Golden Mask Metal Detectors: Complete Brand Guide (2026)

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Golden Mask metal detectors occupy a distinct corner of the hobby: they are built for detectorists who prefer a direct, audio-first hunt to a screen full of menus and target-ID guesses. That makes them a legitimate alternative to the Garrett and Minelab ecosystems, but only if you choose the right technology family for your ground; when operating behavior is unclear, match the detector’s instructions to its installed firmware using these metal detector manuals.

Golden Mask is a Bulgarian brand. The mainstream recreational range comes from GM Metaldetectors Ltd, while the related GM Electronics Ltd develops the specialized Deep Hunter pulse-induction line. Instead of one conventional good-better-best ladder, the 2026 catalog splits into several overlapping technology families: PWM analog-style machines, selectable-frequency VLF detectors, BSP hybrid deep machines, and professional PI/BPI deep-search systems.

This guide walks through the current models worth knowing, explains what each one is actually for, flags the discontinued units you will still see on dealer and used listings, and matches specific detectors to terrain and target types. If you are cross-shopping Golden Mask against Nokta, XP, Minelab, or Garrett, the comparison section is the place to start.

Golden Mask's Philosophy — Audio-First, Technology-Specific Machines

Golden Mask's core pitch is not a numbered feature list. It is a working style. Long-time users consistently describe the brand as attractive to detectorists who want a fast, direct "beep-and-dig" experience rather than layers of menus and visual analysis. A hunter who ran Golden Mask detectors for roughly a decade before moving to a Deus II described them as legitimate, capable analog detectors rather than budget toys.

The current range is best understood as four technology families.

What unites most of the recreational line is a preference for audio over screens. Several models do not offer conventional VDI target ID numbers at all. Others provide only coarse target classification. That is a deliberate design choice, not a missing feature. If you want a full display screen with numeric target ID, the Golden Mask 7 is the closest current model to that style.

Golden Mask electronics carry a stated five-year warranty on detector electronics and two years on other covered components, excluding batteries. Distribution, however, remains the brand's biggest practical weakness in North America. Community reports mention difficulty finding a US dealer, uncertain customs charges, and expensive international shipping. Availability can change, so treat US supply as inconsistent rather than absent.

Selectable-Frequency VLF — Golden Mask 7 and 7 LITE

Golden Mask 7

The Golden Mask 7 is the clearest current all-around choice in the range. It is a VLF detector with four individually selectable operating frequencies: 4, 14, 24, and 44 kHz, plus frequency shift.

That is not simultaneous multifrequency. The detector operates at one selected frequency at a time. This differs materially from Minelab Multi-IQ, Nokta simultaneous multi-frequency, or XP Deus II Fast Multi Frequency. The practical advantage is broad tuning: 4 kHz pushes depth on larger high-conductivity targets, while 44 kHz and the dedicated Gold program favor low-conductivity targets and small gold.

Ground balancing is available as manual, automatic, or FX mode, with FX intended for problematic ground. The four editable factory programs are Field, Park, Gold, and Beach/HR. Beach/HR and FX ground balancing give the GM7 a stronger case on wet conductive sand than most single-frequency machines.

Key specifications and features:

• Frequency platform: selectable 4/14/24/44 kHz single-frequency VLF
• Ground balance: manual, automatic, FX
• Factory programs: Field, Park, Gold, Beach/HR
• Coil family: 7G coils
• Battery: internal 2500 mAh Li-ion; roughly 10–12 hours stated runtime
• Weight: approximately 1.3–1.4 kg depending on coil
• Audio: optional WS107 wireless headphones plus a 6.35 mm wired headphone socket
• Weather protection: rain-resistant control housing; waterproof search coils
• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

The rain-resistant housing is not a claim that the entire detector is submersible. For beach use, the GM7 is a wet-sand machine with waterproof coils, not a dive unit.

Community owners praise build quality, recovery speed, and sensitivity to very small targets at 24 kHz. The most common criticism is practical: English-language documentation is thinner than it should be, and certain coils and accessories are harder to source than parts for larger mainstream brands.

Golden Mask 7 LITE

The 7 LITE is essentially the same detection platform without the wireless-headphone package. It keeps the selectable 4/14/24/44 kHz architecture, the same Field, Park, Gold, and Beach/HR programs, and the 7G coil family. Weight is approximately 1.3 kg with the 9.5-inch coil, and the internal battery is a 2500 mAh Li-ion with a stated runtime of about 12 hours.

The main purchasing distinction is equipment level, not a different detection engine. If you already use wired headphones or prefer to spend less up front, the LITE is the value route into the GM7 platform.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

PWM Analog-Style Machines — 1+ Xtreme and 4Xtreme

1+ Xtreme

The 1+ Xtreme is the simplified, beginner-oriented member of Golden Mask's PWM family. It uses Pulse Width Modulation rather than conventional selectable-frequency VLF, with fixed ground balance and motion-based detection. Controls cover discrimination, power level, volume, and wireless/speaker selection.

