I was looking at Walthers latest flyer. In it there was an HO scale P2K GP60. The sound & DCC versionwas $299.98 and the standard DC version was $199.98. In this case and/or other cases,would it be more cost effective to buy the sound & DCC version or buy the standard DC version and buy your own sound & DCC and install it yourself?
You would have to price the components you wanted individually. As I understand it there are many decoders that can be used, prices vary. How good are your soldering skills? Mine are not up to trying to install decoders, so I’d have to hire that done. I am not into DCC (yet), but from what I have seen I don’t think that price difference is too bad for what is added to the loco.
Good luck,
Richard
You can’t buy the decoder, speaker, and enclosure for $100. Add in time to install it. Unless they do liek Atlas and use the same frame, you might have to modify the frame to fit the speaker. Atlas SIlver locos tend to use the same frames as the Gold locos with sound, meanign the A frame mount for the speaker is in place even in the non-sound locos, but you STILL cannot buy the decoder adn speakers for the difference in price between the two.
–Randy
If your only concern is cost, buy the factory installed sound. You cannot buy the components cheaper than the bundle.
That said, some people have very specific preferences when they install sound and the factory decoders don’t meet those desires, so they buy the decoder they prefer and install it.
The choice is yours.
I have no use for sound so for me getting standard DC unit and adding a DZ125 decoder for motor control would be more cost effective. On the other hand, I usually don’t purchase any loco over $120. I normally just skip over the more expensive ones no matter how great they look.
As others have stated, you cannot do a DCC with sound conversion for less than $100. In your case, I would just buy the loco with it already installed.
As someone stated, some of us have certain “standards” for our upgrades. I prefer Soundtraxx decoders with Railmaster Hobbies speakers (with enclosure). I have spent way too many hours searching for the most cost effective way to convert my DC locos to DCC. The best I have found is from DCC Hobby Supply, $95.20 and $11.95 respectively.
On the other hand, I would balk at the $200 and $300 price (call me cheap, the therapist says it’s OK [:D]). I would prefer to get a DC loco for $40-$50 and add the above components and after about 2 hours of labor I’ll have a DCC with sound loco for around $150. The best part, I’ll know what’s under the shell and have a good working knowledge of the loco and components.
If you can try to look at one first and see if the factory sound is to your liking. It might not be very cost effective if your ripping out the factory sound for a better one in the future.
And to top all of this off.
The home installed sound units - will NEVER sound as good as a FACTORY installed unit (things being equal)!
Not many of us are Sound Engineers NOR do we have the equipment to build and test the install to for the BEST Sound!
This is one of the times when letting the professionals do it - means just that!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Well of course it won’t but if the sound unit originally sounds like crap and you install a better unit then in the long run your paying more. I installed a Tsunami sound unit in one of my old QSI equiped Proto 2000 GP9’s and the difference in sound quality was like night and day. Installing sound isn’t really that difficult.
I think that one thing that has been overlooked in the above responses is whether or not you would consider DCC without sound, or if you don’t find it necessary to have sound in each and every unit of a consist.
If you just want a motor decoder, then to me it would make more sense to purchase the DC unit and plug in a $15 to $25 decoder.