DetectingWales.com

I'm in the market for a new set of phones and its a toss up between Gray Ghosts and Sunrays.

Have any of you lovely peeps got experience of either of these phones?

Which of these would you recommend? 

sorry richy i use the big blues, cant help you on this one.

Sorry Richy, had  the Hunters free with me detector a few years ago and they never let me down yet.

Richy - I use the Grey Ghost with the E-Trac. Very happy with them - big clear bell-tone on the goodies  ;D ;D

Depends rather on the detector you use. The standard Grey Ghosts and NDT's have a click volume control which with some machines without a volume control leaves the volume to loud, so you click one down and then their not loud enough.

When I tried the SunRays they seemed to work better with more machines.

My current favourites are Killers B's ST Optima's. Don't think you can get them in the U.K. unfortunately. My back ups are Grey Ghosts and Mole Superphones. Some are better with one machine but worse with others. Any chance you could try a few out at a Rally ?

Yeah I'm after a new set of phones as well , for my DFX so I'll keep an eye on this thread Richie. I like the big ear cups on the Koss UR30 , any other phones got the earcup that goes around your ear?

Depends how big your ears are Rob..............  ;D You can try mine for size when I next see you  :-*

Thanks for your replies, I should have mentioned they're for my e-trac.

I have bad tinnitus in my left ear so I need phones with separate volume controls.

Debbie do your Ghosts have a click volume control that Brian mentioned?

Hi Richy, What phones are you using at the moment ?

chef

Geoff I'm using Hunter phones from Regton.

My opinion is to go with the Gray Ghost NDT, they are more reliable than the Sunray.
My Sunray broke down after 1 month, flimsy wires, cost a lot to repair under warranty.
Gray Ghost NDT have been good for me.

Hi Richy
Yes, the volume control is a 'click' one, but the steps are small.  Volume controls are on both ears (some other makes of headphones are just on one).  I have mine cranked up to the max - and, forgive me for sounding rather 'thick' here ( I don't care how a car works - as long as when I get in it and turn the key it starts and goes  ;D ;D), but I don't know whether it is either the headphones or the detector that has a limiter in it - but I get a nice crisp loud signal if the coin is 2" deep or 10" deep - I then glance at the depth indicator on the screen to get an idea of how deep the target is.  The volume in the detector is on the max setting too. Other detectors / headphones I have used in the past have given a quieter signal if the target is deep.  This is why though, with the E-Trac, I am confident that if I go over something, I will get a signal that it is there, and if I don't find anything special when I am out, then it is because I just haven't gove over it.  :(  I have put my name down to go on Sunday (weather being fair  :D) so you can have a listen through them then.

Both the Grey Ghost's and the Sun ray's are excellent headphones, the only real difference is that the sun ray's employ a switch to turn the limiter on or off.
Both use the same make of headset and speakers. the one complaint that some people have with the Grey Ghosts is as UK Brian has said is the volume steps are to large also that the limiter works too well making all targets sound off at the same level. Also the price of both units is very high compared to the cost of the parts used.

The choice of headphones is a very personal thing as it is completely subjective i.e. if you have only used your hunters with the E-Trac then to you that is how the E-Trac is meant to sound.
Not trying to feather my own nest (much) but the Koss UR 30's use the only speakers that have been matched to the sign wave generated by Minelab machines.
Unfortunately they have used the same headset of the UR20's which is designed for home HiFi use and so does not lend itself well to the rigours of outdoor detecting.
That is why I have started upgrading other peoples and will be making my own headsets based on the Koss speakers.
So after that bit of techno-babble what I would suggest is try before you buy let your ears be the judge on sounds not on other peoples views.

Chef

Debbie,Ken and Geoff thanks for your advice, much appreciated.

Ken the Sunray phones seem to have a manufacturing fault as I've noticed a few people on other forums have had problems with wires breaking etc. :(

Debbie very helpful info, thanks for taking the time to reply.I'll take up your kind offer at the next rally  :)

Geoff, sound advice as usual, cheers mate.  :)

One important point that didn't come up is the jack plug type. If the jack is on the back of the control box  (ie facing the coil) then a right angle jack plug is best. Use a straight plug and the wires break down quicker.

