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Compare The Competition To Your Sovereign Or Excal

I tried the Depth-master one you put between the headphones and the control box and it didn't do much at all. I tried several different one too and found Doc at Coiltec sells one that runs off a 9 volt battery that cost $85 did make the volume louder, but the tones were not as nice. This same amp I used on the Explorer and it did much better and used it until I tried the Troy Pros headphone as I didn't need the amp as the tones were good and the volume loud enough for me.
At this time the hearing aids i use are the most power full I can get and can not use them with headphone as all the feedback I get so you can see why I need the headphones with the most volume. Some of my hunting partners say they can hear every signal I get even at 15-20 feet away from me.
The good thing about bad hearing is i can turn off the aids and it is so peaceful, plus I have a good excuse when the wife hollers at me as I can say I didn't hear you and get by with it. She is getting smarter to that as now she pokes me in the ribs so she can get my attention first.

Rick
 
I have a friend that is pretty deaf too he uses telephone compatible hearing aids that stop that feedback but they are not cheap, anyway, glad to hear you can still detect, most people would probably just give up.
 
I saw a while back that there is a group of deaf detectorists that get together here and there. It's an organization of some type. They use a device that plugs into the headphone socket and vibrates to mimic the target audio. I heard some of these devices are so good and the abilities of the person using it are to enhanced that they can tell slight differences in target quality just like somebody using headphones. I think that's great.
 
Check out this link on Kellyco to see some remarks made about the Sovereign by a guy who's got a new DVD out. He's hunted for many years and considers it the deepest beach detector out there, and we all know it's the deepest on land too...

http://www.kellycodetectors.com/minelab/sovereigngt.htm

Also, I noticed that KellyCo now is packaging the stock 10" coil and the 15x12 together if you opt for the two coil package. I would figure they wouldn't put the 12x10 in the package with the 10" coil because most people would think they are too similar in size. NOT! Still, even though the 15x12 wouldn't go deeper in my high mineral land sites, it did in the sand than the stock coil, and one can't deny the massive coverage those coils give.
 
I used the sov gt for land hunting and thought that i pulled all the coins out of my park. I found a lot of Indians and silver with it. It came time to upgrade because every time we went back to the same spots we got nothing good. So i bought a new se pro and learned it well. Now we go over the same exact spots and pull the deep silver and Indians that the sov just plane missed. Just the last 2 times out i got 3 silvers and a Indian. Now i do not expect you to believe me unless you own a se pro then you will know what i am saying is true. The SE PRO is a great fast, deep, very accurate machine. I have owned the dfx got no depth with it, had a f75 ltd way to noisy if you want depth. The gt is a great machine and loved hunting with it but needed to try something else and am glade i did. Happy Hunting
 
The GT will go as deep as an SE or Etrac. I've talked to plenty of people who have owned all three. In fact, they relate better IDs at depth on the GT, as well as smoother operation and more depth at certain sites. If you are seeing any extra depth from that SE then I'd attribute that to it's larger 11" coil more than anything else. Also, perhaps the SE speaks to you in the way you want to be spoken to. These machines are so close in depth that user's personality and how he wishes a machine to react for him can make all the difference, not to mention proper setting of things like sensitivity. I found my Explorers did not give me as good of depth in my soil as my GT. They were eratic, touchy, sensitive to slight changes, unable to make up their mind on targets at depth or in high minerals. For all those reasons after owning 3 different Explorers I knew I had to make a better choice this time. That's me, in my soil, and in the way I want a machine to respond for me. Others may differ.
 
I'll also add a bit more to the above. I can say that my Explorers have very well missed deep silver and other coins that my GT has found at the exact same spot. Some of these are locations that are rather small in dimensions, such as in between two trees or within 10 feet of a particular one. I have one spot in mind around a large tree that I've gridded over and over again with my Explorers as I owned them through the years. I was very thorough with how I went about doing that. Gridding from several different directions. Using Auto, low, medium, or high sensitivity settings. Changing Gain, changing Fast and Deep settings, opening up Iron Mask, and so on. I hunted these spots in every way imaginable and with every method I could think of. I dug targets at depth that gave only promising audio responses but poor VDIs. I even dug deep targets that couldn't even produce a potentially good audio response in the hopes of getting deeper. Did the Explorer find me some deeper targets that my prior machines could not? Yes. But by the same token the GT has got me even deeper targets and with much better proper ID than I ever was able to achieve with my Explorers.

