Save your hearing - a contrarian outlook on headphones after many years.

[Ocean7]

Today's metal detectors have advanced in many ways. One of them is the built-in loud speaker in the main unit. After I used Garret's and Minelab Explorer II, I noticed a ringing in my ears at all times. So I switched to wearing my headphones around my neck and I could still clearly hear signals.

When I got my Nox 800, I decided to bag headphones all together and just use the speaker on unit itself. So far, this has worked out pretty well. No more damage to my hearing and I'm not having trouble hearing signals as far as I can see.

If you detect long enough with headphones getting some ear blasters in your ears - you will quite likely end up with some ringing in your ears at all times. I've used good headphones where you could adjust noise levels on both ear pieces for a long time. I've always used ear protection when using power tools like chain saws and riding lawn tractors. I've never gone for ear deafening rock concerts. My overall hearing has always been pretty good.

I've hunted in farm fields and at the ocean without headphones at all. Wind blowing etc. I could clearly hear signals being given off by detector. The days of the so called 'whisper' signals are long over with today's technology. IMHO

But don't just take my word for it. There's a treasure hunter who has found over 1 million dollars in treasure, and he does not seem to use headphones, as far I can see on Oak Island. That would be Gary Drayton. Maybe just for the show but I don't think so.

And now many have to charge their headphones to use them. I think this is going in the wrong direction. Just another device that must be charged. I know the Nox 800, 900, Manticore and Deus II are using wireless headphones.

Consider trying this. It just might save your hearing in the long run. And you can hear people or animals coming up on you in the woods etc. Let me know what you have experienced after years of MD'ing. Hold the rocks! L
HH!
p.s. found at 9" - no headphones. Just bigger than a dime.

 

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[oldkoot]

well I still believe headphones are ruining many people's hearing - so I don't use them. It's easier to make units lighter by removing batteries needed to power headphones and coils. But now you hear of users losing power in their coils or headphones while out in the field hunting - because they didn't notice low battery. Lose power in your coil and your hunting has just ended. Now these users have three things to keep track of as far as charging their metal detector. I don't believe this is easier at all. It's more work and more to remember. More likely more to forget. HH!

​

I have been using a neckband speaker system with all my detectors lately and I love it it leaves my ears un covered to where I know what is going on around me and it also allows me to drop the volume of the detectors down to where its not a booming volume.

the Neck Band speaker I use is made by Avantree and is called the Avantree Torus, the nice thing about the Torus is they also incorporated earbuds that can be used for those that want to use earbuds which personally I do not, the other thing with the Torus is, I have asked people that are close by while I am detecting if they can hear the tones coming from my detector or if the tones are bothering them and everyone I have asked has stated they did not hear anything or sounds, until I was standing rite next to them which I thought was great also because I could clearly hear the tones coming through the Torus

 

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[pepperj]

I checked on their site and didn't see any for Manticore. In my search, I was surprised to find that Bone Conduction Headphones can cause Tinnitus too! There were several other issues some may have using these headphones. Good luck!
Bone Conduction Headphones Side Effects - see here

One has to think about what a site says about a certain product.
The link provided is entirely the viewpoint of a person that invented/wrote the article.

"Ariana is the man behind the brand BoneHeadphones. Ariana is a diehard audio fan, and a developer, which led him to develop this website."

But the information is useful/helpful if one remembers it's coming from one that wants to generate income from the type of listening device.

Tinnitus is effected by sounds, over modulated, high pitched, clapping even, dropped utensil on a floor, hear an aluminum car rim dropped on a concrete floor, instant ringing.

Vertigo certainly can be caused by earbuds.
My Mrs started to get Vertigo so bad that she was sick to the stomach a few times.
I told her to ditch her earbuds for awhile, as I noticed that it started shortly after her started using them.
Now it's been close to 2 yrs and no vertigo symptoms.

Volume control is the secret on using headphones, some can use a level 4/5 and where I'd be a comfortable 6.
I can detect in the iron for many hours, and not experience any detectable increase in my tinnitus.

The fact that speakers can shorten the battery life up quickly. Now some detectors as much as 50% of the time out detecting, well that right there isn't an option if one wants to detect a full day out in the field/bush.

