Headphones.... Let's open this can of worms

[Stoof2010]

So what headphones are your favorites?
Why do you like them better than others?
Why should I choose them?
What about them makes them perfect for my stable of tesoros as well as my nokta and makro?


Aaaaaaaaand GO!!! Lol

 

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[Welgund]

I use the Deus hardwired backphones for most of the detecting on all my machines. They don't cup my ears in the heat of the summer. I don't like how hot my ears get in them. The Deus ones sound the best out of all them I have tried also. They have a volume control on them which is nice too.

 

[pinenut]

no worms, just Killer b's or Sunray Gold for me...

While I don't like the way they hold in sweat during the summer, I wouldn't want to be without my Killer b's Wasps. They're sensitive to the tiniest signals and have a clear, high pitch. They're handmade in USA by John Smith of Alabama, and come with a lifetime warranty. The Kb's are built using Pro Ears muffs and have real leather on headband and ear surround. They all use super-sensitive 150Ω Audiosears speakers, with "Wasp" model having dual volume controls, a limiter circuit and switch, a mono/stereo switch, and heavy-duty coiled cord with 90° angled plug. They should work with any detector that has a standard 1/4" jack.
The Kb's make all of my Tesoros sound better to me, even the standard tone Vaquero and Cibola.

BTW, I recently sent my Kb's in for a warrantied repair of the coiled cord, which had an intermittant "open" (a break) in a wire. I got the headphones back within ten days, good as new. Thank you, John Smith!

Planning on buying another set of either Killer b's or Sunray Golds for backups. They do seem a little expensive...'till you've used 'em.
If you don't mind them keeping your ears quite warm in summer, I highly recommend the Killer b's.

P.S. - If anyone is interested in some Kb's or Sunray Gold, the best prices I've seen on them are from Colonial:

Killer B Headphones | Colonialmetaldetectors.com

 

[Stoof2010]

So I've seen there are many versions and the ST is listed last, but look the same as the II ones.
What separates the versions? I.E. the one feature that says it helps for detectors with volume control.
Thanks!!!
I was looking at those and the prices on that link look like the best I've seen.

 

[pinenut]

Killer b's models..

So I've seen there are many versions and the ST is listed last, but look the same as the II ones.
What separates the versions? I.E. the one feature that says it helps for detectors with volume control.
Thanks!!!
I was looking at those and the prices on that link look like the best I've seen.

Kb's standard model is probably all you need, but...

Kb's II is like the standard Kb's, but has dual volume control pots. So, if one ear works better than the other, it'll center the sound within your noggin.

The "Stinger" is one ear only, in case you have evil critters to keep an ear on...or you're just missing an ear... huh?

Hornet is the extra heavy-duty pair with a push button instead of toggle for the mono/stereo switch. I imagine that with the bigger ear cups, it may also isolate you from external noise just a bit better than the others, too. If you have "Dumbo ears", this may be the model you want.

Wasp has the dual volume, limiter circuit, stereo/mono and has locking toggles. I think that for the extra $20 or so, you might as well get the fully-featured Wasp model.

Guessing that the Sunray Gold are about the same as Kb's Wasp, but also have rubber boots on the toggles; not sure if they're locking toggles like on Wasp though.

 

[goodtimecharlie]

I like the Sunray Gold headphones I have owned a few over the years and tried others, but I always end up with a another pair of Sunray Gold's.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I have the Killer B's with the single volume control, I guess the entry level version - it was on my Xmas list.

I like the way it fits very snugly, but during the Summer that might not be such a good thing

It really doesn't like my CTX, flaky or not at all, even switching that compatibility toggle. Not sure what the deal was on that. But it works great on my 1265X.

After my misadventure pushing two weeks ago now, I think I'll move to the Stinger so I'll be more aware of my surroundings.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

By the way, I just checked Amazon's pricing on the Stinger, and it's $10 higher than Colonial's (recommended by Pinenut).

Interesting!

 

[Terry Soloman]

Truth? It is all about comfort and durability - NOT sound quality. You can get the same sound quality from a cheap pair of earplugs as you can from the most expensive set of over ear headphones. It comes down to what is most COMFORTABLE for YOU, and how well the cord stands up to everyday use and wear. I have used Killer B "Optima" phones for years. I also like the Grey Ghosts.

 

[releventchair]

After killing a couple pair , I tried wireless Rapoo's.
So far so good. And no tether to stab ,or snag ,or catch ,or tug.

 

[cooper1841]

After killing a couple pair , I tried wireless Rapoo's.
So far so good. And no tether to stab ,or snag ,or catch ,or tug.

Same here. I like the TDK wr700 wireless. They are disconinued but you can still find them. Been using them for 3 years

 

[steve1357]

Here's an article on wireless with the Rapoo and TDK mentioned....