My deepest coins on any machine using any coil has thus far been the GT with the stock 10" coil. I'm hoping the 12x10 further improves on this already outstanding depth. My ground tends to be mineralized at most of my sites. At one particular said spot that I've worked the tar out of with my Explorers over the years I managed two separate deep coins on the GT at roughly about 11" deep. These were the deepest coins I've ever dug with any machine. In my soil you just don't see those kinds of depths due to the ground matrix and minerals. I almost gave up on these two coins, as I couldn't believe something that deep could give such a perfect VDI and audio response. They HAD to be large trash, I thought, when I was digging still deeper and finding nothing.

With my Explorers I found that despite any which way you can think of the VDI identity of a target was very questionable past say about 9" in depth, even as shallow as 6 or 7" in some of my worse spots. As a whole I've sorted through the Explorer SE and Etrac threads here and there, looking for averages as to how deep different people report coin finds on those machines. I've also compared that to a search of Sovereign GT messages on the same kinds of depth reports. On average there is very little or no difference in reported depths on various coins between all three machines. I'd even say that if any slight advantage was to be shown, it was the Sovereign that was trending towards deeper coins or at least proper ID on those past certain depths they weren't able to achieve as well (in ID) on the Etrac or Explorer. One interesting thing to note is the most common and strongest advice among Etrac and Explorer users- That you should ONLY go by the audio and not the VDI once a target starts getting past certain depths. On average I'd say that point is somewhere around 9" deep. Most of the reports of coins at those depths and deeper on those machines often state that the VDI no longer was reliable as a tool in judging target potential. On the other hand, I've seen far more Sovereign reports where the VDI was proper at depths well beyond that. 10, 11, 12", with a few others even a bit deeper than that (on land here, not sand...which it gets deeper in).

Now, there are exceptions to any rule. I'm not saying that the above numbers are always a hard and fast rule, but I will say that on average this is how things seem to trend in comparison to them. I know these kinds of results were true for me with my prior three Explorers compared to my GT. That's at least in my ground...Smoother operation, better target ID, higher sensitivity settings without getting unstable, etc. Even coins in the 6 or 7" range on my Explorers without any form of masking (other than high minerals) were often a very indecisive response in terms of VDI response. Not so with my GT.

As I've said before, I'm not saying this is the case for all people. I'm only saying it is true for me in my soil, and that others have related similar experiences at least in their soil. I believe much of this can be explained by the more/higher frequencies of FBS machines reflecting off of certain ground matrix's, or at least being more prone to certain RF activity with more channels to be receptive to it. I only know that I've found this to be true for me in comparisons. Certain sites where my Explorers couldn't muster clean coin IDs and were extremely picky and touchy in settings to be able to run with any kind of stability at those sites. I tried enough various changes in settings and sensitivity on those machines to know I did the best I could to allow them top performance.

