The following are my “opinions” on what I saw and heard. Please feel free to critique.
Went to my LHS, Happy Hobo Trains.
At closing time store owner, Kevin, was in no hurry to leave. He retrieved and demonstrated a pair of sound equipped Athearn Genesis F units in the green Southern Railway scheme, A and B units. A good friend of mine and his wife were present.
Locomotive Body Detailing: Excellent, as expected from a Genesis shell.
Sound: Though quite loud and dynamic it, I was dissappointed.
Here’s why
The prime mover did not sound like an EMD 567. Sounded more like the steady hum of an electric motor. Would be much more appropriate for an electric MU car or locomotive.
The horn sounded like it was artificially produced on a Yamaha musical keyboard and not an original recording. I only heard one of the three horn offerings. This one sounded like a Leslie S5…sort of. When you blow the horn, the decay (trail off) sounds disjointed. It dropped suddenly, not smoothly like prototype locomotive horns.
Volume control is weird. It’s 3 settings Apparently I was listening to the “Super Loud” mode. For a crowded train show, this setting is perfect!
Note: Bell and Braking sounds were very good. Was neat to have the A and B unit ringing the bells out of sync at the same time, just like some prototypes. Brake squeal was similar to the QSI version.
I then went to my friend’s house where he demonstrated his Soundtraxx DSX equipped brass E8 (Ajin) in Seaboard Airline’s “Citrus” scheme. This was an older model that he won on ebay several months ago in which he gave her a mechanical “Tune Up” and then installed the decoders, baffle, and speaker.
I didn’t know what to expect when he put her on the track and fired it up. What a big difference! I recognized the 567 diesel sound. The horn was a Nathan M5 (used
Thanks… I’ve been wondering if the sound equipped genesis Fs were worth the extra cash… I have a DSX equipped B unit and I have to agree… Quite nice… Though I’ve never actually heard an F unit run, it does sound believable to me… I guess now there’s no reason to buy the sound equipped genesis or even the genesis for that matter… I’ll just assemble the Intermountain shells, paint them, and put them on the stewart chassis I bought for them 6 years ago [:I]…
It does seem possible to me (aren’t the Gen units QSI??) that they had it programmed wrong or put the wrong sound chip in since you say it sounded more like an electric…
The Genesis units are equipped with the newer MRC sound decoders.
MRC has been on top of the food chain in power packs for years, but sadly they’re at the lower end of the totem pole with quality sound and DCC.
Just like GM and many other businesses, MRC was slow to appreciate technological advances that were being made by its competition…in this case Soundtraxx and later QSI as well as DCC technology itself.
From what I’ve heard (just speculation) Athearn originally wanted the Soundtraxx Tsunami sound decoders for the Genesis units. Of course we know what happened. So rather than to continue waiting and waiting…, Athearn went with MRC. IMHO, that decision is going to bite Horizon/Athearn in the “Keester”.
I do hope that MRC makes some changes. Yes, it costs money to upgrade an already manufactured product, but if a significant number of modelers that want “accurate sound” snub these new F units, it’s going to hurt Horizon’s “potential profits” anyway.
I intend to get some one or two “standard” Genesis F7s (with no sound) and install either Soundtraxx or Digitrax sound myself.
As Earl Pitts would say in this situation: WAKE UP, ATHEARN! [:0]
Wow… Now I KNOW I’m not going to bother with the sound equipped units… I certainly would have researched it before purchasing but until now I didn’t know that MRC had supplied the sound decoders… You are probably right… Yamaha DX7…
You, unknowingly, just helped me make a decision that’s going to save me about $250+… Thanks…
Anotonio, I know exactly where you’re “coming from” - I chased a bunch of remaining 1st generation geeps and covered wagons around the B&O in Baltimore during the early-to-mid 1970s, tape recorded many of them (lost the tapes unfortuantely[:(]) - so I know a little too well what a 567 sounds like - especially in Notch 8 under heavy load![:P] That’s why even the QSI sound-equipped P2K geeps leave me cold.
From what I’ve read, the Tsunami will have the ability to mimic the ‘bark’ of straining EMDs - can’t wait to hear a demo!
Please, don’t just take my word for it though and make a quick judgment.
If you have access to a Hobby Shop that has or will have these units in stock…go in and ask the manager to put a unit on a test track so you can hear it for yourself.
Again, like Ken above, I spent a lot of time around locomotives years back. Many of today’s model railroaders haven’t heard a 567 or 645 up close so they might find the Genesis sounds acceptable.
(though I’m sure they’d prefer that sounds be accurate if they have shell out those $100 bills!)
When this thread gains more responses, I’m going to forward it to Athearn. They do actually read input from this forum.
Exactly… Frankly I was looking for an excuse Not to make the purchase and just go ahead with my original plans as stated above… Your info just helped push it over the edge… My only real interest in the Genesis F units was because of the Highliner shells… Slightly sharper detail, particularly around the headlights, than the Intermountain shells. I’m not knocking the genesis units in any way, I have a set of first run Pennsy (painted green) and they look and run great… It’s just if I don’t have to spend anymore ca***o get what I want, all the better… I’ve become a real cheapskate in my midlife modeling years… For right now, I’m going to wait and see (or hear) what the Digitrax and Soundtraxx diesel sound systems are like.
Hello “over there”
I have a BLI steam and a Atlas diesel sound to compare with and I think the new Athearn F7 sound is at least that good as they are on sound.
Its very nice to activate the dynamic brake sound down the "hill" , by the wireless remote control. Start the bell going in to yard and blow the horn at road crossing is also very good "sound railroading". The motor is absolutely a good diesel sound. If its exatly a EMD 567 I can`t say because I have never heard one “live” but you can never take it for a “electric motor sound” as Antonio FP45 say. Maybe It was something wrong with that locomotive you listen to?
AntonioFP45,I agree…My buddy was over last night showing me his new unit…I thought the unit had the throb of a FM unit…My Sound Traxx equipped GP9s sound much better…Athearn needs to rethink their sound system.[:(]