Garrett ACE Apex Multi-Frequency Metal Detector with Z-Lynk Wireless Headphones

The Garrett ACE Apex with Z-Lynk Wireless Headphones (Garrett part number 1142325) is a multi-frequency metal detector that ships with the 6 x 11 in DD Viper search coil and Garrett MS-3 Z-Lynk wireless headphones. It runs single frequencies of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kHz plus two simultaneous modes, Multi-Frequency and Multi-Salt. Garrett lists the ACE Apex at 2.5 lbs with the Viper coil and an adjustable length of 40 to 53 in. The search coil and lower stem are fully submersible. The control box is built to keep out rain, but Garrett says it should never be submerged. It suits coin, jewelry and relic hunters who also work wet sand and want wireless audio from the first day.

Who the Garrett ACE Apex with Z-Lynk Headphones Is For

Choose this package if you hunt parks, fields and beaches with one detector and you want headphones in the box. Garrett describes the ACE Apex as suited to coin shooting, relic hunting, shallow water wading and beach hunting. It sits with our other multi-frequency metal detectors.

A different model is the better choice if:

• You want to go underwater with the whole detector. The ACE Apex control box cannot be submerged. Garrett rates the Garrett Vortex VX5 and the rest of the Vortex series as submersible to 16 ft (5 m).
• You want more frequency choices and a beach mode in a fully submersible detector. The Garrett Vortex VX9 runs 5, 9, 13, 18 and 25 kHz plus Multi-Frequency and Multi-Salt, in a higher price band.
• You want a simpler detector and a lower price band. The Garrett ACE 400 is the model below the ACE Apex in Garrett's ACE line.
• You already own Z-Lynk headphones. Garrett sells the same ACE Apex with the Viper coil and no headphones as part number 1142320.

What's Included with the Garrett ACE Apex (1142325)

Garrett standard contents, as of October 2026

• Garrett ACE Apex multi-frequency metal detector
• 6 x 11 in DD Multi-Flex Viper search coil
• Garrett MS-3 Z-Lynk wireless headphones with USB charging cable
• Micro-USB charging cable for the detector
• Viper search coil cover

Serious Detecting does not add anything to this listing. What you receive is Garrett's package.

Not included

• A USB wall charger. Garrett supplies the cable only.
• A pinpointer, digging tool or carry bag
• A 1/8 in to 1/4 in headphone adapter, which Garrett sells separately for wired headphones with a 1/4 in plug

Warranty: Garrett states that all Garrett metal detectors come with a 3-year limited warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship. Garrett's warranty excludes batteries.

Multi-Flex Frequencies and Ground Balance on the ACE Apex

Garrett calls the ACE Apex platform Multi-Flex and describes it as a broad-bandwidth digital platform. In use it gives you six choices: 5, 10, 15 or 20 kHz as single frequencies, Multi-Frequency, and Multi-Salt. Garrett says the higher frequencies suit smaller and less conductive targets such as hammered silver coins and gold nuggets. Multi-Salt is the simultaneous mode for saltwater ground.

Garrett lists the ACE Apex ground balance as automatic and high resolution, with 175 points of resolution ranging from ferrous ground to saltwater.

Wet Sand and Saltwater Beach

Salt water and wet sand make most single-frequency detectors noisy. On the ACE Apex, Multi-Salt is the mode for that ground. The Viper coil and lower stem are fully submersible, so you can work the wet sand and shallow wash.

On wet salt sand we start with sensitivity at 6 or 7 of 8 and drop one step at a time if the audio gets choppy. We ground balance on a clean patch of sand before we start, and we notch out only the first one or two iron pixels so small gold rings are not rejected.

Limits: the ACE Apex is not a waterproof detector. Garrett says the control box should never be submerged, and that its rain protection depends on the rubber covers being fully seated in the USB and headphone openings. Keep the control box above the waves. Our guide to beach metal detectors covers fully submersible options, and you can compare them in our beach metal detectors collection.

Park Coin and Jewelry Hunting

Old parks hold clad coins, silver and jewelry mixed in with bottle caps and pull tabs. The ACE Apex has a US Coins mode with coin icons on the display, a Target ID scale from 0 to 99, and five-tone audio, so you get a read on a target before you swing back over it.

In a clean park we run Multi-Frequency at sensitivity 6 of 8, and 4 or 5 near power lines. We set Iron Volume to 1 or 2 so iron is quiet but still there, and we notch out iron only, because rejecting pull tabs also rejects nickels and small gold.

Limits: no detector tells a pull tab from a gold ring by number alone, and the ACE Apex is no exception. Our guide to metal detectors for coins covers what to look for in a coin detector.

Relic and Old Homestead Sites

Relic ground is usually full of iron. The ACE Apex gives you 20 pixels of notch discrimination, 8 of them for iron, and eight Iron Volume steps, so you can hear iron quietly instead of removing it.

For larger brass and iron relics we lock the ACE Apex at 5 kHz. When small lead and buttons are the goal we move to 15 or 20 kHz. We keep sensitivity at 5 or 6 of 8, leave discrimination open, and make dig calls from the tone and the Target ID number. The 6 x 11 in Viper coil is narrow enough to work between iron targets around a cellar hole.

Limits: the Viper is a mid-size coil. For open plowed fields a larger coil covers ground faster, and in very dense iron a smaller coil separates better. Garrett's Raider, Ripper and Reaper coils also fit the ACE Apex. See our guide to relic hunting detectors.

