Headphones

shedigz

Elite Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
754
Location
Pittsburgh PA Area
I have an F2 coming and I have all the accessories except for a set of headphones. I really dont want to spend a lot of money on headphones. I was thinking of going to Walmart and buying a $20 or $30 pair of Sonys or something in this range.
Would those be OK or do I need to pay out the big bucks and get Eagles or Gray Ghost. Im not sure if I want to shell out that much right now.
 
Get a $21 pair of Garrett easy stow.... they are tough birds.

The cheapo koss that I first bought the cord lasted about a week, still on my original set of easy stows.
 
I have an F2 coming and I have all the accessories except for a set of headphones. I really dont want to spend a lot of money on headphones. I was thinking of going to Walmart and buying a $20 or $30 pair of Sonys or something in this range.
Would those be OK or do I need to pay out the big bucks and get Eagles or Gray Ghost. Im not sure if I want to shell out that much right now.

In the long run I really dont think it matters much. I've seen where guys have connected their earbuds to their detectors and they worked fine.
I just bought a $10 pair at a bargain outlet - work fine. They are not as fancy (no volume control, etc..) but they work great. why spend extra money where not needed. i think the ones you buy from walmart will be fine.
 
The ONLY time I would even CONSIDER metal detecting specific headphones would be if they were model specific underwater waterproof ones like Grey Ghost for the CTX or similar. Otherwise I will just use what I have on hand. There is nothing special about the sound coming out of a metal detector.


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I have an F2 coming and I have all the accessories except for a set of headphones. I really dont want to spend a lot of money on headphones. I was thinking of going to Walmart and buying a $20 or $30 pair of Sonys or something in this range.
Would those be OK or do I need to pay out the big bucks and get Eagles or Gray Ghost. Im not sure if I want to shell out that much right now.

those will be fine. i use even cheaper ones and do great. could they be better? sure. that'll always be true. go get those sonys and swing. :)
 
Get a $21 pair of Garrett easy stow.... they are tough birds.

The cheapo koss that I first bought the cord lasted about a week, still on my original set of easy stows.


That's what I bought from bigboyshobbies...

http://www.bigboyshobbies.net/metal...hones/garrett-clearsound-easy-stow-headphones

They work great, and have a volume control, coiled cord that is long, and they turn so if you only want to wear one headphone at a time... A great bargain.

ANNNND You don't need the ADDITIONAL headphone jack, you just plug these in and go!
 
you get what you pay for. metal detecting head phones are designed for metal detecting

In what way?

When I asked, it was explained to me the MD'g headphones are frequency limited or crippled and they have a volume control. I was left with the impression that not buying MD'g headphones (they're made for MD'ers, so they've got to be good), I would somehow be harming the listening experience and based on further reading, I found this not to be true.

Because of my ignorance, I purchased a set of Sun Ray, Pro, Gold headphones. But after reading what I've read on this forum, I've changed over to a set of SONY, MDR AS20 ear buds; no volume control and I could not be happier with what I'm hearing.

Our MD has a speaker/headphone volume control so not having a volume control is not a consideration. Many of the least expensive ear buds, designed for today's smart phones and MP3 players have an inline volume control slide and they're full frequency, 20Hz - 20kHz.

I hate the feeling I get when I find out that a dealer has used my God given ignorance against me so as to up-sale me, which, in my opinion, is a form of theft because they're not being honest with me as to my needs and they're charging more than, in ignorance, I need to spend. In the end, once I find out that I can't expect to be treated with respect, I do not buy from that dealer again as due to this lack of respect (what I think of them) they're no longer deserving of getting my money.

(the company which I purchased the headphones from is purposely not being mentioned as they're held in high esteem and being a noob, I don't wish to been seen as a troll)
 
The ONLY time I would even CONSIDER metal detecting specific headphones would be if they were model specific underwater waterproof ones like Grey Ghost for the CTX or similar. Otherwise I will just use what I have on hand. There is nothing special about the sound coming out of a metal detector.

I agree 100%, I see folks talking about these and that for land hunting and I don't buy it one bit. If you can get a cheep pair of muffs or buds from Best Buy that can handle the frequencies of todays electronic music like pop or hip hop, they will easily be able to produce with accuracy any sound a MD is trying to tell you...

