Tag: Speaker Upgrade

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Hornby Class 37 TTS Sound Mini-Series – Part 1: Mega Bass Speaker Upgrade

The is the first in a two-part series on upgrades and improvements that can be made to a Hornby Class 37 locomotive with TTS sound.

In the second video, we’ll look at adding stay-alive capabilities to help keep the running smooth and steady, but for now, we’re upgrading the stock speaker to something a little better…

The steps outlined in this video are applicable to all TTS sound decoders (and many others). The only differences being that in some locomotives – not least most steam locos – the space inside can be rather limited and you may not be able to fit such a large speaker into the body.

Remember that in all cases where a Hornby TTS decoder is used, you must also use a 8 Ohm speaker (or two 4 Ohm speakers in series, adding up to 8 Ohms). This is different to LokSound V4 decoders, which can use a 4 Ohm or 8 Ohm speaker.

Speaker impedance and decoder specifications for all common sound decoders are explained in more detail in our free guide, which you can download here:

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Railway Modelling - Matching speaker impedance to DCC sound decoders 258.33 KB 625 downloads

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Getting components for this project

You can buy some of the components and consumables used in this video, and give a wee bit of support to the channel, using the affiliate links below:

Megabass speakers: https://ebay.to/2N4VMnf

‘No Clean’ Solder Flux: https://amzn.to/2E9oOmK

Selection box of heatshrink: https://amzn.to/2zTbhv5

Black tack: https://amzn.to/2OCYhCg

 

Please note: If you choose to follow any of the steps or suggestions outlined in the video, you do so at your own risk and any damage or injury to yourself, your models, your equipment or others is your own responsibility.

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Hornby Class 43 HST DCC & TTS Sound Speaker Upgrade or Replacement (R3602TTS)

Hornby have just released a brand new Class 43/HST set with TTS sound. It’s a fantastic model and the sound decoder is pretty decent too for the money, but, as is the case with most sound decoders, the factory-fitted speaker is a little tinny and doesn’t have much bass response to it.

In this in-depth video, I show you all you need to know about upgrading/replacing stock TTS & DCC sound speakers with a far superior Mega Bass speaker, including rewiring, body preparation (for anyone who doesn’t have a sound-fitted model) and installation. The improvement to sound and bass response from these new speakers is fantastic.

The HST set featured in the video is not a TTS-fitted model, however the steps involved in replacing the speaker are exactly the same for a TTS chip as they are a LokSound or Zimo decoder.

We look at both TTS and LokSound V4 decoders; the only difference being that a TTS (and Zimo) decoders must use an 8 ohm speaker, while the LokSound V4 can use anything between 4 and 16 ohms.

Speaker impedance and decoder specifications are explained in more detail in our free guide, which you can download here:

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Railway Modelling - Matching speaker impedance to DCC sound decoders 258.33 KB 625 downloads

...
Download

Looking to buy replacement speakers?

There are a variety of different retailers selling Mega Bass speakers (also called ‘High Bass’). Here are some options:

* Megabass speakers on AliExpress

* Megabass speakers on eBay

* Highbass speakers from Coasal DCC

 

Please note: If you choose to follow any of the steps or suggestions outlined in the video, you do so at your own risk and any damage or injury to yourself, your models, your equipment or others is your own responsibility.