As I've also said, if anything the differences between performance and depth on all three of these machines can come down to user preference and personality. They are so close in depth that what you want to hear or at least how well you understand that machine's traits can make all the difference in which out does what. Even a simple matter of one coil over the other can mean one gets that extra depth on that day, or it can come down to which machine seems to prefer certain soil types for whatever unknown reason while the other has problems there. I would say I've heard in that respect more often than not that people report the Sovereign to handle, get deeper, and run smoother at certain locations (beach or land) that their Etrac, SE, or other Explorer was unable to for some reason. Whether that's due to the inherit instability of the VDI on those machines, the frequency differences, or just plain user understanding of how to max each of these machines out is up in the air as to who believes what. I can only think back and compare what my Explorers were able to do for me, and how the Sovereign seems to get deeper, hit stronger, and provide a more stable ID at those very same sites. I'm not saying that is true for everyone. It could be in your area that the soil favors your SE or Etrac more for some reason, just like I often hear it does in relation to the Sovereign versus those machines. If anything I would fully expect an SE or Etrac using the 11" Pro Coil to get slightly better depth and separation versus the GT with stock 10" coil when conditions are equally well suited for all three machines. But, in the same light, I would fully expect a Sovereign running a larger coil such as the S-12 or 12x10 to also out do those machines under those conditions just by virtue of coil advantage than anything else. Like I've said before, a 12x10 on a GT makes it feel like a much faster machine. Those same traits credited to the SE and Etrac have me wondering how much of that is really due real improvements in electronics, rather than simply a much better coil than the lousy variations of the Explorer 10" coil I've used.

Again, I'm not saying any of the above reported depth impressions or performance differences are going to be true in all cases. There are many exceptions to all rules here. Even something as basic and simple as your hearing ability on deep silver tones on the Sovereign versus one of those machines can make all the difference. What I am saying is that any small thing that you can possibly imagine can mean one is going to out perform the other on any given day. They are just too close in depth and performance to draw any distinct conclusions one way or the other that is always going to be the case.

Like I've said before, with enough trash talk the Etrac should come down in price enough used for me to snag one up to sit along side my GT down the road. :biggrin:
 
Owning both the E Trac and the Sovereign , I will again say that they BOTH have their strong suits ........ The Sovereign at least when I use it , will have numbers jump around a little bit and take time and wiggling to finally settle in .....You will ALWAYS get jumping Ferrous numbers with the E Trac ......The Conductive numbers will stay true , but he Ferrous almost ALWAYS jumps around .....As long as you are consetrating on the Conductive numbers , you are good to go ......You have both Ferrous AND Conductive numbers being read out to you with the E Trac ....You have a numbering system at least on my Sovereign that will have numbers jumping as I said earlier until they settle down ..... My E Trac will differentiate between coins whereby the Sovereign will NOT at least with the meter that I'm using ..... I won't get into all the bells and whistles on the E Trac ...I will get to the meat of the detectors ..... Yes the E Trac is more complicated , and the Sovereign is more simple ..... We'll leave it at that .... There is always talk of VID at 8 and 9 inches deep .....I really don't care if my Ferrous numbers jump around , as long as my Conductive numbers remain SOMEWHAT in tact .....and even if they don't , I don't really care , because if I see a coin signal at 8-9 inches deep, I"M GONNA DIG IT NO MATTER HOW IT JUMPS AROUND !!!..... I will pretty much dig ANY repeatable signal that is THAT DEEP just to see what it is ...... We're blessed that EITHER of these machines can go that deep, and DEEPER !!...... There is SO MUCH research that needs to be done using BOTH machines in the SAME conditions, and moving around to find more than one type of condition ......I'm sure that the Sovereign can go AT LEAST as deep as the E Trac in certain conditions ....If I didn't believe that , I would have never bought one ...I also think the same of the E Trac .....There are condtions were the E Trac can go deeper than the Sovereign .... In many cases , the machines come to the same conclusion , but do it in a different way !!...... The one item that will keep me coming back to the E Trac is the numbering system when hitting targets ..... It's more diveres .....I'm also very fond of a lot of the bells and whistles .....The matrix screen is WONDERFUL !!!.......Talk about fine tune discirmination ...WOW !!....Nothing better !!.... For shear power and simplicity, you just can NOT beat a Sovereign !!....It will hunt just about anywhere , and it's about as simple as it can get ...... Again, the only thing I really miss on it , is a good VID numbering system .....I have an E Trac ....Cal me spoiled ....When I can set up my E Trac at an almost full descrimination ,and walk around and dig only dimes and Quarters and Silver and NOTHING ELSE , that's saying something .....Jim
 
