QUOTE: Originally posted by mkroeker I posted some fairly detailed observations on an earlier post a day or two back regarding this issue under the header "Genesis Challenger Thoughts?", so I won't re-hash it all here. After about six hours of continuous running, the Challenger continues to please me and my young son with it's smooth operation and trouble free mechanicals. Running it alongside the BLI stable we have reveals how wimpy the sound system is, however. I am disappointed in the sound, as I have stated before. It is tolerable, but not up to QSI in any way. The locomotive's execution in terms of detail and finish cry out for a better sound chip. This is a beautiful loco saddled with a chintzy sound chip, IMHO.
QUOTE: Originally posted by locomotive3 "how wimpy the sound system is" But does it sound like a Challenger? About a month ago Athearn told a dealer the the sound "is proprietary made exclusively for the Challenger". My material did not include the warranty/instruction card as specified by the manual. Did anybody receive their's? Master Modeler brakie has promised us his Athearn evaluation. Perhaps any time soon.
QUOTE: Again, I have described the differences in sound quality between the the MRC chip in the new Challenger, and the QSI chip in the Lionel version in a previous post. Yes, the Athearn sounds like a Challenger with it's unique whistle, but the sound quality of the recording is flat, and toy-like compared to the QSI. There is no way to double-click the sound button on the remote to vary the whistle or trigger Doppler like you can with the QSI using their two-button hardwire interface. Another noticeable difference is the lack of phasing on the MRC steam sounds under-way, that is automatic on the QSI sound as the each set of cylinders moves in and out of sequence like the prototype. Even the recordings of virtually every steam hiss, pop-off, coupler clank are best described as somewhat "fuzzy", lacking the bark of the cylinders, the sound of steam pressure being relieved like the QSI seems to have captured fairly well in small scale. I'm not Athearn-bashing here. I have a ton of their stuff, including Genesis steam and diesels. I am a fan, or I wouldn't have pre-ordered one of the Challengers when I first saw them announced nearly a year ago. I think it's marvelous in every way. But the sound system falls short of the competition, in my opinion, after comparing it side-by-side with it's contemporaries. If someone else out there has both the QSI equipped Challenger and the MRC equipped Challenger, then I'm sure you already know what I'm talking about.
QUOTE: Originally posted by bangert1 QUOTE: Originally posted by mkroeker I posted some fairly detailed observations on an earlier post a day or two back regarding this issue under the header "Genesis Challenger Thoughts?", so I won't re-hash it all here. After about six hours of continuous running, the Challenger continues to please me and my young son with it's smooth operation and trouble free mechanicals. Running it alongside the BLI stable we have reveals how wimpy the sound system is, however. I am disappointed in the sound, as I have stated before. It is tolerable, but not up to QSI in any way. The locomotive's execution in terms of detail and finish cry out for a better sound chip. This is a beautiful loco saddled with a chintzy sound chip, IMHO. I emailed Athearn three times and received three replys. They are concerned and asked me to define my disappointment with the sound. I would ask again that everyone who is less than happy with the sound quality to let them know. My letter was given to their President according to their reply. I did not post the replay, but it was good and seemed to indicate they are concerned.
QUOTE: Originally posted by graphiteRT Did you happen to "pop the top" to inspect how the speakers are installed? I'm wondering if that is part of the problem, since I have the same decoder with a single speaker in another loco that sounds better. Is the Athearn dual speaker?
QUOTE: Originally posted by Minuteman QUOTE: Originally posted by bangert1 QUOTE: Originally posted by mkroeker I posted some fairly detailed observations on an earlier post a day or two back regarding this issue under the header "Genesis Challenger Thoughts?", so I won't re-hash it all here. After about six hours of continuous running, the Challenger continues to please me and my young son with it's smooth operation and trouble free mechanicals. Running it alongside the BLI stable we have reveals how wimpy the sound system is, however. I am disappointed in the sound, as I have stated before. It is tolerable, but not up to QSI in any way. The locomotive's execution in terms of detail and finish cry out for a better sound chip. This is a beautiful loco saddled with a chintzy sound chip, IMHO. Sorry about the email address not being posted. You can reach them at athearn@athearn.com We received your email and appreciate your input! Your comments have been passed to the president. Athearn The sound from the Challenger is only fair when compared to Lionel, BLI or the Digitrax sound. I do not use the Trix I own as a comparison, because they are single channel input and the bell stops when the whistle blows. The comparison would be very helpful to you. The Challenger chuffs are not correct at all for an articulated locomotive, which will puff in and out of sync as it starts. Many of the other sounds are poor quality also. I have two of your new models and this small of a sampling could give me an incorrect impression, but any of the other units on the market make a good impression right from the start. Your engine looks good and I hope you address the sound problems as I am forced to replace the sound unit with the new Digitrax and the added price makes the whole deal much higher. Larry Bangert I emailed Athearn three times and received three replys. They are concerned and asked me to define my disappointment with the sound. I would ask again that everyone who is less than happy with the sound quality to let them know. My letter was given to their President according to their reply. I did not post the replay, but it was good and seemed to indicate they are concerned. Perhaps posting the Athearn E-mail address here...might prompt more of us to respond to them with our concerns???
QUOTE: Originally posted by bangert1 QUOTE: Originally posted by mkroeker I posted some fairly detailed observations on an earlier post a day or two back regarding this issue under the header "Genesis Challenger Thoughts?", so I won't re-hash it all here. After about six hours of continuous running, the Challenger continues to please me and my young son with it's smooth operation and trouble free mechanicals. Running it alongside the BLI stable we have reveals how wimpy the sound system is, however. I am disappointed in the sound, as I have stated before. It is tolerable, but not up to QSI in any way. The locomotive's execution in terms of detail and finish cry out for a better sound chip. This is a beautiful loco saddled with a chintzy sound chip, IMHO. Sorry about the email address not being posted. You can reach them at athearn@athearn.com We received your email and appreciate your input! Your comments have been passed to the president. Athearn The sound from the Challenger is only fair when compared to Lionel, BLI or the Digitrax sound. I do not use the Trix I own as a comparison, because they are single channel input and the bell stops when the whistle blows. The comparison would be very helpful to you. The Challenger chuffs are not correct at all for an articulated locomotive, which will puff in and out of sync as it starts. Many of the other sounds are poor quality also. I have two of your new models and this small of a sampling could give me an incorrect impression, but any of the other units on the market make a good impression right from the start. Your engine looks good and I hope you address the sound problems as I am forced to replace the sound unit with the new Digitrax and the added price makes the whole deal much higher. Larry Bangert I emailed Athearn three times and received three replys. They are concerned and asked me to define my disappointment with the sound. I would ask again that everyone who is less than happy with the sound quality to let them know. My letter was given to their President according to their reply. I did not post the replay, but it was good and seemed to indicate they are concerned.