Who has better sound system - Lionel or MTH

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have a perspective on who has the better sounds system, Lionel's entry level steamers and diesels or MTH RailKing entry level steamers and diesels - Thanks for the help!

[macdannyk1]

It's all in the ears of the beholder.

[spankybird]

Consider this, to 99% of the people of the world, engine sounds, whistles, horns, and bells of trains are NOISE ,just ask anyone who live next to a set of tracks.

As much as I love trains, at 2:30am to hear three trains go by and blow their horns for the grade crossing, it is noise. [:O] (I live less than a ½ mile from the tracks).

You can’t compare it to music. [:D]

[Buckeye Riveter]

LGB

It can wake up the neighbors.[:D]

[Anonymous]

Both are very good. Depends solely on what your own ears interpret as the "best" or "most realistic" sounds. I kind of see it as six of one; a half-dozen of the other. Both--today--are excellent, although Lionel definitely had the lead in the early years of RailSounds and ProtoSounds.

[FJ and G]

There are many facets to the word "better" when it comes to sound.

A few example.

You can have the best sound in the industry but if the chuffs are only 2 to driver revolutions instead of 4, then the chuff sounds would be incorrect.

Secondly, better sound is quite often unwanted sound (called noise) that can easily be turned off. For instance, I love to hear the engine sounds but not the chatter. Until I got DCS, I couldn't turn off that chatter (unless I took the loco to someone who had it and turned it off). Now, I'm much happier hearing the sounds I selected and not the noise I didn't.

Third, you would want the sounds for the intended purpose of your locomotive. For example, I'm running a Santa Fe Northern (RK) with passenger sounds. However, I use the locomotive as a freight only. Fortunately, I can turn off the chatter.

So you see, defining what is better for you may be a different definition of what's better for me.

Dave Vergun

[Anonymous]

Both sound systems sound very good to my ears. Accuracy is another thing though.
I you have listened to the lionel UP M10,000 you will hear a neat distlilate 4 cycle engine, but if you listen to the MTH pioner zepher you will hear a very clean sounding emd 2 cycle latter generation diesel engine.
Both of these engines were the same as they were produced within weeks of each other.
MTH gets a 10 for good sound and a 0 for accuracy. Lionel gets a 10 for both sound quality and accuracy.
This is my opinion only. Dave Roxin.

[FJ and G]

Dave,

I have a similar gripe with the F-3 Railking. Sounds like a birthday party horn. Lionel's is much better.

I'm sure you can pick winners and losers from each company.

[3railguy]

Postwar Lionel gearboxes, air whistles, and bicycle horns make the best sounding noise.

[CB&Q]

I disagree that train horns at 2-6 a.m. are anoying . I grew up less than a 1/2 mile from train station&freight yards it always gave me great pleasure to hear it no matter what time of day. as to train sounds in our toys after you get 3-6 trains goin you can't pick who's what or where. mostly I enjoy a single steamer bell banging labored chuffing at a snails pace whistle blaring ahh sweet dreams of days gone past but yet good memories. as to who is best go to your local train yard no toy comes close to the real thing. this is just my opinon , I wish I had recorded it all.