Does anybody have any opinion on QSI sound decoders? I have been trying to get in touch with the proprieter, Josh Shedaker, but he does not return emails, calls or faxes. I've only got the information that is listed there. If anyone else knows how to get in touch, I would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks
Try dealing directly with Tony's Trains. They run the show on QSI and other DCC products that they make anyway, so might as well deal with those who run the counter operations. They have sound files for all the decoders they sell, and you can sample them.
The Titan decoders are excellent. I have two installed in steamers, all BLI steamers that either had a decoder go bad (PCM Y6b Mallet with an early LokSound just quite making sounds one day), and a BlueLine non-DCC A Class 2-6-6-4 that only came with an analog sound-only decoder in it. I think the Paragon and Titan air pump sounds are the best in the hobby, although I haven't any experience lately with the newest LokSounds or TCS decoders.
Have to agree with that, QSI are not even in the same ball park as ESU when it comes to sound or motor control for that matter!
For what its worth, I have one QSI Titan decoder. It works fine. I have it set up for stereo operation and the overall sound is good. I'm not enough of an expert to judge the individual sounds. There are a few quirks such as the way it handles the headlight/reverse light. The lighting effect may be more prototypical but they don't match my ESU decoders. Specifically, when you select reverse the headlight does not go off, but instead it dims. The response to power input is quite different from the ESU decoders which creep quite nicely at speed step one right out of the box. The QSI doesn't move until speed step seven or eight. I haven't played with the settings yet to adjust that.
MY bottom line is that I will only purchase ESU decoders from here on. They work properly without having to play with a bunch of CVs. Why mess with sucess?
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I love these comparions of the SoundTrax - LOC - and QSI Titan.
The reviews ALWAYS put the decoders in different engines and then you hear these different decoders with different Speakers - and body resonance -
SO Naturally the ONE THEY want you to believe is the BEST is the one thay have put the time into!
I always thought that Soundtrax was the best as their sound just seemed crisper to me!!
We (our OPs Group) finally put the SOUND TEST together just to stop this second guessing the decoders!
We set up 3 Sound Decoders and oprimised the sounds in all three decoders all using the same engine and speakers.
We did up one engine with the speakers and a Soundtrax decoder.
We ran it for the group
We then swapped out the Soundtrax with the LOC Sound
Again ran it for everyone
Then swapped out the LOC for the Titan
Again ran it for everyone.
Everone still liked the Soundrtrax.
Then we took the QSI and set it up for stereo and put it in Emulation Mode
There was NO COMPAIRSON NOW!
The Emulation Mode make the difference.
Everyone that heard the Emulation QSI was impressed.
SO much for this He said She Said crap
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Maybe they once did, this is patently false now
Part of the web site list of features: Industry’s most comprehensive library of custom-recorded prototype sounds
OK, so that's marketing. But if they use computer synthesized sounds, why did they go through the effort to find one of the few remaining Winton 201 engines still running (in a tugboat!) and record the sounds, if they were just going to computer synthesize the whole thing anyway?
I'm still sticking with my Loksounds, and I think their collection of sounds blows away anyone else's in sheer variety, especially with all the new first gen sounds they recorded and recently released. Then you add in all the Euro loco sounds they have - definitely the most options.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I heard two recent factory-equipped HO scale diesel locomotives with Titan decoders at a hobby shop in Tucson, Arizona, today running on DCC, and must say that their horn is the worst I have ever heard from any sound decoder. It seemed to be more of a warbling sound than an air horn.
There may be some way of tweaking it to sound right, but the people at the hobby shop received no documentation with either model pertaining to the Titan decoder. One was a very recent Atlas product and I believe they said the other was from Bowser.
If Atlas and Bowser are no longer going to offer models with LokSound decoders, they can scratch me off their customer list.
cacole If Atlas and Bowser are no longer going to offer models with LokSound decoders, they can scratch me off their customer list.
So you are going to not buy Atlas or Bowser based on sound decoders? There are some very good diesels they sell ... just buy the non-sound version and add sound decoder of your choice.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Atlas just switched to Loksound, and maybe not in all of their models. I don;t think Bowser is switchign away from Loksound, they just switch TO them. Some of the new Baldwin switcher sounds that Loksound has were recorded originally for Bowser to put in the various Baldwin switchers - I need to program my DS4-4-1000 with the new version, mine still has the older Loksound sounds for Baldwin. Sounds pretty good, but the new one is even better. And absolutely positively recorded live from a real Baldwin switcher still using the original prime mover.
Tom - shoot me a PM with your info and I will call Josh at home to help you....
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I have a mixture of QSI, Soundtraxx and one MRC decoder equipped diesels. Only the MRC is what I would consider disappointing. Each of the others have their goods and bads. The only problem I have with QSI decoders is that I am not into trains to become a programmer. I have been reading their documentation off and on for six months trying to get optimum performance for a pair of Walthers p2k sd9's and still am not sure if I am doing the right things. Thought I would find some guidelines in online discussion groups like this but find the same thing time after time. A lot of back and forth bad mouthing about this product or that. Thought sure I would find some reference cv values that someone had developed but I was wrong. If a product is as bad as some let on I don't believe it would be on the market very long. For me, I am still looking for constructive information about programming decoders. Silly me I thought I would find lists of cv values developed for brand X and Y for an sd9 or sd40 or whatever.
Bearlover:
I've found that QSI decoders can be tuned up pretty well with JMRI's DecoderPro. I prefer their menu selection rather than trying to chase down a CV in the online documentation.
Joe