With the standard 9.5-inch coil, it weighs about 1.2 kg. Power comes from an internal 3.7 V 3500 mAh Li-ion battery with roughly 12 hours of stated operation. Charging is by 5 V/3 A USB supply. Optional WS107 wireless headphones are supported, but there is no conventional wired-headphone socket.

The 1+ Xtreme is best understood as a simple, relatively deep machine for uncomplicated field hunting. It accepts the same PWM coil family used by the 4Xtreme, which helps if you later upgrade.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

4Xtreme

The 4Xtreme is the current momentum model in Golden Mask's lineup. It is a PWM detector with manual ground balance and motion operation, designed for relic hunting, difficult iron sites, and audio-first coin hunting.

Available audio arrangements include two-tone operation and a one-tone discrimination mode. Controls include discrimination, audio frequency, power level, ground balance, volume, wireless/speaker switching, and audio mode. Supported PWM Fighter S coil sizes are approximately 5×7, 9.5, 13×11, and 18 inches. Weight is about 1.2 kg with the 9.5-inch coil, and the internal battery is a 3.7 V 5000 mAh Li-ion pack.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

A detailed DetectorProspector owner report praises the 4Xtreme's low weight, balance, and target separation in iron-heavy colonial sites. The same report makes two practical points worth remembering. First, discrimination is mainly useful around the iron range; excessive discrimination can damage separation. Second, maximum power is not always optimal. Reducing power below instability can improve practical hunting.

A 2026 Reddit comparison against the Nokta Simplex Ultra involved a buyer who wanted fewer modes and a simpler audio-first detector. After buying the 4Xtreme, they reported finding it easier, faster, and deeper in their own use, while noting that it was not fully waterproof.

Do not repeat the third-party error of calling the 4Xtreme an 8/18 kHz VLF detector. Primary documentation describes it as PWM. It is also not fully submersible. The whole detector is not waterproof, and no reliable official basis exists to claim otherwise.

For lead, brass, and relic hunting, the 4Xtreme is one of the strongest audio-only options currently available, particularly in dense iron.

BSP Hybrid Deep Machines — Virtus and Altus

Golden Mask Virtus

Virtus is the important new model for a 2026 brand guide. It uses Golden Mask's BSP — Binary Sinus Pulse — hybrid technology and is positioned as a simplified relative of Altus. It uses manual ground balance, motion bi-tonal operation, and controls for threshold, discrimination, iron volume, ground balance, volume, and wireless/speaker selection where equipped.

Two changes distinguish Virtus from Altus-oriented operation. First, a LOW/HIGH sensitivity switch includes a LOW setting intended for wet beach sand and strongly mineralized ground. Second, Virtus offers greater sensitivity to lower-conductivity targets.

Virtus uses BSP-V coils, which should not be confused with the Altus BSP coil system. Standard weight is approximately 1.4 kg with the 13×11-inch coil. The battery is an 8.4 V 5500 mAh Li-ion pack, with a stated minimum around six hours at maximum speaker volume and roughly eight hours with wireless audio. Optional WS107 wireless headphones are supported.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

Golden Mask's own range description recommends the 9.5-inch Virtus coil for general coin shooting but explicitly excludes tiny, sub-gram gold nuggets from the ideal-use description. That distinction matters. Virtus has improved low-conductor response, but it is not a dedicated prospecting detector.

Early community discussion focuses on its unusually aggressive price relative to hybrid/deep-search technology and its response to small targets in air tests. Because the model is only months old, avoid treating early enthusiasm as a mature reliability consensus.

Golden Mask Altus

Altus is Golden Mask's professional BSP / Binary Sinus Pulse detector, positioned toward very deep medium and high-conductivity targets, relic deposits, larger coins, and hoards.

It uses manual ground balance and motion bi-tonal operation, with controls including ground balance, discrimination, threshold, tone, sensitivity, and wireless/speaker selection. The GMD specification lists a BSP coil, approximately 1.9 kg system weight with the 11×14-inch coil, an 8.4 V 6000 mAh Li-ion battery, minimum runtime around six hours at full speaker volume, and around eight hours with wireless headphones. Optional WS107 headphones are supported.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

Altus is not simply an expensive universal coin detector. Its strength is exceptional depth on higher-VDI targets. Low-conductivity targets can still be detected, but they are not the machine's core specialization.

European detectorists describe Altus as impressively deep but specialized rather than universal. Forum testing reports strong response on medium/high-conductivity and larger/deeper targets while noting weak suitability for tiny hammered silver and cases where old, wrought iron defeats discrimination. Some users dislike the persistent threshold-style audio.