<*)))>{
 
I detected for a year and a half with cheap, walmart headphones, but also had a pair of cheap bounty hunter metal detecting headphones that I would use off and on. I was like many of you here who say it doesn't matter. There is nothing special about the sound coming out of a metal detector...... I thought that for a long time...............
Then I had some extra cash and figured I would give a higher quality headphone a shot. Bought some killer b's and WOW!!! I cannot explain the difference they made. Faint signals are picked up, outside sound is greatly reduced, and they have the ability to respond as fast as my detector. With the bargain buy headphones, you WILL NOT hear everything.

If your detector has fast response time, you will miss targets in a trashy area with cheap headphones.
If you are detecting in an area with loud outside noise, you will miss targets with cheap headphones.
If there is a coin at the edge of your detectors depth, you will miss targets with cheap headphones.

Since then, I have bought the grey ghost ultimates and I would say they are far superior to the Killer B's I once thought were great. Other people will dissagree, and everyone has a preference, but you have to try a pair of headphones designed for detecting before you can really be sure if your $30 headphones really stack up to the others.

Good luck.
 
I detected for a year and a half with cheap, walmart headphones, but also had a pair of cheap bounty hunter metal detecting headphones that I would use off and on. I was like many of you here who say it doesn't matter. There is nothing special about the sound coming out of a metal detector...... I thought that for a long time...............
Then I had some extra cash and figured I would give a higher quality headphone a shot. Bought some killer b's and WOW!!! I cannot explain the difference they made. Faint signals are picked up, outside sound is greatly reduced, and they have the ability to respond as fast as my detector. With the bargain buy headphones, you WILL NOT hear everything.

If your detector has fast response time, you will miss targets in a trashy area with cheap headphones.
If you are detecting in an area with loud outside noise, you will miss targets with cheap headphones.
If there is a coin at the edge of your detectors depth, you will miss targets with cheap headphones.

Since then, I have bought the grey ghost ultimates and I would say they are far superior to the Killer B's I once thought were great. Other people will dissagree, and everyone has a preference, but you have to try a pair of headphones designed for detecting before you can really be sure if your $30 headphones really stack up to the others.

Good luck.

I agree, I used those headphones you get with the F2, and when I got the Garrett headphones that are for METAL DETECTING, it was like night and day! They don't even compare imo
 
I'll also add, that as skills are honed, your machine is no longer a 2 or 3 tone machine. There are subtleties to each and every type of target that are only heard with experience. Depth, soil type, masking by other targets, as well as other things will affect the sound. High end headphones make these variations more apparent and will help with the learning curve. Good luck.
 
I don't use headphones at all. For those of you that do, wouldn't faint signals still come out of the speaker on the detector? Hopefully I haven't been missing deep signals because I don't wear them. Will someone enlighten me on this. I have the f2.
 
I don't use headphones at all. For those of you that do, wouldn't faint signals still come out of the speaker on the detector? Hopefully I haven't been missing deep signals because I don't wear them. Will someone enlighten me on this. I have the f2.

With my extremely limited experience, the difference, in the case of a speaker, you're hearing the surface. With ear buds, you're hearing the depth. Yes, a simple pair of ear buds makes a world of difference in what one takes away from a signal.

As to headphones, I have a pair but so far, have only used a set of ear buds. And based on what's been posted above, we have some high end MD'g headphones, so I'll have to give them a try to see what I find the differences to be.
 
I'll also add, that as skills are honed, your machine is no longer a 2 or 3 tone machine. There are subtleties to each and every type of target that are only heard with experience. Depth, soil type, masking by other targets, as well as other things will affect the sound. High end headphones make these variations more apparent and will help with the learning curve. Good luck.

Spot on...
 
