Last year I' installed two of these decoders into two diesels, my own LGB 2063 D&RGW #50 Shuttle Diesel, and one into a person's Piko BR218 Diesel. I like the quality of the decoder's diesel sounds. Now I'm installing one into someone's LGB 20881 Uintah Steamer (these are Mallets with 4 pistons). I like the steam sound quality and features of these decoders for all the sounds except the chuff. I've tried all combinations of CV adjustments for CV197 Steam Chuff Fast and CV198 Timebase Steam Chuff and still can't find continuous clear and crisp chuffs through all speed steps. For example, if I set 197 and 198 to 5 and 45, there are very nice crisp chuffs at my Navigator's speeds 1 - 3 but then 4 - 7 the chuffs are kind of muffled until speeds 8 and above high speed. I've also experimented with several different top quality loudspeakers, including using two connected in series, but the decoder's overall chuff quality isn't improved. And I'm using Massoth speakers that I've installed a back baffle cover to ensure the best sound quality. The space inside the Uintah limits speakers to about 2 1/2 inch size. I own four American steam locomotives, including an LGB Uintah, with Phoenix Sound units installed, and they have a higher quality chuff sound than I'm finding in the Massoth sound file for the Uintah.
I'm wondering if it's just the Massoth Uintah sound file that may be an issue, or whether their other American steam sound files have the same issue. I loaded the Massoth Uintah sound file into another Massoth XLS Sound decoder using my Massoth PC Interface Module and am getting the same results on that XLS Sound decoder. So, right now, unless there are other CV adjustments I can make to improve the decoder's chuff sound quality, I'll probably switch the install to a Phoenix PB17 board. What have others on this forum found about the chuff sound quality of these Massoth XLS Sound Decoders?
Addendum: Massoth makes an eMotion Pulse Generator #8242030, a sound axle and magnet ring to synchronize the wheels rotation with the loco sound. Would installation of this unit into the LGB Uintah improve the chuff quality?
I'm wondering if it's just the Massoth Uintah sound file that may be an issue, or whether their other American steam sound files have the same issue. I loaded the Massoth Uintah sound file into another Massoth XLS Sound decoder using my Massoth PC Interface Module and am getting the same results on that XLS Sound decoder. So, right now, unless there are other CV adjustments I can make to improve the decoder's chuff sound quality, I'll probably switch the install to a Phoenix PB17 board. What have others on this forum found about the chuff sound quality of these Massoth XLS Sound Decoders?
Addendum: Massoth makes an eMotion Pulse Generator #8242030, a sound axle and magnet ring to synchronize the wheels rotation with the loco sound. Would installation of this unit into the LGB Uintah improve the chuff quality?
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