@B rad posted:Wanted to ask on an old similar post now that's it's a year+ later. Is it worth buying a legacy engine knowing I'm only going to control it using the Bluetooth app? Are the sounds better on a legacy vs LC+ 2.0? Is smoke output better on a legacy? Just wondering if I do not have the legacy command system is it a waste to pay for a legacy model over a LC+ 2.0.
Brad
I think I could help answer your question - I have a mix of LionChief and Legacy and control them with the Universal Remote.
In terms of quality of sound, Legacy easily outmatches LionChief and LionChief Plus. LionChief Plus 2.0 is closer to Legacy sounds, and in some cases may be almost identical - my LC+2.0 Berkshire sounds just like Legacy Berkshires you can find videos of on YouTube. It also has four chuffs per revolution like Legacy (regular LionChief has only 1 chuff/revolution, LionChief Plus has 2, and there are similar differences for diesel RPM levels although I don't have any Plus/2.0 diesels).
However, Legacy locos can completely drown out LC sounds in terms of volume. I have both LC and Legacy running on my layout and I cannot hear the chuffing of my LC+2.0 engines (Berkshire and LionMaster Big Boy) over my Legacy engines if they are next to each other, or if the LC are on the far end of the layout. Something to bear in mind if you end up buying both.
Legacy is just more feature-rich in general, including sounds. You can manually quill the whistle, induce labored chuffing, etc if you are using a Legacy remote. With LC+2.0, the pitch(?) of the whistle will change depending on the speed of the loco, but that is mostly it. If you are not using a Legacy remote to control a legacy engine, then their whistle, bell, etc. will function the same way as LC+2.0 does (ie, whistle pitch changes according to speed). Another thing to keep in mind is that some (maybe all?) Legacy engines feature coal-filling and water-filling sound effects, or may have sounds tied to other engine-specific effects as well. Lionel's recent 2-10-4 Texas locos have specific hissing steam sounds to go with that engine's specific steam-chest effect. In the case of the Texas, this effect is played automatically when the engine first starts pulling and at a few other times if you are using Bluetooth - if you have the Legacy remote then you can induce this effect and sound on-command.
Crew Talk mostly follows the same vein as with the whistles - 2.0 has similar crew talk to Legacy, while LionChief Plus is a lighter version of it, and plain LionChief is more barebones, at least in my opinion.
LionChief Plus and LionChief Plus 2.0 both have fan-driven smoke, as does Legacy, which gives them good smoke output. I have smoke switched off on most of my engines though so the room doesn't turn into a cloud 
So, you are controlling with the BlueTooth app. Should you buy Legacy or LionChief engines?
- If all you want is a great whistle and a crisp bell but don't care about other sounds, you'll probably get the most bang for your buck with LionChief Plus 2.0 - the 2.0 version has the best sounds in the LionChief line. If you have no plans whatsoever to get a Legacy remote, then LC+2.0 will still be your best option. I have not been able to detect an audible difference between how my Legacy and LC+2.0 engines operate sounds using the Universal Remote.
- If you think there is any chance you may upgrade to a Legacy remote in the future and you enjoy railroad sounds in general - squealing brakes, locomotive chuffing, etc. - consider Legacy. With a Legacy remote you get access to things like the manual quillable whistle and labored chuffing, but whether or not those are worth the extra $500 - $1000 is going to be entirely up to you. This video of an older L2a Mohawk I think does a good job of demonstrating labored chuffing, something I think (but am not sure) is available on all Legacy locos. I don't know if there's a diesel equivalent.
Hope this wall of text is at least somewhat useful to you!
