NIRCLASS80 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Just wondering has anyone tried one of these newly released decoders and what is the verdict? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spice1977 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 I've got two on order and will be fitting with megabass speakers - I have heard they are very good. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Likewise, I have two on order which should arrive Wednesday. Will test first with supplied speaker to ensure everything works, then tweak the CVs for smooth running. Then chop the speaker off and try various speakers to see which is most suitable. A good tip on another thread was to pop the loco body temporarily over to assess the sound. I'm hoping for a good result from these TTS 50s. I have four locos to do. Have previously tried three different suppliers' projects on Loksounds and wasn't that impressed with any of them. All since reblown to other classes. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spice1977 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 45 minutes ago, cravensdmufan said: Likewise, I have two on order which should arrive Wednesday. Will test first with supplied speaker to ensure everything works, then tweak the CVs for smooth running. Then chop the speaker off and try various speakers to see which is most suitable. A good tip on another thread was to pop the loco body temporarily over to assess the sound. I'm hoping for a good result from these TTS 50s. I have four locos to do. Have previously tried three different suppliers' projects on Loksounds and wasn't that impressed with any of them. All since reblown to other classes. I quite like Jamie Goodmans Class 50 on Loksound. I also like YouChoos on Zimo, but these are cheap and cheerful models so getting cheap and cheerful chips lol. Yes I saw that recommendation tooo - its a good idea! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisr40 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 (edited) I haven't fitted mine yet but here is a list of the sound effects on this chip. Looks very promising. Edited May 26, 2019 by Chrisr40 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted May 26, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2019 Fitted to a Hejjan DP2 this afternoon with a single Zimo speaker in the fuel tank. Great sound and good control straight from the box. Happily ran for 30 mins with a 8 coach load with no signs of overheating. So that’s 2 locos sound fitted in 2 weeks (the other was an 08) for less than £120 (including the enhanced speakers which make a big difference). Proper value. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Hilux5972 Posted May 27, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 27, 2019 They really are perfect for diesels. No chuff synchronisation needed for the wheels. TTS was always going to be a better accompaniment for diesels. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted May 27, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 27, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, Hilux5972 said: They really are perfect for diesels. No chuff synchronisation needed for the wheels. TTS was always going to be a better accompaniment for diesels. If Hornby could crack steam exhaust wheel synchronisation they’d make a killing in the DCC sound market in a very similar manner to the way they have with Class 66’s in my opinion. They clearly already have a good sound library given the range they offer. Edited May 27, 2019 by MikeParkin65 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 Sounds very promising indeed: Can't wait to get mine this week and start experimenting with different speakers. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said: Fitted to a Hejjan DP2 this afternoon with a single Zimo speaker in the fuel tank. Great sound and good control straight from the box. Happily ran for 30 mins with a 8 coach load with no signs of overheating. So that’s 2 locos sound fitted in 2 weeks (the other was an 08) for less than £120 (including the enhanced speakers which make a big difference). Proper value. That's interesting that you successfully fitted a TTS into a Heljan. I thought they were too power hungry for TTS. Edited May 27, 2019 by cravensdmufan Spelling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philiprporter Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 (edited) Sounds excellent! I've got a Paul Chetter Zimo in my 50 with a Zimo Big Boom Box where the fan assembly used to be (plenty of space) and it sounds monstrous(!) but I will try a TTS chip with that speaker in another 50 and see how it performs-thanks for sharing that video! Edited May 27, 2019 by philiprporter Typo 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 As with all TTS decoders, and indeed some other "high end" ones, CVs will need to be adjusted for smooth motor control especially at very low speeds. CV150 to 1 is usually a good starting point. The poster of the YouTube video hasn't finalized that yet and quite rightly says that every motor reacts differently even for the same loco type from the same manufacturer. Interesting comparison between the effects on the very early and later models of the Class 50. I've a feeling this TTS will be Hornby's best yet! They are getting better all the time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 31 minutes ago, philiprporter said: Sounds excellent! I've got a Paul Chetter Zimo in my 50 with a Zimo Big Boom Box where the fan assembly used to be (plenty of space) and it sounds monstrous(!) but I will try a TTS chip with that speaker in another 50 and see how it performs-thanks for sharing that video! Philip, make sure the speaker is an 8ohm one before you try it with the TTS. (Sorry if that sounds like preaching to the converted, but I blew one of my first TTS amplifiers because I connected a 4ohm in error). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted May 27, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 27, 2019 Presumably this is a refurbished loco sound chip, ie, without inertia fan sounds?, as they don't seem to be in the function list. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Hilux5972 Posted May 27, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 27, 2019 3 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said: If Hornby could crack steam exhaust wheel synchronisation they’d make a killing in the DCC sound market in a very similar manner to the way they have with Class 66’s in my opinion. They clearly already have a good sound library given the range they offer. Yeah but I guess that’s part of what makes it so cheap. The minute they start putting more time into the sounds then the price will go up. Granted it would still be a lot cheaper than top shelf sound decoders. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philiprporter Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 3 hours ago, cravensdmufan said: Philip, make sure the speaker is an 8ohm one before you try it with the TTS. (Sorry if that sounds like preaching to the converted, but I blew one of my first TTS amplifiers because I connected a 4ohm in error). Thanks very much indeed for this - the Big Boom Box I think is 4 ohm so that would indeed have zapped the chip Very grateful to you for pointing this out and hopefully will help others reading here not make an expensive mistake! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MikeParkin65 Posted May 27, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 27, 2019 5 hours ago, cravensdmufan said: That's interesting that you successfully fitted a TTS into a Heljan. I thought they were too power hungry for TTS. Yes I've read that but with a single 8 ohm speaker I've had no problems with Lion (Class 47) or Kestrel (Class 60) although with the latter I never use the lights (which are way too bright anyway - they are big power draw. I run a max of 8 coaches or 20 wagons because of siding length and so far so good 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 (edited) Another YouTube review comparing supplied speaker with an upgraded speaker from Roads and Rails (I've asked which one in the comments). Replacement one sounds really good (Eddie Elgar is in tune to my ears anyway!). Looks like those CVs need tweaking slightly to cure the small bit of jerking. Edited May 27, 2019 by cravensdmufan Added comment 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 8 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said: If Hornby could crack steam exhaust wheel synchronisation they’d make a killing in the DCC sound market in a very similar manner to the way they have with Class 66’s in my opinion. They clearly already have a good sound library given the range they offer. Good agreed. I can't agree on it being perfect. They can only play 1 'spot' sound: horn, compressor, exhauster, sander, spirax valve etc. So if the compressor is running, this fades out to sound the horn before fading back in again. I feel this is a fair compromise for the cheaper decoder, but not perfect. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Pete the Elaner said: I feel this is a fair compromise for the cheaper decoder, but not perfect. Definitely a very fair compromise. I have a good few Loksounds and a couple of Zimos. Thinking about it, very rarely do I activate more than one sound at the same time anyway. I just paid £67 for two Class 50 TTS decoders! I am well pleased for that money! My fleet of locos are now almost completely sound fitted, a situation I couldn't have dreamed of before the introduction of TTS. So instead of having just half the fleet with sound, the other half are now almost done - better than having them sitting in their boxes and never run! At an exhibition a couple of years ago I was "warned" by a previous BRM editor that once you have one sound fitted it will probably be the only one you use regualrly - and he was right! People either love or loathe sound - I love it, so thanks Hornby! Edited May 27, 2019 by cravensdmufan Spelling 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisr40 Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 Just finished fitting mine and very pleased with it. It's 50011 Centurion and the only additional work to do was to lengthen the wires for the speaker and change cv150 to 1. Sounds great and runs smoothly. Highly recommended. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroborus Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 I'm a big fan of tts, but I've never found that the sound comes over particularly well on video. I know the roads and rails speakers make a massive difference, but in the clip above I struggled to hear much difference. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 15 minutes ago, Ouroborus said: I'm a big fan of tts, but I've never found that the sound comes over particularly well on video. I know the roads and rails speakers make a massive difference, but in the clip above I struggled to hear much difference. Yes, I agree. All of my sound fitted locos sound better in real life than on my YouTube videos (see link below). Probably because the mobile phone microphone isn't very good. I'm tempted to get a proper video camera as I'd like to record exhibition layouts as well as my own efforts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroborus Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 3 minutes ago, cravensdmufan said: Yes, I agree. All of my sound fitted locos sound better in real life than on my YouTube videos (see link below). Probably because the mobile phone microphone isn't very good. I'm tempted to get a proper video camera as I'd like to record exhibition layouts as well as my own efforts. I think it would be worth it, unless you could get a plug in microphone that connects to your phone. I've a few tts 50 chips on pre-order with derails, so it's looking like Friday afternoon may need a trip to coleford. Must stay out of the pasty shop! Then it's a bulk order with roads and rails. I wonder if there is a bakery near Richard?? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philiprporter Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 That's really impressive Richard - apart from the flange squeal, but I've also heard unrealistic flange squeal on several 'high end' sound projects - what an absolute bargain that class 50 TTS chip is! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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