Anyone else really dislike the Minelabs fruity tones?

Voldetector

Jr. Member
Sep 21, 2018
30
28
TN
Detector(s) used
F75+, NOX600, BHLRP
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I love my Nox, but I do not love the tones. They aren't very confident scream at you like my F75 is. This is wishful thinking but, is it possible to have an update with something like a 2F tone that squawks at you like a mad bird when you have a good target. I guess the tones on the Nox are way to soft/slow and feel lazy in comparison to my other machines. and miss alot. I only have about 50hrs on it.

Dont take this the wrong way. I do love my Nox
 

hound

Jr. Member
Sep 19, 2018
98
162
KY
Detector(s) used
XP Deus,
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Good audio is a must for me. I blame is on years in submarine sonar and then doing field recording as a hobby. The audio on the equinox feels a bit sluggish to me. Even in 50 tones it's not as good at conveying what it's seeing to me through audio as my other detector is. The fluty tones wouldn't be so bad if the audio processing time period was finer and faster. I like the detector but I'd gladly have paid more for more detailed audio.
 

OP
OP
V

Voldetector

Jr. Member
Sep 21, 2018
30
28
TN
Detector(s) used
F75+, NOX600, BHLRP
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
100% agree, my tones on my other machine hits a target like a Mike Tyson punch. If not make it have a 2f type tone, it would be nice to sharpen the current tones so it hits hard and in sync. Honestly cant see how minelab missed this during testing.
 

vferrari

Silver Member
Jul 19, 2015
4,910
8,376
Near Ground Zero for Insanity
Detector(s) used
XP Deus with HF/x35 Coils and Mi6 Pinpointer/ML Equinox 600/800/ML Tarsacci MDT 8000 GPX 4800/Garrett ATX/Fisher F75 DST/Tek G2+/Delta/Whites MXT/Nokta Simplex/Garrett Carrot
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The ML flutey tones and lack of target overload modulation took some getting used to from me at first, coming from a Deus (talk about squawking, lol). But now that I have a few hundred swing hours it, I pretty much have no doubt when the Equinox smacks a coin (high conductor or nickel) and it pings like striking a golf ball with the sweet spot of a golf club. I like 50-tone, personally, which is less customizable then 5 tones (but I pretty much left the tone customizations alone even in 5 tones). Whether in 5-tones or 50-tones, I pretty much know it when I get a solid hit on a high conductive keeper with a rich, sweet tone. I personally have a hard time going back to my F75 now, it sounds like a toy piano vs. a baby grand in terms of getting useful, nuanced tone information before I dig a target, but I don't think I got as proficient on the F75 (especially in 2F) as I did on the Deus and as I am now on the Equinox, to be fair. I even now prefer the confident Equinox ping tone vs. my Deus which I have racked up the most swing hours on of all my detectors.

Sounds like you prefer multi tones (i.e., 2 or 5 tones) over 50-tones. The multitone customizations available on the Equinox are the best I have seen of any detector as you can customize the tone break, tone pitch, and individual volume of each tone bin independently. I think if you experimented with the custom tone settings, you could make it emulate, to a certain degree, the 2-tone setting of the F75. But you cannot get that varable pitch 2F for the non-ferrous target information that the F75 gives you which is a sort of hybrid tone/pitch setting which is unique to the F75, T2 and their other First Texas cousins. Gold mode on the Equinox does sort of have that VCO pitch like audio but it is quirkier and different than pitch mode on the Deus or 2F on the F75, so it is something I am still acquiring a taste for but does appear to have some value when hunting for targets in mineralizedasoil and/or iron infested sites. Still learning how to make best use of gold mode for certain specialized detecting situations, besides gold prospecting which is not something I have tried.

As far as Equinox multi tone customizations go check out these threads if you haven't already done so

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/equinox/589932-my-expanded-case-3-tones.html

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/equinox/591033-adjusting-zones-tones-my-3-tone-setting.html

HTH
 

Last edited:
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OP
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Voldetector

Jr. Member
Sep 21, 2018
30
28
TN
Detector(s) used
F75+, NOX600, BHLRP
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have the 600, since it was just going to be a water machine only. Looks like the 600 can only adjust the iron/ferrous tone which is useless in my case for the most part.
 

Tpmetal

Silver Member
Jan 4, 2017
4,406
7,506
Western ny
Detector(s) used
equinox 800, Whites mx sport, Garrot carrot, bounty hunter time ranger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I actually really like the tones. In comparison with my mx sport, there is such a distinct wide range of tones. And they are more pleasing to the ear.
 

DigDeepNow

Jr. Member
Jul 14, 2016
63
41
Detector(s) used
XP Deus
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I actually really like the tones. In comparison with my mx sport, there is such a distinct wide range of tones. And they are more pleasing to the ear.

Same here. I much prefer the sounds of my Equinox vs. my Deus.
 

OP
OP
V

Voldetector

Jr. Member
Sep 21, 2018
30
28
TN
Detector(s) used
F75+, NOX600, BHLRP
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I most likely need to get more hours in on it and get more use to the tones. It is the first flutey tone machine ive owned. Always used deus, F75 and Nokta my whole life. Ill put some more hours in on it and reevaluate.
 

pa-dirt_nc-sand

Silver Member
Apr 18, 2016
4,231
14,615
South Western PA
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
ACE 250 with DD coil
Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
It definitely takes some time to get comfortable with the tones. Cranking the volume up all the way helped me.
 

Echoplex

Sr. Member
Feb 28, 2015
391
1,009
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800, MXT All Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Customizing the tones is a must, imo, since the default/stock ones were too soft/quiet for my ears. I basically tuned my Nox in 5 tones to have similar notes as my MXT. It was an easy transition doing this way.

