Saw an advertisment for LokSound Sound decoders this past month and was interested as to how they sound.
At present I have been using Tsunami’s, Digitrax Sound Bugs and SFX, MRC prodigy, and Soundtraxx LC’s. As you can imagine it’s quite a mixed bag with mixed feelings.
Fergie
Last year I was at a prototype meet and I spent some time with the LokSound rep. I like the product and the sound but did not buy any. The owner of one of the layouts I operate on though bought two, both for VO-1000’s. He had to use the smallest one and the dual 1/2 speakers, and still shave a little off the weights.
I’ve used them when I had ard duty.
In my opinion the sound is crisp and I like it. I’ve never heard a VO-1000 in real like so I have no idea as to accuracy. In terms of operations, both switchers run beautifully smooth.
The best true sound on the market.
Several members of our American HO club in Plymouth, UK, including myself, use Loksound 3.5s very successfully - but you really need the Loksound programmer to get the best out of them - to download all the different sounds, and change functions etc. For diesels they are great, and the sounds, clarity and running are, to our view, first-rate. They also have BEMF too, and all in one package, rather than having to piggyback a Soundtraxx DSX onto a Digitrax or Lenz decoder to get that facility elsewhere. With the programmer, it is also possible to fully mute locos so that they stay “off” when the track power is switched off and on again. Also, they are very easy to programme in custom 28-step speed-curves.
I wouldn’t recommend them so heartily for large steam locos - the “four chuffs per revolution” is really hard to obtain at anything other than low speed (I am not skilled enough to install a cam on the inner side of a driver, which would solve this problem), and I found it impossible to even get near matching speed to realistic chuffs at higher speeds. I would instead recommend use of the steam Tsunami. However, I’m happy with the Loksounds in 2 Bachmann 2-8-0s I have, and they never go fast anyway! Again the BEMF facility really makes them very smooth runners.
We have noted the odd quality issue recently, whereby the odd wire may be detached from the soldered pads (I received three from Tony’s Train Exchange with them like that), and the wires of recent decoders are thinner than ones bought a couple of years ago. However, this is very easy to fix with a soldering iron, and does not prevent us from continuing to use Loksound.
As an “all-in-one” package, and taking the above into account, they are hard to beat, and remain my first choice for diesel installation. We find it strange that the majority of American modellers don’t make far more use of them - is it because
I bought one for a F7, I was way less than impressed, the sound are very weak and thin, no volume at all, and the horn sounds more like a cat farting than the horn of a diesel locomotive.
I have since pulled it out, and may try to get it reprogrammed if I run across someone with the programmer, but I am not willing to spend more money to buy one for the one decoder,
I do however have the N scale PCM E 7 and those sound good
My Genesis SCL SD45-2 was equipped with a Lok Sound system from a good friend who has the programmer.
I really enjoy listening to this locomotive’s music! The sounds, including a turbocharged 645 20 cylinder prime mover, a loud extended air “pop off”, and a custom edited Leslie RS5T horn (from Diesel Airhorns.com’s website) that says this baby is pure Seaboard Coast Line. Listening to it stirs up my teenage memories. I’m hooked!
I have one in a P2K SD9 with the twin 1/2 inch speakers. The engine sounds are good. The decoder runs good. But the only compaint I have is the horn volume. Mine and other club members that have them also have the same complaint. At full volume on the horn/whistle you can hardly hear them. But the bell you can hear from outside with 1/2 volume. If you run at home in a quiet setting great, but at train shows it embarasing. I talked to a rep from ESU and he agreed the horn/whistle volume is a problem and they dont seem too concerned about it. I will not buy another till this problem gets fixed. All my other sound decoders I have to turn down the volume but the ESU you have to max it to hear it.
Pete
I have one in a F40PH and is sounds great, but I had to turn down the bell volume it was louder then the horn!
Brian’s encountered the same issue I’ve run into with LokSound decoders- the wire they use is very thin and stiff and tends to break off the plugs on their decoders equipped with NMRA plugs. I’ve had as many as three break off at a time while simply plugging the decoder harness into a locomotive.
Aside from that nagging little irritation, I like using them a lot. Their sound-loading software is straightforward and very flexible, and they have a very good library of sounds.
Like others have already said, I’ve found that I need to turn the horn and bell levels all the way up, and some of the other sounds down a bit to get it to sound the way I think it should. I don’t like to set the sounds very loud overall, anyway.
