headphones ?? any benefit

[riverite]

never having used them ,what are the benefits ,if any what is a good make

 

[willie d]

They let you hear faint tones from the detector, they save on battery life, they keep your ears warm and they make you look really cool, well they make me look cool at least.

Good brands are grey ghost, ratphones, koss. I am sure there are more out there, I just can't think of them at the moment.

I used a $25 pair of headphones that came with my first detector. They lasted 6 1/2 years and worked very well.

 

[RELIC_HUNTING]

I have been useing a $9.95 headphone from Wal-Mart for 3 years with volume control and have no problem hearing on any machine I use.

 

[Sandman]

There is more to having a good set of headphones that just being able to hear them. Good headphones are made of premium materials that will hold up to rough use. They are more comfortable to wear for long periods with out squishing your head while blocking out all the external noise. More of the better ones are Black Widow, Grey Ghost, Killr Bees, Jolly Roger and some others.

Besides allowing you to hear the fain signals of the older deeper coins, the headphones don't attract a bunch of little kids or others to yourself.

 

[Coin Digger]

Headphones are a must.

I have a pair of Grey Ghost but I was thinking of trying what I see kids using with IPod's, that fit right into your ear.

Anyone ever try those? They would have to have some sort of volume control.

 

[RJGMC]

The benefits are many, as others have pointed out. But among the top ones are the fact that it does help to hear the faint tones that usually tell you it is deep, or the fact that you have a coin tone next to a junk tone. They also let you keep the noise to yourself. The kids don't seem to stay as long since they think you can't hear them because you have headphones on. It also helps to extend battery life. The small speakers use less power than the speaker in most detectors. HF!

Bob

 

[riverite]

Thanks great information as allways on this forum

 

[Nick A]

Benefits are privacy... you don't disturb others or attract attention. #2, you can hear more - deep stuff sounds soft (generally) - this allows you to also judge depth. Plus you can hear better what sounds the detector is making... you might be able to tell the difference between a good "round" sound and a broken, unround sound - trust me, there IS such a thing - successful gold ring hunters are usually very good at knowing the round sound. Definitely saves some battery life as well.

One drawback is if you are hunting in unsafe areas alone you may not be able to hear a thug approaching, but in those areas you're better off hunting with a buddy anyway. And because you're not out there beeping away, you are also not attracting the attention of the thug.

Cheap headphones are usually ok, I used the stock $19.99 black headphones for metal detecting for years. Only recently did I try some better phones. I have been using my Jolly Rogers and they are great. If you are wearing them for long periods of time, the sound quality and comfort of the $70+ headphones are worth it.

 

[mrix2000]

You only seem to be able to buy them though as twin headphones unfortunatley for me, so I have had to mess about with them to make them just single in-ear head phones etc.
Over the past I have used just a single in-ear headphone, mainly because I like to hear whats going on around me at the same time as using the detector etc.
cheers
mrix

 

[beaverdigger]

Lots of great advice. The best headphones have seperate volume controls for each side.
You'll never understand the real advantage of headphones until you get to be my age, and have hearing aids in both ears.

 

[TerryC]

When you plug in a pair of earphones, you disconnect the pa (power amp) that drives the speaker. When you cut the pa out of the circuit (use earphones) you will extend the battery life about 4 times. Reason enough for me. TTC

 

[pcolaboy]

Whatever headphones you decide to get, make sure you get the fullsized cups(that fully cover your ear). These help block out distracting sound from your surroundings. I've metal detected right next to an active railroad with few distractions. Sony makes a very good, fairly inexpensive set of these. You can find them at Walmart, Best Buy, etc for around $19-$24.

Pcola

 

[riverite]

I am convinced , will be getting a pair , thanks everybody

 

[lou423]

It keeps you quiet...Many people dislike metal detectorists, and if your detector is loud...
Well, I hope that you can see what I mean...
Also, the batteries last longer.

 

[riverite]

HAVE SOLVED THE BATTERY LIFE PROBLEM

 

[grumpyolman]

Re: headphones ?? Read this:

Google Ratphone and go to the technical section. If I had read that before I bought mine, I would have made a different choice. I am not saying Ratphone is good or even great, but they have some good information about how and why headphones work. Jim

 

[Chaparral]

Headphones are a must.

I have a pair of Grey Ghost but I was thinking of trying what I see kids using with IPod's, that fit right into your ear.

Anyone ever try those? They would have to have some sort of volume control.

Hi,

I use Bose, Sure, and Sony earbuds with my Garrett 2500. Of the three, I prefere the Sure and Sony units because of the crisper sound. The Bose sound has too much base for me. Both the Bose and Sure earbuds came with a detachable volume control along with a variety of ear seals. The seals are to adapt the buds to different ear sizes and to reduce the amount of outside noise. The only other thing I needed was a 1/4" inch adapter.

The reason I went over to earbuds is their size and weight. It is a comfort thing. I didn't like bulky headphones on my head; plus they take up very little space when coiled up. I hope I was able to help.

 

[boogeyman]

You only seem to be able to buy them though as twin headphones unfortunatley for me, so I have had to mess about with them to make them just single in-ear head phones etc.
Over the past I have used just a single in-ear headphone, mainly because I like to hear whats going on around me at the same time as using the detector etc.
cheers
mrix

Seems like kids will yell whatcha findin three times before one tells the rest "He can't hear you" and find other interesting things.
I'm not sure if they make them still but the people that make Grey Ghosts had a single ear headphone. A guy I detected with let me try his. Kinda cool! Was pretty comfortable and left one ear open just in case you were poking that rattle snake under the bush with your coil.