someone with dif. brands of head phones needs to do a side by side comp.

[rbholt80]

like many have done with coils and detectors.
i see a bunch of ? on head phones. if i had several top brands i would do it but i don't.
so who's up for that? anyone?

 

[Nick A]

I have four pairs of headphones. I've used black "no-name" detector headphones, Jolly Rogers, RatPhones and Grey Ghosts on the E-Trac. I use the Grey Ghosts all the time. I tried the RatPhones again a while back and I didn't last 10 minutes before I went back to the car for the Ghosts. All the high sounds were muted and muffled and I felt like I had cotton in my ears. The Ghosts give me higher pitched sounds and I hear every snap-crackle-pop, which is what I want. I think a lot of it depends on user preference. Some people like the Rats, but not me with the Explorer or E-Trac (they're fine on the Fisher CZ). The Jolly Rogers are good, but the earmuffs are a little small for me to wear for a long time. They sound different than the Ghosts, but they are still good. The no-namers are also ok, but you can tell the sound quality is not that good and it gets annoying when you know it can be better.

I think you'll find a good amount of variation in people's opinions, just because user preference plays into it. If you search here or in the Explorer forum, I think you'll find a lot of differing opinions and good info about a variety of headphones.

I couldn't afford a lot of headphones at one time either, and what I did back then was I bought a pair, tried them and then if I did not like them sold them on the forum classifieds for a little discount over what I paid. Sure, it cost me a little, but I wasn't out the full amount of the headphones. The ones I kept were the Rogers, Rats and Ghosts. I'd buy another pair of Ghosts in a heartbeat if these gave out on me.

 

[rbholt80]

i use the jolly rodgers but they are not very loud. the tones are good but i need more volume from them.
my old fisher phones sound good and loud on the et but there worn out.
i may just order me some speakers with the specs i want and build me a pair that sound like i want them to

 

[Ray-Mo.]

I have done that very thing and prefered the Pro Golds on my Explorers and E-Trac but not as much so on my Fishers.With my hearing they sound quite a bit better on the E-Trac when I run multi tone 99% of the time.I think I would not hear that much difference in fixed tones.I compared grey ghosts,rats,2 different models of koss,fisher,killer bees,pro golds and a couple other pairs of high end phones for home stereos.I found the rats sounded very good on my f75s and cz3d.I like the sunray pro golds for the better clarity they give me on the full range of tones in multi tones.We must remember that every one has different ideas of what is most pleasent to the ears.Case in point just get close to a few younger folks cars and listen to what they think sounds great

 

[rbholt80]

i hear you lol.
well that hepled some ray thank you.
i was ether going to get some rats or pro golds so now i may just get the sunrays pros.
im just not jolly with the jolly rogers

 

[bcoop]

The most popular they sell are the Black Widows and the Gray Ghost Ultimates for the E-Trac because of the limiter switch. I know the Black Widows have a warning because you can blow out your ear drums

 

[rbholt80]

yea that would suck.
i have perfect hearing i just think my jollies are to soft sounding. i realy have to try and focus on the sounds they make cause there so soft sounding.

 

[Rick(ND)]

My Hearing is real bad so I need the loudest and also need to beable to tell the tone difference with my Sovereigns and E-Trac and found the Troy Pros work the best for me on the E-Trac, but on the Sovereign the Timberwolfs have a better tone to them, but dont have the volume for the E-Trac. Now I had several differnt sets I have tried , The Black widows, the Ultimate, the NDT and the original Gray Ghost plus the Timberwolfs, Troy Pros and the Sun Ray Pro Golds and most that tried mine like the Sun Ray Pro Golds and the Ultimate and the NDT on their Explorers and E-Trac. I also have a UniProbe that is built into the headphones and these too have great volume and good tones too. The Black Widows some say are very loud, but to me the ones on the UniProbe are much louder.

 

[C&RHunter]

I presently use SunRay Pro Gold phones on my Etrac. I have a set of Accu Sound Gold Edition (these made by Koss) that I use on my backup XS. Prior to buying the Etrac, I had two XS machines, one for a backup,and the Accu Sound phones on both. The thing was, that when switching the phones on the same machine, the sounds were totally different from one set of phones to the other. (they were both relatively the same age). So my question being, during any headphone "tests" have comparisons been made between more than one pair of like brand headphones? Maybe the difference in those Accu Sound phones was just a fluke, or the quality of those just wasn't there, but I have wondered, if that is a common thing with other brands of headphones. As far as the SunRay go, for me they are very comfortable and block out most of the outside noise. Any information on comparisons is good information for me, as this "cabin fever" is getting me in the "need more toys" mood. I might like to try a different brand of phones, never know, a new set might change my luck.....

