Minelab headphones - myth busted??

[mbasko]

Recently I went from using an external speaker all the time to using headphones at least while the weather is cooler & if external noise is an issue. During my research into what to get (don't like the supplied ones) & repeatedly came across info on other forums etc. (mostly USA & from some experienced detectorists) suggesting that Minelab detectors required or were best matched to headphones of 100ohm or higher. This seemed to go against what others were saying as they were finding headphones in a variety of different ohm ranges worked fine. At the time I couldn't find any solid information direct from Minelab to clarify this at all until searching for some other stuff found this:

What Are The Recommended Impedance Values Of Headphones For Each Detector?
Headphone specifications are not really critical in a metal detector as their audio circuitry does not produce Hi-Fi quality sound. e.g. Our detectors frequency output range is only circa 75 -1200Hz
Our audio circuits will drive most headphones from 16 - 100 + ohms.
Audio optimisation is also very subjective as everybody hears differently.
We endeavour not to confuse our customers with unnecessary technical specs because in reality there is no honest way to determine what headphones are best for you other than to try them.
If you have a detector with adjustable audio tones we would also recommend you spend some time to ensure the detection tones are optimised for your hearing needs.

We touched on this in a recent headphones thread https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=252727#p252727 but I'm now more certain than ever that headphones are a very personal choice that need to have a sound quality that suits YOUR hearing needs & required comfort level + ruggedness to suit you for the job.
The old adage "try before you buy" is definitely the way to go if possible as what others may find great may not suit you at all. Thought I'd post this as a "which headphones" thread seems to pop up from time to time & as I posted before there's no right or wrong answer - only what suits you best.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Recently I went from using an external speaker all the time to using headphones at least while the weather is cooler & if external noise is an issue. During my research into what to get (don't like the supplied ones) & repeatedly came across info on other forums etc. (mostly USA & from some experienced detectorists) suggesting that Minelab detectors required or were best matched to headphones of 100ohm or higher. This seemed to go against what others were saying as they were finding headphones in a variety of different ohm ranges worked fine. At the time I couldn't find any solid information direct from Minelab to clarify this at all until searching for some other stuff found this:

What Are The Recommended Impedance Values Of Headphones For Each Detector?
Headphone specifications are not really critical in a metal detector as their audio circuitry does not produce Hi-Fi quality sound. e.g. Our detectors frequency output range is only circa 75 -1200Hz
Our audio circuits will drive most headphones from 16 - 100 + ohms.
Audio optimisation is also very subjective as everybody hears differently.
We endeavour not to confuse our customers with unnecessary technical specs because in reality there is no honest way to determine what headphones are best for you other than to try them.
If you have a detector with adjustable audio tones we would also recommend you spend some time to ensure the detection tones are optimised for your hearing needs.

We touched on this in a recent headphones thread https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=252727#p252727 but I'm now more certain than ever that headphones are a very personal choice that need to have a sound quality that suits YOUR hearing needs & required comfort level + ruggedness to suit you for the job.
The old adage "try before you buy" is definitely the way to go if possible as what others may find great may not suit you at all. Thought I'd post this as a "which headphones" thread seems to pop up from time to time & as I posted before there's no right or wrong answer - only what suits you best.

I couldn't agree more with the above, the only comment i would make is that when i bought my sdc it came with the standard headphones (which i personally don't like) so having a choice wasn't an option and at the time i was (still am) a novice when it came to detecting.

 

[Heatho]

More so it's actually what you become used to as well. For instance after the last gold trip using the gog's with the SDC I got very used to them very quickly as they have a decent clarity in the upper low mid range of freqs which I like. I then used the gog's on the CTX and loved them but didn't want to use them at the beach incase they ended up in the drink, I reverted back to using the koss and found them very very muffled to the point it actually took me a couple of sessions to get used to them again.

All headphones have different frequency responses and good ones should be supplied with frequency response charts which will show which frequencies are bumped and which are attenuated by the inherent nature of each type of headphone and it's driver. It can be a very complex discussion but as you said Matt and rightly so, it's what you feel comfortable with.

I've mixed albums using nothing more than $90 Sony headphones, in quality terms they were terrible but I was used to them and could get music mixes to translate perfectly to other audio systems by using these junk headphones. Some guys would turn up to my studio with $500 cans and would get a laugh when they saw mine. My reason for using crap cans was because not many music consumers use anything better than I was using, so I'd get a good balance between my $90 cans and my 2 different speaker systems which were worth about $5000.

I think from an impedance perspective also, which I did some reading on recently, it's not so much the impedance, (lower speaker impedance can make things louder in certain circumstances such as PA systems) but it really comes down to driver (speaker) sensitivity in decibels spl (sound pressure level) output per milliwatt (mw) input with headphones. db spl/mw.

