BOSS Waza-Air Headphones

alfaphlex

alfaphlex

Inspired


I love the idea behind these and would buy these instantly if they didn't include the Katana amp modelling.

For me, they're more expensive than they need to be as the modelling is unnecessary cuz I would be using it with my AFX3. There is a flat setting that allows you to do so, but I would prefer a less expensive version w/o the modelling, otherwise you end up paying extra for a huge chunk of features you wouldn't need.

I suppose it's cool to have the option to take it with me and play guitar away from the AFX3 but for that I have the Yamaha THRs.
 
Admin M@ said:
I will never use wireless headphones.
Click to expand...
I normally wouldn't either because of the latency, but if you're using the headphone modeling, the latency would only be from guitar adapter to headphones, no different than using any wireless adapter from guitar to AFX.

Using them the way I would want to (AX3 to Waza headphones) would add the extra latency though.
 
Although I didn't watch the whole video, I clicked around for a bit to see the gist of what they were doing and talking about. Not one of Anderton's most compelling videos. For some reason it reminded me of watching submarine races in a muddy lake. :rolleyes: :D
 
For a while now, I've been trying to assemble a good portable practice device similar to the old Korg Pandoras, but with updated features.

I mean, what would be ideal is...
  • plug your guitar into one side
  • plug your headphones into the other
  • load .mp3 backing tracks or MIDI drum patterns in via computer
  • set the guitar tone (high quality modelling of a full basic chain: stomp -> preamp -> amp -> cab -> mic & studio space)
  • set the tempo and press play
  • play along with the music
  • walk around the house while practicing

My most recent version of this is using an iPhone and a Behringer Guitar Link UCG102, and the Deplike amp sim app, and a drum machine app on the phone. But it didn't work that well, and when the iPhone died I tried to move it to an Android phone, and (because of Android's lousy audio system) the lag became unbearable. Also I wasn't able to get the drum machine app to be audible through the same headphones as the amp sim.

Anyway, I think someone should make a consumer-friendly solution for this whole use-case, like the Korg Pandoras used to be. Seems like this Boss product is a step in that direction.
 
Well, I love those waza-air for what I see in the videos.
I would love to have one with me if I was to go on holidays with a guitar (thing that never happens sadly lol).

The reason why I would not buy it is because I already have a boss wl-50 and a LD-sytem wireless monitoring setup, so I can already play from potty poopoo place :D
 
I preordered one. I need something silent for living room practicing and don’t want an amp or rack case sitting in that room. My bride has been gracious enough to agree with a music room in the house and a guitar in the living room, so only fair that I consider her in the common rooms. I’ll let y’all know how it works when it comes in.

UPDATE: I wasn’t expecting these to ship until 12/20, but got an email from Musicians Friend today telling me it has shipped! We’ll see what’s what with it soon.
 
Last edited:
Ok, here you are! Mine arrived today, and I hooked them up for a few minutes play time between grilling steaks. Yes, it’s cooling down outside but this is a Texas and we grill all year here. 😁

In classic Roland/Boss fashion there are instructions in most known languages in the box. The roadmap-type fold open instructions are to the point and for musicians (lots of pictures). It only took a few minutes to familiarize myself with the control locations and I was ready to play. That was fortunate because it literally worked as soon as I plugged it in. Sound is round and full, with no latency issues to my ears. With all the V-Drum tech in house, I think they have a decent grip on it.

The bit you plug into the guitar has a switch built into the plug, similar to the Neutrik type, so no loud pops plugging or unplugging. Both the wireless dongle and headphones are of decent build quality and feel substantial. They did not include a case, which I think is a mistake on their part. Charging is via a short USB cable, and works fine with my iPad block. Again, seems that should be in the box, but I have so many USB chargers around, I’d have tossed it in a drawer anyway.

I downloaded the app from the App Store, and paired my iPhone and iPad with no issue. Both control the device well. There are several basic packs of sounds, and you can edit them to your tastes. The operators manual is also linked on the app, a nice touch. Everything else works just like the video from Anderton’s so I won’t rehash all that.

My intention is to have a silent living room practice method where I can stream songs we are playing to work on or work up parts, and to take it to the gig to play and warm up in those places that don’t have a green room. This is most of the places I play, so having a means of hearing myself in a room full of people talking will be awesome. From what I hear in my first minutes on thus, it will serve both of those duties quite well and I am pumped to have it available. It is no Axe a Fx, and at under $370 shipped from my dealer, I didn’t expect it to be (nor should you!). But it sounds good and will be a welcome partner for my purposes.

I am very happy with the purchase. I haven’t figured out how to stream music into it yet... more on that later.
 
Last edited:
Ouch on the price. A nice simple wireless solution to have, like you, in the living room, that I can just pick up and play, would be nice, but for me, not work that much. I keep a Yamaha THR10X in the living room, and for silent use, can plug in some headphones, but the living room headphones are not great, and all the wires...

Definitely update when you get some more time on it. Battery life, settings, etc.
 
Found there are two Bluetooth connections you can make... one MIDI and one Audio. You need the Audio one to stream music into the headphones. That drove me crazy for a bit. Once connected, the sound is good. You can control track volume with the connected device (phone/tablet/etc) and there is a knob to control guitar volume. Had a blast jamming to the tunes on my devices. Many here know I’m a new owner of a PRS 594, and it certainly added a lot of quality to the experience.

