Why Do I Need Waterproof Headphones?

[Dukester]

Hello,

First time poster here, but have been reading a lot the past few weeks to learn and decide if the equinox would be a good upgrade for me. I decided it would be and gained permission from the boss (that would be my wife) to get a nox 600. Since the nox is waterproof, I thought I  might like to try doing some detecting in freshwater locations. The manual states that the headphone jack is waterproof, so why would I need a waterproof headphone connection? What would happen if I used a cheap pair of headphones to see if water detecting is something I like to do?

[Chase Goldman]

If the phones are too cheap, you might not be able to discern the tonal nuances on some targets, but that is really getting into the weeds.  Bottom line is that you won't likely hurt the detector internals because there are inner O ring seals, but if you don't have the outer seal you will still need to be somewhat concerned about corrosion of the phone jack internals.  Though that concern is minimal for freshwater use. 

Even if you plan to keep your head above water, any tumble you take or wave action that causes you to submerge your head will likely cause damage to the non-waterproof headphones that may prematurely end your detecting session.  Suggest you use moisture resistant wired sports phones or ear buds but even those may not survive a dunking.  Also, make sure the mini plug is compatible with the Equinox jack which is recessed to accommodate the watertight, screw-in headphone plug.  Right angle plugs likely won't work without some kind of pigtail adapter.

Alternatively, you can keep the jack plug sealed and use a pair of wireless BT sports headphones as long as you are not continuously submerging the control head.  For minimal lag, use APTX or ideally APTX LL (low latency) IPX rated or sports rated ear buds.  I have only seen APTX IPX rated sports buds for sale (i.e., no APTX LL IPX waterproof buds or phones) for around $20 to $30.  Again, these might not survive a complete dunking.  As usual YMMV.

HTH

[Boandtia]

 Also, make sure the mini plug is compatible with the Equinox jack which is recessed to accommodate the watertight, screw-in headphone plug.  Right angle plugs likely won't work without some kind of pigtail adapter.

From what I understand, if you plug a normal 3.5 mm jack into the headphone socket, then it will allow water into the machine.  You would need the waterproof jack as supplied on the forthcoming waterproof headphones.  As far as I know there are no "normal" headphones that have this jack fitted.

HH

[Chase Goldman]

1 hour ago, Boandtia said:

From what I understand, if you plug a normal 3.5 mm jack into the headphone socket, then it will allow water into the machine.

This statement is not accurate with respect to water entering the machine through the headphone connector.  Please see this post for more detailed info regarding the jack.

 

[Boandtia]

24 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

This statement is not accurate with respect to water entering the machine through the headphone connector.  Please see this post for more detailed info regarding the jack.

 

I don´t to wish to be pedantic here Chase,  but surely if you use a non waterproof connector into the audio socket of the detector and put it under water then it is going to leak.  That is why the waterproof headphones or the extension cable with the waterproof connector are needed for underwater use, otherwise why would they bother, they would just have standard non waterproof 3.5mm jacks on them.

 Just my thoughts.

HH

[Dukester]

Thanks Chase, that's the kind of info I was looking for.

[Steve Herschbach]

Water would not get into the internals. However, in saltwater at least I would be concerned about mixing saltwater with electrical current in the earphone jack. Perfect situation for rapid corrosion of the contacts to occur. Fresh water you might get away with it but not for me to try!

The wireless should work until the pod itself is submerged a few inches. I would like to wrap a wire around pod and run up to shoulder to see if wireless signal can be extended above water, like Deus does with their antenna kit.

[Cal_Cobra]

Another option would be to get some AptX BT wireless sport earbuds with a high IP rating (weather resistant/water proof).  Their marketed towards the sports crowd as sweat proof. 

SoundPeats makes some in the $25-$30 range that actually rate well on amazon.

[Chase Goldman]

 

 

7 hours ago, Boandtia said:

I don´t to wish to be pedantic here Chase,  but surely if you use a non waterproof connector into the audio socket of the detector and put it under water then it is going to leak.  That is why the waterproof headphones or the extension cable with the waterproof connector are needed for underwater use, otherwise why would they bother, they would just have standard non waterproof 3.5mm jacks on them.

 Just my thoughts.

HH

Well, like Steve and I both posted, the issue is not water intrusion into the control pod, but corrosion of the connectors and water damage to non-water resistant headphones because there are internal seals on the backshell of the connector jack to prevent backleakage into the detector, by design.  This was intentional on Minelab's part and they have designed a number of submersible detectors so they know how to do this.  And like I said in my original post (and Steve reiterated), this is less of a concern for freshwater (which was Dukester's original question) but depending on impurities in the water, corrosion may still be an issue.  Also, if you do use the Equinox pigtail 1/4" to 1/8" adapter extension like you mentioned, the end the that the headphones plug into is NOT waterproof either and is not designed for submersion so if it does get wet or submerged it may allow water intrusion into the contacts and connectors of the adapter possibly resulting in corrosion or damage to the adapter as well as the headphone connection.  So that is not a foolproof solution by any means, either, plus it is about as available as the WP headphones, i.e., nowhere to be found.  So while you won't wreck the control pod, the waterproof headphones which are currently unavailable, are your best bet. 

Just to be clear, I did not make this information up.  Besides being the founder and moderator of the forum, Steve has been through this as an Equinox pretester and gets his information directly from ML or the ML documentation provided to him and all I did was re-link to it.  With that level of credibility, I tend to take his information at face value and not question it.

5 hours ago, Cal_Cobra said:

Another option would be to get some AptX BT wireless sport earbuds with a high IP rating (weather resistant/water proof).  Their marketed towards the sports crowd as sweat proof. 

SoundPeats makes some in the $25-$30 range that actually rate well on amazon.

LOL.  I am starting to get a complex because people keep repeating information I put in my OP.  

Anyway, I'll stop complaining because no harm in repeating good information and offer yet another possible solution to the dilemma of water hunting without the ML Equinox custom designed waterproof accessory headphones.

Beside the BT APTX IPX rated sports buds Cal and I recommended, another possible solution for EQX  800 users is using the WM08 wireless receiver and putting it into a waterproof phone pouch with a built in mini-jack connector that is sealed and terminates on the outside of the pouch.  You can keep the WM08 dry and safe in the pouch (and even double bag it) plug the internal mini-plug cable into the WM08 and then plug a pair of WIRED water resistant or IPX waterproof ear buds into the external connector.  Again, you may be subject to corrosion if water gets into the plug connector but you have a better chance of keeping it stowed "high and dry" vs. the control pod connection.  An example of a waterproof pouch below.  Of course, just like the bluetooth suggestion this only works if you do not continuously submerge the control pod.  The Deus water kit pouch linked by Steve above may also be a suited for this approach.

https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Floatable-Waterproof-Cellphone-Construction/dp/B016I8T1AW/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1521597338&sr=8-13&keywords=cell+phone+waterproof+pouch

Finally, as Steve mentioned there may be a way, a la the Deus antenna method, to pull the RF signal up out of the water if you want to use wireless BT headphones or the WM08.  Here is one possible solution I saw posted to another forum.  Cut and paste the link below if you want view the video.  Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xbx-Ia-Smw