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Buy the Minelab Equinox 900 if you hunt gold, work iron-heavy relic sites or fight heavy electromagnetic interference. Buy the Minelab Equinox 700 if you hunt parks, fields and beaches at settings close to factory default, because it shares the Equinox detection core with the 900 and returns the same targets with less to adjust.
The step up is not a depth increase. It is a wider control range: recovery speed 1 to 8 against 1 to 3, iron bias 0 to 9 against 0 to 3, manual noise cancel, 20 and 40 kHz single frequencies, four tone breaks instead of one, and a second search coil in the box. Whether any of that matters depends on the ground under the coil.
There is a third machine in the room. Minelab discontinued the Equinox 600 and 800 in April 2025, so an 800 still on a shelf is old stock or used equipment. It keeps Gold mode and the 20 and 40 kHz frequencies, which makes it a real alternative to the 700 for prospectors watching the budget.
| Minelab Equinox 700 | Minelab Equinox 900 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Parks, fields, beaches | Gold, relics in iron, high-EMI ground |
| Single frequencies | 4, 5, 10, 15 kHz | 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 kHz |
| Search modes | Park, Field, Beach | Park, Field, Beach, Gold |
| Recovery speed | 1 to 3 | 1 to 8 |
| Iron bias | 0 to 3 | 0 to 9 |
| Noise cancel | Auto and continuous auto | Auto, continuous auto, manual |
| Coils in the box | EQX11 11-inch | EQX11 11-inch and EQX06 6-inch |
| Where to buy | Check the Equinox 700 on Amazon | Check the Equinox 900 on Amazon |
Which Versions Are We Comparing?
Two current models, plus one outgoing one. The Equinox 700 (Minelab SKU 3720-0005) and the Equinox 900 (3720-0006) arrived together in late 2022 and remain in production. Minelab lists them as additions to the range rather than replacements, and both sit under the company's "Intermediate to Advanced Users, Serious Hobbyists" banner.
The Equinox 800 is a different situation. Minelab's discontinued-products page records the Equinox 600 and 800 as released in October 2017 and discontinued in April 2025, roughly seven and a half years of production. The entry carries no obsolete flag, so the 800 is still supported and still serviceable, but no new units are being built.
One clarification worth making early, because it circulates widely: the 700 and 900 did not replace the 600 and 800 at launch. The 600 and 800 were sold alongside them for two and a half years.
Retailer listings for these two detectors sometimes show a colour LCD, a 10 ft waterproof rating or a 2.9 lb weight, none of which matches the manufacturer.
What the 700 and 900 Share
The overlap is large enough that it drives the whole buying decision.
Both run Multi-IQ simultaneous multi-frequency, Minelab's core technology for handling wet salt and mineralised ground in the same pass. Both use the same 119-segment target ID scale, ferrous from -19 to 0 and non-ferrous from 1 to 99, with a 5-level depth indicator. A finer scale describes a target more precisely than a coarse one; it does not extend detection depth, and no controlled depth testing of these two models has been published.
The hardware is shared almost entirely:
- IP68 rating, fully submersible to 5 m (16 ft)
- 1.27 kg (2.8 lb)
- 61 cm (24 in) collapsed and 144 cm (56.7 in) extended, on a three-piece carbon-fibre shaft with a three-position armrest
- 3.7 V / 5100 mAh internal lithium-ion battery, charged by magnetic USB cable
- Monochrome LCD with a red display and keypad backlight, plus a control-pod flashlight and handgrip vibration
- Built-in loudspeaker, a 3.5 mm wired headphone socket with a waterproof cap, and low-latency wireless audio
- Minelab ML 85 low-latency wireless headphones in the box
- Auto, manual and tracking ground balance, plus a pinpoint mode
- Target tones selectable as 1, 2, 5, All Tones or Depth tones, with target volume and threshold level adjustable from 0 to 25
- Three-year warranty on the control box and the coil
- User-updatable firmware
That list covers the overwhelming majority of what either machine does. If you have read the discrimination and target ID explainer, the 119-segment scale behaves the same way on both detectors.
Single Frequencies and Search Modes: Where Gold Mode Enters
The 700 offers four selectable single frequencies: 4, 5, 10 and 15 kHz. The 900 offers six: the same four plus 20 and 40 kHz.
That is the widest mechanical difference between them, because 40 kHz is what makes very small, low-conductivity targets audible. Fine gold chains, thin hammered silver and sub-gram nuggets respond better at the top of the range, while 4 and 5 kHz favour large, high-conductivity objects at the bottom. The 20 kHz step covers the middle ground where most mid-conductivity jewellery sits.
The mode count follows. The 700 has Park, Field and Beach, plus a shortcut into All Metal. The 900 adds Gold mode, which pairs the high-frequency end of the range with a threshold-based audio setup built for mineralised prospecting ground. On the 700, running the 15 kHz setting in Field is the closest you get, and it is not the same tool.
