Amazing sound of Lionel's new SD70Ace

I’d love to hear and see it. Can you post a video?

Tanner111

I will give it a try, but the video camera has a very limited ability to record the sound accurately, even with a good microphone.

Would love to see a photo of the CSX units. The K5la recording is killer. 

Heres a video of my demonstrators:

That sounds really cool.  You have to give Lionel credit, their locomotives have amazing sound.

I’m not sure if the horn is the exact same one used on the LEGACY F40PH, but it still sounds really good for this locomotive.

Listened to the sounds more carefully today and I can say that they are identical to what I hear trackside. IMO Lionel has perfected the horn. Period. You must hear this to believe it. I tried to capture the sound on my IPhone/video and it just does not copy very well.

Are they different than their earlier release? They are pretty awesome and when I heard them I was sold on the spot.

The sound I am hearing from the new Sd70Ace is a very big improvement on ANY model diesel I have ever heard. It sounds like you are trackside and I'm not exaggerating !

Those sound awesome!

Feel the thunder!  Nice to see a happy Scrappy.  Long may it last.

The K5LA on the new Lionel SD70Ace has a nice echo but is easily over-driven and breaks up into distortion. Legacy provides the option of blowing one or more of the horns in the consist. I put together a new EMD SD70Ace, NS SD60E, and NS SD70Ace (2009 catalog) consist with all 3 horns turned on, and volumes balanced. This drowns out the static. In my video you will hear the horns at 5 different locations on our club layout at approx times of 0:50, 7:30, 9:30, 12:00, 13:15.

MY NSSD60E sounds good, but nothing like the new SD70Ace. I blew the horn several times again tonight standing behind the plywood divider of my control center and, I am telling you, it sounds JUST LIKE there is an actual SD70Ace outside my house about 50 feet away. The echo and frequency range MUST be new because it flips me out every time I blow the horn. Listen to one of these and give me your feedback. I spend lots of time trackside and this horn sounds EXACTLY like the real ones. Lionel has done it !!

Scrapiron Scher

Greenline posted:

The K3LA on the new Lionel SD70Ace has a nice echo

The new SD70ace uses a K5la recording.  Awesome layout. 

You are right, there are 5 horns so it is a K5la. 

Yes, I was impressed as well on the K5LA horn in the videos so far I have seen of the new Lionel SD70ACe's. But from my exprience of real SD70ACe's in person and also hearing lots of them over the years, the horns they actually use is a Nathan K5LLA. The horn in the LNL models is an Amtrak K5LA recording. Not taking away from how good it sounds, just an example of what I'm familiar with. 

And to also help, here are 2 videos below of an Amtrak train I caught a back in Feb 2016 and the video below that is of an SD70M-2 K5LLA horn I got back 2 month's ago in Oct 2017 to compare. SD70M-2's and ACe's look very much a like, but have a few differences, but they do use the same horns.

But in my opinion, that horn in the new ACE's, is still nice. Now the best K5LLA horn recording I've heard in a Lionel Diesel is in the CN SD70M-2 coal set and the PRR 5 Stripe SD70ACe.

Now for MTH, the VGN SD70ACe Heritage #1069 I own, does have the correct K5LLA horn recording.

J Daddy posted:

Are they different than their earlier release? They are pretty awesome and when I heard them I was sold on the spot.

 

 

 

 

Well to help some on what your asking, the LNL UP SD70ACe #8348 uses a Nathan M5 horn audio, but the 8444 SD70ACe version uses a correct K5LLA audio.

wrawroacx posted:

J Daddy posted:

Are they different than their earlier release? They are pretty awesome and when I heard them I was sold on the spot.

 

 

 

 

Well to help some on what your asking, the LNL UP SD70ACe #8348 uses a Nathan M5 horn audio, but the 8444 SD70ACe version uses a correct K5LLA audio.

I prefer to run my 8348 and 8444 together with both horns on. Much fuller sound with 8444 as lead and 8348 as background bass.   

Have to admit, I don't know anything about the names or the horns. What I do know is that I have a locomotive in my basement that sounds like a real locomotive. 

I have listened to dozens of  K5LA, K5LLA,  and other horn compilations on youtube where the authors claim all the locomotive horns passing by are the same make and model. To my ears no two of them are exactly the same, they are all different! Perhaps they are very musically inclined and able to hear the actual musical notes and ignore the other characteristic tones. Or maybe they look up the engine numbers and equipment list.

I agree, I am happy if I have something that sounds like a real locomotive. 

And then a bird hits one of the horns and distorts it just a bit. and a guy kicks one and puts it a little out of square, or the weather just takes it's toll and the horn now sounds different.  I think that horn is too authentic to be real.

just kidding.  Have fun,       BK

Elliot I'm happy you are enjoying your locomotive.  After all that's what its all about.

Greenline posted:

I have listened to dozens of  K5LA, K5LLA,  and other horn compilations on youtube where the authors claim all the locomotive horns passing by are the same make and model. To my ears no two of them are exactly the same, they are all different! Perhaps they are very musically inclined and able to hear the actual musical notes and ignore the other characteristic tones. Or maybe they look up the engine numbers and equipment list.

I agree, I am happy if I have something that sounds like a real locomotive. 

Greenline, you are correct. I'm not complaining at all about the horn in the new Lionel ACe's, I'm just trying to help as to the horn the real models use. I really don't care, but because I see a lot of different real trains, I've learned over years and years of what horn they are and sound like. But, that K5LA in the new LNL ACE's sure does sound fine to me and real.