I was at the Happy Hobo Trains “flea market” on Sunday October 8th. Great turnout. My friend was running his SD45-2 on the store’s test track. He had equipped it with a Lok Sound decoder . All present were impressed! It sounded like a 20 cylinder EMD was under that hood. The store’s owner was also running BLI units on the test track. Talk about music!
As before all present had nothing good to say about the MRC sounds. But again these (me too) were guys that had been exposed to prototype units in their youth.
I’m not a sound fan or expert, but I heard the MRC sound in the new Athearn Big Boys, and I think I’ve heard more realistic chuffing in Bugs Bunny cartoons.
I wish Athearn would allow people to buy their steam engines without sound, because I might have actually considered getting a Big Boy if they did. They do sell their diesels without sound, so the SD45-2 might eventually be a possibility.[:)]
To be fair, I’ve heard that MRC decoder equipped steamers sound better than the diesel versions, but still are not as good as the Tsunami.
I’m assuming that Athearn’s new F45/FP45, scheduled for 2007, will likely have the same or very similar decoder as the sound equipped SD45-2. I’m sure these new cowls will be beautiful units, but I’ll opt for the “non-sound” version.
Apparently Athearn is going to be joined-at-the-hip with MRC for quite some time. I certainly hope that relationship changes in the next year or so. Or better yet, MRC decides to get very serious about quality sound and improve their product. Good managers think long term.
The Genesis MP15AC is being held up due to problems…My understanding its a technical thing-maybe a new sound system? I am not impress with the diesel sounds from MRC or BLI.
I have an Undecorated SD45-2 w/ sound on order, and you’re saying that the sound is not so good? Shoot, if I’d known about that, I would have got the one without sound. Are the speakers any good?
I also have an Atls SD35 w/ sound and a Broadway Limited w/ sound on order too. I guess I will be able to tell you guys which is better by then.
Don’t be discouraged. Some modelers find the sound to be o.k.
As I stated before, me and a few of my friends tend to be more discriminating only because we were fortuante enough to have spent quite a bit of time around prototype locomotives. So we’re familiar with the “burbles, chugs, whines, tishes, and reverb” noises that they produced. I even tape recorded a few back then.
From what I’ve read on other topics, a lot of today’s modelers don’t live near rail lines so they can’t even get near prototype locomotives to enjoy “the music”. So some modelers may find the sounds from the MRCs satisfactory. What counts is that the owner be satisfied.
I find the MRC sound to be great. I’ve heard a Genesis Challenger and an SD45-2 and they both sounded great. But in my opinion, nothing beats the Soundtraxx Tsunami. No constant “white noise” in the background, that’s quality.
Does anyone have a picture of the insides. I have an EL DC unit on order. I am still using the old Dynotrol system. I was wondering on how easy it is going to be to install a receiver.
Thanks Mike Dickinson
Cold Western New York State, But we still have lights
like someone said before there are tons of opinions around. Personally I’m not all that impressed with the digitrax decoder, i only heard one so it may have been a dud, but it sounded pretty generic. Although the sound was clear, i just didnt like it.
How is the reliability so far on that brilliance? Over the past 6 months, 4 friends of mine have installed 5 brilliance decoders. 2 still work, and both of them have some mental issues such as loss of control, forgetting programming and what not. Not to mention the HEAT! Anyway, unless MRC makes some quantum leap in thier quality I will be keeping my money o
Amazingly in Athearn’s latest newsletter, they’re offering Genesis F units in other paint schemes and “sound” is being heavily emphasized.
I could be mistaken but I’m assuming that Athearn’s received quite a bit of negative feedback regarding their sound equipped units so they may be getting more aggressive in marketing the MRC-sound equipped units.
BTW: ( My LHS’s owner cancelled a $3,000 order of sound equipped SD45-2s. He called Athearn and voiced the customer feedback as well as his own. The Athearn sales rep on the phone was not a happy camper, especially since this was affecting her commision. She stated that she would pass on the feedback to her bosses. Hopefully they will get more wakeup calls like this)
To me they sound terrible, but I think that for many modelers that haven’t spent a lot of time around the “real thing” or haven’t heard QSI, Lok Sound, or Soundtraxx DSX equipped units…they’re o.k and because of this Athearn sound equipped units will continue to sell.
Yeah once you heard a REAL Alco,EMD,FM,BLW,GE or Lima you never forget the sound…The SD45 would shake your innards as they throttled up.NO sound system will come close to the cough wheeze whistle,chirp of a 244 or the deep throated sound of FM’s opposed piston prime mover or Baldwin’s unique sound…When a Baldwin was idling the cab glass would vibrate from the rough idling of the prime mover-kinda like a 6 cylinder car hitting on 4 cylinders.
It’s understandable that we don’t have the technology yet to reproduce the low bass responses that eminate from locomotives…but at the same time the sounds produced from model locomotives equipped with QSI, Soundtraxx, and Lok Sound systems are still impressive! It helps add to that “illusion” of miniature locomotives appearing, running, and “sounding” like the real thing.
After hearing sound equipped locomotives for the past 3 years, my non-sound units just don’t cut it for me as much. Even if it’s not deep, hearing HO scale U-boats chug and EMD Dash 2 units “whine” brings back a pleasant rush of 1970s memories for me that I treasure.
AntonioFP45 I love the sounds of railroading. The railroad sound coming out of the 1 inch speakers just doesn’t sound real to me.
Larry B. had a BLI C30-7 with sound at the Radcliff Model Railroad Association layout last Saturday. The loco went through its paces pulling a mixed freight around the layout. Yes you could here it, but it never revved up or idled down, it just did not sound like the real thing.
Sorry for the delay in answering, I’ve been gone alot.
I only have the mini-brillance decoders and they all work fine, I talked MRC into sending me a second one, as a swap out, and also installed it in a SD90. Both installed easily and run fine. I believe they have BEMF, however, I think they come with a larger speaker and I put the smaller speakers in for space reasons. I also put a steam mini brillance in Trevor the Tram Engine (yes, I know the decoder costs more than the loco, but it’s for the kids, including the big one). This is also working fine and sounds good, for the constraints. None of these decoders have failed, due to heat or anything else. Of course, they aren’t run as much as on a club layout and, while they are good pullers, I have not loaded them down to the point of slippage.
Recently I’ve tried the MRC 1650 decoders, cause I could get them for about $13 apiece. These are basic, no sound, fleet decoders, replacing their AD350 model. The 1650 is less than half the size of the 350, rated at 1.5 amps and has the BEMF feature. The BEMF feature is easy to get use to, really smooths out running up and down grades. I’ve only installed three or four, but all the locos with them run quite nicely and quitely. Interestingly, the 1650’s are not wrapped in shrink wrap, I was thinking it might be a heat issue.
I put one in a Spectrum DD40x the other night. This is the old style Spectrum so some modification was necessary but only grunt work, nothing too technical. The loco has twin motors that will draw around 1.5 amps stalling at 75% power (DC mode). Haven’t done the lighting, so I just ran and programmed it with the open frame. Ran smoothly and quietly and the decoder did get warm but not hot. I’ll see what happens when the lights and led are hooked up.