First, the easy one:
If you are not using headphones, you are most likely missing targets. Not only is the speaker of the detector further away from, and not lined up with, your ear(s), ambient noise, such as kids playing nearby, passing traffic, or wind noise, will drown out the fainter, weaker signals of the deeper targets. Further, extraneous sounds detract from your ability to concentrate on listening for certain types of signals. Additionally, using headphones will extend the detector's battery life.
Second: Good metal detector headphones are designed especially for metal detecting. Low-end detector headphones are not specially designed for metal detecting. Just because they are sold by detector dealers does not make them specialty headphones.
What does make a headphone for detectors special? First is the speaker itself - usually made of mylar, it is resistant to moisture and does not get brittle or tear like paper cones do. The speakers in high end sets also normally have an impedance of 150 ohms. Inexpensive headsets will have an impedance of 40 ohms or less. Without going into the details, suffice to say, the higher resistance is more desirable. The next metal detector specific item is a noise limiter. This is not a frequency limiter or crippler; it is more of a power clipper. For example, you have the volume up on your detector, everything is tuned to listen for those very faint, deep targets with a signal barely louder than your threshold. Suddenly you pass your coil over a cola can - the blast of sound is not only uncomfortable, it is downright hazardous to your hearing. At best it is undesirable. A noise limiter senses the sudden increase in signal and clips it, thereby protecting your ears. It's kind of like having glasses that automagically darken in bright sun.
Cheap headphones use cheap components. Whether they are intended for metal detecting use or music listening, the axiom is the same. Go to an audio store and spin the volume knobs on a cheap set then spin the knobs on a high end set. The cheap ones feel cheap. They often feel gritty. Some even use a wiper arm rubbing on a board coated with resistive material. Good potentiometers (volume knobs) will be smooth and quiet in their operation. Cheap ones can cause static every time they are touched or moved with inconsistent volume control.
Fitment - cheap headphones will simply have holes in the cups with the wires passed through. Often with a knot tied in the wire inside the cup to prevent it being pulled out. High end units have grommet - some brass, some rubber - but all protect the wire from abrasion at the hole. The cups themselves will usually have thicker plastic or even aluminum. Cheap ones will sound like a drum if you tap on them with your fingernail. Inserting high density foam inside the cup can help even cheap headphones sound light years better. Ear pads - cheap = plastic; mid to high end = leatherette or expanded vinyl or even gel. Headband - cheapo uses thin wire frames with little or no padding more often than not. High end units often use (what I call) plastic or nylon. These are flexible, but don't twist out of shape like metal can. They also don't rust. Really good headphones will also have a replaceable cable. That cable will have a "mono" connector at one end and a "stereo" connector at the other. This will allow you to use your headphones with older detectors as well as newer, as long as they use a 1/4 inch plug, you are good to go.
Now, having said all this, high end headphones need not be expensive. If you have basic soldering skills, and a hand drill, you can make your own $200.00 headphones for less than $50.00. I haven't purchased a set of headphones in years, yet my headphones are as good as, or better than, any of the current crop of detector headphones on the market. In fact, they are based largely on the design of the very popular, but extinct, Rat Phones.
To get you started, here's a link to a source for your speakers: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Kobitone/254-PS1515-RO/?qs=I29kNAisxhy9kIhza4SJWg%3d%3d

And here's a pic of my latest set of very comfortable, very effective, headphones, which, BTW, took about an hour and a half to assemble:
7bc77fd3-25be-473b-af70-4950ed91db6d_zpsc5cdd708.jpg

The blue set is the set I made, the white set are actually Rat Phones.
Hope this answers all your questions!
 
I use a pair of higher end ear buds from Etymotic. For volume control I went to Radio Shack and for $10 I bought an inline volume controller. The big mickey mouse ear headphones are nice but it's too dang hot to wear them here in AZ. Proper size/fitting earbuds are just as good as headphones.
 