For beach work the two are level. Both are IP68 to 5 m with the same Beach 1 and Beach 2 profiles, and Multi-IQ does the salt handling on either machine. If saltwater is your only interest, the extra frequencies buy you nothing.
At the profile level, Minelab lists Park 1 and 2, Field 1 and 2 and Beach 1 and 2 on both models, plus the All-Metal shortcut.
Recovery Speed, Iron Bias and Noise Cancel: The Real Control Gap
This section is where the 900 earns or fails to earn its premium, and it is entirely about trash density and interference.
Recovery speed controls how quickly the detector resets between targets. Lower numbers hold a signal longer; higher numbers let the machine separate a coin from the nail sitting next to it. The 700 gives you three steps, 1 to 3. The 900 gives you eight. On a quiet pasture you will never leave the low end on either detector. On a fairground, a torn-up park or a Victorian house site, the extra range is the difference between hearing two targets and hearing one smeared response, and the included 6-inch coil multiplies that advantage in the same ground.
Iron bias balances ferrous rejection against the risk of masking a good target sitting next to iron. The 700 spans 0 to 3, the 900 spans 0 to 9. Both stop short of the top of the scale being a free lunch: pushing iron bias high enough to silence bottle caps and rusty nails will also cost you some non-ferrous targets lying close to iron. The 900 simply lets you push further before you run out of adjustment.
Noise cancel is the most practical difference for anyone hunting near power lines, substations or dense housing. The 700 runs automatic and continuous auto noise cancel. The 900 adds a manual mode working across 19 channels, which lets you step away from an interfering frequency instead of letting the detector pick. The impact is real and immediate: chatter that forces you to drop sensitivity on a 700 can be tuned out on a 900.
General settings advice applies to both machines, because the platforms behave alike. Sensitivity defaults to 20, which is often too hot on wet salt sand or close to interference, and backing it down is the first fix when the audio turns unstable. Raising iron bias in the beach modes cuts ferrous falsing. Running a noise cancel at each new site is standard practice.
Firmware is shared across the generation and user-installable, so the control set on either detector is not frozen at the version that shipped.
Tones, Threshold and User Profiles
Tone control is the difference most buyers underestimate, and it is the one you feel on every single recovery.
The 700 has a ferrous tone break only, meaning you can shape tone 1 and nothing else. Threshold pitch is fixed. The 900 opens four tone breaks across t1 to t4, covering both the ferrous and non-ferrous sides, with pitch and volume adjustable from 0 to 25 on every tone. Threshold pitch is adjustable across the same range.
In practice this is how you build an audio profile that lets you sort a desirable target from junk by ear rather than by glancing at the screen. It matters most on sites where you dig a great many holes, and it matters not at all if you hunt open farmland and dig everything above the iron line.
Profile storage follows the same pattern. The 700 stores six custom search profiles, two per mode. The 900 stores eight and adds a dedicated user-profile shortcut button, so a saved setup is one press away rather than buried in a menu.
Head-to-Head Specs Comparison
| Spec | Minelab Equinox 700 | Minelab Equinox 900 |
|---|---|---|
| Minelab SKU | 3720-0005 | 3720-0006 |
| Technology | Multi-IQ simultaneous multi-frequency | Multi-IQ simultaneous multi-frequency |
| Single frequencies | 4, 5, 10, 15 kHz | 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 kHz |
| Search modes | Park, Field, Beach, All-Metal shortcut | Park, Field, Beach, Gold, All-Metal shortcut |
| Custom profiles | 6 | 8, plus a user-profile shortcut button |
| Target ID | 119 segments, -19 to 0 ferrous and 1 to 99 non-ferrous | 119 segments, -19 to 0 ferrous and 1 to 99 non-ferrous |
| Depth indicator | 5 levels | 5 levels |
| Target tones | 1, 2, 5, All Tones, Depth | 1, 2, 5, All Tones, Depth |
| Tone breaks | Ferrous (t1) only, tone 1 pitch and volume adjustable | Ferrous and non-ferrous (t1 to t4), every tone's pitch and volume adjustable |
| Threshold | Level 0 to 25, fixed pitch | Level 0 to 25, pitch 0 to 25 |
| Recovery speed | 1 to 3 | 1 to 8 |
| Iron bias | 0 to 3 | 0 to 9 |
| Noise cancel | Auto, continuous auto | Auto, continuous auto, manual (19 channels) |
| Ground balance | Auto, manual, tracking | Auto, manual, tracking |
| Pinpoint | Yes | Yes |
| Waterproofing | IP68, 5 m (16 ft) | IP68, 5 m (16 ft) |
| Weight | 1.27 kg (2.8 lb) | 1.27 kg (2.8 lb) |
| Length | 61 cm collapsed, 144 cm extended | 61 cm collapsed, 144 cm extended |
