Honest Truth About DCC Decoders--Including Sound (220)

DCC decoders are the main components that most model railroaders are exposed to when they start using DCC. And there is a confusing array of decoders from which to choose but there isn't a lot of guidance about the various decoders, their options, reliability, and history. So based on my experience working with DCC decoders since 1994 I am finally going to wade in with my personal knowledge and preferences on over a dozen different decoder brands. So get comfortable as this by necessity is a long one, let's get started!

[steveross]

I appreciate your willingness to state your preferences. Some won’t agree, that’s fine. Smart people listen to a variety of ideas before making a decision.

[peterainsworth]

Don't worry if people get upset Larry. It's their problem not your's. It always amuses me when people get so set in their ways and so worked up about their choices. We're all different and there are many options and it makes the world a better place. I appreciate your videos and I'm thankful that you go to the effort.

[greatnorthernrailwaytother]

Thanks Larry,

I have just moved into the world of DCC, August 2023.

I purchased a Digitrax Zephyr Express and have converted 3 locomotives using Digitrax mobile only decoders with another 17 or so to go.

I am enjoying going through your past videos on DCC.

Thanks again, Peter. (Melbourne, Australia)

[martinpattison]

I am not a DCC Guy, but I still like to watch these types of videos and it is up to each individual to decided what is best for them. Martin. (Thailand)

[bruceboyer]

I think you did an XLNT job of review being very unbiased. MOST informative

[richarddeuso]

Larry thanks for the review, it was long overdo. I’ve been using Soundtraxx for years and find the simplicity in programming and the outstanding tech support plus the quality make them my favorite decoder. I do have some Lok sound equipped locomotives (factory installed) which are good also. My two steam locomotives are TCS. I install keep alives in all my units and find the TCS KA2 as my go to, it fits in just about everything. I wish the manufacturers would all provide a simple place on the board for keep alive installation. A lot of times I will replace the board with a Decoder Buddy when installing a 21 pin decoder as they have the pads for the keep alive on them. I will do my own installations if needed but prefer purchasing with the decoder installed. I’m sure not everyone will agree with our opinions, it’s a hobby have fun…….

[russellniebolt]

Larry, thanks for your wisdom and experience on these devices!

[dkaustin]

Larry, I’m modeling in On30. I discovered BLI’s On30 C-16 locomotives equipped with QSI. I have a small fleet of those now. I even found one non-DCC with sound. What I notice from the locos, released in 2004, is the the QSI sound portion sounds great and strong, but only plays one type of sound at a time. So, the engine is chuffing down the track, you want the whistle to sound, the chuff sound turns off, the whistle sounds and when the whistle stops the chuff sound returns. Same with the bell. What I decided to do was modernize the DCC in these BLI locos. I gut the QSI system, remove one of the two speakers. I replace that with the Tsunami2 Steam decoder and a MegaBass speaker. I keep the dual speaker setup. I use the larger version of the Soundtraxx keep alive. A little Nano Oil on the brass gears and rods. I end up with a excellent running loco. No gear whine at all. Now I get all the advantages of modern DCC with Sound! I recently bought one these C-16s knowing it didn’t run. Got a deal on it. Gutted the QSI system. Installed the Tsunami2. Up and running! I have also sent a Tsunami2 in for repair that I broke. Got it back real quick. I do have emails with George at Soundtraxx. Excellent customer service. I even bought their T-shirt to wear to shows.

[enriqueaguilar]

I like sound technology and it's worth investing into cause it makes it more fun for family entertainment

[raquaro]

I started with Digitrax in the mid-nineties and STILL have many that are working 25 years later. I have also used their newest sound decoder with a keep alive and I am very happy with that. It is in a RDC and I don't have the programmer to download an actual RDC sound. (There are two RDC's on the Digitrax sound menu.) I have also used Tsunami 2's for Alco's and love the sound. Especially with the sugar cube speaker . I have replaced the Digitrax speaker with the smaller Soundtrax sugar cube and the sound is much better. I am going to purchase an Econami for another Alco. This one is a very old Kato RS3 that runs perfectly. I have four from the late nineties / early 2000's to upgrade. That is my experience for what it is worth. Thanks for the great UTube channel and the really valuable info that you provide. You are the best!

