I realise I’m too late for the special.
But I thought I’d share my thoughts on these units since I have a couple of these (from different stages from release), all steam.
For a unit that doesn’t use any real sounds recording, these are very impressive.
And a good replacement for cheaper sounds units like in the Bachmann Big Haulers.
The Chuffing features work great, from a heavy bark when starting/powering, to a gentle tsh sound when coasting along.
My only problem with the newer units is the whistle trigger. (when I try to use it)
Granted it does work, but you (or at least I do) need a lenghty piece of magnet for the whistle to sound just right.
I’ve been using LGB trigger magnets and all I get is a half a second woop.
I think these input triggers were more designed for radio controlled locos, rather than track power (I did order the track power unit each time), but this does give RC users the ability to play different whistle lenghts and such.
Thank goodness the new units do come with a TV remote control, so this isn’t a major issue to me, plus you can sound the bell, guards whistle, safety vales and westinghouse pump.
Another thing that slightly bugs me is that tuning the whistle is not easy with a remote compared to the old tempod method. But that’s mostly because I’m really fussy when it comes to wanting the whistle to sound exactly like the prototype.
(I probably spent 2 to 3 days trying to adjust the whistle before accepting the final tune)
I have noticed (at least on my new one) that if you tune it to a certain point where it’s trying to pick from one tone to another, it plays this odd musical ‘modem’ kind of sounds.
The Bell suprisngly doesn’t bother me as much as the whistle.
(But that’s mostly because my loco’s lack bells, so I don’t need them as much)
Overall I love these units.
While yes, there are other sound cards that provide much better quality.
But for someone who DOES NOT have any DCC to freely program and adjust settings, these are a great, easy to install and use for old school Analoge users (Which is saying something since I’m still called young in my late 20s), and Remote control users to.
The one thing I would like to see in future is a Main volume control.
While you can adjust individual sounds levels, it get’s tricky when you want to switch the volume back and forth from indoor to outdoor settings. (or at least a button to switch between 2 pre-programmed sound levels)
Another thing to is maybe a Chuff pitch like the whistles, so you can have a deeper chuff for heavy locos and lighter chuffs for small switchers/porter and such. (I think someone said it is adjustable, but I can’t seem to make any difference with mine)