The practical takeaway: Altus and 4Xtreme solve different problems. The more expensive model is not automatically better for every relic hunter.

Professional Deep-Search PI and BPI Systems

This is an entirely different category from normal coin and relic detecting. These machines trade discrimination and fast target separation for depth on large, high-conductivity masses. Target size is inseparable from quoted depth, and any meter-scale claim based on a huge buried object must never be reframed as coin depth.

Deep Hunter Mobile ST

The Deep Hunter Mobile ST is a 667 Hz pulse-induction detector with automatic ground balance using Golden Mask's Smart Tune system. It uses slow-motion operation and controls for volume, gain, trash reject, audio frequency, and Smart Tune. It accepts Deep Hunter PI coils shared with several Deep Hunter generations and can also operate larger frame configurations.

Standard specifications include approximately 1.9 kg with the 38×58 cm coil, a 2500 mAh NiMH battery, around eight hours of operating time, and a 6.35 mm wired-headphone output. There is no wireless headphone system.

Coil choice changes its role:

Trash Reject can reduce responses from small trash when searching for larger objects. Official guidance warns that small coils may become unstable on some wet, salty, electrically conductive soils. The Mobile ST should not be marketed as a conventional salt-beach detector simply because it is PI.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

Deep Hunter Pro 7se

The Pro 7se is the flagship professional deep-search system. It operates at approximately 667 Hz pulse induction with automatic and manual ground balance, slow-motion search, and controls for volume, manual ground balance/trash reject, sensitivity, audio tone/frequency, Boost, ground-balance mode, Smart Tune, and battery check.

Both round coils and large frame coils are supported. The approximately 125×125 cm frame configuration weighs around 2.2 kg and represents the deepest-search setup; smaller round coils allow single-person operation. The system uses a 2600 mAh NiMH battery. GMD documentation states roughly eight hours runtime, while the manufacturer page states approximately ten hours. There is a 6.35 mm wired connection and no wireless headphone support.

The Pro 7se provides basic LED classification with red/green indication for non-ferrous versus ferrous responses. Golden Mask cautions that classification is most reliable on strong signals and still requires operator experience. Separate 50 Hz European and 60 Hz configurations are documented for different mains-interference environments.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

This is not a coin machine. If you are hunting how deep a metal detector can actually go, the frame-coil Pro 7se belongs in the large-object conversation, not the small-target one.

Golden Mask H120

H120 uses BPI — Bipolar Pulse Induction / BPI Time-Domain technology. It provides bi-tonal audio, target discrimination, and manual ground balancing, with dedicated BPI coils.

The standard configuration weighs approximately 2.1 kg with a 13-inch coil and uses a carbon telescopic shaft. Audio output is through the speaker or a 6.35 mm wired headphone socket; wireless audio is not specified. The internal battery is a 6000 mAh Li-ion pack with approximately seven hours minimum speaker operation and up to about eight hours using headphones. Golden Mask specifies operation from around -10°C to +40°C.

The official user guide is explicit about positioning: H120 is intended for professional survey and deep-target work rather than conventional recreational hobby detecting. It uses analog controls rather than automatic target-processing modes and is designed for high-conductivity individual or grouped targets at substantial depth in relatively low-to-medium-trash terrain. Dense iron contamination reduces productivity because its audio classification is far coarser than the target-ID systems of conventional coin detectors.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

HF1000 Hoard Finder / HF1000 2Box

HF1000 uses pulse induction at approximately 262 Hz, full-automatic ground balance, and motion operation. Controls include interference rejection, sensitivity, threshold, volume, and VCO. It uses HF-PI coils, weighs about 1.9 kg with the 16×11-inch configuration, and is powered by a 3500 mAh Li-ion battery for approximately six hours. Both optional wireless audio and a 6.35 mm headphone output are listed.

The 2Box configuration is intended for the largest/deepest targets and does not provide conventional discrimination. Marketing material cites extreme depth under ideal conditions using a very large 208-liter steel barrel as the target. That test scenario must never be generalized to ordinary relics or coins.

Production status is currently unclear: the manufacturer still includes HF1000 among current PI models, while the main global dealer marks the HF1000 2Box and a related coil as discontinued. Treat it as a specialized hoard/large-target machine whose availability should be confirmed before purchase, not as a core 2026 recommendation.

• Buying link: Check current price on Amazon

Discontinued & Legacy Golden Mask Models

Searchers will still encounter these on dealer and used listings. They are not current recommendations, but knowing their architecture keeps you from overpaying for a platform that is no longer supported.