Garrett ACE Apex Key Features in Use

• Six frequency choices: 5, 10, 15 and 20 kHz, Multi-Frequency and Multi-Salt. Pick a single frequency for a specific target type or a simultaneous mode for mixed ground.
• 175 points of ground balance resolution: Garrett gives the range as ferrous ground to saltwater.
• Six detection modes plus pinpoint: Zero, Coins, US Coins with coin icons, Jewelry, Relics and Custom.
• Five-tone audio and large Target ID numbers: five distinct tones with a 0 to 99 Target ID scale on a backlit LCD.
• Hybrid audio: Garrett describes it as binary audio with subtle proportional audio for faint targets, so a weak deep signal sounds different from a strong shallow one.
• Iron Volume: eight steps. Turn iron down without turning it off, and without lowering the volume of good targets.
• Notch discrimination: 20 pixels, including 8 pixels of iron.
• Eight sensitivity and depth adjustments, a target depth indicator and volume control for both the built-in speaker and headphones.
• Updatable: Garrett says the ACE Apex is designed to be upgraded through the Micro-USB connection.

Built-In Z-Lynk Wireless Audio and Rechargeable Battery

Z-Lynk wireless is built into the ACE Apex, so there is no transmitter to clip on. Garrett describes Z-Lynk as up to 6 times faster than Bluetooth, and its MS-3 headphone page gives the delay as 17 milliseconds. The MS-3 Z-Lynk wireless headphones in this package connect to the detector with no cable. The ACE Apex also has a built-in speaker and a 1/8 in jack for optional wired headphones.

The built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to approximately 15 hours of use, depending on settings, according to Garrett. It charges through the included Micro-USB cable. Garrett says the rapid charging system needs 500 mA for the fastest charge, recommends charging for 4 to 5 hours before first use, and says the detector should be switched off during charging to speed it up. The LCD is backlit for low light.

Garrett ACE Apex Compatibility: Coils, Headphones, Pinpointer and Charging

• Search coils: Garrett makes three other Multi-Flex coils for the ACE Apex: the 8.5 x 11 in DD Raider (part 2223700), the 5 x 8 in DD Ripper (part 2223800) and the 14 x 11 in DD Reaper (part 2223900). Browse our metal detector search coils and our guide to coil size and shape.
• Coils that do not fit: Garrett states that prior ACE coils are not compatible with an ACE Apex detector.
• Wireless headphones: Garrett says any Garrett Z-Lynk wireless product is compatible with the ACE Apex. Bluetooth headphones are not compatible. Other wired headphones can be used wirelessly through Garrett's optional WR-1 receiver.
• Wired headphones: any set with a 1/8 in plug, or a 1/4 in plug with an adapter. See our metal detector headphones.
• Pinpointer: Garrett names the Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk as a Z-Lynk product that works with the ACE Apex, so its audio can come through the same headphones. It is in our Garrett pinpointers collection.
• Charging: a Micro-USB cable and a USB power source. Garrett says 500 mA gives the fastest charge.
• Other Garrett parts: our Garrett parts and accessories list shows what fits each model.

How This ACE Apex Package Compares

Garrett sells the ACE Apex in four standard packages, plus a camo special edition. The detector is the same in each one. The coil and the headphones change.

Garrett part number	Search coil	MS-3 Z-Lynk wireless headphones
1142320	6 x 11 in DD Viper	Not included
1142325 (this listing)	6 x 11 in DD Viper	Included
1142360	8.5 x 11 in DD Raider	Not included
1142365	8.5 x 11 in DD Raider	Included

Closest model down: the Garrett ACE 400, in a lower price band. Garrett lists the ACE 400 at 10 kHz, adjustable, with no multi-frequency mode. Pick the ACE 400 if you hunt dry land for coins and do not need multi-frequency.

Closest model up: the Garrett Vortex series. Garrett rates every Vortex model as submersible to 16 ft (5 m), and all of them have Z-Lynk wireless. Garrett lists the Vortex at 3 lbs with its 8.5 x 11 in coil, against 2.5 lbs for the ACE Apex with the Viper coil. Stay with the ACE Apex if you keep the control box out of the water and want the lighter detector. If gold nuggets are your main target, compare our gold detectors first.

Garrett ACE Apex Specifications

• Operating frequencies: 5, 10, 15, 20 kHz, Multi-Frequency, Multi-Salt
• Search coil: 6 x 11 in DD Multi-Flex Viper, fully submersible
• Ground balance: automatic, high resolution, 175 points, ferrous ground to saltwater
• Detection modes: Zero, Coins, US Coins, Jewelry, Relics, Custom, plus pinpoint
• Discrimination: 20 pixels of notch discrimination, including 8 iron pixels
• Target ID: 0 to 99 scale
• Sensitivity: 8 adjustments
• Audio: five tones, hybrid audio, Iron Volume with 8 steps, built-in speaker, 1/8 in headphone jack, built-in Z-Lynk wireless
• Display: backlit LCD
• Weight: 2.5 lbs with Viper coil
• Length: adjustable, 40 to 53 in
• Battery: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion, up to approximately 15 hours
• Water protection: search coil and lower stem fully submersible. Control box rainproof, not submersible
• Warranty: 3-year limited Garrett warranty

Buying the ACE Apex from Serious Detecting

Serious Detecting is an authorized Garrett dealer with a showroom in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Every ACE Apex we sell carries Garrett's 3-year limited warranty, and our detectorists can help you choose between the Viper and Raider packages before you buy. Browse the Garrett ACE Apex collection or the full Garrett range.