Hello there, I'm the new guy and am also relatively new to G scale. I'm not a whiz at electronics by no means so the easier the better. I am looking to add a sound system to my new spectrum 2-8-0. I am currently using track power (DC). I am not familiar with any after market systems and only just started reading up on them. Bachmann says the engine is set up for a plug-n-play system. The QSI systems seem very interesting. Are all the big name systems equal? are the whistles and bells triggered by track magnets? I have an LGB Mogul with magnet triggers which work very well for me.
I need your help bad. Any and all info will be greatly appreciated. I'm sure I have more questions too but I just can't remember them all at the moment.
Thanks Guys!
Rob
The 2-8-0 is not plug-and-play.
Much depends on how much you want to spend. These are DC-compatible systems.
Bottom end of the price spectrum:
MyLocoSound - analog chuff, bell, and whistle. Chuff and whistle are very good. The bell is the weak point, but it only rings at low speeds if you even turn it on.
Dallee - Digital chuff, whistle, bell. Steam sounds are monophonic, so when you blow the whistle or ring the bell, the chuff cuts out. Not so noticeable with the whistle, but on the bell it's definitely more noticeable. Still, for $100, the sound quality is very good. Dallee makes a "polyphonic" board, which is essentially multiple boards grouped together, but it's also multiple times the price. You may as well at that point buy a Phoenix system.
Upper end:
Old stock Sierra sound systems. Digital bell, whistle, chuff, and other sounds. Fairly customizable. Hasn't been made in a few years, but some dealers still have some on the shelves, or they show up on ebay from time to time. Very good system. Expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $180, depending on the dealer, and whether the system's been used or not. If you can get one for the lower end of that spectrum, go for it. Once you get up towards the $180 range, spend a few more dollars and get a Phoenix instead.
QSI - I hesitate to recommend this for your circumstances solely because the QSI isn't at its best in the "standard" DC realm. It's a DCC sound board, and while it does operate on standard DC, you lose a great deal of the board's functionality. You also need their "Quantum Engineer" sound controller to trigger the sounds. (There are "other" ways to trigger some of the sounds, but not all control systems allow you to do it.) If you see yourself going DCC down the road, then perhaps that's a viable option for you, but if you're just looking for a controllable sound system, I think the other options are far better. There are other DCC-protocol sound systems from Massoth, etc. which--like the QSI--also may work to varying degrees in a standard DC environment, but I think when you compare what you are able to control to the other systems designed specifically for the DC environment, they're not the best option.
Phoenix - Arguably the "gold standard" of sound systems. For the DC-compatible version, you're looking at their new PB11 board, which will set you back around $200 give or take. Pricey, but well worth it.
On the MyLocoSound, Dallee, Sierra, and Phoenix systems, the bells and whistles can be triggered by track magnets. There was at one point report of a board that you could plug the QSI into which would also allow for magnetic triggers, but I don't know if it's available. I've not seen it on QSI's web site.
Later,
K
You'll find you get what you pay for.
One system I would not recommend is the Dallee sound system. It sounds like a sick cow in a hail storm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJOg6TXRqHE
This is a short video I made so folks could hear the Dallee system. You listen and decide if this is a system you'd want in your Connie. Cheap is one thing-junk is something else!!!!! ::)
Of course some operators will accept anything as long as it makes noise.
As Kevin mentioned for DC operation Phoenix is top of the line.
"One of the Enthusiastic Children"
Thanks so much for the fast comments and Kevin I really enjoy all your articles in GR magazine.
So I guess i'll concentrate on Phoenix. my Bachmann owners manual does say it's prewired and ready for an after market sound PC board. Is it still going to be an involved install? will the Phoenix system come with everything needed to use the track magnet sound trigger system? Can anyone suggest the best place to purchase a Phoenix sound system? And last but not least which Phoenix system would be my best choice?
Thanks again
Rob, S. Chicago
Installing the Phoenix in the tender of the 2-8-0 will be pretty straightforward, especially on "standard" track power DC. There's an opening in the floor of the tender for a speaker, which comes with the Phoenix kit. There's also the board and a small rechargable battery to provide sounds when the track power is low or off. Plenty of room. Track power feeds to the Phoenix from the power pick-ups on the tender trucks. There are small screw tabs in the floor of the tender you can easily tap into.
The hardest part will be installing the reed switches for the magnetic triggers. I don't recall if the Phoenix kit comes with the reed switches or not, since I use R/C to control the sounds. But it would just be a matter of mounting the sensors probably somewhere on the trucks where they would be triggered by the same magnets that trigger the LGB sounds.
As for purchasing, I'd get either the P9B or P11B. The P11B is the current production, the P9B it's just-discontinued predecessor. Both should be around $200, and should be fairly widely available from various dealers. Look in the magazine, or look under the "Dealer" tab on Phoenix's web site.
Later,
K
Thanks again Kevin. I'll let you know how i'm progressing.
I can second Kevin's recommendation on the Sierra Soundtraxx sound board for the Connie. Mine is often mistaken for a phoenix. Even my son who is Phoenix all then way thought my Sierra was a Phoenix. It is a total shame that they stopped making them.
Have fun with your install. The Connie tender is huge and easy to install sound, R/C, and still have room for batteries.