When customizing tones, you'll find that there are some tonal increments, many in the mid to high range, that just don't "smack" in your headphones. Those are the ones to avoid. If you haven't already, you should definitely explore these and find the right ones for your ears. Also, try different tone increments from each tone break like octave up, alternating between minors, etc..

And yeah, it took me a while to realize that the volume settings on the Nox also effects the headphone volume. For weeks I thought that volume was for the speaker only. oops. Once I boosted it, everything was perfect.
 

UncleTom

Sr. Member
Jun 3, 2006
354
91
SEABROOK TEXAS
Detector(s) used
XP DEUS I and II, CTX-3030, Equinox 600, X-terra 70,
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yep they use to say the same about the Explorers too. To me the Minelabs tones are what made them great all the way back to the Sov. GT.
 

ZR2guy

Sr. Member
Jan 6, 2011
454
510
Southwest Ohio
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 700 (stock and 6" coil), Pro-find 35 PP, Makro PP, and a little luck.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Listen to a Garrett, nuff said.
 

basstrackerman

Full Member
Feb 15, 2007
162
125
Alabama
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For me the equinox tone are fantastic as compared to many other detectors. My deus tones can be a little too crisp for me.. nothing like the f75 , t2 or makro as those did give headaches.. the equinox tones are soft and musical to me.. kind of relaxing..
 

Ogre1190

Bronze Member
Mar 31, 2015
2,063
2,408
Northern Illinois
Detector(s) used
MineLab E-Trac, MineLab Safari, MineLab Explorer XS,
White's 5000 D, White's 6DB, White's 5000 D GEB
Sunray X-1 for the ML's, Garrett PP for the White's and a Backhoe
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Coming from Explorer SE Pros and Etracs...I'm loving the 5 and 50 tones.
 

hound

Jr. Member
Sep 19, 2018
98
162
KY
Detector(s) used
XP Deus,
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For me the equinox tone are fantastic as compared to many other detectors. My deus tones can be a little too crisp for me.. nothing like the f75 , t2 or makro as those did give headaches.. the equinox tones are soft and musical to me.. kind of relaxing..

I prefer the Deus audio myself. Sharp, crisp, and detailed. The Nox audio seems a bit... blorpy? I'm use to sharp and distinct and I get warbling jello. I just need more time on it to learn that style of audio.
 

bowser

Sr. Member
Feb 27, 2007
433
278
SOUTH WEYMOUTH MA.
Detector(s) used
PRISM11 MXT IDX PRO TESORO COMPARDRE T2 se
Primary Interest:
Other
To my mind, tones are like cheating i use a couple older whites and a compadre for real detecting. more challenging. however i do own a nox 600 for saltwater beaches in MA.
 

TomNWMI

Full Member
Feb 5, 2006
201
103
NWMI
Detector(s) used
X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Musketeer, Tek G2, Omega and a Fisher ID Edge
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The ML flutey tones and lack of target overload modulation took some getting used to from me at first, coming from a Deus (talk about squawking, lol). But now that I have a few hundred swing hours it, I pretty much have no doubt when the Equinox smacks a coin (high conductor or nickel) and it pings like striking a golf ball with the sweet spot of a golf club. I like 50-tone, personally, which is less customizable then 5 tones (but I pretty much left the tone customizations alone even in 5 tones). Whether in 5-tones or 50-tones, I pretty much know it when I get a solid hit on a high conductive keeper with a rich, sweet tone. I personally have a hard time going back to my F75 now, it sounds like a toy piano vs. a baby grand in terms of getting useful, nuanced tone information before I dig a target, but I don't think I got as proficient on the F75 (especially in 2F) as I did on the Deus and as I am now on the Equinox, to be fair. I even now prefer the confident Equinox ping tone vs. my Deus which I have racked up the most swing hours on of all my detectors.

Sounds like you prefer multi tones (i.e., 2 or 5 tones) over 50-tones. The multitone customizations available on the Equinox are the best I have seen of any detector as you can customize the tone break, tone pitch, and individual volume of each tone bin independently. I think if you experimented with the custom tone settings, you could make it emulate, to a certain degree, the 2-tone setting of the F75. But you cannot get that varable pitch 2F for the non-ferrous target information that the F75 gives you which is a sort of hybrid tone/pitch setting which is unique to the F75, T2 and their other First Texas cousins. Gold mode on the Equinox does sort of have that VCO pitch like audio but it is quirkier and different than pitch mode on the Deus or 2F on the F75, so it is something I am still acquiring a taste for but does appear to have some value when hunting for targets in mineralizedasoil and/or iron infested sites. Still learning how to make best use of gold mode for certain specialized detecting situations, besides gold prospecting which is not something I have tried.

As far as Equinox multi tone customizations go check out these threads if you haven't already done so

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/equinox/589932-my-expanded-case-3-tones.html

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/equinox/591033-adjusting-zones-tones-my-3-tone-setting.html

HTH

I can't use tone pitch 25 for the high tone. Lowering it to the 20-21 range made a big difference for me.
 

Iron Buzz

Bronze Member
Oct 12, 2016
1,710
2,313
South St Paul, MN
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, Minelab Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Same here. I much prefer the sounds of my Equinox vs. my Deus.

Ironic, since the Deus is the French made detector, but I think of the Deus as a gutteral German voice, where the Equinox is a soft, gentle French woman's voice.
 

Calabash Digger

Gold Member
Apr 18, 2016
5,300
11,756
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
XP DEUS II ,XP DEUS, EQUINOX 800, EXCALIBUR II,
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Love the tones. They just hit different than the deus.
 

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