I am considering either a new 70 or a 705. I have been told the 70 is last year's model and that for that reason I can purchase it at a discount. I have a current sales brochure which lists the specs for the 705 but not the 70. Other than the location of the touchscreen controls, I would appreciate it if someone could tell me how the 705 differs from the 70 and whether I should purchase the 705 or take advantage of the savings for a 70.
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X-Terra 70 or 705?
- Thread starter Dillona
- Start date
If you take a look at the FAQFAQ section at the top of these posts, you will find links to the X-70 Instruction Manual as well as those for the 705. You can read them both over and make specific comparisons between the two models. But in a nutshell......
The 705 came out earlier this year, along with the 305 and 505. (replacing the X-30 and X-50). As a whole, the X-70 and 705 are nearly identical, with only a half dozen or so exceptions. The software was updated on the new series. To me, that makes the 705 a bit quicker to respond to targets. And I think it gets me a bit more depth. The 705 also added a fourth Pattern mode. Not that having three isn't enough, since they are so easy to modify. But having a fourth allows those who hunt in discrimination mode to have four of them set up ahead of time. The 705 added a backlight to the display for those who don't always stop detecting when the sun goes down. The 705 added ground balance offset option on the tracking mode. This allows those who like to tweak their X-Terras a little bit more positive or negative (ground phase) to do so while maintaining that offset in the tracking mode. The 705 added a second Pinpoint option called Pinpoint Sizing. This allows the user to Pinpoint a target and approximate the size and shape at the same time. You can do this with the Prospecting mode in either the X-70 or 705. But using Pinpoint Sizing gives you the added benefit of continuous TID. So I guess the answer to your question would depend on whether or not you would use any of this "new" functionality. And whether or not you consider the new functionality to be worth the difference in price. JMHO HH Randy
The 705 came out earlier this year, along with the 305 and 505. (replacing the X-30 and X-50). As a whole, the X-70 and 705 are nearly identical, with only a half dozen or so exceptions. The software was updated on the new series. To me, that makes the 705 a bit quicker to respond to targets. And I think it gets me a bit more depth. The 705 also added a fourth Pattern mode. Not that having three isn't enough, since they are so easy to modify. But having a fourth allows those who hunt in discrimination mode to have four of them set up ahead of time. The 705 added a backlight to the display for those who don't always stop detecting when the sun goes down. The 705 added ground balance offset option on the tracking mode. This allows those who like to tweak their X-Terras a little bit more positive or negative (ground phase) to do so while maintaining that offset in the tracking mode. The 705 added a second Pinpoint option called Pinpoint Sizing. This allows the user to Pinpoint a target and approximate the size and shape at the same time. You can do this with the Prospecting mode in either the X-70 or 705. But using Pinpoint Sizing gives you the added benefit of continuous TID. So I guess the answer to your question would depend on whether or not you would use any of this "new" functionality. And whether or not you consider the new functionality to be worth the difference in price. JMHO HH Randy
I think I would buy the 705. Thats what I'll be rolling with this year. Kellycodetectors.com - they have it for $700 just for the detector or you can get a deal and buy the 705 package. Comes with 3 coils, detector, and a few other Kellyco goodies for $850. I would say buy the detector and come here to get best opinions for your md'ing tastes like coin shooting. I've been told before that the X-Terra series has atleast 5-6 different coils to choose from, so...this might be a little bit tricky without a expert's opinion
Dealer's were allowed to sell the X-Terra 70 for the street price of a bit under $700. When Minelab introduced the new series, the 705 remained the same price that the 70 was. You might be able to find a real good deal on an X-70, as I'd have to think dealers would be anxious to sell them now that the 705 has replaced them. (I saw a dealer selling the X-50's for under $300 a couple weeks ago.) On the other hand, Minelab is currently offering a $100 coupon with the purchase of the 705. Not sure if they'll be doing that with the X-70's. All it takes is a few phone calls to dealers to find out. And some of the best are sponsors of FindMall. You can locate their links at the top of each forum.
For the record, there are eight coils available for the X-Terra. The 9-inch concentric at 7.5 kHz, a 9-inch concentric at 3 kHz, a 9-inch concentric at 18.75 kHz, a 6-inch concentric at 7.5 kHz, a 6-inch DD at 18.75 kHz, a 10.5-inch DD at 7.5 kHz, a 10.5-inch DD at 18.75 kHz and the 6 X 10 elliptical DD at 18.75 kHz.
