You say you like the Tsunami but don't like its price and name pros and cons for several others.  One thing I don't understand is where you get the "complexity" comment for Tsunamis.  I didn't find it the least bit complex for my first sound decoder install (and first non-drop-in decoder install).  Can you explain why you think they are "complex"?  

But what kind of sound are you looking for?  Just to have the trains make some noise, or do you want them to sound their best?  If you really want them to sound their best, the Tsunami or Revolution would be my choice (and I'm sold on Tsunamis at this point).  If you go with cheaper decoders, chances are the sound won't be as good and you may not be as happy with them.  Perhaps, though, if you have nothing to compare them to, they'll be fine.  But its up to you - spend the money and get great quality, or save some money and settle for "passable."   

The higher-end sound decoders have a ton of configuration options with the CVs - that's where something like Decoder Pro makes life so much simpler.

Now you just grab the horn knob and pull it left or right to adjust volume. You don't have to remember it's CV116 for the horn nor remember what value is loud and what value is not-so-loud.

They were some of the very earliest DCC sound decoders, and I installed a bunch of them.  They are long gone, replaced with Tsunami or LokSound.  I found that the sound was acceptable but the motor driver circuitry was not very good.  It caused every one of my Atlas and Kato motors to buzz.  I thought it was motor vibration causing the shell to vibrate.  I glued lead everywhere I could, to no avail.

I read someplace that the motor drivers were a problem, so I rewired the locos to make the DSD a sound-only decoder and installed one of the small M-series TCS decoders for motor and driver control.  MUCH better, and maybe an option for you.  The DSD-L decoders should be very inexpensive and the TCS decoder is about $25.  Adding the two together is quite a bit less than either a Tsunami or a Loksound decoder.  You just have to understand about programming two decoders in the same loco.  Fortunately, the TCS -M decoder comes with a lock feature.

Anyways, those locos have since passed on to other hands and I'm now starting an On30 layout.  One loco comes with Tsunami in it, but I've bought LokSound decoders for all the others.  Why?  Two reasons:

1.  The motor driver and lighting control are exemplary.

2.  No capacitor is required.  Finding a place to put this device inside an HO shell can be a problem.  You DO have to get creative.  That might mean milling out or removing OEM weight.  I compensated for the weight I removed by making sound baffles out of sheet lead.

I highly recommend either Tsunami or LokSound, but wouldn't consider either the MRC or the Digitrax Sound Bug because of past problems with them.  I don't know anything about the QSI decoders.  I have seen and heard them run and they sound very nice.

I guess that's where my inexperience working without Decoder Pro comes in.  The only decoder programming I've done has been with Decoder Pro.  Makes things super easy. 

I bought a 101LC from E Bay to try it out  You can still get them from E bay but they are not as cheap as you think they would be - they still are asking $50 - $60 each.  Support from Soundtrax is less than stellar (and understandably so) for them.  As the Tsunamis come down in price, for me, the 101LC's aren't worth messing with. For as many locos as you have you might try to broker a deal with good store and get a "group" rate.   I'm guessing you were not planing on  getting them all at once but you might be able to get them in a couple of orders and still get a discount - it's worth a shot.  I would try Tony's DCC (a MRH sponsor) or Ulrich http://www.ulrichmodels.biz/servlet/StoreFront (should be a MRH sponsor Les)

ratled

That's just the kind of info that I am looking for here.  I'm not exactly a tinkerer, I don't enjoy pondering why something buzzes when it shouldn't or creating the work-arounds that you managed to put together.  It's just that I'm a frugal kind of soul who won't pony up the money for the "best" unless he can justify it.

It's not exactly a vote of confidence in the product when Soundtraxx no longer makes the LC series so they are out of the running. So that leaves the Tsunamis.  It appears that they are ordered "pre-loaded" with the sounds of one's motive power of choice so maybe setting them up isn't that difficult.

I'm writing this on a Mac so the LokSound, as good as they may be, are ruled out.  Besides they are even more spendy.

Am I correct in believing that the Tsunamis have back emf circuits? Do they require adding a capacitor "keep alive"?

BTW if a previous poster had noted that I would find the Tsunami sound more satisfying that the others because of it's 16 bit technology (verses 8 for the Digitraxx, LC's and MRC's) then I could reply point well taken.

Yes, the Tsunamis do have Back-EMF.  As for the capacitor, it is "optional" but always recommended.  I wasn't going to put it into my N scale loco because of size constraints, but upon recommendation from Litchfield, they put it in and it has been useful. 

I gave this same link on another post but this would do for your railroad no mater how many Trains you run as long as you run 6 or less at a time and you will not have to put sound decoders or speakers in a single engine Just the less expensive fleet decoders in each engine and from what Joe has said they run from $14.00 to $25.00 each. Chect out the Soundtraxx - SurroundTracxx system at the following url. even at the price of the system and speakers it is a lot cheeper than sound Decoders and speakers in 15 engines.

http://www.soundtraxx.com/surround/

Dan

Definitely worth looking into.  My overall goal (realistic or not) is to be able to mount operating sessions in three time periods, namely the steam to diesel transition, the time of the SP-Rio Grande merger and the time of the absorption of the SP into the UP.  That's at least 45 locomotives times about $110 for Tsunamies equals about $5K verses about $800 for the system and it's peripherals and 45 times $25 for the decoders.  And a lot less work. and maybe more rumble.

I think my layout tops out at four active trains. Besides the thought of spending $110 to put a sound decoder in a $40 IHC 260 that runs out of staging to switch a few logging flats and then disappears seems like overdressing a bit player in a stage production.

One little matter  with the  Soundtraxx's  Surroundtraxx system  is it requires  Digitrax Transponding.  That means you need a few  BDL168, plus  transponding receivers and  transponding decoders  to move the sound from place to place.   The Surroundtraxx uses the transponding information to select where the sound should be directed and balanced between multyple outputs. Without transponding, it is an expensive, un-useable,  router. 

500$ for the Sourroundtraxx System,  add  180$ for a  BDL168 and 8 transponding receivers,  plus equipe most of your engines with transponding decoders from Digitrax (no one else sells  transponding decoders)  or the Digitrax single/quad function transponding decoder at 15$ a pop.  Add the speakers, sub woofer, amplifier for all this.

Without this you will not have all the bells and whistles you are paying for the Surroundtraxx system.  All it will give you is rumble neath the table, Might as well get a used amp and speakers and one decoder. 

Marc Fournier, Quebec