Equinox 600 Versus Equinox 800

[daryl curtis]

Hi guys me and my partner are complete novices to this great hobby and looking for some help we live in Cornwall UK and want to get some metal detectors so I have been looking at the equinox 600 for us as it seems a little less complicated than the 800. But am I going to lose out on much by not having to 20 and 40 that's on the 800 but they both use this in multi mode so is my thinking any good that the 600 will be a good platform to learn on. Also can someone explain what the difference is as the 600 says tone break pitch and volume are ferrous and on 800 says ferrous /non ferrous might be a silly question but as i have said complete newbies to the hobby.

[Steve Herschbach]

Hi Daryl,

Welcome to the forum!

Where the Equinox 600 and 800 share features they are identical, so no worries about any of the modes on the Equinox 600 being any less powerful than the same modes on the Equinox 800. Multi-IQ is identical on both models - there is no difference between the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800 in the Multi-IQ frequency range processed.

The two obvious differences as touted in the poster below are the "Gold Detecting Mode" and the "Advanced Detector Settings". The Equinox 800 also comes with Bluetooth headphones and the WM08 wireless module instead of the wired headphones included with the Equinox 600, but those options can be added to the Equinox 600 if you desire. In fact many popular aftermarket Bluetooth headphones and even the Apple Air Pods will work with both of the Equinox models.

OK, so the Gold Mode. This is a threshold based all metal mode running at either 20 khz, 40 khz or multifrequency (MF) that is intended for chasing very small items, like small gold nuggets or what is referred to as "micro jewelry" i.e. stud earrings, thin necklaces, etc. Gold Mode does not have different tones for different target types. Instead, it features what is referred to as VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) audio where both volume and pitch change with target intensity. This is not a mode most people would use and unless you are nugget detecting or hunting beaches and tot lots for micro jewelry I am kind of doubtful that a person just starting out would have a use for that mode.

More to the point, Multi-IQ processing is so good that the extra sensitive Park 2 and Field 2 mode common to both models is almost as good at finding small gold as the Equinox 800 Gold Mode. While serious nugget hunters will want every available tool, I know I could use the Equinox 600 to hunt gold and do as well or better than many single frequency nugget detectors. Do not underestimate the power of Multi-IQ.

The Advanced Detector Settings is referring to the options marked with an asterisk in the image below from the Minelab Equinox 600 / 800 Getting Started Guide (click for larger version). I have highlighted the areas in question with a red box.

The Equinox 600 allows you to turn the backlight on or off. The Equinox 800 has Low, Medium, High, or Off. This is only of interest to heavy users of meter backlights.

Both Equinox models have automatic Noise Cancel functions but the 800 also offers a Manual override. If you hunt in areas of high electrical interference (EMI) or around lots of other detectors, this can be helpful in finding the quietest setting with the least interference. For normal use Automatic is actually very good however and is probably all most users will need.

The Equinox 600 features three level of Detect or Recovery Speed (Reactivity on a Deus). Low settings are better for areas with sparse targets, high settings for dense trash. The Equinox 800 has eight levels for finer tuning in the densest "carpet of nails" scenarios. Low settings offer more solid hits on very deep targets, but poor separation of closely adjacent targets. High settings have great separation, but the clipped audio responses required in dense trash make it harder to hear very deep targets. Use a setting as low as possible that achieves the desired target separation.

The Equinox 800 has a User Profile button that allows the operator to jump straight to an alternative Detect Mode. This can take multiple button pushes on the Equinox 600. For example, to get from Park Mode 1 to Beach Mode 1 takes four pushes of the Detect Mode button to cycle there. An Equinox 800 user can program the User Profile for a jump there in one button push. Nice but this is just a convenience feature.

There are of course the 20 kHz and 40 kHz single frequency options on the 800 that are lacking on the Equinox 600. These two extra single frequency options are available on the Equinox 800 in the Park, Field, and Gold Modes but not the Beach Mode, which is multifrequency only. Again, in my opinion the real power of Equinox is Multi-IQ, so the Equinox 600 lacking these extra frequency options is likely to prove to be of little consequence for most people. To reiterate - Multi-IQ is identical on both models. There is no difference in the Multi-IQ frequency range processed between the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800.

Most metal detectors work such that all target tones have the same volume. A relatively new feature allows some detectors to set the volume of the ferrous (iron and steel) tones to be lower, which can be much easier on the ears in locations full of ferrous trash. Both the Equinox 600 and 800 can adjust the ferrous tone volume. This is particularly useful in the two tone mode, where one tone is normally ferrous and everything else a different tone.

The Equinox 800 goes a step farther in allowing even non-ferrous tone volumes to be adjusted. Maybe you have coins set to give a high tone, but you have a hearing loss in the high tone range. The Equinox 800 allows you to increase the volume of the high tone response in relation to the other tones, making it easier to hear. This is most useful in the five tone mode.

Both the Equinox 600 and 800 allow you to set the threshold level volume, but the Equinox 800 also allows you to set the threshold pitch or tone. Again, this is good for people that have hearing loss issues in particular ranges.