HH Randy
For the record, there are eight coils available for the X-Terra. The 9-inch concentric at 7.5 kHz, a 9-inch concentric at 3 kHz, a 9-inch concentric at 18.75 kHz, a 6-inch concentric at 7.5 kHz, a 6-inch DD at 18.75 kHz, a 10.5-inch DD at 7.5 kHz, a 10.5-inch DD at 18.75 kHz and the 6 X 10 elliptical DD at 18.75 kHz.
HH Randy
7centsworth
Well-known member
I purchased a 70 for 375 off the findmall classifieds.
but also included the 6"DD HF coil. Since I have an extra 6" coil, if you are interested, I will sell this one for $75 shipped in the lower 48. Thought I had a buyer for it since the guy said he wanted it but he doesn't answer my messages to him. Hope you find the one you want. Good hunting. John
i just got my 70! hope i like it, but its gonna be a learning curve from the ace 250 because im used to the aces sounds. so thats gonna be my biggest challenge. got my 70 from Richard at backwoods detectors! hes a great honest guy! and would never cheat anyone out! ill go back to him for the next detector i get forsure.
thanks, weston
thanks, weston
7centsworth
Well-known member
Weston try four tone that is what I like to run in. Always make sure you noise cancel and then ground balance. You will like it , it will take a while to learn though.
Hi Mate,
As an owner of 2 XT70s over the last three years and a recent owner of an XT705, i hope i can offer you some insight into your dilemma...
First of all, my first XT70 didn't die, it was "permanently borrowed" by a "mate" who has subsequently disappeared (doh!). I take my XT with me, broken down in half, in the boot of the car everywhere i go. It is an awesomely capable machine that has never once given me any trouble, and when it tells you some thing's down there, some thing's down there. Its easy to use straight out of the box and practice with its many optional features only multiplies your chance to find decent targets and learn to ignore those not worth digging. Also, it has paid for itself several times over. I rarely walk away from any site, be it beach, playground, old homestead, etc, empty-handed. I literally don't remember the last time i used it and found nothing at all.
I've recently (2 weeks ago) gotten my hands on a 705 and while i will be posting a more comprehensive report as to the differences, the bottom line is if you can save a hundred bucks or more on a 70 vs a 75, you should do it. Apart from the backlight (a long awaited addition - i hunt playgrounds and such at night regularly and have to use a head torch to see the target ID) and the alleged extra functionality on the beach, which i'm yet to confirm in practice, there's really not that much difference between the two.
If this is your first detector, i would recommend the XT70 as a starting point. you can always sell it on ebay or wherever for almost it's new price and go up to a 705 but in my humble opinion, if you're just starting out, or upgrading from some marginal detector, and don't detect wet sand and/or at night, you won't use the new features of the 705.
Cosmetically, the two are similar, with the crap "stand" provided by the original xterras identical in the new series, meaning that pretty much every time you put it down to dig, it will fall over sideways with the control box hitting the ground. i'm curious how minelab "listened" to customer demand about the backlight but failed to address this, despite there being 5 or more after-market stands being made so the damn thing won't fall over every time you put it down. i use aftermarket stands on both of my units.
I'm sure i'll get flamed for making a comparison between the two units after only having the 705 for 2 weeks, but there's a few other little things that annoy me. One of them is that all the buttons and menus have changed from being in plain english to being symbols. Its fine for me, because ive been using the XT70 for 2 years and in the dark, but a new user might find them confusing at best. I presume this saves them having to make different software for different countries but in practice i've found it to be a pain in the arse while changing settings, wondering what some particular symbol means in english.
In summary, both machines kick serious butt, and performance is roughly equivalent, although beach performance on the 705 according to the only videos i've seen, sponsored by minelab, seems to be improved. and it's got a backlight, but if you can save 100 bucks or more on an outgoing 70, spend 10 bucks on a headtorch and aren't exclusively prospecting beaches, i say go for it.
I'll be taking both machines and sample targets to a nearby beach in the next week or two and will report back more comprehensively here.
Good luck and happy hunting, there's a whole community here to support you with any questions you might have.
cheers
joe
PS dont be tempted by "cheaper" detectors from other brands or sources..i'm not a minelab dealer or affiliated in any way but ive tested supposed "equals" from many other companies, they're all a recipe for frustration and tears ;]
As an owner of 2 XT70s over the last three years and a recent owner of an XT705, i hope i can offer you some insight into your dilemma...
