Class 108 DMU, who's sound is best ?

[muddys-blues]

Hi, I am looking to sound up my Bachmann 108 DMU's, a few sound companies are advertised, do anybody have any preferances Olivia's, Howes or Mr Sound Guy ?

[HLT 0109]

Hi, I am looking to sound up my Bachmann 108 DMU's, a few sound companies are advertised, do anybody have any preferances Olivia's, Howes or Mr Sound Guy ?

 

Within this section there is a large collection of sound videos under the name of SRman and it includes the class 108 DMU. If you haven't already discovered it you may find one you like within that collection. I have a Bachmann class 108 to which I had Mr Sound Guy added last year and I am not entirely happy with it (I don't have the skills to fit sound myself - too ham-fisted). The start-up is great but the idle sounds muffled so it may be the position of the speaker. Also I cannot hear any gear changes which is disappointing. It is worth adding drivers and passengers to the coaches while you have them apart since the coaches are lit. They don't need to be expensive ones as they cannot be seen clearly - I got 24 for about £7 including postage from Virtual Village on-line and the supplier of the sound chip was happy to fit them while he did the sound.

 

Harold

[SRman]

Thanks for the mention!   B)

 

 

 

 

This sort of query is precisely why I started that thread, so that those with the sounds could share with those looking for suitable sounds for their tastes before spending half their mortgage repayments on the sound decoders!! 

 

 

 

 

You will find a video of my own class 108 with Howes' sounds and a bass reflex speaker fitted. There is a small compromise needed in driving style as first gear will continue to rev up if you accelerate then stop sharply in a short distance. Otherwise, the sounds are good with typical exhaust rasp and bark, plus the gear changes. The air sounds on the gear changes may be a little too prominent but overall, in my opinion, you won't find a better sound project for the 108. With the Howes one, you also get guard-driver buzzers, door slams, dual and single horns and the unmistakable rattling sounds at idle plus the drop in revs and ceasing of rattles when you start off and it goes into first gear.

 

 

 

 

Within the limitations of video and sounds on the web in general, and the environments they were recorded in, the videos posted give a fair idea of what you can get for your money, although there are still plenty of available sounds that haven't been posted by anybody ... yet.

 

 

[Andrew F]

I've been listening on You-tube for the DMU sounds too. I was interested in the Mr Soundguy stuff but if it has no gear changes, then I don't know.

I posted the Olivias trains DMU sounds....thing is I don't know if it's the Leyland engines because I wanted the AEC early engine.....I bet it is the Leyland 108 sound though.

This is their sound with just the speaker rattling around the metal body.

You can hear the gear change better in this clip

I prefer the Howes sound with rasping exhaust and better overall engine range and nicer tick-over but I prefer the Olivias gear change to the Howes and the horn.

The problem with initial revs and pulling up is the same as SR states with the Howes.

 

Cheers

Andy

[muddys-blues]

I've been listening on You-tube for the DMU sounds too. I was interested in the Mr Soundguy stuff but if it has no gear changes, then I don't know.

I posted the Olivias trains DMU sounds....thing is I don't know if it's the Leyland engines because I wanted the AEC early engine.....I bet it is the Leyland 108 sound though.

This is their sound with just the speaker rattling around the metal body.

You can hear the gear change better in this clip

I prefer the Howes sound with rasping exhaust and better overall engine range and nicer tick-over but I prefer the Olivias gear change to the Howes and the horn.

The problem with initial revs and pulling up is the same as SR states with the Howes.

 

Cheers

Andy

 

Hi Andy thanks for your overview, to be honest though on the Leyland & AEC engines, they are more or less the same engine types, I am a time served Bus Mechanic, similar engines were used throughout the bus range from 1950's upto the 1980's, and I should imagine the Railcar builders did the same.

 

My enjoyment of the chips would be out of getting a sound that is a leyland/AEC engine note, one that is clear when fitted into the model, and all the other bits as well, it would not worry me to much if someone comes along and says "That sound fitted Bachmann 108 you have there is totally wrong because 52507 in Blue Grey did not have an AEC engine, and that noise is an AEC not a Leyland 6 cylinder "

 

The nice things about the replies I have had is about the other bits like the gear changes, rattles, and rasps, thats what I want out my box on wheels.

 

Reagrds & thanks

Craig.

[158722]

I would concur with the above re Howes 108/Generic DMU. Bryan has done a good job. You just need to learn how to drive them to get best out of the sound project. The 'add ons' buzzer, door slams etc are what get the audience going. That and the rasp/fart as it opens up!

In terms of fitting fairly straightforward. I would junk the light bar from the ceiling of the unit (Bachmann 108). Stick the decoder to roof with a sticky pad and get the speaker in the centre vestibule. I have actually razor sawed the floor out to ensure body sits back down. No need for any holes to be made any where. Certainly NO need for bass reflex speakers. IMHO the only thing that benefits from bass reflex alone is a 60. We have fitted a 108 chip into a newly repainted 'new' Hornby 8 pin DCC ready 101 see here:

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/airthreypark#p/a/u/1/yhHLa1KmPBc

http://www.youtube.com/user/airthreypark#p/a/u/0/0udzlP3ggyc

 

A very similiar installation. No extra holes drilled and plenty bassy enough?!

 

AP Team

[kevpeo]

I've been listening on You-tube for the DMU sounds too. I was interested in the Mr Soundguy stuff but if it has no gear changes, then I don't know.

I posted the Olivias trains DMU sounds....thing is I don't know if it's the Leyland engines because I wanted the AEC early engine.....I bet it is the Leyland 108 sound though.

This is their sound with just the speaker rattling around the metal body.

You can hear the gear change better in this clip

I prefer the Howes sound with rasping exhaust and better overall engine range and nicer tick-over but I prefer the Olivias gear change to the Howes and the horn.