For me also the cold air hitting the ears causes an ear ache, after a few minutes it's a sharp pain in the drum of the ear. So wearing a cuff type of headphones eliminates this issue.
I really never had an issue of getting sweaty ears up here in Ontario even in the heat of the summer. Lol

We're all built the same, but so different also. Hearing, taste, smell is similar but can be also very different.

From having my hearing tests performed a few times over the years by the Worker Compensation Medical Division I know where the hearing deficits lay.

 

[cudamark]

well I still believe headphones are ruining many people's hearing - so I don't use them. It's easier to make units lighter by removing batteries needed to power headphones and coils. But now you hear of users losing power in their coils or headphones while out in the field hunting - because they didn't notice low battery. Lose power in your coil and your hunting has just ended. Now these users have three things to keep track of as far as charging their metal detector. I don't believe this is easier at all. It's more work and more to remember. More likely more to forget. HH!

​

Since you use an Equinox, you know that some factory "wireless" headphones also have a wired option. Minelab even gives you the cable with them. If you take that cable with you, you need not worry about a dead battery in the headphones. You also have complete control over how much volume to use, so, if you're hurting your hearing, you have nobody to blame but yourself. There are advantages and disadvantages to the various headphones and speakers out there. Noisy environments like crashing surf and most will want the over-the-ear muff type. Same with hunting in the cold or if mosquitos are buzzing. If you want/need to hear what's going on around you, on-the-ear phones or external speaker might be a better choice. Hot weather, ear buds might be the ticket. It's mostly a personal comfort choice, safety, and what personal hearing problems you may have.

 

[Ocean7]

Since you use an Equinox, you know that some factory "wireless" headphones also have a wired option. Minelab even gives you the cable with them. If you take that cable with you, you need not worry about a dead battery in the headphones. You also have complete control over how much volume to use, so, if you're hurting your hearing, you have nobody to blame but yourself. There are advantages and disadvantages to the various headphones and speakers out there. Noisy environments like crashing surf and most will want the over-the-ear muff type. Same with hunting in the cold or if mosquitos are buzzing. If you want/need to hear what's going on around you, on-the-ear phones or external speaker might be a better choice. Hot weather, ear buds might be the ticket. It's mostly a personal comfort choice, safety, and what personal hearing problems you may have.

well since you mentioned Deus II - do they give you a cable for a wired option when your wireless headphone batteries give out?
Actually, you are incorrect about hearing loss being the user's fault. It's the manufacturer's fault IMHO. They should control ear bangers electronically. In mid-1980's, I met Charles Garret at the Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeological Clubs Atlantic City NJ hunt. We talked about the ear-banging noises from large targets and he agreed it was a problem. I was using Garrett MASTER HUNTER 7 at that time. He actually shipped me a resistor to place on main board, when I told him that I had electronics experience and could solder part to machine internals. That did help. But that's life according to Garp and certainly not going to be agreed upon by everyone or anyone else.

 

[cudamark]

Where did I mention a Deus 2? As for a banging target sound, that is also adjustable separate from the threshold tone on an Equinox. You can change the octave if you hear better in a different one. You can also hunt in silent mode where you have no threshold tone buzzing your ear at all. Some detectors you can hunt with just a vibrating handle. Seems to me the manufacturers are bending over backwards to give you options. There are even some headphones that have a decibel limiter built in. If you can't find a way of using a detector without ruining your hearing, maybe find a different hobby.

 

[Ocean7]

Where did I mention a Deus 2? As for a banging target sound, that is also adjustable separate from the threshold tone on an Equinox. You can change the octave if you hear better in a different one. You can also hunt in silent mode where you have no threshold tone buzzing your ear at all. Some detectors you can hunt with just a vibrating handle. Seems to me the manufacturers are bending over backwards to give you options. There are even some headphones that have a decibel limiter built in. If you can't find a way of using a detector without ruining your hearing, maybe find a different hobby.

 

[Bucket Lister]

I don't know anyone my age or older (and a few younger) that doesn't have some degree of hearing loss and/or tinnitus.

That said, from everything I've read, headphones won't cause tinnitus or hearing loss unless they're used for too long or at too high (loud) a level. IDK, but pre-existing hearing loss may be different.

As it happens, I (well, my Missus) sprung for the WSA II-XL wireless headphones for my Deus II. If I wear headphones at all, I prefer the over-the-ear type to help block out extraneous distractions.

