New Equinox 600 And Interesting Headphones

[F350Platinum]

Hey y'all,

The last couple of days I've been out bashing the farm with my new Equinox 600 instead of my ACE 400. First day I went through my yard again, and was surprised I didn't find anything new save for one button where I first started using the ACE.

Yesterday and today I searched the farm where I've been scoring a lot of 1700's stuff, but it has sort of dried up as I've gone inland. Found a nice 1917 buffalo nickel, and a 1981 memorial, but mostly beer cans and buckshot. Think I may have found part of a lead token.

I also went over to one of the other fields to see if I could locate where a house used to be in the 1800s. Really trashy area! I dug everything and found some brick so I knew that I was in the right place. However, I noticed the detector tends to make local dogs bark, and most around here are untied.

A few days ago I thought of what I could do to prevent this problem, but still hear while detecting, particularly now it is hunting season. Might save a life! I remember researching headphones a long time ago, and ran across a certain type of wireless headphone - Bone Conduction. Last week I was able to find a pair that were Aptx Low Latency, perfect for the Equinox, and the only ones out there with this particular protocol that I could find. Others mention BT 5.0 but not Aptx LL. They're not waterproof but they are comfortable and pair easily. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Bluetooth-Conduction-Headphones-Housework/dp/B07Y1J7RZT/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=avantree+aptx+bone+conduction&qid=1609205776

Sorry, Amazon links are long sometimes. They're $59, and they work great. Of course they came after 5 today, so I was running around in the front yard after dark...

[Chase Goldman]

Avantree does make Bluetooth APTX LL headphones, problem is, I do not see where Avantree explicitly states BT APTX LL in the specs for this particular model.  Since you do have them paired up on your Equinox, can you verify that you are getting the bluetooth symbol with the plus ("+") sign on your Equinox display which confirms they are BT APTX LL compatible.  I might be interested in these phones should that prove to be the case.  Thanks!

[F350Platinum]

Just checked it out. While the headphones do sound the tone before the number is displayed onscreen, they sadly do not give the + signal when connected. I wonder how important LL really is?  Would BT 5.0 be enough?

I see now from re-reading everything in the specs, questions and reviews that they only claim Aptx LL if paired with a transmitter that matches, otherwise they default to lower spec. And that was from someone who may not have all the info. Avantree does say low latency with LL transmitter. It was the only one anywhere besides the Panasonic and the Aftershokz that mentioned it.

I have a pair of TROND headphones that are Aptx, and verified the + symbol shows up with them. I also have their Aptx transmitter, but don't want to plug it into the headphone jack.

I'm satisfied enough, but Rrrrrrrrrr... Sorry. Thought I had something here. 😵 I'll make sure I have completely researched in the future before posting.

[Badger-NH]

I've been using the Trond V4.2 for years with both my 600 and 800 and have been perfectly happy with them. They are the best detecting headphones I've ever owned. I get zero delay with them.

Why don't you want to use your Tronds?

 

 

[Chase Goldman]

I noticed that the claim of APTX LL compatibility was from a random user answering a question from a prospective buyer, not from Avantree themselves.  They probably incorporate some other proprietary low delay (i.e., not Aptx LL) protocol when paired with Avantree transmitters.  The Equinox is an Aptx LL transmitter, so if they truly incorporate APTX LL you would have received the plus symbol.  Plugging in the Trond transmitter will not help.

BT 5.0 is neither here nor there.  It has nothing to do with whether the headphones incorporate APTX LL.  There are BT 4.0 headphones that incorporate APTX LL.   Also, just to make things more confusing, there are different flavors of APTX (e g. APTX-HD) that are not low latency.

APTX-LL has a delay of about 30 to 40 ms which few users notice.  Vanilla APTX is 60 to 80.  Other Non-APTX LL BT codecs can have delays up to 250 ms or more which is very noticeable.

The way you can tell if delay is excessive is to put a coin on top of the ground.  Now swing over the coin with your Nox (use Park 1 at default settings).  If the BT audio delay is excessive, it will appear that you are getting one-way beeps on either side of the coin depending on sweep direction.  The effect is more pronounced the faster you swing the coil.  This is really annoying if you use the wiggle-off method to pinpoint an actual buried target because it appears you might have two one-way signals under the coil.   It also wreaks havoc with your ability to use coil control wiggle to lock onto a faint target that may be adjacent to ferrous junk.

Yes you can get away with higher bluetooth delays but it can throw off pinpointing or experienced users who rely heavily on coil control to ferret out iffy targets.

Unfortunate, because was really looking for a good set of APTX LL bone conduction phones.  The only ones I am aware of were a set by Panasonic but have since gone out of production.  They were expensive and also got poor user reviews on sound quality and ergonomics vs. Aftershokx who appear to be the industry leader in bone conduction phones.

HTH

[F350Platinum]

Hey Badger,

They are the TD-BH01 Headphones. I'd like to use them but where I hunt this time of year I am hunted! I have to wear blaze orange. The hunters are usually nice, but I have heard stories from others. We have a lot of coyotes in the area, and a lot of loose dogs. I shudder to think of those that hunt in the mountains with bears. Good thing I have a sturdy shovel and a high caliber noisemaker. That is why my ultimate headphone would be waterproof bone conduction.

[Chase Goldman]

11 minutes ago, Badger-NH said:

I've been using the Trond V4.2 for years with both my 600 and 800 and have been perfectly happy with them. They are the best detecting headphones I've ever owned. I get zero delay with them.

Why don't you want to use your Tronds?

 

 

He said in his OP, for audio awareness of his surroundings especially of nearby hunters.  Bone conduction phones don't plug your ear canals so you can still hear what is around like using a loudspeaker but without disturbing others around you because only you can hear them.

[Badger-NH]

1 minute ago, Chase Goldman said:

He said in his OP, for audio awareness of his surroundings especially of nearby hunters.  Bone conduction phones don't plug your ear canals so you can still hear what is around like using a loudspeaker but without disturbing others around you because only you can hear them.

Thanks, It wasn't clear what he was talking about.

I don't worry much about it. I just avoid the woods during deer firearm season and carry a can of pepper spray for the coyotes and dogs. So far I've never had to use it.

[F350Platinum]

13 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

The way you can tell if delay is excessive is to put a coin on top of the ground. Now swing over the coin with your Nox (use Park 1 at default settings)...

Thanks for the tip, Chase. Call it newbie enthusiasm. I'm going to check this later, they do claim some sort of codec for low latency. Should I use a clad coin for the test, or a solid one? They really do seem quick. I could try doing this with the coin on edge in field 2 as well.

[Chase Goldman]

17 minutes ago, F350Platinum said:

Thanks for the tip, Chase. Call it newbie enthusiasm. I'm going to check this later, they do claim some sort of codec for low latency. Should I use a clad coin for the test, or a solid one? They really do seem quick. I could try doing this with the coin on edge in field 2 as well.

Doesn't matter.  Any coin-sized target that makes your detector beep and that you can see as a visual reference vs. your coil position when the tone is heard.