Boss Waza Air - Are These Worth Buying? Honest (Unpaid) Review

[@johnnathancordy]

If it's not clear - I'm not really even being negative about these. 1) It's quite a different experience to just normal headphones - in an interesting way 2) It's quite a lot of stuff packed into a set of headphones 3) I liked them more than I was expecting to 4) I didn't necessarily think I'd want a Katana in headphones, but having tried them, I can totally see why people like them

[@markrebetzke7693]

Great points. I have a love/hate relationship with these things. They saved my life with an 18 month around the house and you can add it to the end of your signal chain to play wireless. The one thing that annoys me is the you only have 4 Amp models (Clean, Crunch, Lead, and Brown). At least on the Katana there is a variation button which (I'm assuming, so don't quote me) changes the voicing of the amp from American-esqe to British-esqe. I'm not sure why this didn't make it into the application. The effects is limited as well (from what I can see) you can't have OD and Modulation together Also, being able to stream a youtube guitar tutorial and have a decent tone while I practice is amazing. Overall, if these broke - I'd probably buy them again. I've tried the Fender mustang micro - while the tone is on par, waaaaaay too many cables to play in the arm-chair.

[@braydensleath9016]

Please excuse my ignorance...but when you say you wouldn't necessarily want the "katana" feature in a set of headphones, what does that entail?

[@joshL28]

@@braydensleath9016 it’s basically a boss katana on your head

[@eoinjennings519]

@@markrebetzke7693you can have mod in the FS if using an overdrive

[@tedjohnson5210]

I just ordered a set of these for exactly that reason, I love the katana go but I hate the headphone cable. I travel a lot and practice late at night with 3 kids at home so I think I’ll get a lot of use out of them.

[@dansmith543]

You cannot beat these, I owned them a few years ago during covid, after being furloughed etc sold them for the money and regretted it ever since until now. In between buying the Nux mighty plug pro and even the new boss katana go only a week ago I’ve sent them both back and re bought the waza airs. I absolutely love them, the sound is amazing, guitar and audio, the convenience is second to none. Yes they are expensive but I think they are totally worth it, if anyone is thinking about buying them don’t think just buy them you won’t regret it, they’re the best thing I’ve ever bought for guitar.

[@Krattzor]

(First off, don't use the gyro, Surround mode is what you want) Secondly, what you get with these are convenience. I don't have a dedicated space to have my gear setup in, so everytime I wanted to play I had to set up my modeler, connect it with cables, connect the headphones, connect with a PC, find something to play along to, and then I could get going. With these it takes me literally 15 seconds to connect the guitar and have a backing track going and have a great time, while not disturbing the rest of the family. I can also play in whatever room is available. I sold the modeler. My playing has gone from a couple of hours per week to almost every day.

[@johnnathancordy]

Yeh totally that's what I've said in the video, I've read loads of folks who like yourself have found that this is basically a great solution. I definitely liked them more than I thought I was going to. The initial firmware update and getting it connected to the phone was a bit of a pain, but like you say to be able to just take these with a guitar around with your phone is undoubtedly cool. For me, if they had made a way to record with this - 1/4" output or something, they'd be even better?

[@moe45673]

I am staying at my parents for a few days. My normal setup at home is pedalboard with multieffects, split into fx return of my amp (no IR) and into my PC interface (IR). I never turn the amp on because I have kids and I get the majority of my playing done after bedtime. I have a set of 250 ohm BeyerDynamics DT990s, which are great. I like my tone, I am accustomed to it. Last night, I took my guitar and just plugged it straight into the Waza Airs (no pedals, nothing. It was late and I just wanted to play with as minimal fuss as possible). I then tweaked around for fun, seeing if I can improve on my prior set guitar tone. I went with the clean amp slight breakup, boosted by..... the mid boost? treble boost? I forget which (I use a PRS with humbuckers). Bosst just to get it a little more juicy. I then played along with some backing tracks (pop songs with the guitar removed, still vocals). You know what I felt? I felt that whoosh of an amp pushing air. Obviously it was completely a sonic thing my brain reinterpreted, but it felt like I was playing through a cranked amp. Your actions having that audible effect give you this sense of power at your fingertips that normal headphone playing (even with great tone and no bleeding trebly frequencies) can't do. A good way to explain this to normies is to point to that scene in A Star is Born when Bradley Cooper plays Pretty Woman and the film's sound engineers do a great job of simulating a cranked tube amp to capture that on-stage experience (in addition to pointing out how it was destroying his character's hearing). That was good as an observer listening to a cranked amp (I saw that film in theaters so the playback really translated well.); the Waza Airs do that but in first person. Does it replace playing a real amp? Likely not. But I haven't blasted a real amp in years. This felt to me like when I was younger and could blast the amp. It was a different experience. And these bring the headphone experience closer to that than anything else I have tried. The Waza Airs are not a flashy product. But for a large percentage of guitarists who can't crank amps in their homes and/or can't gig, this definitely transcends the playing experience.

