Chesroy

Can anyone recommend a dealer that will ship Sunrays internationally? I presume this is permitted on the forum?

Thx

On 12/6/2022 at 5:42 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

Wow, I wish I had done this sooner! I got a Garrett WR-1 wireless module for my Axiom some time back, but never seemed to get around to giving it a spin. I use the external speaker most of the time, and the rare times I needed headphones I've preferred to plug in my Sun Ray Pro Gold wired phones. Not only do the Sun Ray have better audio quality than the Garrett MS-3 wireless phones included with the Axiom, but I never need to worry if they are charged. They are always in my kit ready to go. Most importantly, I like dual volume controls due to hearing loss in my right ear. I can use phones without dual controls, but prefer them when I have them.

Let's call my 150 ohm Sun Ray Pro Gold as a 10 rating for audio quality. I'd rate the 8 ohm Garrett wireless MS-3 as included with the Axiom as an 8, just very good, not bad, not great. They actually are a good match for the external speaker on the Axiom, as it is hard to really say the headphones sound much different than the speaker, other than being closer to the ear and having sound exclusion properties for background noise. So again, I prefer the external speaker for most use because it has a LOT of volume. For anything else I preferred my Sun Ray Pro Gold.

The only problem there is I do want to be wireless with my headphones. Being wired to the detector is a real pain, especially when I put it on the ground. Enter the Garrett WR-1 wireless module, a quite compact receiver for the proprietary Garrett Z-Lynk audio built into the Axiom. Z-Lynk is a 17ms high speed wireless option, much faster than Bluetooth, and being proprietary to Garrett, pairs instantly. Garrett even has a wireless version of their pinpointer that works seamlessly with the system - very nice! The only issue I have seen in that like many 2.4 Ghz systems the signal does not penetrate solid objects well. If you experience audio drop out with the MS-3, pay attention to the detector positioning when it is happening. Reversing the headphone on your head may help, as will setting the detector away or more ahead of you when it is on the ground.

I just gave the WR-1 a test run, and I love it! I was worried that maybe the audio quality issue with the MS-3 was related to the wireless signal itself not transmitting the full audio spectrum. Luckily that is not the case. My Sun Ray Pro Gold sound every bit as good plugged into the WR-1 as they do plugged into the detector itself. This is really good news. It means you can go wireless on the Axiom with any headphone you want. I have a couple sets of wired Bose earbuds I really like for hot weather. They work great with a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter - the WR-1 is 1/4" unlike many Bluetooth wireless modules, since it was made especially for metal detector headphone options. Best of all, the volume can be controlled by the Axiom itself since the ear buds have no volume control. Just like the Sun Ray, they sound great with the WR-1, better than the MS-3.

If anyone does have issues with headphone/detector positioning and audio drops with the MS-3, this eliminates that completely since you can place the receiver box anywhere. I just stick it in my pocket, but it can go anywhere you want it that the detector cord will reach.

The icing on the cake is Garrett makes a WT-1 Z-Lynk transmitter than can turn any detector into a Z-Lynk compatible detector when used with the WR-1. I am ditching my slower Bluetooth transmitter box and getting a WT-1 for use with my other detectors. It's a great system, see the details here for all the various options. And yes, the Garret wireless pinpointer will pair simultaneously to the WT-1 so you get wireless audio from both the detector and the pinpointer through your headphones of choice.

I'm saving the best for last. The WR-1 with USB charging cable is only $67.95 and for anyone wanting to convert other detector to Z-Lynk, the WT-1 transmitter with 1/4" adapter and USB charging cable is also only $67.95. Both can be bought together as a package with a nice carry case for $140.95

Anyway, I am totally sold on the WR-1 with my own choice of headphones as being the only way to go, and for any detector that needs it, I will use the WT-1 also. My old White's DFX just went wireless! 

Advice please Steve seriously thinking of this set up for the Manticore ( which is being delivered today) I live in Europe and would have to use international shipping for the Sunrays, I have only read great reviews for them, I have hearing issues in one ear so need dual volume control. So, I know its an individuals choice but I have no way of trying them out over here and I am not confident that the Gray Ghost NDT's are my best choice,  as I value your wisdom and advice I would appreciate a guiding hand, thx.

Thx Simon appreciate the in depth response and the time it took to write it. Glad your happy with your purchase I have decided now that I will buy the Manticore and have fun learning how to master it, I will keep my 800 as a back up. Thx again

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

The only losers in this are Minelab, with the detectors costing similar to make they end up losing their profit difference between the two detectors which is quite significant.