Have a machine like the Whites XLT/DFX etc with the plug going into the rear of the control box then the box cover prevents a right angle jack being pushed in sufficiently.

There are also a few U.S. sets that use a flat/round jackplug that catches on the edge of the control box on the detectors that have the socket placed tight into the corner.

Picture is of my most used headphones. The yellow Mole Super Phones are the oldest and still look like new as all plastic and stainless steel (now on third replacement lead), The Grey Ghosts rust round the external controls and the right angle jacks fail so these have been replaced a few times. Present favourites are the Killer B's (top middle). Good tone, very comfortable. Large external controls make them noisey on the beach in high winds so you have to stretch a woolly hat over.
The other pairs are home made or modified with a ton of sound insulation for beach use in storm conditions/crashing waves. No external controls for the same reason.

i've used the killer bee's on my f75 for a day they are a fantastic sharp tone. does anyone know if they can still be bought and where.  thanks mike

Just an add on to my last post really, 99% of all the US imported headphones i.e. , Grey Ghosts, Killer Bee's, Pro Golds, Nugget Buster and Rattler all use the same model of speaker and the same make of headset, Jolly Roger say that their speakers are different but I'm afraid I can't find any difference. Rat Phones are the only ones I can find from the US that are unique.
The sound difference comes from the echo effect of the headset and where they have set the limiter.

So "you pays yu money you takes yu choice"

Chef

Bob thought I should add what I posted on another forum last year

Not all phones with the same name are the same ie Predators. Mk 1 version sold well for years. The re vamp version wasn't liked and the replacement for that re gained their popularity.

Mole Phones were good in version 1 but version 2 were even better with a brighter/sharper sound.

Joan Allens Pro Phones were large cupped and white in colour with a thick coiled lead you could moor the Queen Mary with. Bit of an odd tone/muted but really suited the Fisher CZ's. Replaced by the slimline Pro Phones that were black in colour. These were real headclamps unless you had the smallest head ! Often supplied free to purchasers of the DFX but didn't make the best of the machines audio. I think they are now on version II but I've not tried these.

SunRay and Detector Pro (and Detector Pro's detectors with the circuit and batteries in the headphones) all came in a Mk 1 version which did suffer failures due to the ear cups tending to curl themselves up as you removed them putting strain on the wires. They fixed this problem a few years back but J.A. continued selling the old design (though at a reduced price).

Rat phones I really liked but they were not as universal as most other brands. You had to specify if they were for the Sovereign for instance when they came out.

Re the internals, Grey Ghost/Rattler/Nuggett Busters and Jolly Rogers are all from the same stable with Jolly Rogers being the cheapies at thebottom of the range.
Black Widows seem completely different as are Killer Bee's.

As for limiters none seem very good. A better option is to use a windowing signal booster but not to use it to gain depth. Richard Dodds MK 2 version in picture.

I've just bought a pair of Kos ur 30 anything will be better than what i had.

Sorry Brian the killer bee's use the same 150 ohm Audiosears telephone speakers as the rest.

Chef

Hey Rob get them converted to Chef-Phones, you know it makes sense. ;) ;) ;)

Chef

I,ll second that CHEF PHONES are a big improvement anyone who doubts this examine a pair in the flesh I notice nobodys mentioned wolf headphones which work well with lasers and whites I,ve also got a pair of peltors  ??? any body know why they won,nt work on my m6   ??? ??? mole
 

Hi Mole and thanks, as to your "Peltor's", I doubt if your Chef-Phones work with the M6 either or do they? If so then it's a plus. it can only be because of the connections in the jack plug, Minelab, Fisher and (some) Garrett use one type of connection and Whites and Tesoro use another, Next time we meet up Remind me and I'll alter them them for you.

Chef