[@RirtyDascal]

Well, I've searched around a LOT, but your comment has me convinced. I'm biting that bullet and placing the order now. It only makes sense where I live at the moment.

[@patrickcarroll1754]

As someone who has gotten noise complaint after noise complaint in my apartment, I've found mine to be a godsend. I agree w/ every comment and criticism John raises in this, but I still find them invaluable in certain situations. And I feel the sound quality and response of the Instrument is slightly better than some give it credit for. It is a closed feeling but I don't mind that as it keeps me focused. Great review, John!

[@johnnathancordy]

I'm totally thinking these are like - almost the perfect thing? Like I was chatting to Alec this morning and there's only a few things that would turn these into almost must haves?

[@RockG.o.d]

I got my amps (valve and ss), guitars, pedals, computers and laptops and just to take piss, they also took my home pods, all confiscated by council because of apparent repeat noise complaints. (Did check the mail afterwards and saw the letters)Got them back a few month ago now though after paying that fine. Funny thing though. I know for a fact it wasn’t me making the noise. (I work nights) My neighbour downstairs plays loud crappy music on Thursday Friday and Saturday and sometimes other week night. I made complaints for over a year most of lockdown, but nothing got done so I stopped complaining about it, knocking on their door ect and I got night job. I have since taken my amps and amp heads to storage locker. would have taken the cabs too, but can’t make noise without amps. Cos I know how it looks to them. But really I thought they would have done some kind of investigation. And found that my valve amps are always used with attenuation and the ss amp is always set to 0.5w. I also changed my cameras to always record because next time it happens I’m going to sue them. Just don’t want them taking the 1000 £ of equipment I have worked hard in acquiring, cos next time they threaten to destroy it all. So yes be careful with noise complaints. So did you get the headphones? And can you use it with pedalboard? I assume you can.

[@valebliz]

To me the waza air are the best practice tool in a long time. I can put them on at 1am in the night and have a decent headphone guitar sound, or use the flat amp and plug them in my pedalboard. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. You just don't get them and have a "always on" house setup which is not what 99% of the people at home have...

[@MeanMaoriMean555]

I feel the same. Had mine 2 years. It was inspirational and helped me get up and going in my late age. Thanks for sharing Jonathan. Bit of a surprise actually to see you review these.

[@RogerThat902]

Yeah, I've only had them less than a week and I like them a lot at used prices. They fail in some notable ways, kind of like the Spark, but are also awesome for what they are (like the Spark) IMO. I was playing guitar in my kitchen, in my living room and out on the deck all with minimal disturbance. That's where they shine. I also must say that I don't have a Katana, but the sound quality of the headphones make me want to check out a Katana for a secondary amp to beat up etc. To my ears they sound great.

[@Arthur_My_Dear]

What do they have over plugging phones in your HX Stomp, which is also good for recording and gigging

[@valebliz]

@@RogerThat902 yeah I agree they are by no means perfect. The gyro thing doesn't work as it should and it's gimmicky as hell, but I just don't use it, and the app on android is quite bad. But the platform as a whole has a convenience off the scale.

[@valebliz]

@@Arthur_My_Dear they sound much better than headphones into a hx stomp because they put sound into a virtual space. It's a much more natural sound and less tiring. Right now when I have my digital rig out (hx stomp + uafx ruby and some pedals) and i want to play with headphones, i plug the waza transmitter into the hx stomp out and use the flat di amp on the waza. Still a better sound because of the virtual space sim, and I get the amp sims of the pedalboard which are of course superior.