The tones used in Single Tone, Two Tone, Five Tone, and Fifty Tones come factory preset on both models, but the Equinox 800 allows you to change the pitch of these tones also via the Tone Pitch setting.

Finally, there is Tone Break. The positions on the target id scale where one tone shifts to another is factory preset. Both the Equinox models let you adjust the point where ferrous tones shift to non-ferrous tones - a very important feature. However, with the Equinox 800 the other non-ferrous audio controls really come together knowing you can also adjust the break points between the non-ferrous tones. This means you can create totally custom audio discrimination modes on the Equinox 800. 50 tone mode is exempt, so this is most useful in five tone mode. You can move the break points around as you please with the Equinox 800, and even use this to create four tone and three tone modes. You can move a couple target id segments to both read in the ferrous range and assign them a similar tone for instance, so two of the tones will be ferrous, and the three remaining tones assigned to non-ferrous items as the operator pleases. This is an incredibly compelling feature for people like me that hunt almost entirely by ear with the target id numbers only coming into play after the fact. Still, more of an advanced user function for sure, which is why only the Equinox 800 has these options.

The thing is all these tone setting options do not really make the machine detect deeper. Advanced users or people with poor hearing appreciate these things, but the options on the Equinox 600 are still quite good.

The bottom line? The Equinox 600 is really all most normal people would need and even then it has more features than most detectors. With the exception of Gold Mode both Equinox models will find targets equally well. The people who want the extra features on the 800 generally know who they are. If you are worried about it and not sure, only $250 can allay those fears!

The discussion of audio options above may be confusing for some. It is very hard to put into words what a video may show in minutes. The following video does a good job of illustrating the advanced audio customization features on the Equinox 800.

Finally, here is a post elsewhere on the forum by another person explaining all this in their own way, which may also help.

3/23/18 New blog on the subject - https://www.minelab.com/anz/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk/equinox-600-vs-equinox-800

 

[daryl curtis]

Thankyou for ur reply steve it is very helpful. Another question would be as we live in Cornwall uk would the 600 be as capable as the 800 on wet beaches as would like to go there with it as there are a lot in our area . 

[Steve Herschbach]

The beach performance of the Equinox 600 and Equinox 800 is going to be identical. Again, the Equinox 800 Gold Mode might offer an advantage to those hunting micro jewelry in the bone dry sand. That mode would be useless however on wet salt sand.

Micro jewelry detecting is not for the faint of heart because in reality it turns into aluminum foil detecting. For what nearly all people consider to be beach hunting the two detectors are identical.

Since water hunters often hunt strictly by ear the extra audio customization options are the main thing the Equinox 800 offers to beach hunters versus the Equinox 600.

[flgliderpilot]

Thanks for posting this. I pre-ordered a 600, and was having doubts whether or not I made the right decision. After reading your post, I've concluded I'm probably ok.  Most of the features will not be necessary since I am an avid beach hunter. I don't need to move the tones around in 5 tone mode... I'd rather hear everything, I'll probably use the 50 tone mode.

Custom volumes not required, definitely won't be using VLF 20khz and 40khz modes... those would go nuts on the beach.

I'll spend the extra $250 on a good pair of water headphones.

Really looking forward to this machine.  I've been using a CZ21 for water and an ATPro for dry sand, and sometimes I show up and the wet sand looks torn up and perfect to hunt but my AT Pro ain't gonna do it. 

I only need this machine to replace my AT pro and give me some options in the wet sand.  If it replaces my CZ-21 (I'm not counting on it, but I'm open minded), I'll be in heaven.

 

 

 

[Steve Herschbach]

I am sure Minelab would rather everyone get an Equinox 800 since the production cost of the two detectors is probably identical. Most people will anyway. For the vast majority of detectorists out there I just think the Equinox 600 is the real killer value as it will find most anything the Equinox 800 will find for $250 less. The feature list is truly remarkable for $649.

[vive equinox]

I'm wondering if it's possible that people with good electronics knowledge would be able to traffic the 600 to become like a 800

[DetectingMO]

On 2/1/2018 at 12:15 PM, Steve Herschbach said:

I am sure Minelab would rather everyone get an Equinox 800 since the production cost of the two detectors is probably identical. Most people will anyway. For the vast majority of detectorists out there I just think the Equinox 600 is the real killer value as it will find most anything the Equinox 800 will find for $250 less. The feature list is truly remarkable for $649.

Yep, unfortunately, the 600 is in less supply than 800 though.   Great value comes with great wait apparently.  :(

[Chase Goldman]

Although the software builds are somewhat different, the 600 and 800 are physically and electronically identical with the exception of the physical user profile save button which exists only on the 800.  That makes it not possible to 100% replicate the functionality of the 800 on the 600 simply by flashing 800 firmware on the 600.  I am certain that ML has put interlocks in place to keep people from inadvertently or intentionally doing that at the hobbiest level of expertise (though the cell phone industry shows us that it is practically impossible to stop determined hackers).  This means that ML does not appear to have a planned upgrade path for 600 users to get to 800 functionality simply through a future software upgrade (paid or otherwise).  Now as far as people with nefarious motives, well we have unfortunately seen plenty of counterfeit detectors out there ripping off all the manufacturers and users alike.