I have one in a Spectrum J class, my only gripe is the whistle can barely be heard above the steam sounds, while the bell can be heard two rooms away ( slight exageration ! ). I have played round with the volume CVs to no effect, so I guess I need the programmer to alter the sound files and increase the whistle volume.
It’s a one day I’ll get round to it purchase or hope to run across someone who already has it cause at this stage the only other engine I have with Loksound is a PCM Y6B and that sounds great, so there is no need to play with it.
Both engines run really nice though with great low speed control.
Cheers,
Warren
Thanks everyone!
From what all of you have told me the system isn’t perfect but still is very good and worth investing in. At $90 it sounds very good indeed.
Fergie
ISN’T THERE A DCC FORUM?
[V]
I’ve installed two LokSound 3.5 decoders for other club members, and I have the Precision Craft A-B-A Burlington California Zephyr locomotive set with factory-installed LokSound.
The Precision Craft models were properly programmed at the factory as far as volume adjustments are concerned, but I still find the horn to be very weak and get drowned out by the sound of the prime movers even though it is set to maximum.
Slow speed control on the A-B-A set is the best I have ever encountered. The engines will creep very smoothly on speed step 1 of 128. I’ve never had any other decoder with such smooth motor control.
The two LokSound decoders I installed as after-market versions were programmed for the members by Bruce at Litchfield Station when they ordered them. Both are in diesel engines. The volume on one that came with the LokSound 100 Ohm round speaker is extremely weak and the horn is barely audible even though it is set to maximum.
The other decoder uses a larger oval speaker and sounds much better, but the horn is weak on it, also.
Weak sounding horns or whistles seem to be the norm with LokSound for some reason, though all of their other sounds are loud enough and some need to be turned down.
A unique feature of LokSound decoders in that F8 will adjust the overall volume in steps as well as being the mute function. From the mute setting, pressing F8 increases the sound volume from low to medium to full, and then mute again, so the volume can be adjusted on the fly.
Factory loaded sounds can all have their CVs adjusted without needing the LokSound programmer; you need it only to load new sounds.
I have been able to adjust all of the LokSound CVs and reset the address using an NCE PowerPro Wireless cab with no problems at all using Operations Mode programming…
Not that I’m aware of. But thanks for asking.
Chuck,
On my PCM F3 A-B, I recently discovered (by accident) that there are four levels of loudness that can be easily accessed by quickly double pressing (tap, tap) the “8” button (F8). Level 1 is the softest; Level 4, the loudest. It adjusts both the prime mover and the horn volumes together. I’ve found that the horn on Level 2 & 3 is quite adequate and louder than the primer mover. (At least to me.)
I agree. Both my Trix 2-8-2 Mike and my PCM F3 A-B really crawl exceptionally well.
Tom
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/744/ShowForum.aspx is the DCC forum - it was at the top of this forum’s thread list for a week or two!![:-^]
It was a rehtorical answer [:P]
Yes! I was exposed to LokSound at a Free-mo meet over a year ago when a friend showed me and demonstrated his SD40-2T’s. I was really impressed. I have a 10-12 year old pair of LifeLike GP7’s that I wanted to convert to DCC. I contacted Paul Fredericoni at Details West because there was some frame modification needed, and I also wanted the dual-speaker setup. He did a great job at a realistic price and I now have a terrific sounding set of engines. They are especially neat when consisted. I have other locos with sound from BLI, and Soundtraxx and I believe the LokSound has them all beat for clarity and sound quality. jc5729 John Colley, Port Townsend, WA
I use LokSound in my Baldwin Switchers, and my ATLAS RS-11. I have programmed several LokSounds for use in my Athearn RS-3’s, not yet installed. I use the Programmer and Software and down load the sounds I want from their website. Their selection is broad and I would expect some of their stuff is great and some just good. Speakers play a big role here and than they have to be correctly bafeled. The function button is one way to change volume or just use their decoder programmer and set it and the other sound volumes separately.
I like Soundtraxx LC but sometimes there is an issue with motor chatter. I have not had this issue with LokSound. LokSound claims, and I think correctly, to have developed and introduced the first sound decoder the hobbyist can download sound files into.
We aren’t used to it yet. And besidfes, I’d consider this more of a How’s the quality athan How do I wire it in?