[@skeres01]

Ease of use once setup is fantastic. I leave the guitar out with the dongle plugged in. All I do is turn on the headphones, pick up the guitar and play if I have 5 or 10 minutes free through the day. I'm definitely playing more since owning this device, but there is no substitute for a good pedalboard and a couple of amps when I have more time and nobody is getting annoyed at the volume.

[@bmicona]

I use these settings typically: Surround mode in position 0, stage ambience on 100. Clean amp with gain at 59, volume 100, bass 54, mid 44, treble 85. That's my clean tone. I have other presets for OD and leads.

[@redcomn]

My practice tools are Guitar>iridium>uavolt476>iPad Monitor with shure srh940 Or with my iloud mtm monitor I use boss pocket gt app just bc it can tag the time in KZbin vid. No slow option tho but not really necessary when I can just repeat the thing. Honestly just using boss pocket gt unit is a better tools for practice…… But the sound is better using this kind of things. I could mono the left right track to pickup exact guitar line too.

[@rtbmusic1135]

I’d buy some, but I really don’t like to put on airs…

[@raymondforbes4295]

For me, I use mine for travel. I love being able to grab just a guitar and these headphones and I can practice anywhere.

[@bmicona]

oh, and you turn up the volume or the streaming audio with the bluetooth switch. It has + and - on it, you just tap it up or down

[@scottbronder]

I had these and sold these as it was almost no less convenient to use my iPhone, USB interface and normal Audio Technica cans I already owned.

[@guitdude13]

The gyro is gimmicky but I like the surround mode. It is nice to get Bluetooth from your phone through the headphones too for learning a song off KZbin or truefire. I don’t really bother with the effects much since the usecase is limited and doesn’t apply outside of the headphones. I either play fairly clean or plug the adapter into my pedalboard. My only gripe is the audio cuts out occasionally for me but I think it may be wireless interference.

[@cesarherediaaguirre4419]

I think the spark is a more interesting practice platform. Maybe the tones aren't the best, but it seems that you get a ton of content from that little amp and the app.

[@surfrby8876]

agreed , I use it all the time for practice

[@RogerThat902]

Wow, thanks for reviewing these. I actually picked up a pair after I asked your thoughts on them! In short, if you can get them for a great used price grab them. They are super convenient and will likely cause you to play more electric guitar because they are so convenient. If that's not you, then they are overpriced and gimmicky. Also, think if you tend to practice in the same place then these don't make sense because you could just plug into a solid state amp. The amp drift is incredibly annoying unless you think of like a dynamic band situation. They almost should have just said that because it's clear they just released the product w/o it being great. No way they didn't discover the flaws before shipping. The other thing that is infuriating is it's clear Boss released this product and decided to do the bare minimum to keep it going. It's not a product that looks to be updated, the app is complete garbage (maybe Kantana users are used to it?) etc. For something sold as a premium product not regularly updating clear flaws and improving the app is terrible and makes me hesitant to buy another Boss product. What it does well, it does REALLY well. The problem is the main selling points are a gimmick and if I'd have paid full price I'd be very upset. Fortunately, I did not so I'm happy!

[@colmkelly5524]

Try the WAs set flat (bass /acoustic amp with B/M/T on 12) plugged into your Helix with speaker sim and IR switched off. You might need to adjust the presence control on the WAs to taste. Personally I found this to be a far superior playing experience compared to regular headphones plugged into the Helix, both in terms of sound and not having your head tethered to something. Also, the gyro function is a gimmick. Just pan your guitar to taste (it can be panned 360 degrees unlike a standard right and left stereo field). Regarding the ambience control, it nearly always feels like it is overly wet, but when you start playing along with other stuff it allows you to bed your part into whatever you are listening to.

[@valebliz]

Agreed 200%, i use them the same way.

[@colmkelly5524]

@@valebliz They also work great with the RevivalDrive in a similar set up

[@johnnathancordy]

Been doing that this morning, definitely dig!

[@valebliz]

@@colmkelly5524 i just wish boss updated the software leaving you the option to switch the cab sim off. It's stupid having to use their cab sim with the flat amp.

