Sorry to hear it's not your bag. Different strokes for different strokes. That's why there are many companies making many different machines, to suit the particular tastes and wants of the buyer.
I'm too spoiled by the long detailed audio and no-fuss/smooth raw powerful depth of the GT to ever let mine go, even as I continue to add other machines to my lineup with other traits. I've owned or used many machines over the years, but I can honestly say this one ain't going anywhere no matter what else I buy down the road. It's just too unique of a beast, like the best of the old analog machines in simplicity of controls, yet with the digital power and ground ignoring/penetrating ability of a Minelab to go super deep. The long/detailed/analog-like robust audio alone combined with the tone alerts of a Minelab makes it a very unique machine to me for that reason alone.
The conductivity resolution of the Sovereign with a 180 is super high and I really like that ability to split hairs on things like tabs (they span 20 digits) versus nickels and other sub-coin targets (buttons, rings, various old coins that read lower than even zinc pennies, relics, etc) when hunting for those. When old coin hunting I don't care what kind of coin the machine things it is because I've dug plenty of silvers in the past that read as clads or pennies due to numerous factors to trust the thin resolution distinctions between them. If it's shallow but in trash I just want to know it's a coin and I'm digging it, because it could be an oldie that others missed, or if it's deep masked or not same deal then. Only coin I much care about IDing is zincs when I'm in the mood to avoid billions at a site, or IDing nickels when I'm after those. Luckily they usually read in the 140 to 146 range, where as for me most round or square tabs start at about 149 and go up to 169 ninety nine percent of the time.
I've used the Etrac and prefer the Explorer VDI system and a few other things on it myself like the more flutey silver tone, but once again it's all about personal wants and dislikes as to which is the best machine for a person. It pretty much comes down to which machine is in the right hands and how familiar they are with it, so it's more of a Ford Vs Chevy debate. Whoever knows the quirks and traits and they fit that person's personality better is the one with the edge. I'm scoping out an SE Pro right now to pick up sooner or later myself. I've got two friends who owned Etracs. One went back to the SE Pro and the other is talking about doing that. On the other hand, I've got another friend who hasn't picked up his Explorer XS since he got his Etrac. I've told him to throw a 12x10 on that XS and it will breath new life into it in depth and separation/unmasking compared to the stock 10" coil, as he's using a 12x10 on his Etrac anyway. Just saying some go one way and some go the other on those units. All depends on the person and their particular tastes. For sure if you don't like a machine then you'll never do well with it, so far better to go with one or the other that jells with a person better.
Far as the Sovereign being slow, in terms of unmasking I've done a complete turn around on how important I felt recovery speed and the ability to lower iron rejection is. I don't argue that any one path is more important than another, but I've seen with my own eyes and ears what a sharp DD line on a quality coil such as the 12x10 will do, to the point where the outcome is a complete wash (built in high iron rejection on the GT but using a super sharp DD line, versus another machine with a faster recovery speed and minimal iron rejection).
After numerous heads to heads for about two years now on undug badly masked coins in the field before digging, in many instances where coins completely nulled for both machines all the way around them but one tight angle, we haven't seen a lick of difference between them. Maybe that will change some day but we've compared plenty so far. Super deep, on edge, badly masked, even perfect storm combinations of all three of these things- The GT and 12x10 has held it's own just as well. I've started to get into the habit now to pull the headphone plug out just so we can all hear.
So I now feel if I control my sweep speed recovery speed is a non-issue to me. But of course if one just likes to swing faster then by all means they need a faster machine or risk masking stuff due to that. To me these days I feel a slow machine allows me to sniff around heavy trash or iron at a dead site slowly and intensely for any hints of a high tone and work a site well, and also to hover over and soak in the finer traits of a target without the audio being clipped short on me. You just can't do that with some machines, where it's trying to reset or cut things short, or you might lose depth or stability/performance if the machine isn't built to be used slow like that. I also prefer a nice slow look at super deep stuff, as I feel it's easier to get a better look and harder hit on it, like trying to read a sign going 35mph versus 75mph as you pass by.
Here's a few videos I did on the elevated nail masking test that seems very popular to judge machines and coils with on you tube...
http://youtu.be/NilnTD47FoY
And this one is doing the same tests using various coils, combined with the popular mineralized brick test...
http://youtu.be/bKesj7KjcXY
As you can see, there is more than one way to unmask than just recovery speed. A sharp field is where the foundation starts is what I believe now, but by all means a Minelab isn't the best machine to use if a person likes to blaze around faster. People have to buy the machine that matches their personality and hunting style, otherwise no matter how good a machine is it won't perform if it isn't a good match. I look at it like why we are good friends with some people and never close with others. Same type of deal with detectors. It's whoever or whatever you jell with best.