Wireless Metal Detector Headphones For Under $25 - (D.I.Y and Ready Made) - Treasure Hunter Depot

 

[bibelot]

I don't have a lot of knowledge on them, only ever ran two sets, the Koss UR-30 and the Sunray pro golds.If you use for the CTX 3030, you need the sunray set with the red volume knob, there are two different sets, the red knob set are more money, of course, $10 more. I've done business with Rich at Colonial metal detectors, but I bought my Sun rays at Myers metal detectors because Colonial didn't carry the CTX model red knob set that is pictured on his website, He carries just the yellow and black knob sunray pro gold which doesn't work for the CTX.The noise filter knocks 26 decibels off from overload/Tesoro battery startup tones. The toggles doesn't appear to lock down but dual volume control, on/off filter switch and 3 way toggle for the added, two regular features and a CTX compatibility feature in the third toggle position.

 

[Escape]

Truth? It is all about comfort and durability - NOT sound quality. You can get the same sound quality from a cheap pair of earplugs as you can from the most expensive set of over ear headphones. It comes down to what is most COMFORTABLE for YOU, and how well the cord stands up to everyday use and wear. I have used Killer B "Optima" phones for years. I also like the Grey Ghosts.

I agree with Terry. Your not listening to stereophonic music. Its a beeb. Thats the way I always looked at it. Being Mr Cheapo, I'v been using Treasure Wise headphones for a few years. They holdup to wear, tear and a little abuse. Volume control on each of the muffs and won’t break the bank at $25.00 per pair. Are they comfortable? That depends on how long you have them on your head and and how your ears are shaped. . I will say this, when I stop hunting it feels real good to take them off. Maybe some day I will get something more comfortable, but I doubt it. These might be a good option as a spare for some folks.

 

[releventchair]

Here's an article on wireless with the Rapoo and TDK mentioned....

Wireless Metal Detector Headphones For Under $25 - (D.I.Y and Ready Made) - Treasure Hunter Depot

I neglected to add , I added an inline volume control to my Rapoo's.(Other detectorists recommended doing so for better sound quality by not overloading transmitter by reducing sound/ input. )

 

[pinenut]

beg to differ (a little). OK - the worms are out....

Truth? It is all about comfort and durability - NOT sound quality. You can get the same sound quality from a cheap pair of earplugs as you can from the most expensive set of over ear headphones. It comes down to what is most COMFORTABLE for YOU, and how well the cord stands up to everyday use and wear. I have used Killer B "Optima" phones for years. I also like the Grey Ghosts.

I think it is also about the sound quality, as some cheap headphones just sound like crap with detectors..or music. That said, not only are John Smith's headphones comfortable and nicely made, they also sound good with Tesoro detectors. BUT, I bet they would probably sound like crap if you used them to listen to music (haven't tried), as their tone/pitch is very high. They do not give a full range of audio, but rather, mostly clear treble. That sound quality, is what I want when I'm detecting; clear and crisp, not muffled. I believe that the Audiosears speakers used in the Killer b's, Sunray Gold and possibly some older Gray Ghost, are intended for folks with poor hearing, which usually means a higher pitch is desired. Aside from their high tone, those speakers require very little power to drive 'em, so you hear every little crackle and pop. In fact, they're so sensitive that they give a tiny static pop when I plug them in, even though the detector may have been off for days. They also let your Tesoro battery last much longer, 'cause it's not using as much to power the headphones, as it would the Tesoro's internal speaker. Anyway, I do think it's also about sound quality, just not "audiophile" sound quality.

 

[Stoof2010]

Thanks guys!!!
I'm leaning toward killer b but my Garrett CheapOair that came with one of my tesoros aren't bad either and are very comfortable.
Considering picking up the zlynk and using the CheapOair I have.
Ugh. Still undecided. But I HATE the cord getting in the way. I have to remove my headphones each dig. Very annoying. Thought it was just the cheap headphones but I don't know.
I can't buy both though.
I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of sound quality for getting the dang cord out of my way lol.

Thanks again for the tips!!!
Seems headphones are a personal thing and each person has a different opinion.
I value each of them though

 

[Welgund]

The XP Deus wired backphones are 20 bucks on amazon. They come with a long enough chord to feed down the inside of your shirt and out the bottom to your detector. Chord is never in the way and you don't have to take them off while digging. They work on every machine I have even the CTX 3030 with great sound. My ears don't sweat and they are super lite. I have a pair of killer B wasps bit haven't used then since getting the Deus ones. For 20 bucks us the adapter how can you go wrong?

 

[JoeDirty]

Anyone have the Killer bee Stingers? Im looking to upgrade to this set because i only use one side of mine now. I don't need to sides to hear the beep. But i would like a set that has a better quality audio. Is it going to be way better than a cheap set of sony headphones? I mean like a noticeable difference?

 

[JoeDirty]

The problem I have had with the cheap plugs and other okay headphones was the lack of volume control. With my Tejon they seem to blow my head off, this gets annoying and very uncomfortable to me. So I would need a cheap set with a volume i guess.