Andy Sabisch
Active member
OK, now that I probably gave Jeremy a heart attack and caught the attention of everyone else, I guess I need to complete the sentence that was the subject of this post . . . . .
[size=large]"Don't Buy a Set of the Vance Muffs if You Plan on Hunting Any of the Sites I Will be Hunting"[/size]
The focus of everyone's buying research always tends to reside at the detector level yet often it is the accessories that really unlock the potential of the detector. Headphones are the perfect example - if you can't hear those faint whispers or distinguish two signals laying next to each other, the performance of the detector is lost.
Alain and his team at XP spent countless hours working on not just the Deus itself but the accessories which included the headphones (WS5) and backphones (WS4) to ensure they provided users with all of the audio information that the electronics in the detector were providing based on the target that was detected. The backphone design is unique and it seems to be an either you love it or hate it when it comes to users. Personally it did take me a little while to get used to it and I was worried about breaking the folding frame but after a few trips in 95F South Carolina summer heat, I found that the backphones were comfortable, durable and did not leaving me with sweat trails running out from beneath by ear muffs. Now after relocating to Illinois for a stint, the benefit of having an ear muff over each ear as the winter weather started to sweep in was missed in short order. Well, thanks to two suppliers in the U.K., options were available where one could pull the controller from the WS4 backphones and put it on a set of conventional headphones retaining the wireless feature and keeping one's ears warm. XP also released the WS5 headphones that kept the audio information true to the WS4's but the one downside with those was that you could not go back to the backphones if you wanted something lightweight without buying both pairs.
With the shipping issues in trying to order the headphones that accepted the WS4-controller, it was not long before U.S. suppliers started to offer them built and shipped within the States to reduce shipping costs and transport time. Vance Metal Detecting Sales, owned and operated by an avid detectorist that was forced to retire from the Marines after 3 tours in the Middle East after becomeing 100% medically disabled, saw the need for a set of quality headphones that allowed Deus owners to switch between the WS4 backphones and over-the-head headphones without losing any of the audio information that the factory phones provided. Starting with a set of headphones that have already proven their durability in the treasure hunting world, Jeremy started to experiment with nearly 30 different speakers and then selecting different ohm ratings to find the ones that produced the truest, clearest sounds. What he found was that the speaker used made big difference in how the headphones performed in terms of being able to hear faint or co-mingled targets. The end result was the release of the Vance Muff Headphones which combine a headphone that does an effective job in blocking out ambient noise and and a speaker producing a signal that lets the user hear what XP's engineers designed the Deus to produce audio-wise.
I had the opportunity to give a set of the Vance Muff Headphones a spin and took it to both a few coin and relic sites to compare it to the WS4, Chefphone CP6 / CP6E and the Central Soundz Wiresless Whispers. The main difference between the Vance Muffs and the other after-market options was the speaker that Jeremy had settled on in his design. What quickly became apparent was that the higher ohm rating of the Vance Muffs speakers produced a cleaner audio signal and the signals sounded exactly the way they did with the WS4 backphones which is how the factory designed the backphone / control unit / coil to function in conjunction with one another.
The way I test detectors and accessories is to get signals and mark them so that I can compare detector A to detector B or in this case Headphone A, Headphone B and Headphone C to Headphone D. This ensures targets are not disturbed and allows for a valid comparison to be made. At one homesite, a marginal scratchy signal was clearly discernible as two separate, close co-mingled targets when checked with the Vance Muffs. At just shy of 7 inches I pulled out a 16P rusted nail and after checking the hole with my ProPointer, pulled out a 1946 quarter. A 1947 dime and a 1941 Wheat cent turned up as well an in each case, they were located adjacent to trash. The audio signal from the Vance Muffs was more distinct than the other after-market phones and sounded the most like the XP WS4 backphone of those tested.
[attachment 295652 VanceMuffCoins.jpg]
While I did not have a chance to try them out at some of the better relic sites I visit in Georgia and the coastal area of South Carolina, I did search an old foundation from a home that dated back to the early 1800's. I had similar results on in-ground targets with the audio response preferable from the Vance Muffs especially on the deeper targets as well as those hidden amongst nails and other small pieces of iron. I had planned on spending a few hours at this one location but after seeing a snake rustling through the underbrush nearby, I opted to come back when they were hibernating . . I am definitely not a snake fan!
In summary, I like the WS4 backphones in the warmer months and really like the versatility that the WS4 offers with the removable controller where it can be moved in seconds to a standard set of headphones when temperatures or ambient noise dictates something other than the WS4's. I had been satisfied with the non-OEM headphones I had in my arsenal; however, I was quite surprised at the difference the speaker ohm rating made in the audio response and will be taking the Vance Muffs with me when I want the flexibility of switching between the two styles. They do bring out the slight nuances that the Deus is known for and as they say, every little edge pays off in the field.
So back to the subject of this post . . . "Don't Buy a Set of the Vance Muffs if You Plan on Hunting Any of the Sites I Will be Hunting"
. . . . after all, who says I can't hope for that edge . If you are looking for a set of heapdhones that gives you the best of both worlds - backphones and headphones - the Vance Muffs deserve a closer look.
