rugbyboys Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 I have just bought a TTS Princess Coronation Class and I have previuously bought four TTS models and to be honest I doubt that I will buy anymore I am really disapointed with this model and the Black Five I bought in February, the sounds are actually getting worse not better the biggest problem I find apart from some of the sounds being very poor quality is probably down to the motor and not so much the actual sound decoder is the way that the sound goes up and down when the Loco is in normal running and struggles to hold the same sound levels. So I think in future I will go back buying DCC ready and get a sound decoder retro fitted but at least I can have some assurance that the sound will be more acurate and acceptable..I wonder If anyone else has had the same issues/problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howbi Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 There have been many reports concerning the supplied speakers with TTS.......I prefer to use 'sugar cube' type speakers and have not experienced any of the problems you describe........I know it is further expense (£8 or so) but worth every penny IMO........also I find, in most cases, a change of motor algorithm is beneficial.........HB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howbi Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 @rugbyboys.........could you kindly type your reply in the box at the bottom of this page and hit the green button?........ta......HB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDS Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 @rugbyboysI have removed your 'blank' response.As howbiman says, please use the white box to type your reply, not the white arrow in the blue square. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeping Jane Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 I have heard it said (and I would agree) that most sound decoder/speaker combinations for kettles isn't that great, but by contrast oilers and electrics are much better. My only experience of TTS is the class 31, and many people (including me) think it sounds great. It may just come down to the space the speaker is fitted in and the type of speaker. Speakers are not hugely expensive and it it is worth while trying some others, (including how you can improve where and how it is placed). Do some Googling on this, I have seen examples of how people have improved the acoustics. HTH - Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugbyboys Posted April 17, 2018 Author Share Posted April 17, 2018 Thanks Guys,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 There are two things to consider with any sound decoder TTS or full fat. First is the quality and accuracy of the original recording and how this is presented by the decoder, e.g. on a steamer how many recorded sections of different chuffs are there and how do they lace together as speed increases, etc; on a diesel do the number of notches match the prototype; are horns and whistles, etc accurate to prototype or generic library sounds. Second and in some cases more important is the physical installation of the speaker. A good quality speaker in a well designed acoustic enclosure will provide a much better output than a cheap speaker without any accoustic isolation. This isolation is achieved by sealing the front of the speaker from the back and there are various methods of achieving this from custom enclosures to blu-tak. Added to this is the need for some folk to match chuffs with wheel rate, this is not necessary on a diesel as they drive differently i.e. the engine and road speed do not usually match, instead the engine ramps up in steps to provide power to electric or hydraulic motors at the wheels. TTS cannot match chuff to wheel except by coincidence. More expensive sound decoders usually have such adjustment. In summary, you get what you pay for with sound decoders and you can improve sound quality to some extent by way of a good speaker well installed. TTS are not bad for the money in my opinion, especially the diesels. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugbyboys Posted April 17, 2018 Author Share Posted April 17, 2018 Hi , I hear what you say but personally I wish that Hornby would go back to making full fat decoders as you call them as I think that the TTS versions are going backwards, I have many other makes of Sound fitted Steam locos including retro fitted and factory fittied decoders including Bachmann and Dapol Black Label A4 so I do know what good decoders are capable of, so unfortunatly I will be steering clear of Hornby unless they go back to making a decent product... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynax Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Hornby TTS, fill a niche market for those like me who like a bit of sound and are quite aware of their limitations, i have no desire to spend silly money on something that makes a noise in time with the wheel rotation, as most of the time you can't even see the wheels, and if people are mad enough to try and and actually count the wheel to chuff ratio then they are definately in cloud cuckoo land, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howbi Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 @rugbyboys.........Hornby did not make 'full fat' sound decoders previously, the locos I bought 6-8 yrs ago were all fitted with ESU Loksound. How can you criticise Hornby for trying to fill a need in the market for a reasonably priced product at half the price of the reigning products? I bet they have sold thousands of TTS decoders by now. I'm sure many modellers are very pleased with the result. I have 7 TTS steam & diesel and have no reason to complain. Other decoders I use from Econami & ESU are £70 & £100 so I am grateful for the choice available......HB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugbyboys Posted April 17, 2018 Author Share Posted April 17, 2018 the type of decoder that they used before TTS as far as Iam aware were just labelled as DCC Sound and they worked very well and thats the point that Iam trying to make the TTS might be a bit cheaper but dont perform as well and I think that the cash saving is not worth the loss in performance .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeping Jane Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 The only thing I can suggest is installing an alternative then. YouChoos, Legomanbiffo, Hattons, Olivias Trains, Zimo are all worth looking at and some of them will provide a sevice of fitting for you (at a price of course). Don't throw the old one away, it could be used in a coach to provide smart lighting (if you bought some cheap LAIS decoders to go in the other coaches) - just set them all to the same address and then you can switch on/off the rake at will, meaning you wouldn't have to have permanently on coach lighting in a coach siding or terminus. Good luck in your search and let us know how you get on. HTH - Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 The earlier Hornby sound used ESU 21 pin decoders but these were loaded with Hornby’s own sound files according to ESU web site. Version 3.5 or version 4.0 according to age. You can download some UK sound projects from ESU but not these OEM commissioned files as they are considered to be owned by the OEM, which is a pity as with the aid of a LokProgammer you can rework the files if necessary. I am led to believe DigiTrax has a better DIY system where you can rework the sound files and reload to a decoder on track. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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