so plugging the headphones into a line out on the module won't help.
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: spoenk on January 09, 2011, 12:21:24 AM
Quote from: Baby Samus on January 07, 2011, 07:41:34 PM
Any recommendations?

sennheiser hd-25!
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Baby Samus on January 09, 2011, 12:31:14 AM
Quote from: spoenk on January 09, 2011, 12:21:24 AM
sennheiser hd-25!

Yes the Senn's HD 25 -1 II were also a consideration and rated highly but I wrote it off for reasons that escape me at the moment - one reason was they aren't over the ear (although the seal is apparently very good I just prefer around the ear cans) - but yes - the HD 25-1 II's are meant to be the shizz....
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Baby Samus on January 09, 2011, 12:41:17 AM
Quote from: fishmonkey on January 09, 2011, 12:09:32 AM
line outputs expect a very high impedance input, which also means that very little power is required to send the signal. so plugging the headphones into a line out on the module won't help.

Ah okay was just an idea - thought there was some tricksy way round it by using a headphone amp but hey ho.  I think the M50s I bought are 40ohm, so should be easy to drive on the 2Box - fingers crossed.
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: fishmonkey on January 09, 2011, 12:51:20 AM
hey, you will have no problem with those cans.

and yes, a decent headphone amp should drive most cans well, even higher impedance 600 Ohm models.
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: edtc on January 09, 2011, 01:02:15 AM
This one is not on your budget , costs close to 300€ but is really amazing ...
(http://en.woodbrass.com/images/woodbrass/MONSTER%2BCABLE%2BBEATS%2BBY%2BDR%2BDRE%2BCASQUE%2BSTUDIO.JPG)

http://www.beatsbydre.com/products/Products.aspx?pid=B3808&cat=1

A friend of mine bought it , so i had the oportunity to test it and compare it with my Beyer770M ... the Monster studio is really louder !!  Its got a  quite "flattering" sound , but pristine powerful , full of bass and even subbasses ... noise dampening is really good ...   that fits perfectly for édrumming ...

This model was designed in collaboration with HipHop producer DrDRE ... so you can imagine how much bass he asked them ....

thet also have a real nice design ...

Expensive , but definitly worth the try ...


I also agree that the Hd 25 has too small earpads to be suitable for Edrummers ... the sound is really loud , good enough but not linear ... but it moves to much if you move your head ... and if your phones are mooving , sound and dampening is changing too




Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: fishmonkey on January 09, 2011, 01:35:58 AM
personally i don't know why you'd spend that much money on a pair of super-hyped headphones.

makes no sense to me.
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: edtc on January 09, 2011, 01:42:03 AM
I agree ... that s why i didnt bought one... :) 

But the best part of those phones is really its great sound and confort ... trust me

Also playing with a nice sound enhances your pleasure ...
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Baby Samus on January 09, 2011, 02:16:42 AM
Quote from: edtc on January 09, 2011, 01:42:03 AM
I agree ... that s why i didnt bought one... :)  

But the best part of those phones is really its great sound and confort ... trust me

Also playing with a nice sound enhances your pleasure ...

You're really just paying for the Dr Dre name, fancy casing etc.  Those phones are 60% branding imo.  Even check out this crazy dude on you tube - he's only just bought them that day and proclaims them better than the beats (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD2WrfZiy2k (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD2WrfZiy2k).  Seriously though, trust me, the M50's will be a more detailed and accurate monitor as its freq curve is more natural.  Massive volume is not required when you have a good seal either.

His last statement - 'everything is clearer than the beats' says it all.

Check out these comments over on head fi from random people - you'll see a wee pattern forming...

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/474208/at-m50-vs-beats-by-dre-studio-which-is-better/45 (http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/474208/at-m50-vs-beats-by-dre-studio-which-is-better/45)

Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: fishmonkey on January 09, 2011, 02:40:30 AM
yeah, but Monster + Dr. Dre bling factor = stupid price...
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Baby Samus on January 09, 2011, 03:01:34 AM
Quote from: fishmonkey on January 09, 2011, 02:40:30 AM
yeah, but Monster + Dr. Dre bling factor = stupid price...

= True
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: edtc on January 09, 2011, 02:46:48 PM
....so this advice was just for rich "bling bling" drummers ... i m sure there are some here  :D :D :D
Title: Re: 2Box Headphone output capability?
Post by: Baby Samus on January 09, 2011, 02:51:18 PM
Quote from: edtc on January 09, 2011, 02:46:48 PM
....so this advice was just for rich "bling bling" drummers ... i m sure there are some here  :D :D :D

I doubt even 'bling bling' drummers would buy these...