A few basic facts about audiology and sound reproduction.
FACT - listening to inaccurate, low fidelity sound will create irritablity in most people after a while. The degree of irriatation, and the time frame are highly variable, but in general the longer you listen to low quailty sound, and the louder it is , the sooner you will be bothered by it.
FACT - listening to a low quality reproduction of pleasing sounds you are familiar with will trigger more detailed memories of those sounds stored in your brain. This can and will partly offset the negative effects of low quality sound outlined above.
FACT - sounds are much different outdoors, some sounds travel more, some sounds dissipate more quickly.
Standing track side, at let's say 150', locomotive sounds come and go quickly as the loco passes by. Rolling stock track noise quickly drowns it out. Track noise can often be heard much farther away, and for longer than loco noise.
So, if you are seeking that intimate, one on one experiance with your train, as in being the engineer, than you probably like sound.
If you are more of a big picture, multiple trains moving, kind of guy, you are likely to be less interested in the noise from onboard sound.
We all choose based on our personal levels of comfort with these conflicting facts.
Sheldon
I'm still non-sound only. I'm kind of particular on audio quality, and the little speakers used in these trains just don't sound that good to me, so it takes away from my enjoyment. There have actually been some recent BLI models I was very interested in getting, but they told me they wouldn't be offering them without sound, so I've had to pass on buying them. I just don't want to pay an extra $100 for a feature I'd be removing.
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Train noise is great. Not so much the noise grandkids make.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
(This was supposed to quote cedarwoodron's comment up a couple)
That's me, too! Except, it was the '70s I've heard it said with a measure of humor that the old Athearn BB diesels came equipped with sound already. I do have some extremely smooth and quiet Atlas (kato) and other locos, and love that about them. But I agree with the above statement. And one day I realized, it's only the BB Athearns that don't take turns on and off the layout. They dominate. Dan
I get enough noise on the construction site with my job everyday. Sometimes after a half hour drive home my ears are still ringing.
The thought of just clickety clack on the rails sounds like music to my ears.... sounds good to me.
My old DC switching layout is a quiet zone-just the hum of old Athearn and the clickety-clack of the railroad track. It's a bit hypnotic but great to experience, just like it was when I was a kid and ran my trains on a snowy winters day back in up north in the 1960s.
Cedarwoodron
I prefer the quiet of non sound units. If I want sound, I will go trackside. I am autistic and being at a layout with lots of sound units going is totally overwhelming for me. Most of my trains are 2 rail O scale vintage units with big open frame motors, so there is some sound per say. Along with ozone and hot oil smells, its like heaven when I fire them up and let them run. None of my G scale has sound either. I have a live steamer if I want the sounds of steam! Mike the Aspie
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
You are so right. I have an RS Atlas unit with sound and a bell and when it runs on my DC layout it won't shut off. At least my bachman RS units turn off the bell once you reach a certain speed.
Robert Sylvester
Newberry-Columbia Line
I prefer the sounds in my engines but the bell at times can be annoying. I was running a few minutes ago and didn’t use the bell, it was great.
Tom
As model railroaders, we have to liuve with a few facts. One of those facts is that sound cannot be scaled down, nor can our hearing be "confined" to what a scale person with ears only 3mm apart could hear. The same goes for the viewing perspective. Even if we bring up the layout to eye level, our eyes are 4 to 5 inches apart and not only 1.5mm, so we will never have a "realistic" view of our layout, nor will we ever have "realistic" sound.
Nevertheless, I think that sound has opened up a new dimension for us in experiencing our layout. It is up to the individual to employ this dimension.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
xboxtravis7992 Of course I am the dork who hopes some company like Bath and Bodyworks makes a 'Sage Brush' smelling candle in the future so I could populate some hypothetical future layout room with the smell of the desert. I could also use some Cresote and Diesel exhaust candles please.
Of course I am the dork who hopes some company like Bath and Bodyworks makes a 'Sage Brush' smelling candle in the future so I could populate some hypothetical future layout room with the smell of the desert. I could also use some Cresote and Diesel exhaust candles please.
Living in the high desert of central Oregon, where true silver sage brush abounds, I can tell ya, it smells like the spice that it's named after. Open a jar...
On topic, I'm happy with quiet. DC. If I do go DCC it won't be for sound. Dan
I prefer sound as long as it is good sound. There is nothing worse than a tinny squealing high pitched scratchy whine.
I prefer the volume to be at the 30% - 40% level except for shows when I crank it up to the highest volume that still sounds decent. Otherwise the background noise at the shows cancels the sound almost completely.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Turbocharger whine is always annoying.
- Douglas
Layout size and ops type are a factor to consider, along with what I'll call "scale sound", for want of a better term.
Unless one's sound is turned down low and he's at the far end of a really large pike, the sound of any yard operation or engines merely parked there will be heard in the no longer pristine countryside where you're watching a long-haul freight.
