Hi everyone!
I need to buy some sound decoders. I have used Loksound and Soundtraxx in the past and have been happy with the sounds, but not so much the price. Digitrax is offering the SDH164D family of sound decoders at half the price or less of the other brands.
I will state up front that I don't like poor sounding locomotives so maybe I have already answered my own question (i.e. you get what you pay for). I have searched the forums for previous posts about the Digitrax SDH decoders and found only a few comments. Most of the comments seem to be ambivalent at best, with some being somewhat critical of the sound quality. There were also questions raised about what speakers should be used.
I would like to hear from those of you who have installed the SDH164D decoders. What are your opinions regarding the quality of sound? Are they good value or too good to be true?
Thanks as always.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I like em(in diesels anyway): they have plenty of volume, I use an cut off section of a dremel cut off wheels container for a speaker encloser ,you can down load sound packs for a few types a diesels with a pr-3 ,I put two in so far 1 in a GP 9 p2k 1 in a SD-7 p2k in both locos the round speaker and incloser had to go into the cab pointing down ,the engineer and fire man had to go,some minor trimming inside .
the negatives ,32 ohlm round speaker may not work in a lot engine types, small ovals hard to find in 32 ohm ,haven't tryed yet but they say you can use a 8 ohm w/ a resistor but you loose a little clarity,haven't tryed YET . they are a hard wire type install @ the bargain price ,there is a lot of extra wires hanging off the decoder (Ijust cut em off to the plug for tidiness). Oh and very important theres a slite stall when you sound the horn but bye adjusting CV 58 (I think)to 1 or 0 its fine .
all in all I think there pretty good for the price ,and work nice in a helper or consist with a better quality sound unit for a change up in sound. need a bit a room for the round speaker ,the default GP-38 horn sounds great .
go to goggle and do a search on sdh164d you should find a couple a you tubes of installed sound
I'm thinking of installing one in my new pioneer zephyr and downloading a emd switcher for sound ,I know it wont be rite but who's going to know.
alot of people confuse it with other digitrax sound decoders that had no volume ,its not the same "try it ,you'll like it" @ 39.00 american ,you can get hurt that bad....Jerry oh lighting is ok you need a resistor for leds ect
try this http://youtu.be/0lQEcawAdFs
heres one of a guy making his own sound packs ,looks easy http://youtu.be/CbIL6e4FTfM
and put smiles on the grand kids http://youtu.be/hT9AiNX7n6o im surprized more folks arnt being creative
Thanks for the info, Big Jerr. I watch threads about sound decoders, and I think you're the first one who has actually installed one of these decoders and could comment on it first-hand.
These decoders come loaded with a "default steam" and a "default diesel" sound package. You can switch between them by changing a CV. However, if you want to get a different package to match your locomotive better, you will need to download it yourself. This requires a PR-3 (or the older PR-2) programmer unit, which costs more than the decoder itself. Your LHS may have one that you can use.
Computer-wise, these decoders use 8-bit sound encoding. They are much more "crude" than the Tsunami or LokSound decoders, which use 16-bit encoding. An audiophile will easily notice the difference, although the casual visitor to your layout probably would not. I have a few Sound Bug decoders installed in dummy engines, and they're fine for what they do. The Sound Bug is a sound-only decoder from Digitrax that also uses 8-bit encoding.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
You cna buy the Digitrax decoders from Ulrich already programmed with somethign other than the default sounds, if you don't want to mess with a PR3 at home.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
oh yes Randy is correct (whats new) ,urich only charges 5 or 6 bucks more with pre loaded sound .I got a pr-3 for decoder pro but the soundloader came with it and it turns out to be handy for these decoders .the selection of locos is weak but I think the more popular the loadible decoders the more sound packs will be avalible.
here,s my crude installs http://youtu.be/kmGzDIB-xfU
Jerry
David is correct; there is no comparison to soundtrax,QSI &lenz . but at two for the price of one they come very close , lets work the numbers 2x39 =78.00$ buys you 2x8 bit =16 total bits and 2x1 notch = 2 notches an 2x 3 sounds @ once = 6 total sounds at once ,and does it sound like the real thing ,no, two of them sound like my qsi decoders (but I think qsi horns are a bit better) and you get two speakers to boot and enough change to get a bowl of spaghetti w/meatballs
a Lil joke there Dave.
no, there is NO comparison they are simply a Cheap alternative to the other three for those who just cant throw 100.$ into every peace of equipment ,but they have there place in the market place and in my train world ,they are worth a try and open up to some a way to create ther own sound ....Jerry
I've tried it both ways, and after all is said and done, I want a Tsunami in my locomotives. Still, if I've got a dummy engine, it's getting a Sound Bug. I have a Bachmann 0-6-0T tank engine. It's kind of small for a sound decoder, and it would be a tough job to install, but this engine is assigned to carfloat duty in Mooseport, so I plan to install the SoundBug in a building or under the layout and just let the sound come out from that corner of the layout. I got a giant-sized 3-inch speaker for it.