My etrac will knock spots of the Sovereign in real heavy iron in my opinion, much faster and more thorough, i have 2 sovs and had an Explorer SE, now the etrac for the last 2 years almost, The first 3 months i thought i had a lemon or the etrac lark was just hype, I even kept the Explorer as i was thinking of selling the etrac as i could see no improvement, i was finding as much as with the explorer but no better, then things started to drop into place and i have not looked back, i learn something new or come across a situation that improves my knowledge of the etrac almost every outing, i have used both machines in all of the places i go, in some they are pretty equal in others hands down the Etrac, i have not yet come across a place the sovereign wins(although it may exist) sorry if that offends, i still use the sovereign as a slight change to the Excalibur as they are similar and its a lesser change than to the etrac, i like its sound and i pick up things i missed with the etrac but very rarely depth wise, more to do with some laxydaisy coil sweeping towards the end of the session on my part, fresh drops or coming from a different direction. To me if i pass over a gold ring with the Sov i know it, with the Etrac its a maybe but definately a dig sound. in that respect chalk 1 to the Sov but thats about it, as to standing arround a target for 10 minutes pussyfarting about doing passes from every direction of the compass to get a good ID as to dig or not i just dig it and get a better ID, my eyes, its quicker.
I will add that most of my hunting is beach/water hunting but i still go dirtfishing now and again, if i was to hunt all the time in dirt i don't think things would be different, I'm in Europe if i was in USA things may be different but i would try my way first
 
I found that just knowing the right combination of filters to use without bogging the E Trac down , and knowing what features to use in what conditions was key to me finding the way with my E Trac ....My hunting partner having a good jump start didn't hurt either ...... When I could do DIRECT comparisons on the same day, in the same area, on the same target , it made my decision to buy an E Trac a no brainer ...... Seeing how simple and effective the Sovereign is , that is what made it also a no brainer !!....I don't see myself parting with EITHER machine ...... I"m not an easy person to please, but I think I have met my match as far as detectors are concerned ......More coils ? ...YUP !!!.......More detectors ? ....I doubt it !!.....The beauty is that I'm really happy with both machines, and I'm STILL learning something about BOTH of them every day I use them .......Jim
 
Somebody sent me this in a PM and it's some good in depth testing of the EII versus a few other machines. I printed all this stuff out for later reading. Even if it's not exactly Sovereign related you can still get an idea of depths of the Explorer versus those being tested against it. The guy who sent me these links can claim credit for them here if he wants. I don't like posting names from PMs unless told otherwise. Some people have reputations to protect and don't want others to know they associate with the likes of me. :smoke:

LTD various sens & disc: http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,5014,5036#msg-5036

F75 w/5" DD vs. EXII w/6" EXcelerator: http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,4376,4376#msg-4376

SE or etrac in "bad soil"? http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,3926,3937#msg-3937

5" DD vs 4x6 Elliptical http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,3321,3321#msg-3321

Other that may be of interest to you:

Interesting Tek Omega performance results: http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,3690,3700#msg-3700

Interesting Tek Omega performance results: http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/discussions/read.php?2,3690,5409#msg-5409
 
One of the big wigs in the Explorer or Etrac forum just posted a message about a 12" deep clad dime on land being his deepest dime in 35 years of hunting. Not out of bounds in terms of the depth the Sovereign can achieve, so that bodes well for you guys (not me) who are still wondering if the Sovereign can keep up with the SE or Etrac depth wise. It's all about the hunter, and to some extent coil selection. I posted a response asking which coil he was using. I'm betting 12x10 because I think he said before it's got him deeper coins than the Pro Coil.
 
Are The Pro Golds As Loud as them Old timberwolves?? (No Doubt sun-Ray is the best when it comes to catering to Minelab detectors).. but my ears cant Lie ........them Old Timberwovels (the heavy-duty grey colored ones) really Knock the volume out........much better then any others I have seen .,.... (You Can Pm Me with you response) Just from A dude that dont Buy or sell anything it sure seems like the timberwolves have a way higher volume.....
 
