I tried a couple of steamers with sound and found it to be interesting for a short time. I found that sound after a while is distracting and I would rather do without it. My layout is just in the process of switching over to DCC.
Who else has tried sound and found it not totally to their liking? Perhaps as the quality of sound improves I may give it another try sometime in the future.
Don
I got hit the sound bug and love it. With DCC it is easy to adjust the volume of the decoders. At home they are loud and I turn down the volume but at shows I crank up the volume.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
I enjoy it, since for me diesel sound brings back some wonderful memories of railfanning the prototypes "back in the day"..
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
I'm fond of sound, too. I've got most of my engines equipped now. I run quiet now and then, if the girls are sleeping, but it's missing something without sound.
Of course, when I was younger, my HO trains were noisy because the engines were just naturally loud, very gear-sounding. And before that, I had Lionels with whistles. So, maybe I just never got used to todays whisper-quiet trains.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have sound in most of my engines,either Tsunami or QSI.Being I usually run only one or two at a time I don't find it distracting.All other engines are put into mute or the track section they are on is not powered.To my way of thinking it's like watching color TV as opposed to watching black & white.I enjoy the sound equiped steam and diesels.
It is well known to many on here, and on the Bachmann forum, that I am not a fan of onboard sound in small scales. I will say that if I modeled in a larger scale, I would want sound.
With HiFi speaker building and listening as my other hobby, the sound quality of these systems is well below my minimum threshold of listenablity.
I am interested in the possiblity of layout based sound, but it is a low priority for my modeling.
I often talk about scale perception when it comes to the topics of detail, sound, weathering, curves and a host of other issues in our hobby.
It is hard to scale down sound, so in the less intimate relationship of the smaller scales, I am happy to do without it.
I know several other well known/published modelers who feel the same way. And a number of modelers in our local gorup could be called "indifferent" on the subject.
Still DC and quiet in 1954 on the ATLANTIC CENTRAL (and on the portions of the C&O, WM and B&O we connect with).
Sheldon
Oh, I'll admit that I got bit by the sound bug, but after realizing that my sound-equipped locomotives could NOT be run with my non-sound locos (I'm DC and it's a matter of voltage), I went ho-hum, pretty quickly. And of course, all of the ready-sound-equipped locomotives are not prototype to the railroads that I model, anyway, so when I DO run them, they're run as 'loaners.' Which is less and less frequently, these days. You talk about 'brass in boxes' and never run, well, I'm the opposite. My BLI's are mainly in boxes and I'm still running the brass, LOL.
I did, however, install an under the table Soundtraxx "Heritage Steam" system with some decent speakers, so if I want to use sound with my 'non-sound' locos, it's an option. It's there if I want to use it, and it has enough combinations built in to satisfy me when I really need it. But for the most part, the sound on my railroad is in my imagination.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
I'm running about 50% sound/non sound.
The only time I seem to be running the sound equipped lokes is to scare the bejeeebers out of 'Spring'---who is at that time trying to take up a camp site on the Hallas yard----
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
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twhiteMy BLI's are mainly in boxes and I'm still running the brass, LOL.
I take the sound cards and DCC out of those BLI locos, they run really good on "regular" DC after that!
Actually, I don't use regular DC either, but I do use NMRA reocmmended 12 volts, not 16 or 16 volts.
My Aristo Craft Tran Enginner radio throttles and dual mode decoders don't really get along well. some are better than others, but they are all better with the decoders/sound cards gone.
I've heard both steam and diesel sound equipped engines at shows and at a friends place who models the B&O.
I have to admit to being blown over by the novelty of this effect, but after a while the novelty lessened and what was an initial reaction of, "I must have some of this" turned into,"I still need to spend my modeling money on basic stuff to keep me in the game"
I can't have everything and sound, while an enhancement that can be seen as additional realisim, is not something I want to include in my loco fleet. To me it's more of a gimmick and if I wanted sound, I think I would crank up one of my sound effect CD's to give me an approximation of onboard sound - not as good, but acceptable on my retirement budget anyway.
Besides, my model train area is where I like to work on my models, in peace and quiet with out too many distractions - audio or otherwise.
Bruce
don7I tried a couple of steamers with sound and found it to be interesting for a short time. I found that sound after a while is distracting and I would rather do without it. My layout is just in the process of switching over to DCC.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
don7 I tried a couple of steamers with sound and found it to be interesting for a short time. I found that sound after a while is distracting and I would rather do without it. My layout is just in the process of switching over to DCC.
I'm with you, Don, except I've yet to hear locomotive sounds in general to be satisfying or realistic. And people always play the motor/steam sounds much too loud. I don't want to hear them father than a yard away. Whistle/horn and bell sounds, however, are useful for signaling/warning. I'm not far from the BNSF mainline, and all I ever hear is the horn blowing. I can hear horn noises from two or three miles away. Horns/whistles and bells, yes, that's good enough for me.