I'm sure you're not alone doing this.  Can't loose either way, both are good detectors.

Hi Simon can I ask you now that you have had Time with the Manticore are you impressed or slightly disappointed with it ? I ask as I will have chance to buy one from my dealer when the next batch arrives which I am told will be in 2 to 3 weeks. I am still teetering on the fence and can't quite convince myself that it's $$$$$ better than the 900. Appreciate anything you can say on the matter. Thx

Manticore users may wish to investigate on their own machines to see if this is an issue that needs to be reported to Minelab.

I found his comments at the end of this video interesting looks like a software update is on the cards and it won't be too long before its available.

1 hour ago, strick said:

I had a good feeling you would not like the jumpy ids on the M-core being used to the rock solid ids on the ctx....the new Nox is doing the same jumpy ids as well....doubting your unit is defective. I’ll try using beach mode next time out. 

Strick

I must admit as much as I want the Manticore to shine I am very wary of it now after hearing from owners. The jumpy Tid's I know I would not like, falseing I think that's just a learning curve we have to go through, I've not read one user review on any site yet or watched any valid you tube video that makes me lust after getting one, I know its early days, I also think that once users get used to the tones the 2d TT will mostly be ignored in most instances. How do you now find the TT after having used it now for a while ? If I do upgrade from my 800 the 900 seems to get my interest. Do people think that Minelab will stabilise the jumpy Tid's with a future update ?

I was not impressed with the Manticores run time when the info was made available, my thinking and one that I would employ if I ever decided that the Manticore was actually worth owning would be to buy a second battery, its very easy to change out, take a look at iffy signals video on the subject. 

Don't know if you all have been following metal detecting nyc viral video but minelab have responded to him,  yep they have actually come out of the shadows, Merrill will be posting a new version tomorrow which should enlighten us on a few subjects. I hope now that he has their ear he will ask a few other questions that potential buyers have been wanting answers for. Interesting, we will see 🙂

5 minutes ago, phrunt said:

 I'm very disappointed with the Target ID stability on the Manticore too, even in air tests its far less stable than the Nox 800 and not just because of the expanded ID numbers, its more unstable than that.

The CTX is still king as the deep silver cherry picker in a mild park setting that's for sure.  The Nox appears to be the better prospecting machine, so it looks like the Manticore is the better for the beach, I'm not yet sure where and if I will use it for my needs.

It's not the WOW machine their marketing made it out to be.

Disappointed for you  thx for your honesty it does seem to be the consensus from what I can make out. 

2 hours ago, abenson said:

Got to agree with you Simon. My first initial indoor tests on gold between the D2, Manticore and 900 were not too impressive. I was going to save any comments until after I had a chance to get to the goldfields and try it in some real ground. But I tested a fairly round .07 gram nugget with the 3 and the D2 did the worst, had to practically touch the coil to get it. Manticore I could get about an inch off the target and the 900 was at least 1/2 to an inch farther above the target than the Manticore.

So far the only place I really like the Manticore is at the beach. It's a top performer there. Had it park hunting a few times and was not impressed, would rather use the 900. The only place I haven't had a chance to try the Manticore yet is relic hunting. From what Tom Dankowski has said on his forum I may not like it relic hunting either. His comments to those who are trying to decide is-On land if EMI is not an issue get the 900, if EMI is an issue get the Manticore. If you primarily beach hunt get the Manticore. My relic hunting spots are fairly remote so I'm thinking the 900 will be the one to use for me. I' at lest a month away from a relic hunt to test the Manticore out.

Makes my head spin 🤪one minute ive decided the Manticore is the one to go for then reading comments from  people that have them I'm not convinced at all 🙂.  No rave reviews unless you are a beach hunter(I'm not)then an easy choice I think. The 900 seems to be holding its own very well indeed. Decisions decisions my 800 has served me very very well.

1 hour ago, King-Of-Bling said:

I took a break from reading your posts because I was actually out hunting for a few weeks solid. I'm happy you finally got a Manticore. It seems all I read was you crying for months about not getting 1 fast enough. Ok.

So now I read that you don't really have trash to worry about. Seldom do you deal with rusty nails , coins are more common than trash in parks , masking is not an issue , relatively barren beaches , etc , etc ,etc.