Adam,

Good to hear from you and hope your finds are many.
I wish the Sun Ray Pro gold were as loud, but they are not and would compare the volume to the Gray Ghost, but I feel the quality of the Sun Ray is better.
Out of all the headphone I have tried over the years the Timberwolfs are the loudest for us that have a hearing problem. Not sure of all the different models, but only seen one Timberwolf that didn't have as much volume, but can't remember the model they were. I use a black set that have FWT or something like that on them with no volume control and some of the Lobos for the extra set and they both have the volume I need and I know of other Timberwolfs too I have used with good volume other than the one set that didn't have the volume.
Now on my Explorer and E-Trac the Timberwolfs are not as loud and found that the Troy Pros have the volume I need and the loudest I can find, but these on the Sovereign are not as loud, so I have to use different ones for different detectors. The Uni Probe with the headphones built n seem to work on either one with a more medium volume, not real loud, but enough so I can use them if i have to.
I sure wish the Sun Ray Pro Gold were as loud as i like the way they are built plus I love the ear cups on these.
 
Thought I'd throw up some quotes off other sites to show that depending on who you talk to the Sovereign is said to be deeper than the SE or Etrac. IMO there is no clear cut winner, with coil choice and user knowledge being the primary deciding factor. I could have posted more but I got tired of sifting through all the google hits in comparisons of the three. Some other machine comparisons to the Sovereign are also thrown in for good measure. I've got some PMs as well in the past from those who have owned all three (I've only owned the Explorer line) and some said they gave the edge to the Sovereign for best ID at depth, like I've found with it compared to my Explorers. I may dig up some more and post them later, but this should be more than enough to get things perk elating again...:smoke:

I had a nice GT but sold it and eventually purchased the XS, Explorer II, and then a new SE. I'm now returning to the GT.

Warning: If you love your GT stay with it! Don't sell it to buy an Explorer. If you do you'll probably be very sorry.

The GT is simple and powerful. It will find silver in places loaded with trash. The Explorers are noisy and don't handle trash nearly as well.

The Explorers are way over rated and not nearly as productive as the GT.

I could say more but just read the other 5 start posts below because they pretty much cover it all.

You'll never find a better land machine than the Sovereign GT. Compared to the GT the Explorer is an over priced gimmick.

...

I have used Tesoro Tejon, X terra 70, Matrix m6, Explorer XS, when out with the club up against the big guns - se - exp 11 - none of these are as productive.

...

I have used and owned quite a few machines ranging from Explorer, Tesoro, Nexus, Troyx5 ect, and they all have their good points.

I use this machine more than any other, in fact I sold my Explorer, and bought an Excalibur, I now have what I think is the perfect combination, the GT for field work and beach, and the Excalibur for wading.

...

I have owned the GT now for around 6 weeks and have used it on the beach and also inland on my farm, I also own several other detectors including Minelab Explorer 11, Whites MXT, Fisher CZ3D and a Pulsepower Deepstar 3, all of these machines have their strengths and weaknesses, but I must be honest the GT is a very good all round machine that can be used in most soil conditions, and at the beach with no compromise in performance, it has one the smoothest thresholds that I have ever used, and if I had to choose one detector for doing it all this would be at the top of my list.
I have now played some more, even tested a GTI 2500, tried one then ran the other over it etc etc.
The GTI has heaps of settings but I find it is heavy, too many false signals and will not isolate the targets, the GT reassures me every time to dig where as the GTI is a bit wishy washy.
I have decided to keep the GT as its a more positive machine and with the sun ray probe its deadly in pin pointing the target.

...

Its great to have the flash screens etc but I only want to know if I should waste my time digging. the GT's iron disc works very well (better than the GTI).
I am surprised as I was going to keep the GTI as on paper it is unbeatable but to test them side by side, there is only one choice for me.
After five months, I gotta say that the depth, discrimination, versatility, price, and availability of after market coils/accessories, make this one heck of great detector. Learning it was simple with all the forums on the net.

