The XP ICON and the more powerful XP ICON X work with XP FMF® (Fast Multi Frequency), i.e. simultaneous multi-frequency technology. Both are deliberately kept simple – switch on, choose a program, off you go. Their real strength, however, lies in the audio system: anyone who understands how PWM, Square, morphing, the tone profiles and reactivity interact will hear good targets even where others only perceive noise. This tutorial guides you step by step through the setup in the field and explains every audio function in practice.
Quick start in the field
Ready to go in under a minute – how to set up the detector on site.
Switch on the remote
Hold the power button for a few seconds until the display becomes active and the start-up tone sounds. The detector automatically performs a short frequency scan of the paired coil and selects a channel with little interference.
Choose a program
The ICON offers three factory programs: Field, Park and Beach. On arable land, start with program 1 “Field”. The ICON X provides six factory programs (including Field, Park, Forest, Beach & Surf).
Pair the MI-6 pinpointer
Open the settings menu and select the pinpointer icon. Hold the settings button to start pairing mode, then hold the power button of the MI-6 until its serial number appears. After that, the pinpointer tone comes straight through your wireless headphones.
Adjust the speaker volume
When using wireless headphones, set the external speaker volume from the factory setting of 5 to 0. You can leave all other factory settings unchanged for now.
“Listen” to the ground
On a new site, take a few minutes to observe how the detector reacts. This tells you whether you should readjust sensitivity, iron volume or reactivity.
Adjusting the basic settings
Iron volume
The volume of the iron tone can be adjusted separately – from mute to maximum (factory setting 8). Reduce the value if very trashy ground delivers too many iron signals, without losing the iron information completely. This keeps good targets in the foreground.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity can be adjusted in 25 levels. In built-up, urban areas or with electromagnetic interference (EMI), a lower value helps the detector run more smoothly. In our example, going from 25 to 22 was enough to suppress occasional false signals on iron edges.
PWM, Square & morphing
All ICON models offer two basic sound characteristics plus Stereo Audio Morphing as an addition:
PWM
The classic, very dynamic XP audio response. The sound carries overtone information that changes with signal strength and target distance – rich in information and, for many, the most meaningful feedback.
Square
A smoother, more even tone character. The volume still reflects the distance, but the tone sounds calmer – pleasant during long sessions or on noisy ground.
Stereo Audio Morphing
With morphing, the sound changes as you approach the target: close to the coil, two waveforms blend into a characteristic “morph”. This intuitively conveys how deep or how far from the coil a target lies – without looking at the display.
Important: The full stereo morphing effect requires XP stereo headphones from the ST series (e.g. WSA ST, WSA XL ST or WS6 ST). With mono headphones, you will only hear the change in tone to a limited extent.
Audio types 1–6
The audio types combine waveform (PWM or Square), morphing and – on the ICON X – additional sound enhancement. The ICON offers types 1–3 (standard curve), the ICON X additionally offers types 4–6 with an extended audio curve for more finely graded feedback.
PWM, without morphing
Pure PWM without enhancement. The waveform remains constant, regardless of the distance. Factory setting in the Park program.
Square with morphing
Smooth Square sound combined with morphing as you approach the target.
PWM with morphing
Like type 1, but with morphing – you can clearly hear the distance. Factory setting in the Field program.
PWM, enhanced ICON X
PWM with enhanced audio response – emphasises weaker signals.
Square, enhanced ICON X
Square with morphing and additional audio enhancement.
PWM, enhanced + morphing ICON X
PWM with morphing and enhanced response. A good choice for making deep targets more audible.
Choosing the right tone profile
The tone profile determines how much sound information the detector outputs about a target's conductivity. Both models offer Pitch as well as 2, 3, 5 and Full Tones.
| Tone profile | How it works |
|---|---|
| Pitch | Uses depth rather than conductivity: deep targets get a low tone, targets close to the surface a high tone. |
| 2 tones | Iron tone and high tone only. Low conductivities above the discrimination are output as high conductors (high tone). |
| 3 tones | Iron tone, medium tone and high tone. Factory setting in the Field program. |
| 5 tones | Finer division: low conductors move into their own lower tone category and are easier to distinguish. |
| Full Tones | Sliding scale – each conductivity gets its own tone (analogue characteristic). Valued by experienced detectorists for “reading” a target. |
On narrow screens, the table can be scrolled sideways.
Reactivity: separating targets
Reactivity controls how quickly the detector processes the ground and how well it separates targets lying close together. If an iron object and a small non-ferrous find lie close together, they easily merge into a single signal in one swing – a higher reactivity separates them again.
Low (1–2)
Slower, calmer processing with maximum depth in clean ground. However, targets lying close together may merge.
High (4–6)
Faster processing and much better separation – ideal in trashy, iron-rich ground or ground affected by EMI. At a high level, even weak targets at the edge of an iron signal still come through.
Difference between the models: The ICON adjusts reactivity from 1 to 5, the ICON X goes up to 6 (range 0–6). So only the ICON X reaches the highest separation level.
Field vs. Park: cleverly sorting out bottle caps
The classic bottle cap is a vivid example. It shows how much difference simply changing the program makes – without any further settings.
Field program
- Clearly signals the bottle cap as a supposedly good target.
- Also lets you hear small non-ferrous targets.
- Useful if you do not want to miss anything.
Park program
- Rejects the bottle cap as a factory setting.
- Still lets you hear small, good non-ferrous targets clearly.
- Saves a lot of unnecessary digging on trashy sites (campsites, farmyards).
ICON vs. ICON X compared
Both share the same platform and operating logic. The ICON X extends the ICON in exactly the areas that experienced detectorists appreciate.
| Feature | XP ICON | XP ICON X |
|---|---|---|
| Factory programs | 3 + 3 custom | 6 + 6 custom |
| Single frequencies | 4 & 14 kHz | 4, 14 & 28 kHz |
| Audio types | 3 (standard curve) | 6 (extended curve) |
| Reactivity | 1–5 | 0–6 |
| Iron resolution | 1-point | 0.5-point (finer) |
| Sensitivity | 25 levels | 25 levels |
| Discrimination | -6 to 10 | -6 to 10 |
| Ground balance | Grab / manual / auto | Grab / manual / auto |
| Shaft | S-Telescopic Lite | S-Telescopic Carbon Lite |
| Waterproof | to 5 m (IP68) | to 5 m (IP68) |
On narrow screens, the table can be scrolled sideways.
Common features: FMF® multi-frequency with automatic and manual frequency shift, a fully wireless concept (coil, remote, headphones), compatibility with the DEUS II FMF ecosystem (coils, ST headphones, pinpointers, Go Terrain app) and a non-motion pinpoint mode with audio and display indication.
Practical tips
- Listen first, then adjust. A few test swings show whether the ground is dry, trashy or affected by EMI – then adjust sensitivity and iron volume specifically.
- Recognise masking. A large iron object can mask small non-ferrous targets. A higher reactivity brings the weak target at the edge of the iron signal back out.
- Program before fine-tuning. Often, simply switching from Field to Park solves the “too much junk” problem without you having to change individual values.
- Make deep targets more audible. On the ICON X, audio type 6 (PWM + morphing + enhancement) makes deep signals more audible.
- Use the pinpointer. If the target is in the spoil, the paired MI-6 finds it quickly – the tone comes straight through the headphones.