[Foou]

One thing I think is overlooked is the availability of "on the fly" volume adjustment. I run many of my engines at a large layout and your sound volume needs to be turned up loud enough to be heard in that environment. But when I go back home with that same engine I need to be able to turn the sound back down so I don't "wake the neighbors" when I run these same engines. I do use JMRI and sure you can go to the program track and lower the volume on an engine but being able to do that without JMRI is important to me. I agree with your choices and believe in some cases that the differences are so minimal that a person would be happy no matter if it's Soundtrax, LokSound, or TCS WowSound. So choose wisely and read the manufactures info sheet on the exact decoder you are interested in.

[kiwitrainguy]

A good video. I model in HO various countries: US, UK, Germany mostly. I have 128 locos with ESU decoders, 6 locos with Broadway limited Imports decoders, 2 with Marklin/Trix decoders, 2 with MTH decoders, 7 with Hornby decoders and 6 with Sound Traxx (Tsunami) decoders.

I like the ESU ones the best. One thing they have which none of the others do is the Acceleration & Braking Delay Cancel function. I programme my locos with a long acceleration time (1 minute to get to full speed) and long braking time (48 seconds from full speed to stop) to give a realistic response from my locos. If a loco is not slowing down as quickly as I want I can use the Dynamic brake function which halves the braking time (with the Version 5 this can be set to a different length if desired) or if I want to panic stop I can hit the Acceleration & Braking Delay Cancel and the loco stops in about 1 second.

Also with ESU you can bring in your own sounds recorded from wherever and add them using the LokPogrammer.

My one criticism is that they don't have in their sound templates (which come with the LokProgrammer) the 2 and 3 toot/blast of the various US whistles and horns that they have so that you can't put in the moving off signals for forward and reverse. I got around this by recording the short blast whistles and horns and expanding them with sound software and reimporting them back in to the sound templates in the LokProgrammer.

[mariner]

Thanks for sharing your opinions! They make sense to me. We are living in the 'Golden Age' of DCC Sound and things are only getting better and smaller!

[amperesi]

Gosh this was perfect for me because all of the options has kept me away from DCC for over a decade and now that I have little ones I want to build out an N scale layout and rebuild my grandfathers HO layout still around from the 80s thanks for the video

[AlleghenyNorthern]

I model n-scale and think you're spot on. Went with Digitrax because they were so easy to use - almost all but the oldest locos were drop-in. I think N scale is just too small to get the good throaty growl of a modern diesel - they sound too tinny - so i've stayed away from sound - so far. TCS makes a couple interesting selections, like the split-board model for older Atlas RS-3 locos and LifeLike's GP20s. It's very rare, but i have noticed sometimes if the locos aren't used for a while, they forget who they are and won't respond to their address. A quick reprogramming and they're back to normal - the decoder does retain all of the information, including the address.

[kevinyates]

You do a great job, balanced and transparent. Well done.

[johnkeitley]

Thanks Larry. This was perfect timing for me. I have some older locos that I want to convert to DCC and have been wondering which decoders I should choose. Excellent video.

[RonsTrainsNThings]

Great overview, Larry. Thanks. As an N scaler, I agree that Digitrax is hard to beat for reliability and ease of instalation, with so many board replacement varieties available. That said, their sounds are...well...they leave something to be desired. ESU has become my favorite sound decoder. They are easy to program IF you buy their lokprogrammer. Not so simple if programming dorect or with JMRI Decpder Pro. I like Soundtraxx, but they are harder to install, especially in N scale.

[stevecook]

Thank you for the in-depth information on the various decoders. I found your video to be an excellent learning tool for understanding which decoders are reliable and what brand name's are available on the market today.
Kind regards, Steve

[billyray]

Everyone has their favorite decoder, which is just fine. Over the years I've come to prefer either NCE or TCS for non-sound decoders. I also like the TCS Wow Sound and Soundtraxx sound decoders when I install my own. If you can find a unit with factory sound - particularly Soundtraxx - I'll usually buy the factory installed locomotive.