First, the easy one:
If you are not using headphones, you are most likely missing targets. Not only is the speaker of the detector further away from, and not lined up with, your ear(s), ambient noise, such as kids playing nearby, passing traffic, or wind noise, will drown out the fainter, weaker signals of the deeper targets. Further, extraneous sounds detract from your ability to concentrate on listening for certain types of signals. Additionally, using headphones will extend the detector's battery life.
Second: Good metal detector headphones are designed especially for metal detecting. Low-end detector headphones are not specially designed for metal detecting. Just because they are sold by detector dealers does not make them specialty headphones.
What does make a headphone for detectors special? First is the speaker itself - usually made of mylar, it is resistant to moisture and does not get brittle or tear like paper cones do. The speakers in high end sets also normally have an impedance of 150 ohms. Inexpensive headsets will have an impedance of 40 ohms or less. Without going into the details, suffice to say, the higher resistance is more desirable. The next metal detector specific item is a noise limiter. This is not a frequency limiter or crippler; it is more of a power clipper. For example, you have the volume up on your detector, everything is tuned to listen for those very faint, deep targets with a signal barely louder than your threshold. Suddenly you pass your coil over a cola can - the blast of sound is not only uncomfortable, it is downright hazardous to your hearing. At best it is undesirable. A noise limiter senses the sudden increase in signal and clips it, thereby protecting your ears. It's kind of like having glasses that automagically darken in bright sun.
Cheap headphones use cheap components. Whether they are intended for metal detecting use or music listening, the axiom is the same. Go to an audio store and spin the volume knobs on a cheap set then spin the knobs on a high end set. The cheap ones feel cheap. They often feel gritty. Some even use a wiper arm rubbing on a board coated with resistive material. Good potentiometers (volume knobs) will be smooth and quiet in their operation. Cheap ones can cause static every time they are touched or moved with inconsistent volume control.
Fitment - cheap headphones will simply have holes in the cups with the wires passed through. Often with a knot tied in the wire inside the cup to prevent it being pulled out. High end units have grommet - some brass, some rubber - but all protect the wire from abrasion at the hole. The cups themselves will usually have thicker plastic or even aluminum. Cheap ones will sound like a drum if you tap on them with your fingernail. Inserting high density foam inside the cup can help even cheap headphones sound light years better. Ear pads - cheap = plastic; mid to high end = leatherette or expanded vinyl or even gel. Headband - cheapo uses thin wire frames with little or no padding more often than not. High end units often use (what I call) plastic or nylon. These are flexible, but don't twist out of shape like metal can. They also don't rust. Really good headphones will also have a replaceable cable. That cable will have a "mono" connector at one end and a "stereo" connector at the other. This will allow you to use your headphones with older detectors as well as newer, as long as they use a 1/4 inch plug, you are good to go.
Now, having said all this, high end headphones need not be expensive. If you have basic soldering skills, and a hand drill, you can make your own $200.00 headphones for less than $50.00. I haven't purchased a set of headphones in years, yet my headphones are as good as, or better than, any of the current crop of detector headphones on the market. In fact, they are based largely on the design of the very popular, but extinct, Rat Phones.
To get you started, here's a link to a source for your speakers: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Kobitone/254-PS1515-RO/?qs=I29kNAisxhy9kIhza4SJWg%3d%3d

Now that is some great technical information. That explains it way better than I could. It tells why they are better. Too bad many will continue to claim the regular headphones for music will work just as well. The proof is in your post. Nothing else needs to be said.
 
Huh??? He made his headphones from items that are used to make music headphones. So why are his better for metal detecting than music headphones? I must have missed the point.:?:
 
Impedance[edit source]
Headphones are available with low or high impedance (typically measured at 1 kHz). Low-impedance headphones are in the range 16 to 32 ohms and high-impedance headphones are about 100-600 ohms.[5] As the impedance of a pair of headphones increases, more voltage but less current is required to drive it, and the loudness of the headphones for a given voltage decreases. In recent years, impedance of newer headphones has generally decreased to accommodate lower voltages available on battery powered CMOS-based portable electronics. This results in headphones that can be more efficiently driven by battery powered electronics. Consequently, newer amplifiers are based on designs with relatively low output impedance.
The impedance of headphones is of concern because of the output limitations of amplifiers. A modern pair of headphones is driven by an amplifier, with lower impedance headphones presenting a larger load. Amplifiers are not ideal; they also have some output impedance that limits the amount of power they can provide. In order to ensure an even frequency response, adequate damping factor, and undistorted sound, an amplifier should have an output impedance less than 1/8 that of the headphones it is driving (and ideally as low as possible).[6] If output impedance is large compared to the impedance of the headphones, significantly higher distortion will be present.[7] Therefore, lower impedance headphones will tend to be louder and more efficient, but will also demand a more capable amplifier. Higher impedance headphones will be more tolerant of amplifier limitations, but will produce less volume for a given output level.
Historically, many headphones had relatively high impedance, often over 500 ohms in order to operate well with high impedance tube amplifiers. In contrast, modern transistor amplifiers can have very low output impedance, enabling lower impedance headphones. Unfortunately, this means that older audio amplifiers or stereos often produce poor quality output on some modern, low impedance headphones. In this case, an external headphone amplifier may be beneficial.
 
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