I have some of the Lenz value series 1000 which I haven’t installed. I see the next Lenz series up and the NCE which are about $5.00 more have silent drive. Is there a significant difference in this feature? Would I notice noisy engines with the cheapest Lenzeszzzzzzes? Just want to use them to get some locos moving for now.Thanks.
Personally, I would not use them. I have some of the Atlas engines with factory installed Lenz decoders, and I hate their buzz and will replace the decoders eventually. Having said that, some people say that they don’t notice any buzz. I don’t know if some people can not hear the frequency that they run at or if some engines just don’t transmit as much sound, but I would spend a few more dollars to get the silent drive regardless.
Cisco,
Most lower end decoders are 2-function decoders and quite adequate. For me, the important thing is to have a decoder that has BEMF or Back EMF for super low-end response.
I have non-silent decoder in my Proto 2000 S1 switcher that also has Back EMF. The non-silent version bothered me at first. But I quickly associated the slight “growl” with the sound of a real diesel locomotive and it hasn’t bothered me since. Actually, it’s only noticeable at lower speeds and, honestly, hardly audible at all.
If money is an issue, buy some of the NCE D13SRJs. They are 4-function decoders and come with the Back EMF. You can buy them for as little as $13 each at Empire Northern Models.
Hope that helps…
Tom
Ditto. One day I will pry the shells off and change these out. The buzz is cheap sounding and annoying. Of course I can mu them with some sound locomotives to drown them out.
The few extra dollars for a silent decoder with back EMF is well worth it.
Jim
I have an Athearn AC4400 that has a cheap Lenz decoder (no silent drive). It makes a lot of noise and I’m going to change it out when I get some more silent drive decoders. All my other DCC locos have NEC 2 function silent drive decoders. There’s no buzz or hum with them and they don’t cost much. $19.95 from Walther’s. Part #524-139. The only problem with this particular model is they won’t fit in small locos. Since I use mostly large locos (F units, E units, P units, GP’s and SD’s) They work well enough for me.
You can buy them for considerably less from Empire Northern Models. Here’s the direct link to their NCE decoder page:
http://www.empirenorthernmodels.com/NCE%20HO%20Decoders.htm
Tim’s got some of the best prices around. He’s also very knowledgeable when it comes to DCC stuff. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Tom