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And I think the best one by far is the Garrett Z-Lynk Wireless System.
With this device, you’ll get rid of the dangling wire and your hunts will be more enjoyable. You’ll definitely like it. It’s worth every penny.
So, here we go…
Table of Contents
Garrett Z-Lynk Wireless System
The Z-Lynk Wireless System is composed of:
Wireless transmitter WT-1
You can place the transmitter on the detector’s shaft using an elastic strap (it has a groove on its back).
Or you can put it on the arm cuff by a Velcro (to buy separately) if it gets on the way.
Make sure you warp the strap so that WT-1 rests tight on the shaft.
The shafts of most detectors are about the same diameter, so the transmitter should fit tight.
If it doesn’t, you can buy another elastic band with a suitable size from the hardware store.
It should work with any brand of metal detectors with a standard ¼ inches headphone jack.
However, if you’re going to use it with the AT pro, you need an adapter because the AT socket is different.
Wireless receiver WR-1
You can clip the receiver to your belt or put it in your pocket.
You plug in the headphones into the receiver and you’ll be able to hear the detector’s audio signals wirelessly.
The receiver should work with any brand of headphones with a ¼ “plugs.
The volume can be adjusted from the receiver WR-1.
Accessories
With the system you’ll find:
– 2 USB cables for charging the cordless devices. You can use the computer, your car or your smartphone’s charger
– 1/4″ headphone jack cable to plug in the transmitter into the headphone socket in the detector’s control box.
All of these parts are shipped inside a zippered black case.
Features
Both the transmitter and the receiver of the Garrett Z-Lynk Wireless System have a built-in battery.
It can last for 30 hours, which is more than enough for a long hunt, and they only need a few hours to fully charge.
When being charged, the battery indicator will stay ON. And it will turn OFF when the charging is complete.
Some users reported having issues when charging the transmitter. The indicator never goes OFF.
To save power the devices will turn OFF after 30 minutes of inactivity.
The battery light will blink if there are less than 3 hours remaining. This will give you enough time to get ready before the batteries die.
If the batteries are fully discharged, it doesn’t mean that the hunt is over.
You can plug in the headphones the usual way, directly into the control box.
The wireless devices are water resistant but they are not submersible. If use them during light rain that should be OK.
The transmitter is more protected against the water than the receiver. So keep the latter inside your pocket to protect it in these kinds of conditions.
The Z in the Z-lynk stands for near Zero delay.
The signal needs 17-milliseconds to travel from the detector to the headphones.
So there should be no delay. You’ll hear the signal right when the coil passes over the target which means more accurate pinpointing.
How to use this system?
Using the Garrett Z-lynk system is super easy.
To turn the transmitter WT-1 and receiver WR-1 ON, press and hold the power button for 1 second.
The pairing lights will start blinking. Then press and release the power button on the WT-1 to pair them.
If the devices were paired correctly, the lights will remain steady. You have to do this only once unless you want to pair them with another device.
For example, You can pair the Garrett Propointer at Z-Lynk.
It has all the features of the Garret carrot plus a built-in transmitter. They’re very similar with minor differences.
The devices will turn OFF if there’s no paired mate in proximity.
Once paired, you’re wire free and you ready to go.
Garrett MS-3 Z-Lynk Wireless Headphones
For the MS-3 Z-Lynk, instead of getting the receiver you get wireless headphones with a built-in receiver.
It’s foldable for easy storage and the headband is adjustable. The volume is adjustable.
As with the previous system, you get the WT-1 wireless transmitter, 2 USB charging cables.
You’ll get two straps, you need only one. And the 1/4″ jack cable plus the AT adapter.
I prefer the first Z-lynk wireless system over the MS-3 headphones because I can plug any earpiece I want.
You can use your favorite headphones or earbuds. You don’t have to stick to the MS-3.
Earbuds come in handy in the summer. You definitely don’t want sweaty ears because of these big nerdy headphones.
The only thing you need to buy is a 1/8 to ¼ adapter in order to be able to use them.
You can find a full comparison between earbuds and headphones for metal detecting in this article.
Deteknix Wireless Headphones W3
The Deteknix W3 are foldable and adjustable. They are water-resistant. They have a volume control.