| Shaft | Three-piece carbon fibre | Three-piece carbon fibre |
| Display | Monochrome LCD, red backlight, keypad backlight | Monochrome LCD, red backlight, keypad backlight |
| Flashlight and vibration | Control-pod flashlight, handgrip vibration with ferrous on/off | Control-pod flashlight, handgrip vibration with ferrous and tone-region control |
| Audio | Speaker, 3.5 mm wired socket with waterproof cap, low-latency wireless | Speaker, 3.5 mm wired socket with waterproof cap, low-latency wireless |
| Headphones in the box | ML 85 low-latency wireless | ML 85 low-latency wireless |
| Battery | 3.7 V / 5100 mAh internal lithium-ion, magnetic USB charging | 3.7 V / 5100 mAh internal lithium-ion, magnetic USB charging |
| Coils in the box | EQX11 11-inch round Double-D with skidplate | EQX11 11-inch and EQX06 6-inch round Double-D with skidplates |
| Compatible coils | EQX06, EQX11, EQX15 | EQX06, EQX11, EQX15 |
| Warranty | 3 years, control box and coil | 3 years, control box and coil |
| Status | Current model | Current model |
The Equinox 800: Discontinued, Still Supported
The 800 is the reason a lot of people are shopping the 700 and 900 in the first place, and its status is worth stating plainly. Released October 2017, discontinued April 2025, still supported by Minelab, and circulating as new old stock and used equipment.
Where it stands against the two current models:
- It shares the 900's mode set, Gold mode included, and its current spec page lists the same single frequencies, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 40 kHz. The 4 kHz setting arrived with a 2020 software release, so any claim that the 900 "adds" 4 kHz over the 800 is out of date.
- It loses on waterproofing, 3 m (10 ft) against the 5 m of the current pair.
- It loses on packability, with an aluminium and fibreglass shaft that does not collapse the way the three-piece carbon-fibre shaft does. It is substantially longer than the 61 cm of the 700 and 900 when packed.
- It loses on ID resolution, with a 50-segment scale broken down as 40 non-ferrous and 10 ferrous, against 119 segments on the current models.
- It loses on the extras: a white LCD backlight only, with no keypad backlight, no control-pod flashlight and no handgrip vibration.
- Its battery is 3.7 V / 5000 mAh, marginally below the 5100 mAh of the current pair.
- Its audio is Bluetooth aptX Low Latency with the WM 08 module and ML 80 headphones included, against low-latency wireless and the ML 85 on the current models.
That last point is a genuine trap. The ML 85 headphones and the WM09 module belong to the 700 and 900, while the ML 80 and WM 08 belong to the 600 and 800. They do not cross over. A used 800 bought with a set of ML 85 headphones will not pair, and the reverse is also true.
Used 800 against new 700 is a close call. The 800 keeps Gold mode, the 20 and 40 kHz frequencies and manual noise cancel, plus a settings knowledge base built up since 2018. The 700 answers with 5 m waterproofing, a shaft that packs to 61 cm, the 119-segment ID scale, lighting and vibration, and a full three-year warranty. For a park and beach hunter, the 700 is the better detector. For a prospector on a tight budget, a sound used 800 is a way into Gold mode that the 700 will never offer.
The 800 also appears on Amazon as a bundle with a Pro-Find 15 pinpointer, and standalone stock is thin enough that a search is often the only route: Check Equinox 800 availability on Amazon.
Which Should You Buy?
| Your hunting | The pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Beach and saltwater | Equinox 700 | Both are IP68 to 5 m with Beach 1 and Beach 2; the extra frequencies do nothing in salt |
| Gold and mineralised ground | Equinox 900 | The only one with Gold mode and the 40 kHz top end |
| Iron-heavy relic sites | Equinox 900 | Recovery 1 to 8, iron bias 0 to 9, and the EQX06 6-inch coil in the box |
| High-EMI ground near power lines or towns | Equinox 900 | Manual noise cancel across 19 channels |
| Parks, fields and coins | Equinox 700 | Same core, same ID scale, fewer settings to misconfigure |
| First serious detector | Equinox 700 | Minelab files both as intermediate to advanced; the 700 asks less of a new user |
| Settings tinkerer | Equinox 900 | Four tone breaks, adjustable threshold pitch and eight stored profiles |
The honest summary is that for park, coin and beach hunting at anything near default settings, these two machines detect the same way, and owners who have moved from a 700 to a 900 consistently report very little between them for that kind of work. The bundled 6-inch coil is the most tangible thing in the box.
Owners making the bigger jump from an 800 report better separation and cleaner target ID in shallow, trashy ground, and those are field impressions rather than measurements.