To boil it down, use what your ears like and are comfy with.

Hmmm might bring my $90 cans out detecting for gold next trip, they may suit me better than all the rest......

 

[old hand]

mbasko yes try before you buy would be good if possible ,I have been playing around lately with 150 ohm headphones most are earmuffs converted to headphones with volume controls ,I find they put to much pressure on my ears, I find the Koss ur 30 not to bad, the last few years I have been using Koss KSC 75 and found the pretty good in most conditions except when the wind gets up .Have tried Grey ghost ,sunray gold pro still looking for headphones I like

 

[Nightjar]

Dragged never used Koss headphones supplied with new GPX-4500 in 2008, out of box because recent winds and cold.
The muffs were stuck together and the covers laminated when separated.
Used them for the day and then back to the boosted double speakers.

 

[mbasko]

Dragged never used Koss headphones supplied with new GPX-4500 in 2008, out of box because recent winds and cold.
The muffs were stuck together and the covers laminated when separated.
Used them for the day and then back to the boosted double speakers.

So the Koss don't store well then :lol:
I'm hearing you about the external speaker/s although the thread wasn't about headphones vs. speaker set ups. I'll probably still use external speaker 50% or more of the time but I've got no doubt that there are circumstances where I miss some signals by not using headphones & a recent specci I got would have most likely been missed without them. Comfort wise though I don't know I'd be able to wear them in warm weather - even nudging 20 degrees the other week they felt a bit hot on the ears although if I persevere through winter into spring I might get used to them?
I definitely couldn't wear them much over your way Nightjar but having been pro boosters/speakers can see a lot of positives in using them when conditions suit.

 

[user 1769]

Anyone tried battery-powered, noise-cancelling headphones on the SDC? I have a pair of Sennheiser noise-cancelling headphones and was toying with the idea of getting Nenad's adaptor lead.

 

[SCROUNGER]

I've got some Bose noise cancelling headphones mfdes and Nenad's adaptor lead. I'll check them out if and when i get out next.

 

[PhaseTech]

I've tried some lower end Noise Cancelling headphones and the Gogs and Sunrays actually blocked out more external noise.

Yes sound is a very personal thing, but the fact remains that most gold detectors put out a signal response in the mid-range frequencies. So while we have different hearing preferences, we can't really change the audio on the machines, except for manipulating the Tone on the detector, which can be preset, high and low tone options (as on the SDC2300 and Gold Racer), or fully variable like on the GPX and GPZ etc. [Getting the tone setting set right for YOUR ears, and YOUR headphone or external booster/speaker is absolutely critical.]

So the play back device needs to be able to reproduce those mid range frequencies well. Most consumer headphones have a high freq and low freq boost, so yes they sound nice when listening to your favourite music CD, but if it can't reproduce those faint gold signals, I don't want them when detecting.

So important specs for a headphone in my opinion are:

1. Ability to reproduce low level noise - but not too sensitive so you can hear the detectors background electronics

2. Mid-range clarity (muffled audio is bad)

3. Comfort - no point having the best sounding headphones if they feel like your head is in a vice, or they are so loose they keep slipping off your head

4. Quality - they are being used outdoors, for long periods of time

I have three headphones in my kit bag which I use on different machines and different situations, i.e. hot vs. cold and windy.

 

[mbasko]

Yep that's why I reckon the monitoring/studio type headphones can add another option for those looking for headphones, depending on type/brand, they can tick those boxes + can have really good noise attenuation properties as well.
I thought you might have more than 3 sets Nenad. I have 3 sets myself although one lightweight set I've barely used - maybe two or three times & my current UR-30's are still brand new in the plastic & I hate wearing the things :lol: Read a blog a few weeks ago & the writer owned about 8 or so detectors & had about half a dozen sets of headphones that he used for different machines etc. They could start getting like coils if we got to technical about it all I suppose.
One things for sure they aren't a "one size fits all" accessory!

 

[Heatho]

Another good thing about studio monitor type cans is that they often have quite a flat frequency response compared with hifi type headphones. As Nenad said with hifi oriented type cans they have a bump in the low end and a bump in the high end, us studio engineers call this a smiley pattern or smiley frequency response., as the curve looks like a smile, they are built like this so the cans sound pleasing to the ear.

True studio cans with a flat response are not meant to sound pleasing to the ear, they are meant to sound true, hence the flatter response and no low end or high end frequency bumps. Omitting the bumps in the LF and HF naturally makes the mid range freqs more prominent, as Nenad also pointed out that this is where most detectors audio output generated.