 

[moseng]

Heh Ray, so true! Wow I remember my father yelling at me to turn off that music. I vowed I would always be open to new music, but oh man it sure is hard when I listen to what my daughter likes! LOL

Like detectors and coils, headphones are a personal preference I think. I have tried several pairs myself and keep going back to Ratphones because I hear the tones better with them. They just sound more like "music" to my ears and not just beeps! Sorry kind of hard to explain! However, since RatPhones are almost impossible to get now, I think I will try Sunrays again. My back ups are GG Ult's and I had to use them recently when I left my Rats at home. IMHO they are a bit heavy and tight fitting to me and the sounds just don't seem as crispy as my Rats.

 

[silvereagle]

I have tried a few and between the GREY GHOST ULT. Aand the BLACKWIDOWS I have to say the tones and sounds are more crisp on the WIDOWS.they are great a little warm in the summer.IMO

 

[rbholt80]

hey thanks everyone.
lol so many choices ugh

 

[grumpyolman]

I think you can still go on the Ratphone site and read their technical lit. about what makes headphones good. There's lots to know about how and what the phones really do. Most humans can't hear 20-20000hz but the Ratphones can reproduce sound in that range. That's the range one would want in less durable music quality phones for accurate reproduction of their favorite music. It only seems logical the more you can hear and the clearer you can hear it, the better your chances are of deciphering what the machine is trying to tell you. Sadly, Ratphones isn't making phones right now. I got a used set in the classifieds and I like them better than my Killer Bees or my Grey Ghosts. Jim

 

[Jack Flynn]

I've got the latest set of Ratphones, I like them a lot! They are superb at blocking out the outside noise. They reproduce the sounds from my E Trac much better than the other 3 pairs of phones I've had. I do like the limiter on them. Also no bulky knobs to turn by mistake. They were made with that in mind. Two of the other headphones I had were equipped with big knobs and were a pain somewhat. The Rats have the threaded stem of the volume comtroller for each ear that is covered with a thread cover that operates the volume. Less is more and pretty ingenious imo. They are built like a tank and "airtight" when donned like real sound decreasing muffs should be. I've worn muffs for almost 32 years of my career. Real comfortable I can tell you. However I do wonder if there are any BETTER headphones out there. Who knows. I might have to try another of the martian looking phones with knobs and switches all over them. They should sell quick if I don't like them I'm sure.........................................

 

[DirtFlipper]

I did a bit of a 'side by side' between the Sun Ray Pro Golds and the RAT phone MSAs on my SE. The full spectrum frequency response on the RAT phones did it for me. The Pro Golds just sound 'tinny' to me by comparison (lots of treble, much harsher, not as melodic on those nice 'flutey' tones). So the Pro Golds are the backup set and the RAT phones are the go-to set for me. It looks like the Pro Golds might be the same basic set as Killer Bees and a couple others (same speakers, muffs, etc, just different colors), but don't know for sure. I'll be using the RAT phones on the E Trac in the spring (assuming this snow ever melts).

That said, it is worth trying a few different sets to see what works best for one's detector setup and style. A good set of headphones can make a huge difference in what you find (if you can't hear it, you can't recover it!). For example, one reason someone might prefer the Pro Golds over the RAT phones is that the more treble sound (fewer frequencies) is easier to hear (could be due to some hearing loss at certain frequencies, etc.).

HH,
DirtFlipper

 

[Bilko]

I will get a small extension cable for mine since the cable of the standard phones that come with the etrac is too short

 

[David]

I have Minelab issued Koss UR-30's, but I now need 2 volume controls with an Limiter ON/OFF control so I am now shopping.

There is sure alot of votes for Ratphones. I heard they have been discontinued. Regardless does anyone have a link to the Ratphone website if it is still up and running??

Troy Pros are out of stock.

I know nothing about Timberwolf headphones?

Then there is the various Gray Ghosts varieties=>I like the removable cord on the NDT's but unfortunately there is no Limiter ON/OFF switch on either of them. Also I like push buttons better than switches and I need 2 volume controls and the Ultimates only have 1 volume control which is no good for me. Black Widows are by the same company but too tight for big heads like mine at about 7 5/8 to 7 3/4.

The Sun Ray Pro Golds have rave reviews are about the same as Killer B Wasps, and I like the Killer B Hornets as a first choice with all the features I want with 2 volume controls and push buttons(no switches).

What do you think??

 

[jim/wpb]

I, like many, have multiple pairs for different types of detecting and detectors. Grey Ghost Ultimates, Black Widows, Pro Golds and Ratphone MSA's. I recently switched to the "new" Ratphone MSA because the sound is incredible for the FBS machines and they are the most comfortable configuration for my head. The Black Widows work great in wind or loud environments as they hold out a lot of noise. The Grey Ghosts go best with Sovereigns because they make the sounds purer. I was told that Ratphones don't work well on Sovereigns because of the old technology and unpure signals that are emitted.

Ratphone MSA's are currently my favorites

 

[Andy Sabisch]

So not sure how much value a test or comparison would be. Several of my friends that use the Explorer or E-Trac that all do well in fact all use different types of headphones. As a matter of fact, I use different headphones in the 90F summer heat than i do at other times.

So I for one would not see much value in comparing headphones against one another . . . . . . use what works and feels best for you is what I have always adhered to

Andy

 

[bcoop]

n/t