Actually this is interesting as real steam era engineers ran their locos the same way, by listening to what they were saying to them.
I just installed a MRC 1955 decoder into a brand new Atlas GP7. I must say it fits and works perfect, I also hard wired it instead of using the original Atlas motor contacts. The only thing I would change is the max volume, when it gets about 3-4 feet away it's a little hard for me to hear. I don't have the best hearing! The sound is great, just as good if not better than my soundtraxx FA. 28 functions including auto and manual notch mode, engine shut down, ect., ect. The 1955 is one of the new 16 bit DCC loco sound decoders.
I have a love/hate relation to sound..There has been times at the HO club during the week of the county fair I wanted to run from the building screaming with my hands over my ears since the sound was loud and annoying. I love sound when its set at a comfortable setting. To my mind DCC/Sound goes together like peanut butter and jelly.. As a example of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYovzfNiFKQ To my mind that brings out the best in DCC and Sound.
In N scale I find the sound nowhere as pleasing as with HO. And the two n scale loco I have were factory installed. The sound isn't as good as with HO. But I do like the concept of having sound in my locos. It will come around I feel as time progresses.
I know I am going to get ripped for this, but I am old school and an old timer and still even a hundred bucks is very important to me and still represents a lot of money. So, I watch closely what I buy and how much I pay for it, no matter where or why, and still I get burned every once in a while. I love to see new technology coming out, and we all generally accept that the new locos and rolling stock are far superior in looks and performance overall than those old Mehano's, Roco's, and Rivarossi's of years past, but I still have sentimentality toward some of them. Now that I am retired, one of the big bennies is that I get to roam around all of the LHS's in the Miami/Dade to Palm Beach metropolitan areas, and know almost all of the owners generally as I am considered a regular customer, who doesn't complain much. Since I go through the week, stores are a little less busy then and I am shown what is new, in the hopes I will spend some money, of course. I have seen and heard most of the sound systems, and in my opinion, sound is generally good but not good enough, as sound is restricted by the size and still sounds like an old Mickey Mouse Puff N'Toot record or my first transistor radio I had in 1958. Just not worth the money. I even watched some of the new Athearn articulateds and was put off by the sound, as these beauts were compromised by the sound, again in my opinion. I guess I am waiting for it to get to where I was spoiled at a train show. My former club had a vendor who sold real train videos only, his name was Randysounds, a definitely cool guy, and still is in business. He used to play a joke at train shows, knowing the entire club membership would drop what ever was being done when they heard the whistle of a real freight train approaching on the tracks next to the train station where the club was. He always brought the latest in sound systems and in the middle of a crowded train show, he turns up the amp to a freight train recorded in Georgia and we all ran to the station platform to anticipate the supposed oncoming freight. Total joke, but the sound showed me what could be done with a minimum of equipment, and for that I am waiting. I am not saying that today's sound is bad, but I have heard way better, and know it will be coming soon. That is when I part with "my hundred dollars". Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
Ken, I don't expect you will get ripped at all for your illuminating comments. I expect the whole discussion will be run along age / disposable income based lines. I want a few DCC locos with sound but I will wait till it meets my "needs" meet my "wants" which don't exist.
Grey One, After reading your reply, thanks, but I read my post again with your comments still fresh in my mind. I did not mean to "poor mouth" as that is not the case. I have been blessed with a nice career, and live on a very comfortable pension, and have nothing on my hands except time, and I try to make it quality time. I am kidded by others often when I ponder over prices or show restraint until a better deal comes along, but I have a larger N inventory than all hobby shops down here, (except maybe TexNRails and perhaps Ready to Roll), so I am far from hurting. I have a code I try to live by, which originally I reluctantly heard from my mentor, and later learned, which is "if you give something you can spare away without expecting any payment or payback, life will pay you back several times over". I laughed at that back when I was 39, and now over the years of being proved wrong, I am now a believer. I do not routinely give away my super good stuff, of course, but will provide something to a fellow model railroader friend who needs something. It has paid me back THOUSANDS over the years. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman :thumbs_up::thumbs_up::thumbs_up:
Too sum things up.... Sound done right can really add to the experience of running a train. Sound done wrong is just an annoyance and distracting. It's up to you do decide if it's worth it or not. With the new digitrax offerings, sound is no long a $100+ upgrade if you are willing to do a little work on your own to create your own sounds to fill it.
I did not read the entire thread but would like to throw in my .02 cents. I simply use the volume control on the one unit I have and set it for those who are in close proximity can hear it. This way it is mostly only heard in the immediate area the model is traveling in and does not project the sound to far into the rest of the room.