The problem with initial revs and pulling up is the same as SR states with the Howes.

 

Cheers

Andy

 

I've got both the Howes and the Mr Sound Guy 108 and the Mr S.G. one does change gear, but you have to drive it, unlike the Howes chip which does it itself. The Howes does have the better sound though, bar the intrusive air release! I will get round to posting a video of the Mr S.G. one someday. kev.

[DavidM]

As ever, I wouldn't touch the Mr Soundguy projects with a long bargepole but I hear his 108 is the best of a bad bunch. Still miles behind the Howes example though.....

[Charlie B]

I've recently fitted the Olivia sound chip to my 108. The sounds all seem pretty good but the volume just isn't there.

Can an extra/bass speaker cure this? Perhaps I also need to get the drill out to allow the sound to escape.

Any thoughts?

Regards Charlie

[Guest 838rapid]

Hi Charlie.

 

I have had the pleasure of hearing olivias 158 and 108 stood next to a reblow from Howes.

 

Without appearing to be judge and jury the sounds from Howes far excelled the sounds from Olivias.

 

Olivias sound chips seem in part to lak the volume and also some of the sounds that the Howes Chip has fitted as standard.

 

The Olivias sound chip was fitted to a bass reflex located inside the units and the Howes sounds were fitted to bass enhanced on the 158 and the standard 23 mm speaker on the dmu.

 

I know where my money goes now for sound chips as the total sound experiance i recieve from Howes is Superb.

 

Might be worth looking at a reblow to improve the sounds and volume.

 

Have to add that i have no connection to Howes other than a very happy customer

[kevpeo]

As promised I've added a (rubbish!) Mr Soundguy 108 video, in a 101, at - http://lochdour.webs.com/videos.htm

It was too hot in the loft to try for a better quality vid!

[alcoRS1]

glad you guys did this thread.

 

I just got a Bachmann 108, and wanted to add sound, I will go with a howes.

 

Thanks

[Adrian Wintle]

Has anyone got an opinion on the Digitrax Class 108 sound project?

 

Adrian

[cassey jones]

I don't think anything touch's the Howes 108,

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVbh5NPBZso

[kevpeo]

Has anyone got an opinion on the Digitrax Class 108 sound project?

 

Adrian

 

The sounds on the program are very nice. Sorry I don't know what the program itself sounds like though as I've only heard them coming from an ESU 3.5! You can use Wavepad and a Lokprogrammer to build a 3.5 program from them very easily. Kev.

[Adrian Wintle]

The sounds on the program are very nice. Sorry I don't know what the program itself sounds like though as I've only heard them coming from an ESU 3.5! You can use Wavepad and a Lokprogrammer to build a 3.5 program. from them very easily. Kev.

 

Thanks. I was thinking about trying a Digitrax decoder since the decoder and the programmer come out to less than the cost of a Loksound - $CDN 50 for a SDN144PS decoder, $100 CDN for a PR3 (and the PR3 can be used as a stand-alone programmer with DecoderPro so is useful in its own right even if the experiment is a failure). Also, a number of my Class 101s have DH165LO decoders in them which have built-in Soundbug support (and a Soundbug is only about $50).

 

Adrian

[dmustu]

Thanks for starting this thread, being a bit of a dmu ned, its good to have a take on some of the available sound chips for dmu's. Regarding the aec engines, although several dmu types were fitted with aec engines originally, types selected for refurbishment in the 70s that had aec engines, such as 101s, generally had them changed for b.u.t. engines when refurbished.

 

I fitted my Bachmann 108 a while ago with a howes sound chip. I stuck the decoder to the top of the metal block in the guards van, and cut a hole in the plastic light guide to accomodate the decoder, so it cannot be seen. I decided to fit a bass reflex speaker, and i'm glad I did, it sounds far superior to the supplied speaker, and louder. I find the supplied speakers to tinny sounding, and to high pitch. I cut a section out of the seating unit, in the middle section of the car, big enough to accomodate the speaker, leaving a strip of the seating down each side of the speaker. The speaker is not totally hidden, but it looked pretty much impossible to completly hide any sort of speaker, its not a to noticable compromise.

For an extra £6 or so, i'd recommend upgrading the speaker for the dmu (and pretty much any diesel sound chip).

 

Just for comparison, 2 video clips the chips, the first one with original speaker and the second one with a bass reflex speaker -

 

 

[cassey jones]

Thanks for starting this thread, being a bit of a dmu ned, its good to have a take on some of the available sound chips for dmu's. Regarding the aec engines, although several dmu types were fitted with aec engines originally, types selected for refurbishment in the 70s that had aec engines, such as 101s, generally had them changed for b.u.t. engines when refurbished.

 

I fitted my Bachmann 108 a while ago with a howes sound chip. I stuck the decoder to the top of the metal block in the guards van, and cut a hole in the plastic light guide to accomodate the decoder, so it cannot be seen. I decided to fit a bass reflex speaker, and i'm glad I did, it sounds far superior to the supplied speaker, and louder. I find the supplied speakers to tinny sounding, and to high pitch. I cut a section out of the seating unit, in the middle section of the car, big enough to accomodate the speaker, leaving a strip of the seating down each side of the speaker. The speaker is not totally hidden, but it looked pretty much impossible to completly hide any sort of speaker, its not a to noticable compromise.

For an extra £6 or so, i'd recommend upgrading the speaker for the dmu (and pretty much any diesel sound chip).

 

Just for comparison, 2 video clips the chips, the first one with original speaker and the second one with a bass reflex speaker -

 

I fitted the bass speaker and left the original in place that way you keep the high frequencies of the 23mm and gain the extra bass with the added speaker, works very well on the class 37,s as well