---

[joke]
Bottom line, it's not the headphones—it's all the gorram hippie music we listened to at deafening volumes in our misspent youth. 😝
[/joke]

 

[jose159]

I have been using a neckband speaker system with all my detectors lately and I love it it leaves my ears un covered to where I know what is going on around me and it also allows me to drop the volume of the detectors down to where its not a booming volume.

the Neck Band speaker I use is made by Avantree and is called the Avantree Torus, the nice thing about the Torus is they also incorporated earbuds that can be used for those that want to use earbuds which personally I do not, the other thing with the Torus is, I have asked people that are close by while I am detecting if they can hear the tones coming from my detector or if the tones are bothering them and everyone I have asked has stated they did not hear anything or sounds, until I was standing rite next to them which I thought was great also because I could clearly hear the tones coming through the Torus

The neckband speaker sounds like a great idea! What I like is that you dont have to yank them off to hear your pinpointer. I wish I knew for sure if they would pair with my equinox 900?

 

[robertk]

What I like is that you dont have to yank them off to hear your pinpointer.

That's why I like my MI6 pinpointer. It pairs to the Deus II so the sound comes over the headphones.

 

[scruggs]

Today's metal detectors have advanced in many ways. One of them is the built-in loud speaker in the main unit. After I used Garret's and Minelab Explorer II, I noticed a ringing in my ears at all times. So I switched to wearing my headphones around my neck and I could still clearly hear signals.

When I got my Nox 800, I decided to bag headphones all together and just use the speaker on unit itself. So far, this has worked out pretty well. No more damage to my hearing and I'm not having trouble hearing signals as far as I can see.

If you detect long enough with headphones getting some ear blasters in your ears - you will quite likely end up with some ringing in your ears at all times. I've used good headphones where you could adjust noise levels on both ear pieces for a long time. I've always used ear protection when using power tools like chain saws and riding lawn tractors. I've never gone for ear deafening rock concerts. My overall hearing has always been pretty good.

I've hunted in farm fields and at the ocean without headphones at all. Wind blowing etc. I could clearly hear signals being given off by detector. The days of the so called 'whisper' signals are long over with today's technology. IMHO

But don't just take my word for it. There's a treasure hunter who has found over 1 million dollars in treasure, and he does not seem to use headphones, as far I can see on Oak Island. That would be Gary Drayton. Maybe just for the show but I don't think so.

And now many have to charge their headphones to use them. I think this is going in the wrong direction. Just another device that must be charged. I know the Nox 800, 900, Manticore and Deus II are using wireless headphones.

Consider trying this. It just might save your hearing in the long run. And you can hear people or animals coming up on you in the woods etc. Let me know what you have experienced after years of MD'ing. Hold the rocks! L
HH!
p.s. found at 9" - no headphones. Just bigger than a dime.

Thanks for the heads up on this topic!

 

[pepperj]

The neckband speaker sounds like a great idea! What I like is that you dont have to yank them off to hear your pinpointer. I wish I knew for sure if they would pair with my equinox 900?

When I have to resort to the backup pin pointer (carrot)
I can certainly hear it no problem while wearing the headphones.
Also I could hear it when I used the Grey Ghosts even.

I just don't get the folks can't hear anything while wearing them.
The only time I have a hard time is if someone is talking from a distance, I can hear them but the words are a tad muffled.

 

[Bucket Lister]

That's why I like my MI6 pinpointer. It pairs to the Deus II so the sound comes over the headphones.

About that... (Apologies if this bends the thread a tad)

Manual says:

When pairing, the MI-6 automatically switches to program 7. This program will only​

work with the detector and headphones. In this program the MI-6 will not generate​

any sound or vibration through it’s own speaker (MI-6 manual).​

I don't quite understand that. Does this mean the MI-6 sound coming over the phones only works with that prg #7 (which I understand is the only prg that is not mf)? Or will the MI-6 sound come through the headphones with the other programs as well?

 

[pepperj]

About that... (Apologies if this bends the thread a tad)

Manual says:

When pairing, the MI-6 automatically switches to program 7. This program will only​

work with the detector and headphones. In this program the MI-6 will not generate​

any sound or vibration through it’s own speaker (MI-6 manual).​

I don't quite understand that. Does this mean the MI-6 sound coming over the phones only works with that prg #7 (which I understand is the only prg that is not mf)? Or will the MI-6 sound come through the headphones with the other programs as well?

It works in all the programs as far as I know. I don't dive so that one might not.