Metal Detecting Headphones… are they a necessity ?

If so, what is the Argument for wearing Headphones whilst Metal Detecting…

I think the answer to the question is a definite yes, but there are several answers to this question, here are the immediate ones that spring to mind, even out in the middle of a field, somewhere with no one around you, i think you should wear headphones, the main reason for my theory is like so many have said before me, and it is true, very rarely do we get a perfectly still day, so most days we get a slight breeze or it can be very windy, & when you’re detecting in windy conditions, the headphones will block out the majority of wind, If it’s raining, again they’ll keep the noise out, headphones will also help you hear first-hand that faint whisper of a signal direct to your ears, and not have it whisked away by the wind, these are the main reason for headphones, a signal being directly delivered to your ears will enhance your finds rate, & i believe the headphones will even help you detect slightly deeper due to the fact you will be able to hear those whispers, and signals that say “am i dig ‘able or not” so you start to investigate, these are the hard to hear signals, that get away from you sometimes….

Also, headphones allow you to make educated guesses as to the sounds your ears are picking up: Those low grunt sounds of the iron and those high squeals for that quality dig me signals. Your recovery rate will help increase those finds by not having to check and recheck that small signal to see if it was there or not…

If you are detecting with people around you, it is common courtesy to wear headphones, as they do not want to be distracted from the signals your metal detector gives out & maybe constantly sounding off over the iron, worse still if your detecting in parks, on beaches or areas where the public are, then wearing headphones is a matter of common courtesy, and again allows those coins which might be side on or just within reach of the metal detectors capability’s to be heard, with the all allusive jewellery making a faint but welcome gesture through the headphones…

Can any headphones be used for metal detecting…

The answer to this is yes, i believe it should be ok, you might want to check your detector to see whether it has either a stereo or mono output; most headphones today have switches that allow you to switch between the two…

“In-ear Buds” are worn a lot today, but me, personaly i would avoid them, as the do not block out the external noise to a degree that you can hear that faint signal which might be under your coil, & some of these cost as much as a dedicated pair of metal detecting headphones, & like everything in life you get what you pay for, dedicated metal detector headphones invariably have a stereo or mono switch to enable you to switch between the two to find out what your detector operates on, i think the only thing i would add to this is please try and use a full cup set of headphones as these keep out most if not all the ambient noise from outside, & this is what you are after, a quiet enviorment for you to hear those little whispers & sounds, as we rely on the sound of the detector for our good, bad or indifferent sounds, we can help achieve this by blocking out the excess noise from outside, which allows us to get a direct & personal sound delivered directly into our ears for our brain to analyse…

Something worth considering & for some, it is an important factor, when looking for headphones you might want to check to see if they have volume controls on your headphones, “some metal detectors don’t have volume controls” so if you plug in “headphones without volume control” your ears might get a bashing, these headphones on the right have a volume control, but have never been a problem of being too loud, the only problem i have with them is going over a roman or an old house site where there are lots of iron you cannot turn down the volume to help sift through the signals…. So if you can get headphones with volume controls, make sure the rotary volume controls are on each ear; this helps you to balance the headphones to your own needs, thus ensuring your headphones and detector are fine-tuned together with everything optimised to your hearing… One final thing, most metal detectors will have a ¼ inch female input, so the male jack should be the same ¼ inch -input, some detectors benefit from either a straight or 90-degree jack, i try to go for a 90-degree angle as i find it allows the curly lead to have less stress when out in the field…

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Are Wireless Headphones better for Metal Detecting-?

Many dedicated manufacturers of headphones for metal detecting have a good reputation; otherwise they would not still be in business today…

But like everything that you buy, it needs to work for you & still needs your approval, me personally i still use a very battered old pair of Predator headphones from Crawfords Metal Detecting shop, these are over 25 years old, yet they work through the wind, rain snow you name it they are brilliant, i do have a spare pair of headphones which are the Grey Ghosts made by Detector-Pro, another excellent set of headphones, but look at the price, and so they should be, i tried the Jolly Rodgers, and my ears, brain or something could not get used to the scratchy sound they produced, yet for others they work perfectly, so it all boils down to a personal choice…

