Bachmann annie speaker

[brownmat]

It looks like the speaker in my annie has finally given up.

May I ask for suggestions on a good improvement? I appreciate the real improvement would be to change the soundcard but that is not an option at the moment. It may be the case that an uprated speaker will make no difference, but I wanted to check first!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

get a Visiton of the size and price you can afford, the bigger the better. Maybe $15 here in the USA

If you have a link of the supplier there in the UK, I can browse the site and make some recommendations. The sites here have the frequency response charts, so buy the best frequency response you can get within your budget.

Greg

 

[brownmat]

Thank you Greg. I know the size is 75mm or 3" diameter, but its the other numbers I am not sure on. Currently installed is a 8ohm 5w. I am not sure if I can increase the ohm or the wattage, or if I need to decrease, or increase one and not the other - ie 4ohm 10w! I am not sure if the sound system could handle it.

Visaton appear to make alot of speakers. A full list is here - FRS 8 M - 8 Ohm | Visaton Thank you for your guidance!

 

[Rhinochugger]

Stick with the same 8 Ohm speaker.

One of the best sound improvements that you can make is to enclose the speaker in some sort of casing - spray can tops are favourite if the right size. If you can get the speaker set back up the tube a little way, even better.

You will be surprised at the effect this has, even on a standard Bachmann speaker

 

[brownmat]

Thank you. Stick with 5W also? May I ask if you can suggest where to get them from in the UK?

 

[Rhinochugger]

Thank you. Stick with 5W also? May I ask if you can suggest where to get them from in the UK?

Fosworks is probably the most straightforward.

 

[dunnyrail]

Fosworks is probably the most straightforward.

Yes I concur, they do a very good sealed one SND-600, it is a long scroll down on their site but at £7 I have been happy with the two I have.

 

[brownmat]

Thank you!

 

[JimmyB]

I have an older Annie and bought a new Visatron FRS 7W, (couldn't get a 3") however on comparing the two, I found very little difference (though I am somewhat deaf), and in the end stuck with the Bachmann speaker.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I use FRS 7 a lot, they fit the standard cutout in many of my US profile locos. If you can fit an FRS 8 (and yes put an airtight enclosure across the back side, you will hear a world of difference.

(of course a new sound card will make even more difference, but even with the stock unit you can hear "more" sound) The chuff should be deeper, a bit more realistic with more bass.

 

[brownmat]

Thank you for the information!

 

[Dan]

For my Zimo decoders I now use the Visiton FRS7 4 watt, and the FRS8 4 ohm. One must check decoder specs and I realized the Zimo large scale decoders are spec'd for 10 watts audio into a 4 ohm speaker. The MX645 is 3 watts into 4 ohm.

 

[Fred2179G]

I appreciate the real improvement would be to change the soundcard but that is not an option at the moment. It may be the case that an uprated speaker will make no difference, but I wanted to check first!

After you've checked it, there are a couple of easy mods to the Bachmann sound card detailed on George Schreyer's Tips page.
Bachmann Sound Tips

 

[brownmat]

Thanks!

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I believe the stock Bachmann system uses 8 ohm speaker, do not change this install to a 4 ohm.

Greg

 

[Rhinochugger]

Yeah - I'd always understood that you should stick to the original ohms rating - Greg can tell you why, but my simple understanding was that it's the compatibility of the components

 

[Moonraker]

Yeah - I'd always understood that you should stick to the original ohms rating - Greg can tell you why, but my simple understanding was that it's the compatibility of the components

if the original speaker was 8 ohm then that is what you should stick to. If you change to a 4 ohm speaker it will draw more current from the amplifier and you will risk blowing it.

The following are extracts taken from our instructions regarding speakers:

The resonant frequency should ideally be below 350 Hz but certainly below 500 Hz. The lower the resonant frequency, the deeper the steam chuff, whistle, etc.

Use the largest diameter which you can fit in your loco. 50mm is the most popular.

The lowest cost option is to fit speaker from your local consumer electronics store. Typically these come in 27mm or 57mm diameters. Use the largest which you can fit in your loco.

For a better quality sound and more volume, the speaker needs to be baffled. That means that it needs to be built into the front face of an airtight box so that sound is heard only from the front of the speaker and none from the back. The plastic top of a spray paint can is good for making a baffle as shown in the diagram.

A good solution, which ensures high quality sound with lots of deep throbbing bass, is to purchase an 8 ohm impedance external speaker unit for iPod and MP3 music players and remove the two speaker modules, in their enclosures, for use in two locos. These are readily available at consumer electronics stores.

Speakers can be connected to the terminals either way around.

Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound

 

[Fred2179G]

there are a couple of easy mods to the Bachmann sound card detailed on George Schreyer's Tips page.
Bachmann Sound Tips

I should point out that I did all that George suggested, and the chuff was definitely improved, but it still wasn't anything like as good as a modern sound system.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Yes the OP indicates he realizes that the soundcard is not fancy... he needed to replace the original speaker (it had "given up") and wanted to know if a better speaker would yield an improvement.

 

[Rhinochugger]

I should point out that I did all that George suggested, and the chuff was definitely improved, but it still wasn't anything like as good as a modern sound system.

Yes the OP indicates he realizes that the soundcard is not fancy... he needed to replace the original speaker (it had "given up") and wanted to know if a better speaker would yield an improvement.

Yep, having followed George Schreyer's recommended modifications, and with good, baffled speaker it will give a much improved, and quite acceptable 'chuff'