The headphones, which do all the heavy lifting here, use a little more battery power. I pounded on it for an hour and it used a bit of available power, though had hours more left apparently. Boss says up to 5 hours on a charge for the phones, which seems reasonable. I’d guess 4 hours at least. The transmitter used no charge at all that I could tell and would go two or three times as long between topping up the charge. Boss says up to 12 hours on the transmitter and I saw nothing to cause me to doubt it.

The headphones are comfy, and get a decent seal around the ear. My wife said she spoke to me several times with no reaction from me at all, so they apparently do block out external noise decently. The Captain said they were wife-cancelling. 😀 Verified. I like talking with my bride, but this means it’ll work well in noisy pre-gig areas.

The preset sounds, from someone very familiar with Roland sound shaping tendencies, is consistent with their norm. They sound very much a studioized version of the amp sounds, more like a recorded guitar than sticking your ear next to a speaker. Again, not an Axe Fx, but pleasant to jam with and you can EQ them to sound good, and save your creations for later recall.

That’s it from this reporter. Feel free to ask questions. In my humble opinion, the set is easily worth the asking price as a simple practice or jamming option that would fit in the pocket of a gig bag and go anywhere. I’m keeping them!
 
Last edited:
Rick said:
Found there are two Bluetooth connections you can make... one MIDI and one Audio. You need the Audio one to stream music into the headphones. That drove me crazy for a bit. Once connected, the sound is good. You can control track volume with the connected device (phone/tablet/etc) and there is a knob to control guitar volume. Had a blast jamming to the tunes on my devices. Many here know I’m a new owner of a PRS 594, and it certainly added a lot of quality to the experience.

The headphones, which do all the heavy lifting here, use a little more battery power. I pounded on it for an hour and it used a bit of available power, though had hours more left apparently. Boss says up to 5 hours on a charge for the phones, which seems reasonable. I’d guess 4 hours at least. The transmitter used no charge at all that I could tell and would go two or three times as long between topping up the charge. Boss says up to 12 hours on the transmitter and I saw nothing to cause me to doubt it.

The headphones are comfy, and get a decent seal around the ear. My wife said she spoke to me several times with no reaction from me at all, so they apparently do block out external noise decently. The Captain said they were wife-cancelling. 😀 Verified. I like talking with my bride, but this means it’ll work well in noisy pre-gig areas.

The preset sounds, from someone very familiar with Roland sound shaping tendencies, is consistent with their norm. They sound very much a studioized version of the amp sounds, more like a recorded guitar than sticking your ear next to a speaker. Again, not an Axe Fx, but pleasant to jam with and you can EQ them to sound good, and save your creations for later recall.

That’s it from this reporter. Feel free to ask questions. In my humble opinion, the set is easily worth the asking price as a simple practice or jamming option that would fit in the pocket of a gig bag and go anywhere. I’m keeping them!
Click to expand...
Hey Rick, how did you add the audio Bluetooth connection? I can't find it in the instructions. Thanks, Ken
 
Rick said:
Yeah, that frustrated the devil out of me for a little while! Glad you figured it out!
Click to expand...

Can't seem to get much volume when playing through the audio bluetooth connection. Can barely hear it. Tried playing music on my cell phone, youtube, pandora, et5c. Is there a way to turn up the audio volume?
 
kslowman1 said:
Can't seem to get much volume when playing through the audio bluetooth connection. Can barely hear it. Tried playing music on my cell phone, youtube, pandora, et5c. Is there a way to turn up the audio volume?
Click to expand...
I controlled the volume with the volume on the iPad, and it was plenty loud. Make sure the volume is up on the streaming device, then mix guitar volume with the knob on the headphones. Make sure that Bluetooth audio is connected. That’s it, as far as I know.
 
Audio worked correctly when paired with a Samsung phone but was very low paired with a brand new LG phone. Went online searching for the issue and found a few suggestions for fixes with LG. Think that helped but even so, backing tracks still not quite loud enough without really cutting down the volume of the guitar. Workable but not great.
 
Recent discovery on transmitter: I charged both headphone and transmitter together, with transmitter plugged into the headphone. After charging, I left the transmitter plugged into the headphone and the transmitter discharged over a couple of days, while the headphones were fine. I could be wrong, but I think the batteries are essentially tied together in parallel while connected, so the smaller battery of the transmitter just ran down first.

The unit arrives with the headphone and transmitter in separate compartments. This is a likely reason, and tells me they should be stored this way when not actively charging.

PSA for users 🤓
 
Interesting update. I just picked up a PRS Silver Sky, and the wireless transmitter doesn't fit inside the well of the jack plate. PRS modified the plate to make it a bit easier to get the jack in and our, and it does, but apparently the well the jack is in is narrower. You can force it in there and it will work, but I can't imagine that is good for the transmitter or the guitar, so I didn't leave it.

Just throwing that out there in case you are considering one and a Silver Sky is your main axe. I may make a little extension adaptor to use it, but I did think that was a bit surprising. It fits into my regular Strat jack plate with no problem, so you're good to go there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom