Spectrum Steam Engines with DCC and also with Sound

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have read on various forums that many of the readers who purchased Spectrum steam engines with DCC installed have removed and changed the DCC decoder. The Bachmann installed decoder apparently often does not offer acceptable slow speed control. The DCC decoder used is unique to Bachmann and lacks some of the programing features that would allow the user to program for speed, etc…

What about the new DCC and Sound engines that Bachmann is now selling? Are the purchasers generally satisfied with that decoder’s performance or is there a lot of users switching the sound decoders to other brands?

Comments please.

2

Bachmann Spectrum sound-equipped engines use the SoundTraxx Tsunami decoder, which is different and much better than the Lenz decoder used in the DCC On Board versions.

3

It is a Tsunami that Bachmann is including in their locos, but it lacks some of the nice features that the “FULL” Tsunami has: Equalizer, Reverb control, some volume control, Whistle choices…etc.

It seams as though the motor control is the same.

David B