I am waiting for sound to make its way in a high-quality manner into N scale and the physics just seem to make it difficult. I am interested in anyone’s thoughts on SurroundTraxx as a sound option.
I’m anxious to see how well it works too, I’m in HO but am planning a logging branch that will use engines that are probably going to be too small to retrofit sound into. But I don’t know that the Surroundtraxx system is actually out yet?? It was announced some time ago.
You mean this? http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/sou/sou840001.htm Just a cool 560 bucks[V].
BTW, you have to have a DCC system and a DCC loco.
Not quite $560 NH!! $565 (on sale) + speakers + tax + shipping!!! Depending on the speakers, you could be anywhere from $700 to $1000 or more!!! I’d have to see & hear that and think real hard about it!!![:O]
Yes, but if you have 10 locos or more that you want sound in, then it is on par with every other sound system out there…
David B
Are you one of those guys that would just be happy to have the noise engine sounds, or are you one of those guys that will debate whether or not the sound is from an RS or an S2? The Soundtraxx site http://www.soundtraxx.com/surround/index.php?p=surroundtraxxfeatures.php indicates that there are 5 different diesel engine sounds. Is the one you want there?
You might also ask if the system is upgradeable should additional sounds become available.
Not quite, it is worse, it requires a Digitrax type Transponding decoder equipped loco.
I calculated for our fairly small club layout. We would require a minimum of 42 speaker locations. That is 7 base units for $3927. Add the 42 track sensors, 7 BDL-168 units($1050), and 14 RX-4s ($700). That would be a total of $5677, plus the actual speakers and decoders for each locomotive.
While I think it is interesting technology, I think it is going to have to come way down in price before it will catch on. The advantages of having full fidelity sound from the speakers is really tempting. Right now the trade off for a 4x8 type layout needing a single base unit (for $560), 1 BDL-168 ($150), 2 RX-4s ($100) would be around 12-15 locomotives. The more locomotives added after this the system costs less than if sound equipped ones were purchased.
Even before Surroundtraxxx was announced I thought about a ‘do-it-yourself’ version. You can get decent speakers (like for computers) for a reasonable price, and install sound-only decoders in your control panel area as part of your DCC system. If you have a specific decoder for a specific engine, give them both the same ID number. If you have a sound decoder that works with several engines, give that sound decoder it’s own ID no. and use it as the lead “engine” in a consist with the engine on the layout.
Then it’s just a matter of detection. Set up blocks like you would for signalling, with a speaker under each block. I would use the detection that goes by current so can tell when a powered engine enters the block. Then set it up so that instead of the detection circuits being used to change a signal, it turns the speaker on for that block. Since you only need to detect engines, you wouldn’t put special wheelsets or diodes on the cars to make them visible to the detection circuit.
That was the problem for me when I looked at it, was the Transponding decoders. Changing all of my decoders seems like a bigger hassle than it is worth. Might as well put a sound decoder in. - Nevin
All Digitrax N scale decoders have transponding.
David B
Digitrax has a transponding only decoder for an add-on to an existing decoder equipped engine. The lack of ‘sounds’, the limit of how many can be running sound at the same time(6), you need to ‘block’ the speaker districts for detection, and at this time, you need the Digitrax ‘Loconet’ for communications. This system has been in the ‘works’ for some time. It has been in/out of the web site over the past 4-5 years. I think I even saw a unit on display at Trainfest or a NMRA National Train Show once - but never have I seen a working demo.
Jim
That would only work for 1 locomotive (train) at a time. As soon as two trains are attempted it becomes a circuit switched environment that has to get the appropriate sound (or none) for the appropriate locomotive to the appropriate speaker. A mini telephone central office switch type problem. Then if it ever gets mixed up (like when the trains pass each other) which sound proceeds forward with which train? There are many ways to get around this like magnets on different parts of the loco, or photo sensing different colored spots on the bottom a specific locomotive, but that suddenly just ballooned into such complexity it will probably cost more in the long run.
Might just as well get an MRC type (railsound 2000?) off board surround system.