Ti2tlham said:
I don't quite understand people that look for a better MXT or a more complete MXT... the mxt is perfect as it is, a simple to use detector. If you want something more and still get the same great performance, well the DFX was what there was as an alternative.
The DFX has better capability and occupies a higher "price point" for White's than the MXT ... on paper ... but in the field performance is very different. It's the audio that truly sets the MXT above the others. That's the single worst thing about the V-series for me, is the highly digital and unresponsive audio, compared to the MXT or the other older analog White's machines. Unfortunately, the DFX is more like a V-series in this regard. The VX3 is like an improved DFX, and if you're ok with the laggy digital audio (and many are), then the VX3 is a really good detector.
Which brings me to this: if White's really doesn't want to do further development to the MXT, then they can do some further development to the VX3 and call it a
VX4. The VX3 really only has a couple major shortcomings that the White's design team can focus on correcting, and they might even be able to do it all in software. First and foremost is the unnatural and unresponsive digital audio. Not sure if they can fix this in software or if they just need to put in a much faster processor, but they need audio that is MXT-like, audio that rises and falls smoothly, so you can hear those whispers and tease out closely spaced trash from treasure. The unresponsiveness of the current V-series is due to this audio shortcoming, I believe, so make the audio better and you will get better separation. I extensively tested side-by-side the V3i and VX3 with my MXT and Gold Bug Pro, and the V-series were positively stomped by them in the recovery speed and responsiveness department. Try this yourself: with the V-series quickly sweep back and forth over a target in normal search mode and visually observe where on the ground the beep sounds. It will shift an inch or so each direction depending on whether you are sweeping left or right due to the noticeable delay in the audio. No amount of tweaking could get either V-model up to the standard of the MXT. The MXT will beep everytime right over the target no matter which direction you are sweeping from. This is the downside of the highly digital audio of the V-series that I think just tries to do too much processing and as a result, it's what I would call "laggy." Either cut down on the processing load or give it a more powerful processor, and the V-series would be a joy to use. Here's another analogy: the V3i operates like a big Cadillac with lots of creature comforts and just floats down the road, the MXT operates like a classic Mustang: raw, handles great, with crank windows and no A/C.
The second area needing improvement on the VX3 with the new VX4 is the ground balance. Again, the White's engineers have a couple options: they could somehow glom onto the VX4 the excellent ground balance system of the MXT/GMT. Or, probably a better option, they could dial back the aggressiveness of the auto balance on the VX3 to make it less touchy, but also, give the user an improved manual ground balance option. Add a live control option for good old-fashioned manual ground balance. On my V3i, I used the "offset" adjustment, which was okay, but better would be an adjustment like the old XLT which had a course and fine adjustment over a huge range. Advanced detectorists would rejoice if White's would please, please, give us back a true manual ground balance option!
So if White's made just these two improvements (faster smoother audio, and better ground balance) to the VX3 and called it the VX4, then you *might* be able to pry my MXT out of my hands and give me a new VX4
