Headphones

[TrpnBils]

What's the deal with "metal detector headphones"? As in, do they differ from standard headphones in any appreciable way?

I have a set of old headphones from a stereo that are about 30 years old and have never noticed any issue with them. They're the big kind that cover your whole ear on each side (kind of makes me feel like I should be listening to the Doobie Brothers on vinyl under a huge cloud of smoke when I wear them). I thought about getting a new set, but if these work just as well then I don't see the point. While I'm at it, do the larger phones have any advantage over a pair of ear buds with the possible exception of blocking out more external noise?

Thanks!

 

[osgood]

of course cant hold to my theory in the dead of summer, but pre and post season i like the fact they keep my ears warm, really. . Also any ive tried with those thin metal bars across the top of your head and the black foam padded little orb that go on your ears, just dont eliminate enough back ground noise and move around quite a bit on my head. The buds keep pulling out, and i dont like the pressure in my ears. So even in summer i use a pair of like twenty year old big cup radio shack ones. If in deep and quite woods i sometime dont use anything , just the speaker. Good luck.CO

 

[WhatTheBeep]

I've wondered about this too, and the main things I can come up with are that 1) "metal detector headphones" have coiled wire which helps keep it out of the Lesche's way when digging, and 2) they also usually have a volume control, which is handy if your MD produces very loud tones like mine does. I noticed last night that some metal detector headphones are waterproof to a certain depth, which might be useful depending on where and when you hunt.

When I'm hunting by myself I use headphones that actually have a microphone stem on them (from my computer), and I have to say the sound quality is excellent though I'm embarrassed about the microphone stem when hunting with others. In fact, when I go hunting with someone else, I usually use some iPod ear buds which don't sound nearly as good and make my ears hurt!

 

[TrpnBils]

I'd think the mic stem would be helpful in keeping passers-by at bay when hunting in an area that gets some foot traffic.... get one of those fake FBI shirts on ebay or somewhere and occasionally act like you're talking into the mic to somebody...lol

Also, my giant, early 80's headphones have a coiled wire too, but it's pretty long and gets in the way so I feed it down through my shirt and it helps.

 

[WhatTheBeep]

Haha, didn't think of that! A hockey mask not be a bad idea, either!

In a few weeks I'm going to pull the trigger on a new Fisher machine which comes bundled with some inexpensive "metal detector headphones", so maybe that'll end the sore ears and the strange looks from the passersby. If they don't sound very crisp I can resort to talking into the mic stem.

 

[c t]

Skiwhiz would be a great forum member to answer this question however I bet I'm pretty close to as what the difference would be also some also completely cover the ear for outside noise reduction 150ohm louder and allow faint deep signals to be heard better. Anyway that's my understanding on the subject. HH c t