BLI locos w/ Quantum Sound System

[johncolley]

I have a pair of E-7's and have noticed that the pitch of the sound system doesn't have the bass that the advertising soundbytes have. I know the sound level (system volume) is an adjustable cv, but can anyone tell me if there is a way to change the balance by increasing the bass? I am getting ready to purchase the nw2 yard switcher(s) and want to know if the same situation exists. Will they sound just like the E-7's or will they have a deeper note? I have not been able to contact BLI by the e-mail reply address given in their ad. John Colley Port Townsend WA

[MudHen_462]

John,

I have a BLI Great Northern E-7A, and the pitch is a little higher than the BLI site
soundbyte. I also have a NW-2 (GN) on order.... but do not know if there is also
a problem with the NW-2 horn sound. I also have the BLI Mikado and it's whistle
sound is great.

GOOD LUCK in getting a response out of BLI..... I have e-mailed them with
three different questions, and no reply to date !

IronGoat

[AntonioFP45]

Hello Johncolley,

Sorry to read that you can't get a hold of them. They're usually pretty decent about returning e-mails. You may have to give them up to a week. Was it the
[e-mail] address that you attempted? The phone number is 540-949-8300

My LHS has a Burlington E7 that's used for customer demonstrations. It , IMHO, sounds great but I notice that the prime mover sound, while accurate, is not very deep. But it may be as even quality speakers that are tiny, while sounding crystal clear, can only handle so much "low end" responses. I'm not an electronics expert but I've heard this explanation before.

One thing that might be helpful:

Call around and find a model railroad shop in your city that already has at least one BLI E7 in stock. Tell the sales rep or manger of your problem and ask if he would allow you to bring your unit in and compare the sounds to that store's E7 on their test track. If the two E units sound identical then your unit is fine. If there is a "noticeable" difference, then you definetly have a case with BLI. It could be as you think that an adjustment needs to be made.

Let us know how it goes! Hope all goes well. [;)][tup]

[MudHen_462]

Thanks, Antonio...

I'll check with my buddy (LHS owner) on that, along with one other item.... the
number board is not a real good fit, as a fair amount of light shows through on
both sides of each number board. It's like the number board insert (#512) is too
small for the number board housing.

I just received my E-7A on Apr. 17th, so I am just finishing my "walk-arounds"
and have noticed that problem. An internet buddy has also just received his
GN E-7A, and he has number board problems also. Other than that, I love
both BLI locomotives.... their overall quality and operation is FANTASTIC,
and i am looking forward to my NW-2.

In answer to your question, I did use the [e-mail] address
with all three messages, and it has been at least two weeks since the last
message. In the meantime I have been able to find the information elsewhere,
I just thought it strange that a company would not reply to an product inquiry.

Thanks for your assist, and information.
Bob Hollowell
IronGoat

[AntonioFP45]

Hey Bob,

Glad that the info was helpful.

Regarding the number boards. Sounds like BLI does have an assembly line problem there. I wonder though if just applying a black or grey putty or an epoxy followed by some black paint would solve the "light, leak- thru" problem. It is annoying though that a brand new locomotive needs "fixing". I plan on purchasing a BLI E7 and an SD40-2. I hope BLI does reply to your e-mail. They started out with very good PR when they "burst onto the scene". Hopefully they're interested in maintaining a positive relationship with customers.

Go to the top of this page and E-mail this topic to that same BLI e-mail address that they list. They already know that hundreds of modelers read these threads! Word spreads very quickly and potential sales could be lost. Two people I ran into at a recent train show were unhappy with some of BLI steamers that they purchased. They stated that BLI acted "very quickly" to fix their problems. They were satisfied!

Take care and God Bless, Amigo!

[MudHen_462]

Thanks, Antonio... The topic has been forwarded to BLI.

God bless,
IronGoat

[johncolley]

Thanks, guys, I am also a "Rocky" fan and am modelling GN in 1947 with a 14 car E.B. and a 55 -60 car freight pulled by Stewart FT's ABBA (all powered)with a spare AB to go 2/3 way back if the layout I'm running on has grades. The Stewarts will be my first attempt at conversion to DCC. I wrote the above topic in hopes that all their diesels aren't using the same sound decoder package. I was there and I know they didn't all sound the same!John

[AntonioFP45]

Johncolley,

What will you be using for your conversion? Soundtraxx DSX sound decoders in conjunction with motor decoders from another company, or will you be going with Soundtraxx sound/motor decoders?

[orsonroy]

Low end bass is deeply affected by the size of the speakers, which are about 1.25" on the BLI engines. This makes for bad low-end sound, which is one reason why many people don't like onboard sound ("it's too tinny"). The sound file is exactly the same on your engine as it is online; it's just the differences in speakers that's causing the weak bass.

[AntonioFP45]

Orsonroy,

Your're absolutely correct!

Quick question: Do you or anyone else know if Oval shaped speakers would handle bass better than round shaped speakers? Oval shaped speakers come in similar sizes and electrical ratings.

Thanks![:D][8D][8)]

[johncolley]

AntonioFP45, For my Stewart FT's I will be using Digitrax DH163D for 3 of the units, and converting 1 'B' unit back to a dummy and have Soundtraxx with "wall to wall" sound. in it. It will be the second unit of the foursome. I realize that will cut my pulling power by 25% but I believe it will be worth the tradeoff, and a whole lot cheaper than going Soundtraxx all the way. The thinking is if I had to do any modifying the frames for all four plus the cost of Soundtraxx decoder units, speakers etc. I would be close to spending $1,000 I could use elsewhere, like 2 nw-2 switchers, and a NCE radio Pro Cab setup. Any thoughts on this approach are welcomed. John

[MudHen_462]

Antonio,
I received a respose from my e-mail to "info" at BLI.... response was from Chan Yang, ([e-mail]).
who thanked me for forwarding the discussion link. He said that a possible cause was the speakers being out of phase. In that case, the problem can be fixed by swaping wires on one of the speakers.... and that it did not matter which speaker. He added it would be best for me to call BLI (which is my next course of action).

Thanks again,
IronGoat

[AntonioFP45]

Thanks JohnColley.

Irongoat,

Has BLI responded to you yet?

[johncolley]

Guys, my problem is that my e-mail doesn't recognise the site! Unable to get a message into it! As for the speakers being out of phase, I don't think that is the problem as both units are sounding about the same whether on DC or DCC, just not the amount of bass as on the soundbyte. The speakers for my computer are about two and a half times the diameter of the ones in the units, which would account for the difference. I also hope they are not using the same soundbyte for all their diesels, eh?

[MudHen_462]

Antonio...

Sorry for the delay, but I was on a three day fishing trip, and have just returned.

No email, or phone messages from BLI ! I will try calling them tomorrow.

THANKS
Bob Hollowell / IronGoat

[MudHen_462]

BLI's suggestion about "out of phase" speakers seems to be the only solution, as they stated that they have not received any other complaints of sound problems. I took my E-7A to my LHS and we compared it to other BLI E-7's and there really was not any noticeable difference.

Iron Goat