Mark
I prefer HO steam with sound rather than without. I think BLI has done a fine job of capturing the sounds of the big steamers, their diesels and electrics are very nice as well. The J1 and T1 just wouldn't be the same without BLI's state of the art sound system. I am equally as impressed with their e7,e8, and gg1.
I grew up with athearn f7 units so diesels running in HO without sound are ok and I have just as much fun running them. The important thing is that all trains in one operating session are equal, meaning they either all have sound when running at the same time, or not at all. Its about keeping a balance, otherwise things can appear odd.
If I were modeling in n scale, I would prefer to run both diesel and steam without sound however, IMHO once you go that small, I think the sound just becomes a noisy distraction to my ears and takes away from the 'railroading in miniature' experience...thats just for me of course, not trying to knock others that love their n scale big boys with sound.
I agree with other posters that the larger scales are better suited for sound on board. O gauge engines would seem to be missing something without sound effects, I have tried running them in silent mode, and it just doesn't seem right.
One thing in particular that I don't care for in any scale is the crew chatter (although an exception being Athearn's classic Big Boy 'Aboard!!!" call which I find absolutely delightful). I find MTH's and BLI paragon 2 crew chatter, farm noises, etc. to be extremely annoying.
Btw, sometimes its really fun to turn off all your engines sounds in HO so you can hear the clickity clack of your rolling stock across the track.
.
don7Who else has tried sound and found it not totally to their liking? Perhaps as the quality of sound improves I may give it another try sometime in the future.
Of course, I am not satisfied with the primitive speakers and baffle systems that come from the manufactures. I've spent years working on my own chambered and multi-speaker systems. This one has over 12" inches of internal channeling. My goal is the equivalent of 15" where I found a harmonic sweet spot for the prime mover sounds. The issue is that the more internal channeling there is the less the volume of the chamber. A trade off in sound quality that works in small margins for things of this tiny size. As others have said, most people run them entirely too loud which further reduces the quality.
Well, after thinking about it, there is one sound that makes me kinda/sorta grin and chuckle, and that's the cattle in the BLI 'sound' cattle car. I've got a Rio Grande one, and since I do seasonal cattle movements on the Yuba River Sub ('seasonal' being about once or twice a week, LOL!), I really enjoy hooking that car to the head of my little cattle train and watching my little 2-6-6-0 chug from my low altitude terminal to the high altitude pasturage with those cattle sounds letting me know that this is NOT the most comfortable ride in the world.
Brings back neat memories, it does, by golly!
I'm so hooked on sound that I'm in the process of converting one of my brass units and if that goes well I have another half dozen I'll tackle. Currently a PFM/United Sierra 2-6-6-2 with a can motor/gears and micro-tsunami. If I'm gonna take it all apart, I might as well tear it all apart! Keep your fingers crossed!
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twhiteWell, after thinking about it, there is one sound that makes me kinda/sorta grin and chuckle, and that's the cattle in the BLI 'sound' cattle car.
MargaritamanI'm in the process of converting one of my brass units .... Currently a PFM/United Sierra 2-6-6-2 with a can motor/gears and micro-tsunami.
I turn the sound on for visitors, but I hardly ever use it when I am running trains by myself. It was neat at first, but it got to be distracting after a few days. Very low item on my list of needs/wants.
Texas Zepher I am surprised a PFM isn't already pre-drilled and cammed for sound from the factory.
I should be so lucky. Just say "early run" or "original run," or whatever it's called. I love that silly loco. It makes plenty of sound on its own, just not steam sound. Sounds like a 16 year old learning to drive a stick on a Model T!
mikebonellisr I have sound in most of my engines,either Tsunami or QSI.Being I usually run only one or two at a time I don't find it distracting.All other engines are put into mute or the track section they are on is not powered.To my way of thinking it's like watching color TV as opposed to watching black & white.I enjoy the sound equiped steam and diesels.
Dito...er, ditto, and precisely. Who is to say, though, since we don't know the sales volume figures for Atlas Gold, for the P2K Heritage with Sound, Paragons I & II, and so on? I would, if pressed, guess that less than 1/3 of all engines sold have even a motive decoder. Still, I wouldn't be without one...sound, that is.
-Crandell
Texas Zepher twhiteWell, after thinking about it, there is one sound that makes me kinda/sorta grin and chuckle, and that's the cattle in the BLI 'sound' cattle car. When I first saw those I thought how silly and toy like. But I found a sale of them and purchased one for a friend. We had so much fun with that car that I went back and got a fleet of them. They are a big hit where ever I take them.
Texas:
You know, it's pretty neat coming across something like that--a well-detailed model with a kinda/sorta 'unexpected' surprise. It reminds me that the hobby is not only fascinating, but can be done with a sense of humor, also.
It's a big hit on the layout when I run it for friends, whether they're fellow modelers or not. It pretty much relaxes the atmosphere, and that's not a Bad Thing at all, LOL!
