The Nexus Coronado 'Is It Relevant In 2023'

Recently I managed to pick up a Nexus Coronado secondhand in near perfect condition, it was a complete fluke that I discovered it so it was pretty clear to me that it was meant to be my machine. This specific model was first produced back in 2008 - Is The Coronado Relevant In 2023? I can answer with a very solid YES it most certainly is. But how can this be? it's a single frequency machine with no display, no discrimination meter or VDI display so it's clearly dated, obsolete garbage ...... right? ..... wrong, actually nothing could be further from the truth. In the time that I've been using it, it became clear very quickly that it's got all the characteristics of what I would expect from a Nexus metal detector. Is this blog going to be a sales pitch? nope, none of my review blogs are trying to sell anyone anything I'm simply going to describe how this machine operates and what I genuinely think of it. Second to that, the chance of you finding one of these units for sale would be a near impossible feat. 

From my understanding the first run of the Coronado range weren't as robust and resilient as the later models, I definitely have a later model because the build quality is fantastic, the machine's very solid and feels great in the hands. Not only that but out of all of my Nexus machines the Coronado is the lightest which makes it really nice to swing, there were a number of coils available at the time of release, I was lucky enough to get the dual 9' inch that came with my machine, I was really happy about this because it's one of my favourite coils to use. After comparing the weight of the dual 9' inch coil that I use on my Credo DDM, the one designed to be used with the Coronado is a lot lighter. Like all Nexus coils the build quality is fantastic.

The dual 9' inch coil is designed for general search and depth, as we know, all nexus machines are deep seeking, the dual 9' isn't really designed for unmasking. However, after messing about I found out that it actually does very well at unmasking nonferrous next to and under iron. Due to the coil design, it might only unmask from one specific angle but if I'm hunting a certain area of land using coils like this, I always make sure I approach it from all directions and as many angles as possible. Plus when swinging the coil, if I get a tiny indication that there could be a masked target due to the iron in the ground then I'll rotate on it to see if the potential nonferrous signal comes through. The video below demonstrates my point and shows the importance of rotating on targets out in the field that could potentially be masked.

The console is small and compact, it's very clean in its design, the dials are nice and big and they have just the right amount of resistance when turned. The settings are like most other Nexus machines, you have ground balance, disc, sensitivity, threshold and volume. On the back of the console you have a VCO control and underneath you have a switch that engages both iron rejection and all metal mode. All the controls are very intuitive and hark back to the older analog units of the 80's, however, the twist that the Coronado has is in its performance, it doesn't perform anything like the older analog detectors of yesteryear.

The main point that really stands out to me is the audio, it's super smooth and in all metal mode is very descriptive, you can literally draw a picture in your mind of the ferrous targets you're swinging over. The all metal/iron tone gives a low range warble, the non-ferrous tone can be adjusted by using the VCO, the non-ferrous tones are sweet and smooth and really leap out when the unit has locked on to a potentially good target. In all metal mode, due to how the audio works, with continued use you start to understand what a masked target sounds like and if there's a potential nonferrous signal in the same hole as iron. 

Below Is A Video Demonstrating The Audio Options.

Setting up the Coronado is simple, you set your sensitivity and ground balance, set the disc and adjust the threshold level to the desired volume, I have mine just on the edge of audible. When operating in all metal mode, the unit runs smooth, like all Nexus machines, it's best to swing the coil a few inches above the ground. For me a slow to moderate swing speed works best, it really locks on to targets very well, both small and large. Most of the time I run the machine in iron reject mode, doing this allows you to crank the sensitivity right up, not only that but the threshold still comes into play when running it in iron reject. It works very similar to the Tesoro machines in this regard, in iron reject mode, with both sensitivity and threshold teetering on the edge, the machine displays fantastic depth, especially on small targets and it runs so quiet, it's such a pleasure to use.

Below Is A Video Of Mixed Targets Dug Using The Coronado In Iron Reject Mode

I haven't swung my Coronado as much as my other machines so I'm still learning certain elements of it, for instance, in the video above I'm debating if the machine is falsing on iron. Switching from iron reject into 'all metal' would resolve this debate straightway because you'd hear the iron tone as clear as day. I do switch over on a few targets but it's a habit I need to get into doing regularly because you can gain so much more information switching to all metal.

Is The Coronado On The Same Level As The Nexus MP Series?

No of course it isn't, firstly you have to remember that this is an older Nexus machine, the MP series has a secret sauce all of its own but that doesn't mean the Coronado is average, it most certainly isn't. It displays fantastic performance in all areas, especially when it comes to depth, it's got that Nexus magic going on. So to answer the original question - Is The Nexus Coronado Still Relevant In 2023? my answer to this question is Yes it is, it's completely different to what's available in regards to current analog machines and would hold its own alongside anything that's currently out there. But putting all that aside, it's just a joy to use and I can see myself swinging it loads in the future. If you're lucky enough to find one 2nd hand, don't hesitate, it's a seriously impressive unit.