Nice Review, Bruce ...

... as always.  Very informative.  I learned some new things about ESU even though I had recently "boned up" while researching sound decoders for my O-scale Atlas SW-9.

I opted for the ESU LokSound V4.0 XL as it was rated for the higher current draw and was available with the proper sound file(s) for the SW-9.  I am very pleased with my selection.  

Great review, nice to see ESU's plans

I have a couple of ESU LokSound decoders and I like them a lot. I talked to Matt Herman at a show and I feel as Bruce does; Matt is a driving force in ESU's moves to provide better sounds.

I`m still not sold on ESU

I`m still not sold on ESU Loksound........bad experience with one in a PCM Y6b.........

Also I have seen and heard the prototype for the TCS WOWSound diesel decoder.....and it sounds and works better than the ESU decoders.

ESU is on the move

As I currently live in Switzerland I have had substantial experience with the ESU product line and have found it to be a clear leader in the DCC sound field. I have also been very fortunate to have had an email exchange with Matt and he was very helpful (the type of response I have found lacking with other product lines). My only surprise was the fact that the select decoders were not RailCom capable Like their V4.0 brothers (RailCom or transponding is becoming very popular in Europe). I have confidence that Matt will continue to expand and as is his way improve the American locomotive sound experience.

Bill Lang

Great article.  It's always

Great article.  It's always nice to learn more about "the other guys".

Kevin

Matt Herman and ESU LokSound

This review was informative and helpful.  I have met Matt Herman and am impressed with his dedication to excellence and his support of modelers.  Is this what Bruce means when he refers to Matt's "nit-picky personality"? Sorry Bruce, but you set yourself up for that one.  It is hard to imagine a better U.S. representative for ESU.

Ted Shasta

Sounds interesting. Several

Sounds interesting. Several things to like, the standard decoders that are programmable for the sounds needed and the motor only decoders. Initial look into lok sound did not impress me I will be going back for another look, since these seem to be where the manufacturers are going.

539T sounds

You mention the new Atlas S2 with its 539T prime mover. I need to model a few S3s with the non-turbo 539, which ESU doesn't seem to have. Can you just turn the turbo sounds down to zero? Or is there more to it than that?

The "new" LokSound

As I said in the column, I was NOT a fan of LokSound decoders when I owned Litchfield Station. I used them when I had a specific need that nothing else would do, but I did not choose them first or second for sound installations.

Fast forward 4-1/2 years to now. A lot has changed. That was the point of my column. If you were less than satisfied before, I invite you to investigate the current product.

Thank you all for your comments and votes. In the first few days that this column has been out, you have registered almost as many votes as last month's column on Short Circuit Protection registered in the first month.

As always, I really appreciate the kind words.

RailCom

Hi Bill,

I see there is a small error in the Chart provided. The Select decoders are NOW equipped with RailCom.There was a time that the HO Selects did not have RailCom enabled. A Firmware update to your selects should also enable the feature.

Best regards,
Matt Herman

ESU LLC

539 non turbo Sounds

We will be releasing the Non Turbo 539 in 2015. Recording session is already arranged!

Best regards,

Matt Heman

ESU LLC

sound

I am  really happy with my Tsunami decoders but now manufacturers are changing to Loksound. I have a large operating layout and only need good sound, lights, horn, bell, dynamics and ditch lights. Anything else is a gimmick. The cost keeps going up to pay for things I don't want. Many of my operators turn off the sound anyway. I don't see buying any more sound decoder locomotives but the new locos come with a non compliant 21 pin plug so it is harder to add a decoder.

 A question is why don't locomotives come programmed for the road number?

Brian, my grandmother said,

"It is a good thing that not everybody likes the same thing, or every woman would be in love with my husband."

Folks' preference for sound, etc. is just exactly that, individual preference. Not everybody wants the same things.

Some want the exact horn that existed on a specific loco on a certain date, even though it was out of tune.

Others only care that it is a steam or a diesel.

Still others don't want sound at all.

Personally, I LOVE sound, in moderation. Many folks have the sound from individual locos set too loud. Soon the layout is awash in so much sound that it is hard to breathe.

I can think of two reasons why locos don't come with road numbers programmed.

Some folks use short addresses - some use long. Also, what is a short address and how it is managed vary between DCC systems. No matter what the manufacturer would do it wouldn't work for some customers.

Secondly, say a factory gets a batch of 1000 decoders to go into a run of locos. Yes, there will be some with the same road number, but there will probably be a lot of different road numbers. You are already complaining about increasing prices - a position that I do not agree with, by the way. Adding labor to individually program every loco would add probably $10 to $20 to the cost of every loco and it would be wrong for some customers. Doesn't seem like a good move to me.

As for "costs keep going up", here's my case. Pick one manufacturer - SoundTraxx. A decade or so ago, their flagship HO decoder had a MSRP of $175, as I remember. It had no BEMF, no high-frequency drive and 8 bit sound. Now the same form factor Tsunami has a MSRP of $120 with BEMF, high-frequency drive, 16 bit sound and a lot of other features never even thought of on the DSD-150 (prior flagship). In a more cost effective format, the TSU-AT1000 has a MSRP of $100 with all the same features. Give the buying power of a dollar in the same time frame, the current Tsunami is about half as expensive as its predecessor.