[@tolstoy21]

One word. Yes. If you’re watching this video cause you are deliberating buying them, do yourself a favor and just get a pair. You won’t regret it.

[@stevethebeeline44]

1:51 “That ain’t a knife, this is a knife”. Mick Dundee. In the theme of overkill could you do an video on changing strings and use bolt cutters instead of snips?!? 4:36 “of course I got tweezers!” Overkill strikes again! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@Westerdd]

haha I thought the same when he got that knife out!

[@moe45673]

You can manipulate the bluetooth volume from the headphones. Just nudge up/down the button that you press to set bluetooth connectivity

[@phililpb]

15:43 you can cotrol the volume of the streamed audio via the bluetooth button on the back

[@stratman9449]

i was contemplating getting a set of those...but i now think i'll give it a miss....i prefer to hear an amp in a room, at a low volume, but still better sound experience and kinder to my ears....plus one gets tired of wearing those earphones / headsets.... i'll get a new gutar instead....😀

[@patrolduty8715]

When you want to play guitar in your office (like me) you will change your opinion. I even have Mesa Rectoverb 25 with 5 pedals and 2x12 cab AND a HELIX Stomp XL at my office desk now. BUT, I cant play and I cant enjoy it. Too much hasle. And nobody wants to hear your guitar + music, even if you turn volumn low!!! Yes, I can connect my Helix to PC to get backing track, then play with headphone. But man, that is a fakking clunkly setup with a LOT of wires around you. Since I buy Boss WZ Air, I feel like heaven. I can play any where in few seconds. That super convenience and tidy setup actually courages you to play a lot more. Yes, I sold Helix Stomp XL and few pedals after that. I still keep my Rectoverb 25, cab and OD820 Pro.

[@christianpucciarelli]

I watched the “benny bill part “ at 0,5 speed ,so I know what you played! 😂

[@thehightenor2596]

Great playing!

[@foxmeisteruk]

Love my Waza-Airs - worth every penny in my opinion as they give me the best headphone experience by far when playing guitar. Top tip - when using them to just to stream music, put them in Stage mode, with ambience set to studio at about 20%.

[@johnnathancordy]

Nice. The one thing missing for me over all, I think would just be the ability to record out from them? Aside from that, they're expensive yes, but like you say, it is quite a different experience to any other headphone thing that I've done?

[@picksalot1]

Does turning your head with those headphones on make you feel dizzy, nauseous, or disoriented as the sound moves around? When you listen to music on them, do you feel like the "Mix" is being changed in any way as you turn your head? I think that would degrade the integrity of the actual Mix, an would be undesirable.

[@RogerThat902]

No they are fine. To me it feels more like you are in a room by yourself w/ another band/singer. Surround mode is different and seems like most people like that though I prefer the stage setting myself.

[@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist]

Absolutely not, I get what you’re saying but this is not what happens and it is actually sort of the whole point. Use of phasing or the gyro effect can also be disabled, but really having the cabinet swing across an axis in a virtual room is what gives you the all important feeling of realistic distance.

[@hankkingsley2792]

For me, I truly need something quiet, and not being corded to anything would make me pick up and play more often. Also, using some type of transmitter to good bluetooth phones, I'd have the annoyance of pairing my everyday music phones back and forth between the guitar and phone, and I'd need to find a workaround for effects or just plain buying an amp anyway. The biggest downsides are that when you do want to play out loud you'll have to buy something else, and also that you can record what you play with these alone.

[@Airsniper1]

LOVE the opening RIFF!!!

[@johnnytwo-shoes9798]

Some serious shredding from @12:00 ;)

[@bryantwalley]

AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ and your choice of wireless to connect you guitar to your Helix.

[@riverstone5994]

Honestly my use case for these is to play guitar while I’m following my kid around in the yard outside

[@ARMediaOfficial]

Have you tried the Waza air plugged into a pedalboard or HX stomp with a separate wireless system for guitar? Thinking you could get HX stomp sounds with the full wireless

[@christianpucciarelli]

I like the concept and portability …but they cost too much for what they do

[@patrolduty8715]

In order to have good sound quality, superb mobily, superb convenience and great build quality that last longer than 1-2 year, you must pay premium price.