If you are already running a 700 and feel you have outgrown it, the step that changes what you can hear is a different class of machine, not the 900. The Minelab Manticore adds a 2D target-ID map with ferrous and conductive axes, a full-colour display and Multi-IQ+, at the cost of extra weight and a heavier menu. That is the upgrade several experienced Equinox owners point to.
For anyone buying their first serious detector who expects to hunt saltwater, the beach-focused picks cover the same question from a different angle.
Accessory Compatibility: What Fits Which
Coils are the easy part. Minelab lists the EQX06 6-inch, EQX11 11-inch and EQX15 15 x 12-inch elliptical Double-D for the Equinox 700 and 900, which means a 700 owner can add the 6-inch coil later without changing machines. The same coils also fit the 600 and 800, so a used 800 keeps access to the whole range. See the coil guide for how each size behaves in trash, on the beach and in open fields.
Headphones and wireless modules are the hard part. The ML 85 and ML 105 sets and the WM09 module serve the 700, the 900, the Manticore and the X-Terra line. The ML 80 and ML 100 sets and the WM 08 module serve the 600 and 800. Nothing crosses over, and the ML 85 supplied with both current models is a land-use set, not a waterproof one. For submerged hunting you need Minelab's 3.5 mm waterproof headphones, which are listed under the Equinox 700 and 900 accessories: Check the Equinox waterproof headphones on Amazon. More options sit in the headphone roundup.
Watch the coil fittings as well. The newer EQX11 uses a Uni-Bolt mount while the EQX06 and EQX15 keep the original nut-and-bolt hardware, so swapping coils between the older and newer generations is worth checking before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Equinox 900 worth the extra money over the 700?
For gold prospecting, iron-infested relic sites, high-EMI ground or a hunter who genuinely uses tone breaks and saved profiles, yes. For park, coin and beach work near factory settings, the detection core is the same, the ID scale is the same and the waterproofing is the same, so the return is small. The bundled 6-inch coil is the clearest concrete extra.
Q: Does the Equinox 900 go deeper than the 700?
There is no controlled, published depth testing of these two models, and the documented difference sits in the control range rather than the transmit side. The 119-segment ID scale on both detectors describes a target more finely than the 50-segment scale of the 600 and 800; it does not reach further into the ground. Expect any claim of a depth advantage to be repeated dealer copy rather than a measured result.
Q: Can I add the 6-inch coil to a 700 later?
Yes. Minelab lists the EQX06 6-inch, EQX11 11-inch and EQX15 15 x 12-inch coils for both the 700 and the 900, so the coil that comes standard with the 900 is a direct add-on for the 700. It is the single most useful accessory for trashy ground on either detector.
Q: Will ML 80 Bluetooth headphones work with the 700 or 900?
No. The ML 80 and the WM 08 module belong to the Equinox 600 and 800, while the 700 and 900 use the ML 85, the ML 105 and the WM09. The two families are not interchangeable, so accessories bought for an older Equinox will not carry over to a new one.
Q: Which one handles wet salt sand better?
Neither has an edge. Both are IP68 rated to 5 m and both carry Beach 1 and Beach 2 profiles running on Multi-IQ, the same simultaneous multi-frequency engine. Where salt sand catches people out is sensitivity: the default setting of 20 is often too high in wet conductive sand, and dropping it, then raising iron bias, settles the audio on either machine.
Conclusion
The Equinox 700 and 900 are the same detector with two different price tiers of control. Same Multi-IQ engine, same 119-segment target ID, same IP68 waterproofing to 5 m, same 1.27 kg, same collapsible carbon-fibre shaft, same ML 85 headphones, same 5100 mAh battery and the same three-year warranty. What separates them is recovery speed range, iron bias range, manual noise cancel, four tone breaks instead of one, two extra single frequencies, Gold mode, two extra stored profiles and an EQX06 6-inch coil in the box.
Buy the 700 if your hunting is parks, fields, beaches and coins, and you would rather spend your attention on the ground than on a menu. It is the value pick of the range and the easier machine to learn on. Buy the 900 if you chase gold, hunt iron-choked relic sites, fight interference from substations and housing, or actually use tone breaks and saved profiles. Buy a used or old-stock 800 only if Gold mode and the 20 and 40 kHz frequencies matter more to you than 5 m waterproofing, a 61 cm packed length and the finer ID scale.
Check the Minelab Equinox 700 on Amazon if the first profile describes your hunting, or check the Minelab Equinox 900 on Amazon if you need the top of the frequency range and the wider iron controls.
For the wider picture, compare both against the rest of the Minelab range, the best waterproof detectors for surf and shallow water, the gold prospecting picks if Gold mode is the whole point, and the coin hunting options if it is not.
