How does the Sovereign XS2-Pro compare to the Nox800 or even the Vanquish540?

[John316]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the group. I have a Sovereign XS-2 Pro that I bought in 2001. I changed the battery pod and it still works great. I have thought of "upgrading" to a new detector like a Nox800, Legend or even a Vanquish540. How does the ole XS-2 compare on the beach with those other detectors? My main complaint with the the Sovereign is that I have to hipmount the control box. So I have wires running from the coil to the control box and wires from the control box to the headphones. I have the factory coil and a Sunray II meter. I was thinking of buying a NEL 11X12 Superfly coil or should I buy a Legend and have a dry and water detector instead?

 

[fwcrawford]

When I had a Sovereign, I was concerned about the salt air getting into the electronics since the box is not sealed like the Equinox and the Legend.
The weight also got to me after a few hours on the beach.
It is a great detector for the beach and inland, but I have moved on to the Equinox and have no complaints… I see a lot of others using them at the beach too. Not sure of this answers you question, but to me I have more confidence in the Equinox than I did with the Sovereign.

 

[Rick(ND)]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the group. I have a Sovereign XS-2 Pro that I bought in 2001. I changed the battery pod and it still works great. I have thought of "upgrading" to a new detector like a Nox800, Legend or even a Vanquish540. How does the ole XS-2 compare on the beach with those other detectors? My main complaint with the the Sovereign is that I have to hipmount the control box. So I have wires running from the coil to the control box and wires from the control box to the headphones. I have the factory coil and a Sunray II meter. I was thinking of buying a NEL 11X12 Superfly coil or should I buy a Legend and have a dry and water detector instead?

I still like my Sovereigns even after trying many different detector, this could be that it takes a while to learn the Sovereign to get the full benefit of it. For me with the 180 SunRay meter I dig very little trash compared to other detectors I have used, When I first got it I was very disappointed with it and after using it and learning more and more as I used it, was told you learn more every time you us it which I did.
I had one of the first EQ 800 and wish I could have kept it and learn it more as my body couldnt take it like it did years ago, so I sold it, but the first time out in a well worked area I got a very deep signal and dug it to be a 1903 V nickle which was very deep and would say 12 or more inches deep. Every signal after that sounded the same and was small pieces of alum foil or pieces of alum can. The 800 was a light weight detector and much better than the Sovereign which I too hipmounted, or uses with the control box set back to back of the arm cuff for better balance.
What I been wanting to do is make the Sovereign GT even lighter, but never did as I do like the tones better and easy for me to hear as my hearing is bad and the Sovereign kept the tone better for me to hear those weaker signal as when the tone changed I knew it seen something and I would go over it again, if it was questionable I did the wiggle over it and and the tone would get much better or null out of iron.
We all got our favorite detector and to me and others love our Sovereign as what they can do if you get to know them well.
Coil wise I love the original 8 inch coinsearch and easy to learn the Sovereign, but not waterproof, then the newer 10 inch Tornado coil that come on the Elite and GT and they make a 8 inch tornado coil which many like in trashy site. The 8 and 10 inch coils on the XS2 I never cared for as the 8 inch coinsearch would do much better for me and one I like too was a 8 inch coil that SunRay made as it was waterproof and seem to do well for me. There are many other coils that seem to work for many too, but these were my favorite coils.

Rick

 

[Nauti]

I love my sovereign and would not swap it for any modern machine while i am fit enough to keep swinging it.I run mine with the nel thunder coil which gives me great coverage and depth and it will find just as much as any new model on the market at the beach.Contrary to popular belief it will also find targets in heavy trash if you know what you are doing.......they were ahead of their time.

 

[John316]

I love my sovereign and would not swap it for any modern machine while i am fit enough to keep swinging it.I run mine with the nel thunder coil which gives me great coverage and depth and it will find just as much as any new model on the market at the beach.Contrary to popular belief it will also find targets in heavy trash if you know what you are doing.......they were ahead of their time.

I'm looking at the Thunder too. What do you think of the NEL Superfly coil?

 

[Nauti]

I think the superfly would have been the one I would have gone for if searching inland areas.I bought the thunder for its extra sweep coverage at the beaches.I'm very impressed with the thunder,I searched an area of small rocks and pebbles the other week at a local beach which is quite iron infested for some reason but still picked out the coins in amongst the iron.
I don't think you can go far wrong with any of the new coils to be honest,they are high quality items that do the job well.