First of all, my first XT70 didn't die, it was "permanently borrowed" by a "mate" who has subsequently disappeared (doh!). I take my XT with me, broken down in half, in the boot of the car everywhere i go. It is an awesomely capable machine that has never once given me any trouble, and when it tells you some thing's down there, some thing's down there. Its easy to use straight out of the box and practice with its many optional features only multiplies your chance to find decent targets and learn to ignore those not worth digging. Also, it has paid for itself several times over. I rarely walk away from any site, be it beach, playground, old homestead, etc, empty-handed. I literally don't remember the last time i used it and found nothing at all.
I've recently (2 weeks ago) gotten my hands on a 705 and while i will be posting a more comprehensive report as to the differences, the bottom line is if you can save a hundred bucks or more on a 70 vs a 75, you should do it. Apart from the backlight (a long awaited addition - i hunt playgrounds and such at night regularly and have to use a head torch to see the target ID) and the alleged extra functionality on the beach, which i'm yet to confirm in practice, there's really not that much difference between the two.
If this is your first detector, i would recommend the XT70 as a starting point. you can always sell it on ebay or wherever for almost it's new price and go up to a 705 but in my humble opinion, if you're just starting out, or upgrading from some marginal detector, and don't detect wet sand and/or at night, you won't use the new features of the 705.
Cosmetically, the two are similar, with the crap "stand" provided by the original xterras identical in the new series, meaning that pretty much every time you put it down to dig, it will fall over sideways with the control box hitting the ground. i'm curious how minelab "listened" to customer demand about the backlight but failed to address this, despite there being 5 or more after-market stands being made so the damn thing won't fall over every time you put it down. i use aftermarket stands on both of my units.
I'm sure i'll get flamed for making a comparison between the two units after only having the 705 for 2 weeks, but there's a few other little things that annoy me. One of them is that all the buttons and menus have changed from being in plain english to being symbols. Its fine for me, because ive been using the XT70 for 2 years and in the dark, but a new user might find them confusing at best. I presume this saves them having to make different software for different countries but in practice i've found it to be a pain in the arse while changing settings, wondering what some particular symbol means in english.
In summary, both machines kick serious butt, and performance is roughly equivalent, although beach performance on the 705 according to the only videos i've seen, sponsored by minelab, seems to be improved. and it's got a backlight, but if you can save 100 bucks or more on an outgoing 70, spend 10 bucks on a headtorch and aren't exclusively prospecting beaches, i say go for it.
I'll be taking both machines and sample targets to a nearby beach in the next week or two and will report back more comprehensively here.
Good luck and happy hunting, there's a whole community here to support you with any questions you might have.
cheers
joe
PS dont be tempted by "cheaper" detectors from other brands or sources..i'm not a minelab dealer or affiliated in any way but ive tested supposed "equals" from many other companies, they're all a recipe for frustration and tears ;]
Really good posts here, thanks Randy and Joe. I have had the X-70 for over a year now and like it. But Dillona I would buy a new X-505 if I was not into Prospecting for gold. Save money on an X-505 for a coin-jewelry machine if you do not do Prospecting.
Besides the X-705's new added Ground Balance Offset option on the Tracking Mode. Does any one know if the X-705 has any other improvements to the Tracking, like a more expanded Tracking range or faster Tracking speed recovery or better Tracking in some other way, or not ??
Besides the X-705's new added Ground Balance Offset option on the Tracking Mode. Does any one know if the X-705 has any other improvements to the Tracking, like a more expanded Tracking range or faster Tracking speed recovery or better Tracking in some other way, or not ??
When astroboy said, "One of them is that all the buttons and menus have changed from being in plain english to being symbols. Its fine for me, because ive been using the XT70 for 2 years and in the dark, but a new user might find them confusing at best. I presume this saves them having to make different software for different countries but in practice i've found it to be a pain in the arse while changing settings, wondering what some particular symbol means in english,"
I couldn't agree more with his annoyance on the buttons. I almost didn't get the 705 because of it. It still gives me pause when changing settings. I think that Minelab deliberately does little things like that and not changing the ground rest because they want us to buy their real expensive units and their afraid that if we're really satisfied with their entry level, we'll never upgrade. I'm getting to a point where if I didn't need an ID machine for coinshooting I'd sell mine and move on. I know some people that still won't buy Minelab because of the callous indifference toward the people that buy their machines. Is what happened to Fisher and what's going on with Minelab a sign of things to come? It makes me shudder to consider the possibility.
