Which head phones to buy for an explorer SE?

[Jaichim24]

Simple enough topic, I'm sure it's been asked before. Feeling too lazy to search for old posts and I wouldn't mind hearing "fresh" information. I have about $100 in eBay gift cards, so I can pretty much with little added expense get any pair out there.

Initially when asking for gift cards I anticipated getting Grey Ghost NDT's. The reason being that my Koss head phones have frayed at the 1/4" connection jack and I had to manually repair them by putting on a new 1/4" jack. That was only after a little over 1 years use. Well that repair barely lasted 3/4's of a year and I am already in need of a new repair. I'm 6' tall, and I keep my head phones on when I'm pin pointing (X-1 probe) so some times depending on the plug/hole, I stand with the detector on the ground, and I put strain on the cord.

So the pros for the NDT's are the two 1/4" cords provided with a new set, and dual volume control. Though wearing them will muffle a lot of noise, I envision myself turning one off so I can hear if the wife is calling! 90 degree jack and strain relief like on all Grey Ghost's.

The cons for the NDT's, I dislike the selector switch, similar to that on my X-1 probe. I know I knock that one with my knee, and it gets switched by branches. I know I brush my head up against stuff, so I wonder if I'll keep on flipping this switch. Also, I'm a bit concerned that the locking mechanism could become a fail point after prolonged use.

So, that leads me to looking at the Ultimate Grey Ghosts.

Pros about $10 cheaper than the NDT's, has push button selector switches under the head phone, 90 degree jack and strain relief like on all Grey Ghost's.

Cons - has a hard wired cord, that even with the strain relief and 90 degree jack eventually will fail, no? I mean, why make the NDT's if that is not a problem all headphones face? It seems like it would be leaps above the Koss with the 90 degree jack. The other con, no dual volume control. Though I don't weight that as heavily as the cord lasting.

So, I find myself being very indecisive and I would appreciate some feedback. Who knows, should I just pick up a cheaper pair that has a 90 degree jack and some sort of strain relief and stop sweating the small stuff? Anyone out there with Gray Ghosts give me some sort of life expectancy on the cords? I really don't want to be forking over $100 bucks a year, or having to send them back for repair once a year. I don't think I abuse them, but who knows how the warranty would pan out.

Other brands?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Jai

 

[digginrebel]

I prefer Killer B's myself. They have a great warranty and are built like a tank. I prefer them over the Grey Ghosts, but that is just me. I tried them and they just didn't have the sounds I like - but they are good phones if you like them. I have been using the Killer B's now for more years than I can count and have yet to send a pair in for repair - I have 3 pair. They have a new locking toggle switch, so a limb will not knock it out of position. I'm sure others have good opinions. There are several good phones on the market - good luck!

 

[Jaichim24]

Hrmm, I read something about the Killer Bees that turned me off to them. I've read so much junk I can't for the life of me remember what it was. Anyone else have some thoughts?

 

[Mojave]

I really like my Grey Ghost originals. The sound limiter circuitry keeps the surface signals from blowing out my eardrums. With the originals, you can't turn off the limiting circuitry (you can in the ultimates), so everything sounds a bit "thin" but I wouldn't turn it off anyway. I can still hear those faint signals that end up being relics. For < 100, I think they are the best choice. No real reason to get anything else, in my opinion.

 

[Jaichim24]

No problems with the cord fraying? I know when I am recovering an item, sometimes when I'm kneeling if I sit my back up straight the cord will pull on the detector. (I'm 6' tall) Can anyone tell me if the cord on the grey ghosts is longer than that on the Koss headphones?

Also, I'm curious about people saying that large targets blow their ear drums out? I read all of the set ups by a lot of the established SE users, and most if not all, set their gain to 10. This means that deep targets sound just like shallow ones. (though occasionally, I will get a faint sound even with gain at max) So most would crank their volume up to 10, and control it via the head phones. My Koss headphones don't control volume, so I set it via the SE. I never have to go above 5 or 6 and I can hear it fine. I can't recall any time that I was even remotely startled by a sound, let alone hurt my ears. So those who talk about the benefits of the limiting circuitry do not max out gain and perhaps have their volume loud to hear those faint signals?

Thanks all for your responses, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[justanotherpulltab]

I don't know about the grey ghost, but I bought the koss ur-29's for the long straight cord. I am over 6' and every time I would stand with a coiled cord it would rip my head off. So that is why I got a straight cord. It is a little too long but I just twist tied the extra.

 

[Jaichim24]

For the Grey Ghost headphones, what does "Special low-noise signal limiting circuitry protects your hearing from high volume hits without batteries.
" mean? The part I don't understand is the part about "without batteries" What is that? Do these headphones require batteries or something? Or are they suggesting that there are other headphones that accomplish this capability with the use of batteries? It is an oddly phrased and is confusing the heck out of me.

 

[Jaichim24]

Well, I went in a slightly different direction than I thought I would. I ended up purchasing the Grey Ghost deep woods headphones. It seems like the 90 degree 1/4 jack, and the reinforced strain relief is what I need the most. I'm still not too sure about the NDT removable cords, as the strain relief at the end of the detachable part doesn't look too sturdy, and a new cord costs $25. Also, the price is a lot less than the NDT and the Ultimates.

I really liked that nothing was on the outside of the headphones. I have young children so I do not get to go when ever I want, so when my wife is gracious enough to watch the kids alone, I sometimes do not have the choice of good weather conditions. (usually early AM hunts in fields covered in morning dew) Usually my gloves are a muddy wreck, and having extra gadgets on my headphones to touch, just seems like a great way to ruin them. Also, I've been known to tape plastic bags around my SE and go out in the drizzle, so knowing these have some sort of water resistance is nice. (though my Koss headphones never seemed to be phased by the drizzle)

I'll let you all know how they are. Thanks again for the feedback.

Jai