For used Golden Mask purchases, coil compatibility is the biggest risk. PWM coils belong to the 1+ Xtreme/4Xtreme family. 7G coils belong to the Golden Mask 7 platform. Virtus uses BSP-V coils, which should not be assumed compatible with Altus BSP hardware. Deep Hunter models have their own PI coil ecosystem. Before buying an accessory coil, confirm the exact detector generation.

• Buying link for remaining One 15 stock: Check current price on Amazon
• Buying link for 5+ stock: Check current price on Amazon

Golden Mask vs the Big Four — The Honest Comparison

Golden Mask is a legitimate alternative to Minelab, Nokta, XP, and Garrett, but it wins on specific strengths rather than across the board.

Audio-first operation. The strongest reason to choose Golden Mask is that you want a fast, direct audio experience. The 4Xtreme and 1+ Xtreme are deliberately stripped back. If you find modern multi-frequency machines menu-heavy, this is the brand's clearest differentiation. It is the opposite of a screen-first Minelab Manticore or Equinox approach.

Selectable 44 kHz small-gold capability. The Golden Mask 7's 44 kHz and Gold program give it genuine small-gold capability within a general-purpose detector. Among current Golden Mask models, the GM7 is the strongest supported choice for small-gold work. Virtus is not a tiny-nugget specialist.

Iron separation. The 4Xtreme's community reputation is strongest in dense iron and unmasking scenarios. Compared with a Garrett AT Max or Nokta Legend, the trade-off is less target information on screen.

Deep-specialist breadth. No mainstream recreational brand offers the same depth of dedicated frame-coil and BPI specialist range. But that matters only if you actually hunt large/deep targets.

Where Golden Mask lags:

• Distribution. Minelab, Nokta, XP, and Garrett have far more reliable US dealer and service networks.
• Documentation. English manuals and independent reviews are thinner.
• Waterproofing. Golden Mask's recreational models are mostly rain-resistant or have waterproof coils only. Compare that with fully submersible mainstream units if wet-sand/shallow-water hunting is your priority.
• Coil ecosystem. Fewer accessory coils are readily available than for the Garrett ACE/AT platforms or the Minelab Equinox series.

Which Golden Mask Should You Buy?

Choose the Golden Mask 7 if...

You want the broadest general-purpose current model: coins, relics, parks, fields, mineralized ground, wet beach hunting, and small-gold prospecting. The selectable 4/14/24/44 kHz platform is more flexible than a single-frequency machine, and the wired plus wireless audio options are the most conventional in the range.

Choose the 4Xtreme if...

You hunt relic-heavy or iron-contaminated sites and prefer audio-only operation. This is the current crowd favorite for unmasking targets in trashy colonial-style ground. Accept that you will not get a numeric VDI screen.

Choose the 1+ Xtreme if...

You want the simplest PWM entry point for straightforward field and coin hunting. It is the budget route into the PWM coil family and is easier to learn than a full menu-driven detector.

Choose the Virtus if...

You want a newer BSP hybrid for deep coin/relic hunting in mineralized or wet conductive sand, and you understand that it is not a sub-gram nugget machine. Its LOW sensitivity setting is specifically aimed at wet beach sand.

Choose the Altus if...

Your entire goal is very deep medium/high-conductivity targets, larger coins, and relic deposits. It is a specialist, not an all-rounder.

Choose a Deep Hunter or the H120 if...

You are doing professional surveys, large/deep relic work, cache hunting, or two-person frame-coil projects. These are not everyday coin detectors.

For most hobbyists, the realistic shortlist is the Golden Mask 7 for all-around work or the 4Xtreme for audio-first relic hunting. The deep-search PI and BPI models belong in a completely separate budget and skill conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Golden Mask is not trying to be everything to everyone. The 2026 range makes the most sense once you stop looking for a single flagship and instead match the technology family to the job. The Golden Mask 7 is the broadest current all-rounder, the 4Xtreme is the strongest audio-first relic machine, Virtus is the new wet-sand-capable deep hybrid, and the Deep Hunter/H120 systems belong to a professional large-target category that has no real mainstream equivalent.

For most hunters cross-shopping the brand against the big four, the practical advice is simple: buy Golden Mask for direct audio operation, strong iron separation, or a selectable 44 kHz small-gold mode, and accept the trade-off in distribution and weatherproofing. If you want full submersion or a dense local dealer network, a mainstream waterproof unit may serve you better.

If you are still narrowing your search, start with these guides:

• Metal Detector Discrimination & Target ID Explained (2026)
• How Deep Can a Metal Detector Go? Depth Explained by Soil Type (2026)
• Garrett Metal Detectors: Complete Brand Guide (2026)
• Best Metal Detectors for Lead & Brass Relics (2026)

→ Check the current Golden Mask lineup on Amazon