I couldn't agree more with his annoyance on the buttons. I almost didn't get the 705 because of it. It still gives me pause when changing settings. I think that Minelab deliberately does little things like that and not changing the ground rest because they want us to buy their real expensive units and their afraid that if we're really satisfied with their entry level, we'll never upgrade. I'm getting to a point where if I didn't need an ID machine for coinshooting I'd sell mine and move on. I know some people that still won't buy Minelab because of the callous indifference toward the people that buy their machines. Is what happened to Fisher and what's going on with Minelab a sign of things to come? It makes me shudder to consider the possibility.
I am a complete greenhorn to MDing and have bought myself an X-TERRA-705. (because it was there)
I have found the X705 to be quite rewarding and easy to use basically but trying to get to grips with the more advanced aspects has been "tricky" to say the least!
If the detector says there is something down there, I try out all the patterns and modes etc, to see what it is trying to tell me, then I dig it up to see what it is.
I find that if I try to discriminate some of the rubbish, it means that I would also leave behind some targets that I would rather have dug up!
The coin and treasure side of the machine is great and I am really happy with that, all I have got to do is get better at it.
The gold prospecting side is really challenging me but I am going to get a selection of coils and other accessories to increase my chances in this aspect of MDing.
I am quite surprised at how enjoyable I am finding this as a hobby, everything that I dig up is like striking first prise in the "Lotto"!
These forums are very helpful to a newby who doesn't know anything at all, thank you all for your informative posting.
One of the biggest challenges I find is actually digging efficiently, our ground here is exceptionally hard and stony! Cheers, John.
I have found the X705 to be quite rewarding and easy to use basically but trying to get to grips with the more advanced aspects has been "tricky" to say the least!
If the detector says there is something down there, I try out all the patterns and modes etc, to see what it is trying to tell me, then I dig it up to see what it is.
I find that if I try to discriminate some of the rubbish, it means that I would also leave behind some targets that I would rather have dug up!
The coin and treasure side of the machine is great and I am really happy with that, all I have got to do is get better at it.
The gold prospecting side is really challenging me but I am going to get a selection of coils and other accessories to increase my chances in this aspect of MDing.
I am quite surprised at how enjoyable I am finding this as a hobby, everything that I dig up is like striking first prise in the "Lotto"!
These forums are very helpful to a newby who doesn't know anything at all, thank you all for your informative posting.
One of the biggest challenges I find is actually digging efficiently, our ground here is exceptionally hard and stony! Cheers, John.
Canewrap said:
i wasn't so much attacking minelab on the symbols thing, just my first impression was, this "feature" likely detracts from usability and a low learning curve compared to the 70's faceplate and menus. I'm sure it'll get keyed in the brain soon enough but it does raise concerns that it will steepen the initial learning curve for someone who hadn't had a 70 and knew the buttons blindfolded. one of the main selling points and real life truths about the original XT series was that you could literally hold the thing in your hands without ever having seen or used a detector before, and with a few button presses for auto GB and NB, you're away with a high chance of success. this symbols thing seems to be a misguided step backwards and/or a cost cutting exercise to save them making faceplates and ROMs with, for example, the words in german or italian. That doesn't make minelab bad or evil, all my dealings with them, and there has been probably a dozen calls to minelab HQ here in Australia over the last two years, they have put me directly through to a real technician who has gone to all lengths to answer my sometimes stupid questions.
Also, in general the XT70/705 sits in it's own niche of the lightest, easiest to learn all-round detector, and it clearly dominates this niche. i don't believe minelab has any reason to make the detectors more complicated than needed in order to push them up into the next bracket, which is the GPX series, costing thousands of dollars more and really being dedicated gold machines. they're generally not much use for coin/relic/jewelery/beach work, as evidenced by this video on MLOTV GPX+XT70 where a guy uses the GPX to detect faint targets then comes back over them with the XT to decide which ones to dig. in Australian dollars, that's over $7,000 of gear to find coins in a field.
as for the stand, they clearly either didn't receive enough complaints or didn't pay attention to them, in my opinion this would have been much easier to fix than the long begged-for backlight, its a piece of plastic, make it bigger or wider and add maybe 50 grams to the weight of the machine. that is definitely an oversight but again i don't think someone's going from a $1100 machine to a $6000 one because it falls over every time you put it down.
less shuddering more detecting my friend ;]