Quote from: Will_J on February 20, 2026, 08:36:20 AMIt's certainly been my own experience that sound doesn't do very well with shows. You can barely hear it unless it's blasted through a watt-tastic O gauge speaker and I can only imagine how grating it gets for exhibitors both on the sound layout or close to it!

My personal experience of exhibiting N models with sound is that it depends on (1) the venue, in a smaller more "intimate" one with a lowish ceiling it can work fine and be perfectly audible, but in a large and busy "tin shed" with very high roof less so (2) the quality of the sound fit and sound file, my 37 with Jamie goodman sound file and decent Sugarcube speaker as an example does pretty well.

I totally agree with the other point you make, I remember one show I was exhibiting at had a G Scale layout demo, some lovely models, but those sound locos (especially with continuous bells clanging) did my head in after about 10 minutes and I was across the hall from them!

Another belated Happy Birthday Mike,

Hope you had a lovely day and didn't get as sozzled as my wife did (her birthday too, not just a usual Thursday      )

Cheers, weave 

It's certainly been my own experience that sound doesn't do very well with shows. You can barely hear it unless it's blasted through a watt-tastic O gauge speaker and I can only imagine how grating it gets for exhibitors both on the sound layout or close to it!

Quote from: Roy L S on February 20, 2026, 07:58:56 AMIt isn't lost on me and is kind of ironic that once upon a time how quietly a loco ran was something we talked about and celebrated in the days before DCC, but I guess actually it remains just as important on a sound fitted model as there is nothing more annoying (to me anyway) than being able to hear the mechanism as well as the sound the loco is supposed to make.

Roy

Your point about quietness is very valid, Roy. The new Kato SBB Re6/6 I Krokodil is possibly the quietest mechanism I've ever heard, virtually silent. A pal has two and they're fabulous.

Belated Birthday wishes young man .
Bob

Quote from: Graham on February 19, 2026, 11:51:20 PMmy first sound locos were the Revolution Pendo's, it was also the purchase of these which made me consider and then move to DCC.
Whilst I have a few sound loco's, I tend to agree with a number of others, it does get annoying after a while.
Last night at the club we had a HO member running 3 large US diesels and he was told in no uncertain term to shut the f****** things up after a while.

The beauty of it is that for each of us a suitable alternative is available, I enjoy my sound locos, and I think that Bachmann in particular do some excellent sound files in their RTR models, but I also understand why some don't.

It isn't lost on me and is kind of ironic that once upon a time how quietly a loco ran was something we talked about and celebrated in the days before DCC, but I guess actually it remains just as important on a sound fitted model as there is nothing more annoying (to me anyway) than being able to hear the mechanism as well as the sound the loco is supposed to make.

Roy

Quote from: Ben A on February 19, 2026, 09:38:11 PMThe popping of Spirax valves is primarily for those with MPDs as in reality if you walk around any group of stabled diesel locos it is a sound you'll hear a lot!

Hmm... The MPD layout with sound (00)... The bane of the UK Exhibition circuit in the early 2000s...

Always a dozen class 66s all in different liveries, ALL parked up, but with the engines left running at MAX volume. If you were lucky, He'd have one of Bachmans 20s (early examples of which made a horrific shrieking whistle, nothing like the prototype) for variety...
Even the ones in the fiddle yard which should nominally have been miles away from the Depot and out of earshot would have the sound left on at Max, to make sure you could hear and enjoyendure his 'toys' at the other end of the hall...

This scenario is what put a lot of modellers off sound in those days..

Sixpence None the Richer


https://youtu.be/hII0JXUJNDo

Quote from: Newportnobby on February 19, 2026, 10:18:07 PMI recall he appealed more to females than males, and I'm talking purely music wise

Oh crap... ok, package still here... haha

Quote from: port perran on February 19, 2026, 03:12:35 PMBoz Scaggs rather passed under my radar for years unfortunately but I rather like his stuff these days :

He ain't going for the high notes any more. I thought this track came from the Dukes of September, but I think we would have seen Donald Fagen at keyboards.