And as for "scale sound", I'd bet there's a difference in our expectations and preferences simply because we're used to hearing railroad sounds from ground level, rather than the hundreds of scale feet above the ground that our ears actually are for most of our activities in the hobby. I'm presuming, though perhaps in error, that any railroad noise presents differently from above than beside, even at the same extended distance, because of differences in what is immediately behind the source. Perhaps there's a railfan or two that have done it from a balloon that can can offer their observations on the matter.
John
Diesel sound is good, steam sound gets annoying. Too much chuffing for me.
Sound for me. I can understand the logic of not wanting enough sound to distract from the experience, but I do think its possible to strike a balance. I remember in one of David Popp's books how he discussed his railroad having a background track, with localized speakers playing different sounds in different areas of the layout (industrial in the city, birds chirping and distant vehicles in the country, the sound of a brook near a river etc.) With that said, such over abundance of sound really only makes sense during a large operations session, were the ruffling noise of operators is going to muffle a lot of it anyways; and really only be noticable when the operators pause briefly in the action. I am sure the sound of birds chirping while a layout owner is working alone in the room would get old fast. Of course I am the dork who hopes some company like Bath and Bodyworks makes a 'Sage Brush' smelling candle in the future so I could populate some hypothetical future layout room with the smell of the desert. I could also use some Cresote and Diesel exhaust candles please.
Some nights, with my challenging work, and declining parents' health (both in nursing homes, not doing so well), it can be hard to sleep soundly the whole night, so I'll go downstairs and run a train at 3 or 4 am to get sleepy again.
There's something beautiful about running a train in peace and quiet, when all the world outside is dark and sleepy, and the wife and kids are asleep in their beds.
For me it depends: Rapido's sound engines are fantastic. They nailed the sound particularly in the most recent releases, so I can actually enjoy running them despite my general preferences for silent.
Then there's the Atlas QSI dual-mode decoder engines, like the C420, which don't sound very good by comparison, to put it nicely, and the whole gamut of other more recent "with sound" offerings to boot. My C420 is nos, from more than 10 years ago, so perhaps is not the best comparison...but even the Walthers Mainline PA-1 is well, not so great in the sound department.
So for me it depends upon just what the engine(s) are that are being run.
NHTX Quiet, please. No noise other than metal wheels rolling, with an overlay of big band music, playing at normal conversational level.
Quiet, please. No noise other than metal wheels rolling, with an overlay of big band music, playing at normal conversational level.
As others have mentioned, sound is nice — in moderation.
I relate it to seasoning in a cooked dish. Too much of anything spoils the whole meal.
Often, it can depend on how I feel at the time and for what reason I'm "firing-up" the layout. If I simply want to do some diagnostic work or try out a recent decoder install I'll keep everything in silent-mode.
If, on the other hand, I plan to have a whole evening of running trains I like to be able to hear, in moderation, the varied and individual sounds of the locomotives (and cars, as I have a few "soundcar" equipped cars, too) going through their paces.
Listening to a few idling diesels with their occasional condensate air drain (I don't much care for the sound of the modern "spitter") or if it's steam, some random air-pump or blower sounds when sitting are sounds I like to hear while I'm putzing around the layout with other things.
Again, like the spices — delicately balanced with not too much of any one makes for a tasty operating session.
Regards, Ed
All quiet here, no sound, no DCC.
Music is ok in the train room, but only if played thru good quality speakers.
The pollster has asked a leading question.
I prefer sound and therefore prefer my locos with sound to the ones that don't have it.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I like the trains quiet and the music of my choice.
.
Sometimes it is fun to make your own train noises... just don't let your wife catch you!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I prefer sound. The main reason I went with DCC was the sounds.
My layout had no continuous run capability so when working of something I just left one engine powered up and listened to the sounds of a steamer at rest. The airpumps, pop valves, injectors and fireman Fred were nice in the background to me.
oldline1
Sometimes the sound is fun. But mostly I run with the sound off. The sound of the wheels on the track and the clicking at the joints is usually as much as I want.
Paul
I prefer a quiet room. I do run sound engines, but I have the volume set pretty low. I don't like TV, radio, cell phone conversations, lawnmower noise or other distraction's.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I like both sound and non-sound. If I have some non-model railroaders over to see the trains, I try to have at least one sound engine running a train. During my operating sessions, with a small room (20'x20') and 6 or 7 guys in the room, you can barely hear the guys talk, so I prefer no sound engines running.
On a few occassions I have two of my model railroad friends over with their sound engines (both guys don't have layouts), and with just the three of us, the sounds on the trains they bring, as we like to say are 'very nice!'
Neal
I like them both, as well, but I generally enjoy sound slightly less - i.e. maybe 30-40% of the time. F8 is indeed a wonderful option.
Yea, I totally get the clickity-clack comment, Robert. All my rolling stock is outfitted with Kadee couplers and metal wheels. So, the longer the train; the longer the clickity-clack. I find it a very enjoyable and soothing sound.
I think the early morning hours is very conducive to quiet. So have at it, Robert...and enjoy your coffee.
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
My old Marklin 3-rail AC trains make such a terrific noise running on the infamous Marklin tinplate track, that sound is a waste of money.