The newest Soundtraxx 1000 series is insanely realistic if you get the correct Speaker or speakers installed with it. Their newest supercharger Diesel decoder has really got all the bells and whistles. If you look at the video interviews from the Milwaukee National Train show by our MRH crew you can see the newest Soundtrax in action.

Check this following link:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/MRHT_2010_NTS_SOUNDTRAXX

Dan

I have installed 4 Tsumamis in On30 steam locomotives  (2 being Shays) and am very happy with them.  My next installs will be Revolutions from my friend Josh at Tony's Trains.  He had send me sound files and they sound great (on my computer).  These will go in O scale NWSL Minaret (finding room for a speaker is hard) and a Little River 2-4-4-2 and a Casper Lumber 2-6-6-2 Samson.  One reason for this is they will handle 1.5 amps motor current draw.  I will let you all know how I like them when done.  Stay tuned.............................................Peter

We have some Proto1000 engines with factory installed QSI decoders and we've been rather disappointed with them. They're a few years old though and probably not the "Revolution" decoders.

2 things make me say 'no' to Tsunami. No support for Start/Mid/Max for speed mathcing - you have to use spedd tables with the Tsunami. Maybe not too horrible if using JMRI but still more work than the others. And the big one - Tsunamis still have program issues that often require a program track booster unless you do all programming in Ops Mode. By now there's no excuse for anyone not incorporating the simple resistor/diode fix for inrush current. I recently installed a QSI Revolution in an Athearn loco for someone and had zero issues programming on my unaltered programmign track. And it wasn't terribly difficult speed matching it to his other Athearn loco with a motor only decoder, just using start/mid/max.

It may sound better, but the features fall down in oeprational areas. Tons of sound features, but they forgot the basics. Or improved the basics above the old decoders -the ones that didn;t even have silent drive, but the Tsunami still falls well below the state of the art on everything but sound reproduction. Actually, if I was going to convert my fleet to sound en masse I'd probably use Loksound Selects. They only two locos I own with sound both have Loksound 3.5 decoders and they soudn good and the running qualities are top notch. They also program with absolutely no problems.

                                              --Randy

As I said, I've only got experience with the Tsunami and it does sound really good.  However, I see your point about the speed matching.  I do use JMRI, so it probably won't be as much of an issue for me, and I've had no trouble programming it with the PR3 and JMRI.  I will likely try them all and see what I prefer.  So far, though, I have no complaints with the Tsunami.

And the big one - Tsunamis still have program issues that often require a program track booster unless you do all programming in Ops Mode.

Randy, this is less of a problem for folks like me who don't have large layouts - the OPS mode programming works fine, and instead of setting up a seperate program track, I'm planning on blocking a single track for the same purpose (but live OPS) but still avoid programming everything.

Tsunami sound has by far the most realistic sounds out there that I know of. I have a couple of QSI Revolutions, have had Digitrax and the lowly MRC. I have not had a problem with speed matching the Tsunami's as others have indicated??? They seem to work with no glitches at all. The QSI also behave very well, in fact, IMO, the QSI has more options regards to sounds, but they are just not as realistic. Once I heard and used a Tsunami, my mind is made up until something alse comes along that has to be proven to be better. 

Steve