PS2 or PS3, which do you prefer...?

It's too early in the game to tell for sure.I only have one PS3 locomotive so far,the ATSF Blue Goose,the sounds are away and above better an improvement over the PS2 version that I also have.I have 250+ PS2 locomotives and the sound quality varies widely across the board. I have a couple of the new GS4's w/PS3 coming so it will be interesting to hear them against the PS2 versions as well as the Lionel GS 4/6's.Hopefully,MTH will release many more new US prototype Premier steam locomotives and keep working on the sound quality in the next few years. Still,MTH has a way to go before PS3 can touch the sound quality of Lionel Legacy.

I feel PS2 has better sounds. I have, for example, a PS2 Premier GP9 and a PS3 Railking GP9. THe PS2 is much louder, realistic, and "in your face" than the PS3 version. I have a PS3 0-6-0 Steamer on order and am very curious to hear how it sounds. It will be my first PS3 steamer. If I had to pick based on sounds alone, I'd take PS2. I do like the LED lighting, no battery, and other benefits PS3 brings. 

Unless they put the PS3 volume settings back to the super loud PS2 settings, I'll keep picking up PS2 units if what I want is available. I want the ability to make it louder than I can handle, then back it off a little bit. I would say PS3 max volume is 50-60% of the PS2 max. The sound may be clearer, but you cant hear it.

I'm also not a big fan of the LEDs. They really need to find a way to make them look a little more like real lights, instead of the cool white ones they're currently using, especially in the steam engines.

I prefer PS2 over PS3 because of the sounds, when I'm running a PS3 4-6-0 with 2 or 3 PS2 diesels I can't hear a thing  except the whistle from the 4-6-0. Also because I don't care for cool white LEDs in steam engines.

! have many PS-2 locos, the only PS-3 one is the tinplate #262. I got rid of the BLUE headlight in it and installed a 18V #1447 bulb. I run on DCS, so I just connected the bulb to the roller pick-up lead, so it is always on. Come on MTH, NO more BLUE headlights! 

I have a good number of PS2 locomotives and probably half a dozen PS3 engines.  I don't have a horse in the "sounds race" since I tend to keep all sounds at a reasonably low volume.  The primary reason I prefer PS3 over PS2 is the lack of a battery--very important to me.  I also like the wireless tethers, although that is slightly less important in my case because most of the locomotives in my preferred road names are diesels.

"THe PS2 is much louder, realistic, and "in your face" than the PS3 version."

I am certain Mike was told by the same commission that told Lionel to tone down their volumes, to tone down his ....so no one's hearing would be damaged!

Better look for that resistor to unsolder/jumper, then maybe your new engines will be back to normal.  

Greg

(I'm kidding.)

I see the wireless draw bar as a liability.  While the harness may have appearance issues, the wireless drawbar has been more difficult to install/unistall, especially for kids.  I just think there is a slightly higher potential for damage to the pins or stress on the rigid draw bar as it is removed. 

For PS-2 3V systems with the double AA battery, they last much longer and I think have far less problems.  It is instant operation in conventional, versus waiting for the engine to charge up.  JMHO, G

A BCR (or the homemade replacement) solves the battery issue.

True, John, but with a roster of more than 40 PS2 locomotives, that involves a healthy expense and a good bit of labor.

As new PS3 versions of what I already have are released, I'll likely sell most of the earlier PS2 versions.

The point GGG made about the wireless tethers is well taken.  I do worry about their fragility a bit and try to be very careful with them.  Only time will tell how well they will hold up.

That certainly will cost you more money than buying BCR's  

You are right Joe, I guess Allan makes a lot of money being the Editor-in-Chief of OGR.

Same here. I have the 262e tinplate loco and it's my first (and only) PS3 so far. I've tried to be careful with the wireless draw bar based on comments I've read here. So far, so good.

I don't think you'd have the charging lights on the EVO without PS3. You wouldn't have the smaller boards to fit in smaller steamers. I believe there's more control options for them to utilize in the future too. I would have hoped for an advanced sound board like sterio output. They have changed speakers on some models. I'm sure the best is yet to come. Give them time to make new developments robust. I wouldn't want all you grown men cryin' now even more. Lionel's diesel's lights are mainly blue so maybe they're just copying them?? Nobody dare mention that???

Newer LEDs are better, so whenever they switch would be nice.