When you think of the price of a decoder, also consider installation. If you are having it done, it's no more expensive to install a Tsunami than it is an SDH164D. Or, if you're doing it yourself, it takes no longer and it's no harder to install the Tsunami. In the end, though, you will be much happier with the better sound decoder.
Low end Digitrax sound has its place. For me, it's in dummy engines.
Hi guys!
Thanks for your input. You have done two things for me - first you have saved me some money by suggesting that I would not be happy with the bargain priced decoders, and second - you have cost me a fortune (at least in the furture)! Putting the good quality decoders into my locomotives is going to be a big investment!
Thanks for taking the time to prove to me that I was right the first time - "you get what you pay for!" Your advice and experience is very much appreciated as always.
the wise decision Dave ;only you know what you can live with ,and what you can budget for . the sountraxx to me is the best high end value @ 80.00 + speaker. plus Once you understand the equalizer cv's you can really dial it in to your taste .I have NO experience with the locksound but have heard good reviews of it. my stable is mostly QSI factory installed, I really like them but would not pay the extra dollars over the soundtraxx if installing my self.have fun ...Jerry
I purchased a Digitraxx SDH146D at a local train show from an authorized dealer, and I thought I was in heaven, the price was just great...$36.95...on getting back to my shop ( electronics ) I installed it into an HO steam engine and the installation went very smoothly, but on firing it up was dissapointed in the sound of the bell & Horn, the other sounds were fine but the bell was cutoff from ringing fully, more of a Clank than a true bell, plus the level could not be raised with the cv value changes, and neither could the horn. I called customer service and they basically said "that's the way it is"....Oh well you get what you pay for...........
I had much the same experience. After hearing about the product at the local Plant City Model Railroad Club, I decided to give it a try. Purchased the decoder at a train show, got home all excited and installed the unit in an engine and was very disappointed with the sound. I think, however, I was more disappointed with the response that I received from Digitrax when I called for help. It was kind of a tone of well, you get what you pay for and we got our money, see ya. I also own a Zepher and I am pleased with that product, but I do hope that I never need service, given my last contact experience.
I've installed 4 of them, even in a HO Atlas MP15DC. I'm more than satisfy with the results. Easy to install, and to configure. I think that for the price it's a great option!
Of course I will be changing one per one for a Tsunami or another better, but they will be always ready to install in another locomotive!
No no NO again. Digitraxz sound decoders do NOT just loop Noth 1. Maybe SOME sound projects do. But before talking about this, check outht eh Digitrassound group on Yahoo. Between Fred Miller and some of the other people on there, they have made these decoders do just about everything but take out the trash for you. Including not only distict notches (someone has to get a proper recording for that - if you only record a real loco at notch 1 you can;t get an accurate notch 8 sound), but also the ramp up and ramp down between notches.
The REAL problem with the Digitrax sound decoders is that the way the code in them is written, you have to use Digitrax proprietary code in any cound set you create. Not a complete problem since digitrax allows you to give this away. What IS a problem is that someone who buys the proper equipment and then spends the time to convince some railroad to let them record one of their locos runnign through a full set of static load tests to get all the sounds - well, I can;t expect someone who goes through all that trouble to just give away the results of their hard work. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to SELL sound sets for Digitrax sound decoders. Thus, very few options other than what's already in the Sound Depot - some are good, some are not. Many superior sound sets have been demonstrated in Youtube videos but in many cases are simply for the owner's personal layout - either they don;t want to give away their sounds (can;t blame them) or they used sounds from another source that they do not have rights to distribute to others.
I installed a Digitrax SDH164D in a Proto Heritage 2-8-4 yesterday and the decoder after installation played for a couple of minutes and then you could only hear a faint clicking noise.
Using a Zephyr I was unable to write to CV8 for a restart.
So, I will package up the decoder and send an note to Digitrax and see what develops.
Anyone else encounter a brief lifespan with their SDH164D decoder?
Hi there Dave,
I know I am jumping into this thread late and perhaps you have already done your sound, but ........ I have just fitted a SDH164D to a Bachmann RS3, ( the sound project still needs to be changed from the GP38-2) and it sounds great, it a fantastic decoder for the price you pay.
Speaker issues with the 32ohm collusus they supply you with is easy to get around. Have a look for an old mobile phone headset ( I used my old Blackberry ones) they carry 16 Ohm Speakers, and the are minute, and very good quality, stripped the headphones of the speakers, soldered them to the Decoder and bobs your uncle, ( or your aunt if thats what makes him happy)
Issues programing with Digitrax super Chief, could not program anything in PAGE Mode as digitrax recomended, but got it all done on the program track under ops mode. ( I ahve an isolator switch that kills ALL current to track for this kind of oddball programing.)
Hope this helps ?
Regards
Greg
When all is said and done Model Railroading is fun, rivet counters included. whether we are creating exact prototypes, or just having fun, keep it real and remember, we do it for the fun.
http://s1113.photobucket.com/albums/k507/Greg_Atkins/