BLI Announces AC6000 with Rolling Thunder

[Smike]

Finally I can scratch one of my top wish list items off my list. Remote bass sounds for sound in N Scale. A couple of AC6000 to go along is bonus material.

Finally real sound in n-scale. Low frequency sounds have been impossible to replicate in the small encloses in N scale. With bass sounds being non-directional, its near impossible to tell its coming from some place else. For high pitch sounds they still coming from the engine.  I just wish (not likely) they would offer the decoder for installations in non-BLI products to hook into the Rolling Thunder sub.

http://www.broadway-limited2.com/announcements/2016_BLI_Announcements_Part_2.pdf


 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Neat. I look forward to grabbing a pair in 2028!

[Smike]

2035 is probably more accurate 

The part that is confusing is do you need to buy one receiver for each loco, or can one receiver pick up signals from multiple locos?  If you need one per, that's ridiculously $$$       (Loco about $250 + Receiver $99 = $350 MSRP) This is on top of the sub woofer cost (which thankfully you only need one for the layout)

[ednadolski]

So is that using Bluetooth?   The page says that it fades out the sound as the loco gets further from the receiver.  A bit like the Surroundtraxx, but not reliant on block detection.  I could envision an architecture that has multiple speakers located around the layout, and perhaps a single central subwoofer.

This seems to share a similar limitation of Surroundtraxx:  you can't load your own sound files, so hopefully you like whatever sounds they put into the flash.

Ed

[jmarley76]

What a great alternative to eating several bean burritos before an ops session... 

[Smike]

I could envision an architecture that has multiple speakers located around the layout, and perhaps a single central subwoofer.

Not sure on the bluetooth, but the number and placement of additional speakers is far less important with low frequencies. For a layout the size of yours I would think 1 sub would be more than enough. The high frequency sounds still coming from the actual loco moving around would be very convincing as to where the overall sound is coming from.

[GaryHinshaw]

I haven't really paid attention to BLI in the past -- does Rolling Thunder already exist in some of their HO offerings?

[ednadolski]

Not sure on the bluetooth, but the number and placement of additional speakers is far less important with low frequencies. For a layout the size of yours I would think 1 sub would be more than enough. The high frequency sounds still coming from the actual loco moving around would be very convincing as to where the overall sound is coming from.

I was thinking more in terms of like a surroundtraxx, with no speaker at all in the locos.   Just a command decoder, and a bluetooth transmitter instead of a speaker.  (No-speaker installations seems like a win.)

Another option might be something like an RFID in the locos, to do the locating and also to allow the sound files to actually reside on a computer. Then have the computer pipe the sounds (over bluetooth?) to speakers located around the layout.  But that seems to be getting into the VSD territory.

Ed

[ryan_wilkerson]

It's great to see an AC6000CW coming out. I have never seen a BLI locomotive in person. I'd prefer a DC unit that I could add my own DCC to but it looks like that's not an option for now. What do you think the street price would be for a $250 MSRP locomotive? Sooner or later I'll get a UP unit if it looks accurate.

[Denver Road Doug]

What do you think the street price would be for a $250 MSRP locomotive?

BLW is showing them at $189.95.   

You can generally ("rule of thumb") figure your best LHS/Typical/Agressive street prices at 10/20/30%....so $25, $50, or $75 off MSRP, respectively in this case.   Looks like BLW is a hair below 25% off.

I think this is a cool release.  I've always loved the CSX 6000's, and BNSF borrowed a couple to test on the line I model at one point.   That's not interesting or common enough to warrant purchasing them, but if I ever had that dream layout built then maybe.

[Smike]

I haven't really paid attention to BLI in the past -- does Rolling Thunder already exist in some of their HO offerings?

They do, they launched it about 8 months ago, very impressive. http://www.broadway-limited.com/rollingthunder.aspx

I was thinking more in terms of like a surroundtraxx, with no speaker at all in the locos.   Just a command decoder, and a bluetooth transmitter instead of a speaker.  (No-speaker installations seems like a win.)

It splits the sound range from the decoder and transmits to the sub woofer speaker frequencies below some level which on board speakers can not create well. While still requiring inserting a speaker into a N Scale Shell, the size requirements of the actual speaker would be reduce since they are not trying to produce low frequency sounds.  I do like the idea of not having to place a bunch of speakers around the layout and mapping on a computer. (Soundtraxx). Seems the BLI system is more plug and play and get sound tracking naturally.

[C855B]

I feel like a voice in the wilderness going unheard... must be the train noises...

What about those of us who don't care for model sound? We have to pay inflated prices (40-50%) for a feature we don't want just because the model might be of something we do want?

[Dave V]

I feel like a voice in the wilderness going unheard... must be the train noises...

What about those of us who don't care for model sound? We have to pay inflated prices (40-50%) for a feature we don't want just because the model might be of something we do want?

I think more and more we're going to see models coming with DCC/sound as standard (and priced accordingly).  That's a new reality I think folks will need to adjust to.

I kind of feel like the opposite...now my non-sound locos seem boring and two-dimensional to me.

[djconway]

I feel like a voice in the wilderness going unheard... must be the train noises...

What about those of us who don't care for model sound? We have to pay inflated prices (40-50%) for a feature we don't want just because the model might be of something we do want?

I feel your pain - Fortunately this model is not on my list of wants.  That said I still prefer my locos DCC ready let me choose the decoders I want.  Let the Atlas, Bachman, Kato, MRC ... folks build good locomotives that can accommodate a decoder.  Some of the cheep(?) sound locos aren't worth the effort to strip out the sound decoders.   

Is BLI getting too much like Lionel with all the sounds that don't relate to operating trains?  I don't need/want thunder storms in my basement.

[sundowner]

I feel your pain - Fortunately this model is not on my list of wants.  That said I still prefer my locos DCC ready let me choose the decoders I want.  Let the Atlas, Bachman, Kato, MRC ... folks build good locomotives that can accommodate a decoder.  Some of the cheep(?) sound locos aren't worth the effort to strip out the sound decoders.   

Is BLI getting too much like Lionel with all the sounds that don't relate to operating trains?  I don't need/want thunder storms in my basement.

+1

The only engine I got sound in is my Challenger with  Tsunami, if Ahearn would have given me the choice I would have not gotten sound since it got old quick, at least it can be turn off. At least the next run of Big Boys and Challenger have the non-sound option for 4014 and 3985. I would love to get a bunch of the AC6000 but the price for the extra I don't need is almost a show stopper. I will probably just get a pair of the CSX YN2 since they are one of my favorite engines and I saw a pair of brand new ones at Taft up by MCO.