TTS sound

[Greybloke]

Hi A little advice please I would like to fit sound to a class 52. I'm aware there is no TTS card available but is there one which is close. I'm not concerned if it's not 100% accurate. Thanks in advance 

[96RAF]

My fudge method of diesel loco selection if you can’t get the exact one is to see what engine is in yours and what engine is in the current TTS offerings (Google and Wiki are your friends here) The only other thing important to my basic mind is do the horns match reasonably well, all the other details like whirry and clonky things are not on my radar.

Rob

[Greybloke]

Thanks RAF96 it looks like class 37 is close but currently out of stock :(

[walkingthedog]

What about a CL40

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/337893/Hornby_R8119_TTS_DCC_Sound_Decoder_with_8_pin_plug_Class_40_diesel/StockDetail.aspx

[richard_croft]

I fit sound for a living and I wouldnt say either are particularly close. Here is a Western I did 

Here's a TTS 37 

I guess it's not a million miles off. I think Hornby will probably do another batch of class 37 decoders soon. They are out of stock at most suppliers but havent been discontinued as far as I know.

The class 40 has a very distinctive whistling sound from it's turbo's which you dont want in a Western. 

Richard

[walkingthedog]

Yes I forgot about the CL40 whistle. I think the Western is pretty unique as well but doubt a TTS version will appear. 

[Sultan]

GREYBLOKE. NOTHING SOUNDS LIKE A CLASS 52 THAN A CLASS 52.  

GET A LEGOMABIFFO CHIP AND HAVE DONE THEY ARE FAR FAR SUPERIOR TO ANY TTS CHIP.

 

Sorry for shouting but I am rather passionate about class 52s.

[2e0dtoeric]

All dismals sound like variants of trucks to me!  😛

and those 350's or whatever, the electric trams that make that silly twittering noise  🤑

Now - a proper STEAM loco - that's different!  😎

[Sultan]

@Ericm0ff

I do like the sound of a boiling kettle - I know it will produce a nice cup of tea  😆

[walkingthedog]

All OO sound is awful whether TTS or Legobucketbloke, makes no difference. 

[Greybloke]

Thanks to everyone for all the relevant advice. Everything else is a matter of opinion for we're all entitled 

[walkingthedog]

Hope you find one that you like. 

[Sultan]

All OO sound is awful whether TTS or Legobucketbloke, makes no difference. 

walkingthedog - I have toagree with you on this one. To be honest once I have a Western running round my layout with 20 china clay hoods behind it I can't hear the loco sound over the noise of the wagon wheels so it make it all pointless really.  I do enjoy dcc sound though when shunting and initilly accelarating it also makes the drining experience more realistic as it incorporates delays and actions relative to the sound which no one replicates on non sound decoders. hen the sound is turned off the chips act like standard chips without the aforemention delays etc.

Having an interest in audio and sound recording I can see the huge failings of dcc sound compared to profesionally recored sounds played back ona proper speaker system.  Until there is a drastic step change in how dcc sound is relayed we will never really be able to immerse ourselves in sound with teh whole frequency and dynamic range.  All dcc sound is very top end,high frequency, and bass is sysnthesied and not very good at that really.  I do not have the know how or skill but believe that a sub base or woofer speaker under the baseboard would make an amazing difference but how that relates to each loco I have no idea.

[96RAF]

What could work is if the decoder had the sound files onboard but the resulting output was played through many decent speakers placed around the layout triggered wirelessly from the passing decoder. A major redesign of sound decoders would be required for this to happen and maybe it could be built into loco detection (don’t remind them).

Rob

[Fishmanoz]

The step change in technology to implement Rob’s idea is going to be sound out from the decoder will have to be by wi fi or Bluetooth to the sound system.  It would be rather difficult to have wires from each decoder trailing back to a central sound system and, once the cat plays with the wires overnight, they will never work again (especially if the dog catches the cat at it and chases him away across the layout)!

[richard_croft]

DCC sounds poor with the little, unsealed speakers that manufacturers supply with models but that doesnt mean that’s what you have to settle for. Changing the speaker to something sealed and with a better design will transform the sound. It doesn’t matter whether you buy a TTS decoder or a top of the range legomanbiffo one, they all come with the same type of  cheap speaker which massively limits their potential.

Richard

[2e0dtoeric]

I like DCC sound, but have to agree with the arguments that it doesn't sound right.

It is hardly surprising when you consider that you have a tiny (in hifi terms) tweeter in a thin plastic box. There is no possible way it can produce the deep bassy sounds of an engine, whether steam or diesel.

Still staying in the hifi world, if you hear a real live West Indian steel band performing, or a full orchestra, and then hear the playback of the same tune on your superduper monster gold plated system, it doesn't sound the same. The old vinyl analogue recordings sounded warmer than the modern digitally encrypted ones, but at the same time the cd sounds too clinical and clean, whereas the vinyl, each and every time it was played, was damaged by the stylus, and collected dust, clicks, pops, and micro-scratches.

What I'm trying to put into words is that NOTHING sounds quite like it does in real life, so we have to compromise.

-

Regarding the bluetooth, and multiple speakers - that wouldn't work either on a larger layout, you would need to multiplex the receivers, to give an approximation of loco position on the layout, or you could end up with the noises on the left, while the loco was on the right!

-

It woujld be 'interesting' to hear, if someone could hook up a DCC sound chip to the line input of a high-level audio system, and listen to what it really (or almost) sounds like!

[96RAF]

Fairly limited in frequency response and power output generally Eric. I did have the TTS spec somewhere in my files, currently in a box in a storage unit far far away.

Rob

[richard_croft]

I like DCC sound, but have to agree with the arguments that it doesn't sound right.

It is hardly surprising when you consider that you have a tiny (in hifi terms) tweeter in a thin plastic box. There is no possible way it can produce the deep bassy sounds of an engine, whether steam or diesel.

Still staying in the hifi world, if you hear a real live West Indian steel band performing, or a full orchestra, and then hear the playback of the same tune on your superduper monster gold plated system, it doesn't sound the same. The old vinyl analogue recordings sounded warmer than the modern digitally encrypted ones, but at the same time the cd sounds too clinical and clean, whereas the vinyl, each and every time it was played, was damaged by the stylus, and collected dust, clicks, pops, and micro-scratches.

What I'm trying to put into words is that NOTHING sounds quite like it does in real life, so we have to compromise.

-

Regarding the bluetooth, and multiple speakers - that wouldn't work either on a larger layout, you would need to multiplex the receivers, to give an approximation of loco position on the layout, or you could end up with the noises on the left, while the loco was on the right!

-

It woujld be 'interesting' to hear, if someone could hook up a DCC sound chip to the line input of a high-level audio system, and listen to what it really (or almost) sounds like!

Not all the speakers that fit in models are plastic tweeters as you describe, it’s just that 90% of people fitting sound do tent to use those smaller, tinny sounding speakers. I did a comparison of different speakers here and some of them really do have a nice bass sound 

[Sultan]

As low frequency sound generated by sub woofers etc is generally non directional you would not ned multiple speakers around the layout.  Just look at those old Bose 5.1 sound systems which used tiny HF speakers positioned around the room and then the LF sub woofer behind a setee or similar.  These small speakers are in the locos. I think it could work verfy well and wouldn't it be amazing if Hornby cracked it.  What do you say Simon Kohler?