My big question then is why not just stick with your trusted Nox and save yourself (and us) all this aggravation ? Unless I'm reading this wrong , you don't really need a Manticore to do what the Nox has been doing for you all along. Just seems like you would be constantly setting yourself up for failure on every new release and never truly be happy with what you got. Never mastering any one detector. 

A good question in all seriousness, potential purchasers of the Manticore including myself who are still on the fence will need to understand that any review Simon is generous enough to provide us with will be from using his machine in near perfect conditions.

On 1/1/2023 at 8:12 PM, Nuke em said:

It may be twice the 800 scale but it should be stable. 

Anyway if i am able i will be on a bit to test in action tomorrow. 

The one thing i did not check was to see if the 900 11 inch coil worked on the 800 . Will check that tomorrow .

I hear that other people have no trouble with their coils but do they have the 2 x 11 inch coils to test?

I find you posts interesting, would like to hear more from you as you use and gain more experience with the 900. Do you find much improvement to the 800 in regard to performance, separation and tid at depth. Thx for the posts.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

Yea, seems pretty dodgy, but based off the photos of the other ones in that thread Chase posted it must be normal.  Doesn't look too crash hot though.  I would say you get what you pay for but it's one of the most expensive VLF detectors on the market 🙂

 

My smart phone is sealed better than that, I do not think its acceptable, still worth sending photos though IMO just to see what the response is. Your not impressed so for your own piece of mind.

If that was me Phrunt I would be sending those photos to  the Minelab repair center, let them decide if the standard of workmanship is acceptable.

I like to be educated by those who know better, if you don't ask you don't get 🙂. I've never been to proud to ask and happy to take on board what knowledge people are generous enough to give me, we learn something new every day hopefully. 

Faster processors ? Must mean something when considering  advancements in a detectors ability to perform better than machines with older processors ? Not that I am an expert on the subject.

I would forget his settings for awhile and get used to the factory settings and what they are capable of, it's going to perform better than the equinox 800 I would suggest so you won't be missing anything. Plenty of time to experiment later. 

1 hour ago, TerryinHawaii said:

My Manticore has a problem now.   I can no longer do the long-press noise cancel now. It only does the short noise cancelling like on the Equinox. It was working fine for the long-press noise cancel. I have done the factory reset several times both ways. Everything else appears to work okay.  Any suggestions?

Suggest you look at the info Chase has given in the Equinox forum under the heading "update on the horse shoe button" you will find contact details for the repair centre, sounds like it needs to be returned Unfortunately.

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Nox does the same thing in full accept full tones with a transient high tone "zinger" that normally (not always) is a tell for ferrous objects. Also some hot rocks depending on the detector. All Manticore is doing is showing it to you on the screen. It has been around for ages and is specifically discussed on detectors like the X-Terra and some White's models. The common fix was to simply block the highest notch, which is even higher than a silver dollar will normally read. I just hear it and investigate further depending on the circumstances. The X-Terra actually came factory preset with the highest number blocked out.

Just to illustrate how new this new problem is, here is a page out of my White's DFX manual. +95 is the highest reading on the DFX, same as 99 on the Manticore. "Unfortunately in some ground conditions very deep, small, or unusual real metal targets may also indicate +95." (Emphasis added).

I have also seen coins go there. It seems like the highest target id number on detectors is like a dumping ground where the machine says "I don't know" and puts it there. Only time and experience with a machine in your ground will give you a feel for the reality of it, since it is a ground dependent issue.

White's DFX Hot Rock Reject

Minelab X-Terra 705 Default Disc Presets (48 blocked in all cases)

I've just learned something thx for the info. Will be very useful to have this insight when I decide its time to  move from my 800 to the Manticore.

Ok thx. Good customer support I must say. 

Impressive. Who was your dealer can you say ?

I agree the "drama" of not being able to buy a Manticore did need to have a bit of water tipped on it to get things put back into perspective.

The excitement to the machine being an improvement to the 800 I feel was not drama.I think we older generation who have got the "T shirt" should let people enjoy the excitement knowing that if we were 20 years younger we would have been just as excited, god knows there's been enough doom and gloom over the last couple of years with covid. 

Soap box over lol.

Cabela's have them in stock right now be quick and you might be lucky

Stable tid numbers are very helpful and increase my hunting enjoyment I am a long term nox 800 user.  I like to refer to them,  if they vary by 2 to 3 numbers over a target that gives a good indication that the target is not round or could be a small target at depth also in areas that I hunt coins if they are not at great depth generally lock on to one tid number.