But, now here is the but, i have acquired a set of Jolly Rodger ultimates, i am using these to see how i get on, and so far i have no complaints, the sound is soft, which might be their downfall, i like the harder sound in my ears, these are very relaxed, due to the sound limiters inbuilt, so you don’t get any loud harsh noise’s, the speakers are not scratchy, like the original Jolly Rogers, they are typically lightweight so very comfortable…

Some detectors benefit from aftermarket sales and small-time headphone producers; for example, Malcom Potter [- Big Mal or Minelab Mal -], a metal detectorist and Minelab owner and user who produces headphones solely for people with Minelab Metal Detectors…

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Waterproof Headphones…

So, following on from my earlier post about the waterproofness of headphones and the cause of their demise in wet or damp conditions, my choice was simple: Paper or Piezo…

I have chosen wireless for the sunshine or milder weather, and, to participate when it is damp or raining & the weather wants us to stay indoors, i can still go out by using my new set of waterproof headphones…

Yes, i went ahead & i committed myself to purchasing a set of Detector Pro Amphibian waterproof headphones, for the inclement weather, with an impressive length of headphone cable at four feet (-4ft ) and a massive depth of waterprofness of two hundred feet (-200 feet-) that should allow me to get very wet, without any problems…

All this time I’ve been detecting with a twenty-eight-year-old pair of Predator headphones, from Crawfords, without any trouble & i must admit these are such good headphones and so comfortable, a few hours or longer it makes no difference, they work so well ( and still work fine-all be it the ear muffs are splitting ) but to use them with the legend i must use a fly lead, which i have emailed Crawfords about, but as the Legend comes with a set of wireless headphones, i have been convinced that this is the way forward, so Blue tooth for now and the newly purchased gray ghost amphibian wired headphones, will make a wet appearance…

First Impressions…

For there price my First Impressions are the finish quality, i am not that impresed, i must admit the Gray Ghosts headphones have a “very poor quality to the finish” the holes drilled into the ear cups have not been finished off properly, ( the holes, i assume allows the water to drain out ) there is trailing plastic visible where the holes have been drilled & randomly placed, whilst with the tiny little bungs used to seal and hold the overhead cables into the cups, these don’t fit properly, and are flapping around, looking for a job to do, this also seems to have happened, on the rest of the wires on the headphones. One of the first jobs i have had to do was adjust the wires to get them to sit properly in their respective holes, move the wires around holes to prevent any chaffing that might occur, and double-check that the wires are now in place and not stretched, which could cause stress…

Now, I hope I’ve made the right choice, but that’s the problem with ordering blind on the internet; this seems to be happening more and more lately, with various products, i recognise that the bag was sealed, so the supplier Spin-A-Disc wouldn’t have known about the terrible quality of these headphones…

Anyway, i have plugged them into the Legend, & having checked them out in the field, they do sound ok, with a good tone, whilst appearing to be crisp and clear, a good length of straight cable will allow the headphones to be clipped to the upper stem, and following along under the shaft to exit at the arm cuff, hopefully eliminating any stress & more importanly creating hardly any stress on the control housing…

Shown in the photograph at the top is the little sealed box, which apparently is where the magic happens & that will make all the difference…

Below is the advert blurb…

Gray Ghost Amphibian II Headphones for the Legend…

Gray Ghost Amphibian II Headphones incorporate a number of dramatic improvements in weatherproof/submersible headphone design.

It is intended to replace your manufacturer’s land headphones and after-market waterproof headphones. Now you can use one set of headphones for both land and underwater. The design is 100% waterproof and totally submersible to a maximum of 200 feet! No compromise in sound quality or functionality. Plus! New internal design allows for louder volume.

Technical Specifications:

• Heavy-duty 48″ Coil Cable with Waterproof Plug
• Solid-state Speakers
  • Designed for Maximum Sensitivity, efficiency, and durability in dry or wet conditions, regardless of depth.
• Special Sound-blocking Muff Design
  • Eliminates ambient noise up to 24 decibels.
• Heavy-duty Thick, Plush, Soft Polymer Cushions
  • With full-ear surround.
• Heavy-duty Muff-to-Muff Connection Cable
• Adjustable Fully Padded Headband
  • No screws, no wire frame, no rust!
• Compact Carry and Storage – With a Convenient foldable design.
• Built in the USA!

Price: £ 159.95

Warranty:

Gray Ghost Amphibian II Headphones are warranted to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for 2 years as long as they are owned by the original consumer purchaser. This warranty is not transferable.