Margaritaman Texas Zepher I am surprised a PFM isn't already pre-drilled and cammed for sound from the factory. I should be so lucky. Just say "early run" or "original run," or whatever it's called. I love that silly loco. It makes plenty of sound on its own, just not steam sound. Sounds like a 16 year old learning to drive a stick on a Model T!
I've got a couple of brass lokies just like that--they've been running forever and well, and whenever anyone asks me what the sound is, I just grin and say, "It's grinding coffee."
Gives them 'Character', I say! Besides, I always know where they are on my hidden track.
For me, sound is the dimension in model railroading, which had been missing for so long. And that does not only go for engine sounds. But like with animated accessories on a layout, sound features can easily be overdone and turn into a nuisance. On a multi-train layout, the sound of a number of locos operating simultaneously would probably too much for my ears! A single loco, operated at slow speed - wow, that´s it!
Edit:
See my avatar? That Bowser F-7a has a Tsunami decoder with a quality speaker installed - the sound is just fantastic!
Question: "Is sound really popular?"
Answer: "It depends."
If you're judging by the pillows flying in the room at 4:00am and my wife and kids screaming "Turn off that alarm and get up already!" I'd have to say, "No", sound isn't really all that popular.
On the other hand, if its the sound of the doorbell signalling the arrival of my new Bachmann 2-8-2.... well, that's a different thing entirely...
I never used to care about sound on a layout. Until I *heard* sound on a layout-- listened to the locomotives growling along straining at the load. Listening to the diesels whine as they go up a grade. Or sitting on a siding a hearing the various hisses and ventilation noises and stuff- that's pretty cool. I also like the wheel-flange squeals and the coupler noises. Those are all very much fun. Oh yeah-- I almost forgot... there's blowing the whistle and ringing the bell.... I can always just say my kids like those (which is true)...
And now I look at all my locos expectantly-- "Well, whatcha waiting for? SAY something!!!" But alas, I've only got about eight or so that have sound decoders thus far. I do pair them with sound-challenged locos though and that helps a little.
Having heard sound, I don't ever want a layout *without* engine noises. However, that said, I don't really *like* the sound they make. Even the best ones are tinny and high-pitched with absolutely no bass. My wish is to leave the sound decoders in the locos but back it up with some external, under-the-layout sound system that can supply the bass ranges, which would be okay since bass frequencies are largely non-directional anyway.
As far as volume goes. Its fun to turn it all up now and then, but after awhile that gets a little old-- listening to all those locos rumbling gets a little old too.
Another thing I wish is that the sound modules were a little better insulated from the vagaries of electrical pickup. Its annoying when a loco takes a bump or crosses a turnout the wrong way and the sound decoder cuts out, or else restarts and you have to listen to the loco go through its start-up sequence and whatever initial throttle position its set for-- all while visually watching the loco chug along obliviously at the same pace the whole time. Its rather incongruous to be certain!
But all in all, I'd rather have sound than not. I'm in the process of retrofitting some steam. That's going to be fun.
I like sound but all N-Scale sound--particularly diesel sound--always reminds me of hogs rooting in a bin full of aluminum cans. Unless it shows some improvement--and I really don't find that very promising--I'm not likely to ever get interested in it.
HO-Scale sounds a little better largely, when all is said and done I suppose, because its size allows for larger, higher impedance speakers. I toured an O-Scale layout in the St Louis area in 2001 and the sound was absolutely magnificent. Were I to go back to HO-Scale I might give serious consideration to sound; were I to come up with the space and money for O-Scale you'd better believe I'd have sound!
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
Hi!
I'm currently building an HO "replacement" layout and in the process converted to DCC. At this point I have 6 BLI Paragon locos (DCC w/Sound) with decoders, and will install them in my other locos when time/money are available.
I can say this without hesitation...... The BLI loco sounds bring a whole new dimension to my enthusiasm for model railroading. And, I know that installing sound in my other locos is going to happen - sooner or later.
That being said, there are times when the "noise" is just too much (especially in an 11x15 room), and I "F8" the locos involved. The addition of sound (at least in my experience) makes the start-up voltage significantly higher than non sound locos, although this can be adjusted. And lastly, sound costs money - about $100 or so a loco.
Anyway, all that being said, I suspect that when my trackage is all put down, I'll tend to run sound locos much more than non-sound locos.
For what its worth.........
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Some of my locomotives have sound and some don't. After hearing the sound equipped locomotives, the others "sound" as though they are missing something. It probably helps that S scale allows for larger speakers. I will be upgrading all them to sound as I have time and money to do it.
I suspect this is going to be like weathering, some like and some don't.
Enjoy
Paul
I like sound.
Running an engine with sound means running with your ears. It's fun with an diesel switcher, street running!
With a steam engine you run very slowly.
One secret is the volume! And you have to have the money for sound decoders.
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
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