Hi Brian , If I may, the

Hi Brian ,

If I may, the 21MTC plug in EVERY locomotive around the world is compliant to the NEM standards. There has never been one loco made to the NMRA 21MTC standards. In fact if you look up the NMRA 21MTC standards you will see that there is a change happening. This is due to the fact that the NMRA standard is not compliant to the rest of the world. Aside from the ability to have all those BCR ditchlights operable with up to 8 function outputs in the plug, the reason the manufacturers are going to the 21MTC plug is to help keep the decoder cost down. Every decoder can be exactly the same. It will actually soon be much easier to add a decoder. All the other DCC suppliers are working on 21MTC decoders as well. There is no wiring, no wondering what resistors to use, no worry about what will fit. There has certainly been a lot fear of the unknown out there, including my own when I worked at Bowser. I told told ESU when I hired them that North America was not ready for the 21MTC plug at that time (2008). But now with the ability to add SMD lighting and all the other extras this is only way it can be done in a cheap way. Bowser's GMD SD40-2 will even have working red green and white class lights! All for the same price as our competitors decoders. Plus our decoders are the same in the OEM engines as you can buy off the self. No stripped down versions with less horns or features. Not to mention that if a firmware update comes along, or a better soundfile, one can easily update to the newest file without having to replace a decoder.

BTW- Awesome layout! I too am a BCR modeler so rest assured I've got great BCR Horns coming in those Bowser SD40-2s!

Cheers

Matt Herman

ESU LLC

Intermountain

I love the Loksound in my Intermountain SD40-2!!! I was not to sure about it at first, but it's nice. 

Brakes?

Are ESU planning to implement a brake function in their decoders?

ESU REVIEW

Great review. I will give it a try in getting two fo my loco's converted to ESU shortly. I particularly liked the info about the programming myth which was one of the reasons I stayed away from the product so far. 

Good luck Matt.

sound

Thank you for the kind remarks on my layout. We operate using OCS which is incorrect for 1982 so we don't need class lights. After involuntary retirement my goal is to be able to keep the layout which means keep the house so sound is an extra expense that is not in the cards especially when more than half my operators turn the sound off. I therefore must buy non sound units, buy a decoder and try to buy a harness. To install a firmware update requires another piece of hardware. I do have 2 SD40-2's in my future.

Question--are all these decoders now made in China?

The price difference between sound and non sound now seems to be $100. It is hard to find data from my earlier sound units but I recall the difference being $80 or so.

Good point about the extra cost of programming the unit number as the address. Somehow address 3 gets into the decoder so I don't really understand why the road number couldn't be out in instead.

http://www.cwrailway.ca

Brian ... They use a loader

address

Thanks for explaining that since I always wondered. Programing an address in a sound unit can be difficult but programing on the main with JMRI usually works.

Address 3 is the specified standard default...

Address 3 is the NMRA DCC specified standard default for decoders that have not been reprogrammed by the user. It should also be the address that the decoder returns to on a reset, if it's available on the decoder.

This makes it a lot easier to test a new locomotive without having to chase down what address it has.

Independent brake & coasting?

I too enjoyed the article, and thought it was nice to get to know more about Matt.  I also wanted to thank him for his service to our country.

That's my big question as well - and coasting!  I get the impression that Matt's been getting an earful from Mike Confalone on both counts, and I'd very much like to join that chorus.   Matt, if you do add that functionality down the road, will it be possible to update existing Select decoders, such as those on recent Intermountain locomotives, to take advantage of the new features?  If existing Loksound Selects can't be upgraded to support those functions, my plan is to replace them with Tsunamis.

My four IM SD40-2s are the only non-Tsunami decoders on my layout, and while I love the sound and performance, they largely sit unused since I get so much enjoyment from the independent brake and home-brewed coasting functions available on the Tsunami.

Joe A.,

I havent played with too many of the features on my locos with Loksound, but if by coast you mean throttle in Idle but the engine is still sailing along at track speed, I think ESU hit is spot on with their semi manual notching. F9 and F10 activate those features. While the engine is moving press F10. Forces RPMs to idle, or multiple presses of F10 would notch down, and F9 would notch up. didnt know tsunamis would do that... And didnt know anything about braking...

I talked with Matthew at Trainfest a few weeks ago. Gave him my input that sounds should either be from a trackside observes stand point, or the engineers stand point, but not a mix of both. Locomotives have much different sounds from inside the cab (such as EOT box beeping, how the air brakes sound when charging or releasing, alerter, and in Dash-2 EMDs the relay and reverser sounds, and no horn doppler!)

Steven

Excellent Article

As someone who has the ESU equipped Rapido GMD1, I have to say how pleased I am with it.  Little things like brake squeal when I quickly turn the throttle down just add to the realism, and I don't have to do anything complicated to make them work - it just does out of the box.  It is great to see guys like Matt and the guys at TCS (with WOWSound) really pushing the technology forward.  The ECoS has intrigued me since I saw it last year, but the price at this point is prohibitive for me.  But very neat.