Ace 250 Headphones.. Type? Required?

[westattam]

I've got an Ace 250 and have been practicing and using it for about 2 months. Let me first say I love this hobby and, in particular, finding COINS. Finding foreign coins has been a nice surprise. I recently found a French Frank coin in a playground and two Denmark "Ore" pieces along a salt water beach (a .50 and a .25 coin). Wondering how these got there is half the fun!!I've read 2 books on detecting and am now into my third.During my reading, I noted some information on how important using headphones is, and that most detectors won't audibly signal deeper targets without them.I've been using the "Coins" mode only for all my searching so far. I live in Canada and the digital display gives me false readings for the various coins displayed on the unit (for example, Canadian pennies display as dimes on the Ace 250 display). This is because (of course), that the readings were designed for US coins. I hope I'm correct in my thinking that I won't miss much using the 'Coins' mode? Does anyone have any experience on the difference headphones make with the ACE 250 in terms of depth? My goal is to find some OLDER coins, as I've found mostly clad so far. As I understand it from reading the older coins ARE deeper!Do the deeper coins still "ring" as loudly and intensly on the Ace as the shallower targets seem to?Am I making a mistake by not getting used to the 'All Metal' Mode of my detector first? Is the 'All Metal Mode' any better for DEEPER searches than the coin mode if using headphones for both?I have used headphones in the past. I first used a cheap set of earbuds without a volume control. BIG mistake!! I learned the hard way that without the volume control, it defaults to FULL volume. I just about lost my hearing!!After that, I used another set from my CD discman. These sit over the ears and the cord has a volume adjustment on it. The problem with these are that the cord going from the headhones to the control box gets in the way everytime I crouch to dig. I guess my final question is, do I have to buy a special set of headphones to maximize the potential of my ACE 250? What makes a headset with a metal detector brand name on it any better than another pair not made for that purpose?Thanks so much everyone! I'm always impressed with the quality of responses and the proffesional knowledge on this site.Andy.

[Knobertsfinds]

Hi westattam. There are several reasons to wear headphones.They prolong the life of your batteries, they prevent the general public from hearing all the beeping, we love to hear that sound but not everyone does.They also help you hear those quiet signals which could be a coin burried deeper. A good fitting pair is advisable with a coiled cord that will stretch and retract. I have been told by the person who sold me my detector that a 20.00 pair can be as good as a 100.00 pair.Wear the phones, listen for the solid but quiet signals and you should start to recover older coins.My oldest coin to date is an 1809- 10 centimes Napoleon emporer copper coin. Hope this helps.

...you BET! Wouldn't hunt without them for all the reasons Knobert mentions. Volume control? Yes, that's important, but even more important for your sensitive ears, would be a pair of headphones with a "limiter" circuit built in.

Go here: Treasure Hut - RAT PHONES PRO SINGLE and take a look at what I consider to be the absolute best designed, manufactured, and most comfortable headphones on the market. The RatPhones are designed by an audio engineer, and believe me they work and work very well!

Cost? Yes a little more than the cheapy ones out there, but not near as much as some advertised as "top of the line" by other companies. Once you wear the ultra comfortable, ultra sensitive RatPhones, you will never hunt without headphones again, nor look at another brand!

[John's Detectors]

Hi Andy, I used to think that the high priced headphones were just to make money. But I changed my mind quickly. Yes an obvious benefit is much longer battery life, they are worth the higher cost in the long run to keep down the expense of buying batteries. But they will also knockout the ambient noise around you and allow you to catch a small audio signal you might not hear otherwise. I can't imagine hunting without them Andy. The impedance rating can be somewhat overstressed. I have been using a pair of SunRay ProGold's for a year now and have put them through all kinds of conditions and they are still working fine. I have used them on the Ace250 and about 30 other different brands and models of detectors. They don't cause fatigue to the ears and I can wear them for hours. Anyway there are other very good brands out there but the principle of operation is virtually the same. Ok Andy all of the sponsors including me sell very good headphones and you just need to look around and see what suits you best. Alright I will wish the best in your choice and God Bless, happy hunting too.

John Tomlinson,CET P=VI
John's Detectors
Blackwell,Tx.
Best Little Detector Shop in Texas!

[pris]

Hi Andy, I also have an Ace250 and the headphones I use are just a pair or a medium sized pair of Sonys. They, of course, have a volume control, and they're big enough to cover my entire ear. I don't think the Ace has those "soft" tones that other detectors do, so we may not really need the more expensive sets. The one thing I think would help, though is if the cord were coiled... I like my headphones and they have a really long cord.

Good luck!!!