[size=large]PS[/size]: I always wonder how those old silver coins were always lost with scratches on them . . . that 1946 quarter is a perfect example. Since I know I would never hit a coin, it must have been lost with that scratch on it . . . that's my story and I am sticking to it. :clsoedeyes:
[size=large]"Don't Buy a Set of the Vance Muffs if You Plan on Hunting Any of the Sites I Will be Hunting"[/size]
The focus of everyone's buying research always tends to reside at the detector level yet often it is the accessories that really unlock the potential of the detector. Headphones are the perfect example - if you can't hear those faint whispers or distinguish two signals laying next to each other, the performance of the detector is lost.
Alain and his team at XP spent countless hours working on not just the Deus itself but the accessories which included the headphones (WS5) and backphones (WS4) to ensure they provided users with all of the audio information that the electronics in the detector were providing based on the target that was detected. The backphone design is unique and it seems to be an either you love it or hate it when it comes to users. Personally it did take me a little while to get used to it and I was worried about breaking the folding frame but after a few trips in 95F South Carolina summer heat, I found that the backphones were comfortable, durable and did not leaving me with sweat trails running out from beneath by ear muffs. Now after relocating to Illinois for a stint, the benefit of having an ear muff over each ear as the winter weather started to sweep in was missed in short order. Well, thanks to two suppliers in the U.K., options were available where one could pull the controller from the WS4 backphones and put it on a set of conventional headphones retaining the wireless feature and keeping one's ears warm. XP also released the WS5 headphones that kept the audio information true to the WS4's but the one downside with those was that you could not go back to the backphones if you wanted something lightweight without buying both pairs.
With the shipping issues in trying to order the headphones that accepted the WS4-controller, it was not long before U.S. suppliers started to offer them built and shipped within the States to reduce shipping costs and transport time. Vance Metal Detecting Sales, owned and operated by an avid detectorist that was forced to retire from the Marines after 3 tours in the Middle East after becomeing 100% medically disabled, saw the need for a set of quality headphones that allowed Deus owners to switch between the WS4 backphones and over-the-head headphones without losing any of the audio information that the factory phones provided. Starting with a set of headphones that have already proven their durability in the treasure hunting world, Jeremy started to experiment with nearly 30 different speakers and then selecting different ohm ratings to find the ones that produced the truest, clearest sounds. What he found was that the speaker used made big difference in how the headphones performed in terms of being able to hear faint or co-mingled targets. The end result was the release of the Vance Muff Headphones which combine a headphone that does an effective job in blocking out ambient noise and and a speaker producing a signal that lets the user hear what XP's engineers designed the Deus to produce audio-wise.
I had the opportunity to give a set of the Vance Muff Headphones a spin and took it to both a few coin and relic sites to compare it to the WS4, Chefphone CP6 / CP6E and the Central Soundz Wiresless Whispers. The main difference between the Vance Muffs and the other after-market options was the speaker that Jeremy had settled on in his design. What quickly became apparent was that the higher ohm rating of the Vance Muffs speakers produced a cleaner audio signal and the signals sounded exactly the way they did with the WS4 backphones which is how the factory designed the backphone / control unit / coil to function in conjunction with one another.
The way I test detectors and accessories is to get signals and mark them so that I can compare detector A to detector B or in this case Headphone A, Headphone B and Headphone C to Headphone D. This ensures targets are not disturbed and allows for a valid comparison to be made. At one homesite, a marginal scratchy signal was clearly discernible as two separate, close co-mingled targets when checked with the Vance Muffs. At just shy of 7 inches I pulled out a 16P rusted nail and after checking the hole with my ProPointer, pulled out a 1946 quarter. A 1947 dime and a 1941 Wheat cent turned up as well an in each case, they were located adjacent to trash. The audio signal from the Vance Muffs was more distinct than the other after-market phones and sounded the most like the XP WS4 backphone of those tested.
[attachment 295652 VanceMuffCoins.jpg]
While I did not have a chance to try them out at some of the better relic sites I visit in Georgia and the coastal area of South Carolina, I did search an old foundation from a home that dated back to the early 1800's. I had similar results on in-ground targets with the audio response preferable from the Vance Muffs especially on the deeper targets as well as those hidden amongst nails and other small pieces of iron. I had planned on spending a few hours at this one location but after seeing a snake rustling through the underbrush nearby, I opted to come back when they were hibernating . . I am definitely not a snake fan!
In summary, I like the WS4 backphones in the warmer months and really like the versatility that the WS4 offers with the removable controller where it can be moved in seconds to a standard set of headphones when temperatures or ambient noise dictates something other than the WS4's. I had been satisfied with the non-OEM headphones I had in my arsenal; however, I was quite surprised at the difference the speaker ohm rating made in the audio response and will be taking the Vance Muffs with me when I want the flexibility of switching between the two styles. They do bring out the slight nuances that the Deus is known for and as they say, every little edge pays off in the field.
So back to the subject of this post . . . "Don't Buy a Set of the Vance Muffs if You Plan on Hunting Any of the Sites I Will be Hunting"
. . . . after all, who says I can't hope for that edge . If you are looking for a set of heapdhones that gives you the best of both worlds - backphones and headphones - the Vance Muffs deserve a closer look.[size=large]PS[/size]: I always wonder how those old silver coins were always lost with scratches on them . . . that 1946 quarter is a perfect example. Since I know I would never hit a coin, it must have been lost with that scratch on it . . . that's my story and I am sticking to it. :clsoedeyes:
