Depth Master

[jd5105]

Anyone remember the DepthMaster signal booster and have you used one? I was always tempted to get one and never did.

 

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[G.A.P.metal]

Yes i still use two pairs of Depth Master headphones and a Depth Master Bluebird.They are signal amps.
I have some GG and Killer Bee phones but, i use the Depth Master phones more that any other headphones they just give sharper tones IMO
Gary G.A.P.metal

 

[U.K. Brian]

I still have (and it still works) one of the first signal boosters from Richard Dodds who also produced the first wireless headphones and first wireless detector coil.

Better than most on the market today as it amplifies up the faint/small signals and "windows" the large targets that would blow your ears off. You can also adjust to shift the audio pitch to better suit your hearing.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Years (or decades now?) ago, when they were heavily advertised, some people assumed that the device was actually getting them more depth (as the name implies, doh!). But they do not increase the depth of your detector. They are simply an audio booster for your headphones. So unless you have a hearing problem, or a poor quality set of headphones, you don't need them. You can simply get a higher quality pair of headphones.

The magazine ads were never quite clear on this (I'm not sure if that was deliberate or not). Several folks in our club went out and got them, thinking it "got them more depth" (as this was the explicit implication of the ads). But they do no such thing. They only amplify what is ALREADY there, signal-wise, the same as a simple better set of headphones will do.

 

[jd5105]

Yeah, it was my understanding that it boosted the very faint audio signal. Years ago when I was in electronics repair, I found some small signal amplifier schematics that might would have served the same purpose but never tried building one. I still have a lot of the old Treasure magazines from the eighties and one of them had a little article on the DepthMaster $69.95 and the DepthMasterPlus $79.95.

 

[U.K. Brian]

The even adjustable ones could not improve what wasn't already there but would make whisper signals audible. Quality headphones used or not, depth of finds would be improved. Not as necessary today because many detectors followed Fishers lead on the CZ's and built in audio boost controls.
No tone control on your detector and you could find a booster essential if you have any hearing loss which apparantly affects 70% of the over 50's.

 

[donj]

Yes I used one for years on a whites 5500 it was called a depthmaster bluebird you plugged headphones into this little box and the bluebird into the detector. I felt it was a good enough boost that i didnt upgrade till I about wore out the detector. It amplified the weaker sounds to the head phones. I think you can still get depthmaster head phones with this tech built in. Don

 

[OBN]

You can get a better one from Doc's Detecting Supplies Called Treasure Screamer, I've been using one for about 4 years now..It works on the Minelabs Excalibur in the PP mode only. Several use them in the Gold fields on the GP,Sd,GPX's to pull those faints covered by the threshold, just like the Excalibur. Many detectors they help none ..............The Old and New...with new mounted in headphone cup. From Doc's site on setting up the PI's..

Doc's Detecting Supplies
PROPER ADJUSTMENT: The thing you have to do with the Gold Screamer is to take a test nugget and place it on the ground, swing over it and adjust the volume of the Gold Screamer up, and now turn the threshold down, swing over again and turn the GS up, threshold down. Keep doing this until you get a sense of the best setting. What you are trying to do is to separate the threshold from the target sound as far as you can, so what you are looking for is a nice quiet threshold, but when you come across a small target it really jumps out from the quiet threshold. You are trying to move the threshold far to the left, to the quiet side, and the signal far to the right to the loud side.

It is so easy to do and make the gold, even the little stuff, just pop out from the threshold

http://www.docsdetecting.com/docsplace/coiltek/coils3.html


Scale below shows what happens with a Excalibur...Targets are covered by the just audible threshold..once the threshold is lowered, more of the targets become visible and the amp pulls them out , they were previously unhearable

 

[jwm45]

need some help asap please in process of buying "the bluebird depth master" does this one work on any machine or is it wired for just WHITES MACHINES??

 

[jwm45]

IS THE BLUE BIRD MODEL JUST FOR "WHITES"??PLEASE,PLEASE, ASAP-----BUYING ONE NOW.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

IS THE BLUE BIRD MODEL JUST FOR "WHITES"??PLEASE,PLEASE, ASAP-----BUYING ONE NOW.

Not sure the answer to the question of compatibility for you. But would think if it's got the standard headphone jack, then it would be for all detectors (and not brand specific).

But aside from all that, have you read this thread? If so, then why even buy it to begin with? Why not just get a better set of headphones, since all these are is an audio amplifier?