FOD Headphones review

[Anonymous]

Well I took off early this morning to an old park that I found a few days ago. This place is really spread out so I started in an open area and worked my way towards the pic nic grounds.
Let me say first that my left ear is only at 85% of my right one.
I normally use a dual volume set of Timberwolf headphones so I can turn down the right side to balance out the left. I'd have to say the FOD phones are as close to being as loud as the Timberwolfs as any others I've used (very nice). The sound quality throughout the entire coin target range and brass is impressive. I could tell when I hit small brass without any effort. ie: I hit a small brass badge clip @ 7" and there was no mistaking it for anything other than brass.
My first silver was a merc at 6" with a unreadable date but the signal was very pronounced ... the tone kind of threw me off at first because it sounded like a small piece of aluminum can without that trashy sound at the beginning. Next target was exactly that, a small piece of aluminum can at the same depth. This time I grabbed my Timberwolfs and plugged them in to compare the sound, they gave a more pronounced trash sound ( at the beggining) but I dug it just to be sure .. it was indeed aluminum trash.
Found 6 nickels, again compared the sound between the FOD set and the Timberwolfs ... NO DIFFERENCE on the nickels.
I then decided to put the GT into All Metal w/iron mask off and find out how iron sounds with the FOD phones, they gave a nice robust low growl on a horse shoe I dug from at least a foot deep. Flat compacted foil has a trashy low sound and I dug one piece of foil that looked like a silver dollar ( like a chocolate wrapper) it sounded low and smooth like a old fog horn or something. Cool <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
The low end sounds on the FOD phones are actually a tad bit better than my Timberwolfs ( cleaner sounding) but the Timberwolfs have the edge on the silver tones and from what I've seen so far the Timberwolfs seem better at distinguishing the trash sounds ( but only when it's a really close call).
Overall comfort and design is very nice on the FOD phones, I used them for 5 hours and they remained comfortable. As for noise blocking ability, you will have to REMOVE them to hear somebody if they speak to you in a normal tone. The DB rating is as good as anything available and better than most I've used.
The long cord is a GREAT with one exception that has already been mentioned ... the extra weight factor.
On a 1 - 10 scale I would rate the FOD phones a SOLID 8+
A tad bit lighter cord and some volume knobs and I'd give them a perfect 10.
Job Well Done FOD and Thank You for the chance to test them. I might just add the volume knobs and cord myself.
Good Hunting
Mike

 

[Anonymous]

[No message]

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Mike:
Would you say that the target tones of the GT sound the same as the Elite and the other Sovereigns you own(ed)?
The silver merc find was a great discription of what I mean when I say that target tones can have almost the same pitch but sound different, rougher around the edges, a trashy sound.
This was a great post Mike, thank you very much for your help. I learned a lot from it.
Good luck on your hunt in Sacaramento
fod

 

[Anonymous]

When I was doing the air test with the Elite and the GT I notice the tones seem to be a little clearer with the GT, but was only using the speaker and not the headphones. I wish I would have tried my headphones to see if it was the detector or the speakers where the differecne was.
Being i had the remote pinpoint switch on the Elite and just did the mod with the straight shaft and a lighted meter I sold the GT I had without getting out to accualy use it being my air test showed no difference in depth. I will be getting in a new GT again and this time I will have to accualy use it in accual hunting conditons and hope the tone quality is in the detector itself and not just the speaker.
Rick

 

[Anonymous]

I think the tonal quality of the GT is a tad bit cleaner sounding, especially when targets are close to each other ... like when approaching a small coin spill like I did yesterday <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt=""> 2 mercs were under the small coil and I could clearly tell they were clean coin hits.
Small brass sounds better to me on my GT than what I remember on my Elite. But MAYBE it's just me taking such a shine to my newest edition too <img src="/metal/html/smile.gif" border=0 width=15 height=15 alt="">
I really don't remember the volume being this loud on my Elite or original sovereign .. might have been, but I KNOW this GT has more volume than I need.
Good Hunting
Mike