Any thoughts on this Device would be appreciated ...Sloan
Not bad. I bought 2 at Hobby Lobby with their 40% off coupon - one for steam and one for diesel. I am sure they are not as good as DCC systems but the human ear can not determine where the sound is coming from so it is somewhat realistic.
I have read similar comments regarding the human ear. I returned my first sound equipped loco, even at 8 feet away I could tell the sound was coming from the tender.
I am not alone, as Tony's Trains gets many requests to mount the speakers in the loco. So I would have to amend your statement to "some human ears".
I don't have the Symphony 77 unit but one of MRC's smaller (steam) sound units. It works well and does add some realistic sounds to the layout. My grandson loves the whistle and conductor sounds.
By the way, humans have two ears which are designed to home in on sound direction and they do it very well. If you can't determine the direction of sound (excluding echos and other bounces) you may need to go to a doctor.
Being able to tell if the sound of a steam locomotive comes from the tender or the engine is a factor of many things. One is obviously where in the tender the speaker is located. Another is the position of your ears relative to the sound source. That is, if the locomotive is coming directly towards you or going away from you, you should be fooled. If you are at a 90 degree (1600mil) angle and close, then the sound will come from the tender.
Bob, if you could tell from eight feet away you have sharp ears.
Gene
When I converted one of my On30 Moguls to a 2-6-2ST, I installed sound and fitted a 1" speaker in the top of a pancake stack.
Eric UK
My wife and I both have sensitive hearing. We watch TV with the sound turned down to 2 or 3 on the scale, at a distance of about 12 feet. Most people would prefer the setting at 12 to 15.
My directional sense might be attributed to the fact that my vision has greatly diminished over the last 2 years.
The loco was a Mountain, about 8" separation between where I sensed the sound should be and the speaker in the tender. With a short Connie, I might not have noticed it. Up close and broadside it really grated my senses.
If you place the speakers on top of the platform then it is easy to determine where the sound is coming from. I placed the speakers under the platform attached with Velcro. The sound waves bounce between the floor, the walls and the bottom of the platform (plywood) and thereby fool the human ear in determining direction. In one thing to theorize but in actuality it works.
Oh - by the way - I am an Audio Editor and even though I am getting up there in age my ears are pretty sharp.
my layout is 12 x 12 about how far apart tp place the speakers ?
Sloan,
If your platform is up against a wall, I would place the speakers toward the rear - maybe 6 in. or so from the wall. If the floor that your layout sits on is carpet (soft) place the speakers so that they face toward the front of the layout. If the surface is hard (concrete) try placing the speakers so that they face down toward the hard surface. This will cause the sound waves to bounce between the bottom of the platform and the floor.
Regarding the distance between the speakers, you are limited by the length of the speaker wires that MRC provides. If that doesn't work for you, slice in some speaker wire to increase the distance between the speakers.
It is funny how the human mind works. If you have a passenger train in front of a passenger station and you have the conductor says - "All Aboard" you swear it came from the station area - if the train is somewhere else on your layout - you not sure where it came from!!!!! The human mind is easy to fool - politicians have been doing it for years.
Thanks John
It sounds like the MRC symphony 77, may be something I will consider for my future 4 x 8 Steam, Passenger and Freight Layout. Im guessing that you have the ability to program a nice variety of appropiate and somewhat realistic sound effects ? I was wondering, do any of you other folks have any experience with this system ?
Pete :-)
I would like some opinions on the Symphony 77 also. It sounds like a good way to at least get started with sound, can't jsut jump in and buy a bunch of sound decoders at once. My concern is, I have the MRC Town and Country and am not overly impressed. Most of the country sounds are OK; streams, crickets, etc. but the traffic and wind sounds are, to put it mildly, PATHETIC! Not sure I wan to invest the money if the sounds don't sound good.
Thanks,
Jim
:) Bump ! :)
Pete :-)