[@davman115]

The speeded up sections remind me that I need to watch some Benny Hill.

[@michaelmodla5294]

Well done, John. However I wonder if you could comment about its latency (or lack of). Bluetooth headphones I tried with guitar in the past were unusable. They were so annoying as the sound from the headphones was perceptably later than when I actually played the notes. For me, this is a deal-breaker, whatever the price. So what do you say, John, is there a noticeable sound delay or not?

[@dansmith543]

There is no latency whatsoever, these headphones really are the best guitar practice tool I’ve ever had. I absolutely love them.

[@LysanderLH]

Okay but where is the drum track coming from?

[@Johnherold121]

3:30 THANKS FOR CLARIFYING JOHN

[@johnnathancordy]

YOU'RE WELCOME

[@RdAzambuja]

What about that serial killer knife?

[@MuriMorello]

and if you stick that on your monitoring out, just to have Bluetooth sound, would work?

[@toesalad]

Hey John, could you test something out with these? I have read that you can use these headphones for monitoring a modeler by plugging into one of the mono outputs. Supposedly you can set the headphone profile to flat and it works. I am interested in buying a pair, and am hoping that this "unmarked feature" is true, as it would greatly increase their utility.

[@johnnathancordy]

That is something you can do yes

[@lchown1813]

I would not waste that kind of money on headphones, and I don't have to worry about making noise in my house, my wife sleeps like the dead when I play sometimes in the late evenings at moderate volumes.....haha!...by the way John, really digging that Neo Soul tone scape you put up a while ago....tabbed it out and playing it at the moment.....Thanks for that!

[@cunjoz]

btw would you recommend open or closed back headphones for listening back to modelers in absence of studio monitors and would you have a particular brand and model in mind?

[@cunjoz]

I am a very impatient person and now I see that you basically answered my question in the video. Thanks

[@johnnathancordy]

Personally, the Massdrop Sennheiser HD58x have been really good for the money for me?

[@cunjoz]

@@johnnathancordy thanks John

[@rolandashdown4903]

Never mind Waza! How does that Monty's play?

[@johnnathancordy]

It's awesome!

[@rolandashdown4903]

@@johnnathancordy Matt will be pleased :)

[@benstern310]

is there a bluetooth set of headphones that for guitar and I can use a backtracking to but without the gyro in them?

[@jamescurtis8584]

KZbin algorithm likes comments. This a comment. PS sorry about the testes.

[@riverstone5994]

That clarification at 3:30 got me man 😂

[@cunjoz]

the machete kills me every time

[@commanderphilbo1471]

Dude ...your playing is great asf

[@richardlynch5632]

Sony 360 with looper layers and main guitar is what I want...😉😎👍

[@paulissus8974]

If you want to able to use these without guitar just as standalone Bluetooth headphones you will be very disappointed with the audio quality, however the audio quality between the guitar & headset is incredible.

[@WattsMr3000]

You never trying to use dual delay in on the phone in the writing feature?

[@stevefearon9337]

I couldn’t get past the slight drift with speaker position. Also I’m not a fan of the waza modelling I find it sterile. Before I sold them I jacked the headphones if I remember by slipping the hx stomp into thr loop. I think I plugged guitar into Hx stomp then plugged little stereo make to female link lead from headphone out.. then plugged the transmitter into the link lead.. got interference of I tried to plug transmitter straight into headphone out.. anyway.. then made the most of hx effects in 3d headphones. Anywho .. still sold them so that’s a verdict of sorts .. line 6 should have made them!

[@paulburton5150]

I just set mine to surround, I don’t really like the head tracking. But the sound quality and effects are so good that these are my main practice amp for home playing, and perfect for travelling to. These and my folding travel guitar are the first items I pack when travelling for work!

[@Kuzan2]

Can you connect the headsphones to your amp and use them like normal headphones?

[@kristofferskog766]

Do you know how to import patches onto the boss waza air headphones?

[@theloniouscoltrane3778]

Headphones can cause hearing loss.. just turn on the amp to a lesser volume..respect your neighbors

[@pineapple8407]

I use Bluetooth from iPad and control settings with phone at same time. Struck me as funny it could do this.

[@lanceholland]

Bought them….sold them. Just ok at best.

[@whatarefriends4]

Oh I came to hear about the headphones

[@HeartcoreMitRA]

Tried it. To me it sounds.. regular. The main point was this advertised "VR for your guitar"m that "you can FEEL the amp in your room", but it turned out to be just crappy stereo pan with crappy gyro, getting our of it's original direction once you've turned like 90 degrees. And it seems like most users switch off this gimmicky option, which makes these just more expensive and clumsy version of a NUX thing with a good Sony headphones.

[@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist]

Think this was a bit rubbish honestly John. “Honest” ? You’ve made some good points but I think really you need to put the actual time in with these, or continue the journey and see where they lead you. Expensive yes, the app is also a right ball Ache ( granted ), but these do get you playing a great deal more than most modellers, and they tend to sound fabulous without inducing the typical ear fatigue. I think you’re actually missing out on a huge number of layers of modeling Inter connectivity with this video mate, bit of a hector salamanca bell ringer.

[@steveeckert8396]

Nice video. Boss documentation sucks. Any time I hear the words update I cringe. I don't want to know how many hours I wasted trying to connect my new Katana to any of my computers. As for the gyro problem, did you see the Anderton's "Wireless Headphones That Sound Like a REAL Amp?" video? Around the 15:10 Lee brings up that problem, adjusting POSITION and AMBIENCE seem to take care of it. Thanks for the honest review. I'm thinking about buying one because my wife wants me in the same room as her in the evenings. I'd rather she NOT hear every note I'm playing and NOT have to listen to the kids complain. Cheers

[@heavymetal6910]

When I first heard about these I was excited as there is no annoying headphone cable. Then I read its basically a katana, which in amp form sounds like total ass to me. I lost interest pretty quickly.

[@dmun4147]

Guitarist uses ridiculously long knife in close proximity to the fingers on his fretting hand.

[@ZeruelZ19]

can you use them as regular headphones?

[@MarijnSlot]

Yes, work just like any other bluetooth headphone.

[@ZeruelZ19]

@@MarijnSlot yeah but, can you use them via cable?

[@MarijnSlot]

@@ZeruelZ19 Ah I see what you mean. No you can't.

[@johnnathancordy]

Bluetooth only - I sort of wish they'd made that 1/4" do some other things?

[@ZeruelZ19]

@@johnnathancordy I was especting exactly that

[@RNmike96]

Very Andy Timmons esque

[@jimmywade4086]

I want to close my eyes every time you get that knife out...

[@Deep_Jimpact]

Feels like saying it’s an honest review on this video undercuts the 7432 videos where you don’t have that in the title

[@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist]

This is clearly the new John Nathan where somebody is slipping him koolaid loaded with the usual clickbait titles. Come on John. Enough with that.

[@Deep_Jimpact]

@@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist I like that john finally being honest only comes about with the suspicion of drugging

[@picksalot1]

I would suggest avoiding using the word "honest," as it implies that other instances where it's not used could be "dishonest." I thought all of John's views/reviews were honest. 🤷

[@redcomn]

Now we need shill not honest John review

[@tenantrep]

Can you play backing tracks while playing guitar?

[@andreil1234]

Meh, for this amount you can get a used boss gt1 which runs on batteries and a decent pair of open backs. Or a fender mustang micro GTX if you don't want anything on the ground/table. Or a Spark Mini. Or(...). I mean they cost as much as a "proper" practice amp and you're paying a lot of it for the wifi and gyro stuff. Nah, no. I myself prefer the Spark amp which sounds great through headphones and has a much more usable app. They run the Spark mini for 180 these days, which is battery powered and you can also use without headphones and even for recording stuff via usb. BTW Katana Air sounds fantastic with headphones and costs about the same or less but you can do much more stuff with it. Could that ambient gyro thing be worth it? Never had the incentive to try.

[@joefuerst4113]

That's not a knife!! Holy smokes

[@domizidor]

Even if this would be the best set of headphones for playing guitar, over 400euro for them is waaaaaay too much. Its same price as katana 100 jesus. And you can do much more with that thing...