I shouldn't really be writing this because its not in my best interest to many of these in the places I hunt, but anyway hat's off to Minelab on keeping it alive.

I have a Garrett, EXP II, PI Pro, Excalibur, but the Sovereign is by best.

The deepest VLF detector I have ever used, and I have used them all since 1987

Very Stable, with PI type depth In wet Salt sand Condition's, compared to other Detectors

Loves Deep Silver, compared to other Detectors

Very easy,Turn and go dials, Very Easy to set up and start digging targets at 12+ inch's

...

Hey guys, I had an Explorer SE, and I sold a Sovereign GT to put towards the purchase of the SE. I knew and could tell that the SE was great on deep silver,( So was my GT)
anyway I became frustrated with the SE and missed my GT, so I am now using the GT again and Love it as usual. Now that the winter is around the corner I could see myself obsessing over another detector. I just want to know what are some of the big differences of the E-Trac over the SE. I used to run my SE in all metal and use the tones only, I didn't like how it ran in disc mode with its constant nulling. I couldn't decide if I liked the smart find or the #'s better. I could never find a pattern that worked and I was made to feel as though I was missing many targets. I found myself fiddling with the machine to much in the field.
Now with the E-trac I hear all kinds of gripes and praises with its Ferrous tones or lack of, I also like the idea of downloading programs to try out. I hear reports of better disc mode operation, faster response, and little features hear and there that work and don't work better than the SE. So in a nutshell what do you like better or worse on the E-Trac over an SE. I used my Sovereign GT, yesterday at the NH fall hunt and kept up with all the others no problem. Lots of E-Tracs and SE's where there and I did not get a chance to discuss the differences with some of the great people that where there. One thing for sure, If I do get an E-Trac I wont get rid of My Sovereign Gt again, it has just worked to well for me

we have compared Sovereign against Explorer for depth and the Sovereign won every time with a clear signal where as the Explorer gave confused blip

I've been told the Sovereign can beat the Explorers at depth. An admin at a metal detecting forum just PM'ed me saying to get the Sov if I want depth, as it has been a deeper detector than an E-trac for him.

People have told me the ground is heavily mineralized out here, but I really have no way of knowing. I've just gone by what they've told me. I do know that I can't get the 10-11" on coins that many people claim with an Explorer, so mineralization probably has something to do with it.

...

I have had the Explorer xs and 2 ..i owned them and used them...they did not show me any more than the Sovereign i used the E Trac and hunted with my bud that has one he let me use it and it..And it did not show me any more than my Sovereign. I would rather hunt than try to feel important programing my detector...My Sovereign will find any thing your Explorer or E-Trac will find and could be it will find more....
 
Check out this "depth on a dime" thread in the Etrac forum. In no way out of bounds for a Sovereign...

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?63,1322162
 
Ive dug dimes in the wet salt beach well over 12 inches. In this day and age depth isn't king anymore. Discrimination and target ID is. It's fair to say that all high end machines are deep. All the depth in the world doesn't matter if you never hear the target because of masking. Test garden targets need a long time to connect to the soil. You cant just bury something fresh and expect to hit it hard. The best way to to this kind of depth testing is at a saltwater beach in the wet sand. I have done this "depth testing" with a F75, Sov, Explorer, ETrac, Tesoro Tiger shark and a Fisher CZ-21. All at the same time same day same targets. The clear winner as far as pure repeatable depth? CZ-21.

Just to be clear. There were 6 other guys there helping me do the test as it was a shoot out type of thing. So you can rule out the "one" person idea. The ET was mine and the other machine belonged to the other guys. Well seasoned hunters and know there machines well.

You can't compare the early explorers to the new ones. It's not even close. The ETrac is a completely different detector than the explorer. Although it does look like one. To even put them in the same group doesn't help you plead your case.

It seems like your hanging on to the "Legendary depth" thing for dear life. Alot has changed in detector technology in the last 15-20 years.
 
Interesting thanks for the link.
 
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