Your experience with Dallee HiLine sound systems?

I have installed 2 steam and have a diesel waiting to be installed. They are the $69 High Line Stamp Series. I find that the low price and the simplicity out weigh the issues I had. If you want to change the type of whistle / horn or the volume it has to be done by pressing a small switch on the circuit board. It can't be done remotely. I have to take the tender shell off every time I want to make changes. Also I found the sound very low compared to the old Lionel Sound of Steam I was replacing. I had to add a cut down toilet paper cardboard tube to the back of the speaker to get enough increased volume over the train noise. I experimented with the tube and when I got the open end of the tube to seal up against the inside of the tender body, the sound was adequate enough to be heard while the train was running. Unlike other designs of sound systems, when I release the whistle button, the sound cuts off sharply. There is no trailing off or simulated fading echo effect that I have become used to on other brands of sound equipment. As I said before, the price and simplicity out weigh the issues for me.

Having to access the board to change the sounds is kinda' lame, they need a remote control.  MRC used to have a sound board that had a little RF remote, I wonder what ever happened to that product?

Thanks.  They offer a remote control volume/selection switch #1590.  I plan to use that on the bottom of the box car since this customer wants to change box car bodies once in awhile.  Hopefully the two #213 speakers in series with an acoustic chamber on each will provide enough volume.  Each is rated at 104 db -- pretty high for a 1.57" diameter unit.  

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Having to access the board to change the sounds is kinda' lame, they need a remote control.  MRC used to have a sound board that had a little RF remote, I wonder what ever happened to that product?

The MRC product is still available on their  website. It's called the AC Sounder (item No. 001815), and the remote transmitter (item No. 001824). They can be found cheaper on auction websites and some online retailers. As many have noted in previous threads, the low sound volume on these units is a deal breaker. These things are barely audible, even with sound baffles. I think they just took one of their wimpy HO scale decoders and reworked it for AC.  I installed a small amplifier on one of mine and that helped a lot. By far the cheapest sound system on the market, if you can live with the quirks.