The delay, which is the time the signal needs to travel from the transmitter to the receiver, is 60 milliseconds.
So it’s slower than the Garrett Z-lynk (17 ms).
The devices are rechargeable (the charger isn’t included). You can charge them using your computer, power bank or your smartphone wall charger…
The battery can hold for 6 hours only. The Z-lynk system lasts for 30.
You already see that the Garrett Z-lynk system crashes the competition.
The LED indicator will turn OFF when the charging is complete.
The transmitter of the W3 has a 1/8″ plug, which a bit weird because the majority of metal detectors have a ¼ audio jacks.
I’ve searched for more info in Deteknix’s website I found that they also make a W6 version with a ¼” connector and a WA version for the AT pro connector type.
However, the W3 version comes with 1/4″ adaptor. This will solve the problem.
It comes in a zippered case, which includes 2 USB charging cords (one for the headphones, the other for the transmitter), 2 rubber bands to attach the transmitter to the shaft.
You can also use Velcro to attach it to the arm cuff.
The volume of the headphones could very loud. So don’t turn them ON while wearing them because the volume could be already maxed out.
Press the power button, adjust the volume then wear them.
The two wireless devices are pre-paired. If you want to pair them again, place them next to each other (within 3 inches), then press and release the power button on the headphones.
The transmitter’s light will stop flashing and will stay steady.
The wireless headphones listed in this article should work with any brand of metal detector. There are still more on the market but they are made to work with a certain brand like the Deus WS4 for example.
Going wireless using Bluetooth
There’s another way to turn your headphones wireless. But Bluetooth isn’t as good as the previous methods. It is easy and all you need is:
Bluetooth transmitter
It will enable you to transmit audio wirelessly from the metal detector to the headphones using Bluetooth. It usually has a 3.5 mm plug.
Many models are rechargeable with a USB charger, and depending on the model, the battery could last something between 7 and 8 hours and up to 140 hours on standby mode. It has small size (half the size of a smartphone)
Some models need to be paired with the headphones. This operation lasts only for a few seconds.
Once the connection is established, you don’t need to do that in the future. Make sure you pick a transmitter with the latest version of Bluetooth to avoid lag time.
Bluetooth headphone
There are many things to consider before buying wireless headphone: the battery life in standby and listen modes, the ergonomics and comfort (the softness of the ear pads, the quality of the headband…), the sound quality (noise cancelling or not).
The Bluetooth signal strength and range is not very important because the detector, you and the headphone will always stay in close proximity (you would not be able to metal detect otherwise).
I am not an audio expert, so it is up to you to pick the best one for you. If you are like me, you hate covering your ears with the headphones than you can use ear buds.
headphone jack adapter
The jacks of most of the metal detectors are 1/4 inch. And the transmitter’s plug is 3.5 mm. So, in order to be able to use the wireless headphone, you need a 3.5 mm to 1/4 inch adapter.
Velcro
To mount the Bluetooth transmitter on the metal detector I suggest you use a Velcro. That way it will not keep dangling.
Wireless vs wired headphones for metal detectors
The problem with wired headphones is that the cable keeps dangling and you may end up tripping on it, and the cord annoys you when you dig. Wireless headphones, on the other hand, don’t have this kind of problems.
If you use an old version of Bluetooth you should experience a lag time, which means that you will hear the beep after the search coil passed by the metal object.
This delay makes pinpointing a bit harder. That’s why you need to make sure that you are using the latest version of Bluetooth (v 4.1 or above).
The Garrett Z-lynk system and the Deteknix W3 don’t suffer from this problem. They’re almost instantaneous.
What are the advantages of using headphone while metal detecting?
A metal detector has an onboard loudspeaker that will emit a beep when it detects something buried underground. So we do we use headphones? They turn out to be helpful in many situations.
If you are metal detecting in a noisy place, it will be difficult to hear the audio response of the detector. In this case, the headphones come in handy.
The Beeps emitted by the detector can be annoying if you are using it in a crowded playground for example. By using the headphones, you don’t annoy the bystanders. They also extend the battery life.
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Metal detecting headphones FAQ
Which one is better for metal detecting: earbuds or headphones?