... Or Why I'm Not Impressed By HM7000

The viability, affordability and enjoyment of sound-fitted models is always a topic worth debating in today's day and age of the cost of living crisis. Should there be such extortionate tiers within an already luxury hobby? Today, Scott takes a look at Hornby's budget HM7000 DCC Sound system and a heavily discounted Bachmann 9F factory-fitted with sound... And why the HM7000 system leaves a lot to be desired, even a year from its introduction.
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Outro music: Kevin MacLeod - Fiddles McGinty
(Fiddles McGinty by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommon...
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[@HighFell]

I have been using HM 7000 since release on my TT:120 layout. I’m very impressed, the sound quality is good, if the speaker is good and fully sealed when it’s installed. I have heard of a few bad speakers, Hornby will replace them. The small sugar cube speakers are much less likely to distort with the sound set lower, I find 20 more than enough or it can get overwhelming. I have a Zimo decoder in an 08, that whole set up is over double the price of an HM 7000 one, yes it is better but has to be! I have zero issues with locomotives stopping, only the 08 runs a capacitor as it’s so short and runs at very slow speeds usually. A power bank is only a secondary power source so if that’s fixing an issue, electrical connectivity is your issue not the decoder. Tyne Dock 9F looks great, can’t wait for Hornby to release the TT:120 one. Love the snow scenes, very rarely modelled in UK 👍

[@timharrison2894]

I actually sent an hm7000 chip/speaker back (to Amazon, they had 25% off) and got a replacement that was much better. So maybe you have dodgy speaker, I dunno. The best things about hm7000 are the cost and adaptability, and the BT dongle means you can add a load of non sound chips to the system. For a part timer like me, that's perfect. I'm not buying £300 model plus dcc system, not rich enough for that!

[@Proper_Chuffed]

This is a super interesting comparison, I must say I am probably more swayed by the diesel profiles on HM7000, overall far better range. For the steam selection chuffs per wheel rotation still aren’t quite right. Great comparison though, cheers for the awesome content always 👍

[@FlyingScott]

Diesel does tend to shine better with sound - at the risk of sounding very monotone after a few laps. Thank you, I have really been enjoying your stuff as well.

[@Proper_Chuffed]

@@FlyingScott that’s a good point too, I must admit, I find it hard to be too hard on the tech for that price point, if more people can get a relatively decent sound for a wallet friendly price that’s awesome ☺️ thanks so much, high praise indeed coming from you 🥹

[@ToledoRails]

For Steam decoders I’m picky when it comes to chuff rate, can’t justify the HM7000 unless I could adjust the chuff rate to be *close* to 4 chuffs per revolution at a yard speed.

[@DangerAngelous]

I happened to buy a modern Terrier and an 8F that both had Hornby decoders in them, so I bought a cheap af Hornby DCC controller to try and they worked alright. They had the same problem stalling on one set of points for no reason. Since then I bought blanking plates for them to just run on DC because I ended up buying a Gaugemaster controller with "simulation" (it's very fun, I love it) and so ehh I'm still not fussed on DCC

[@andrewsmith6563]

You can use 4-4-0 Loco Casey Jr., GWR Rail Lamp, Great Western City of Truro, Wheel Motion For City of Truro, Norfolk & Western 475, and JNR D51, that are made for Source Film Maker as more trains to be used, Flying Scott.

[@speleokeir]

I'm similar to you on sound. The cost puts me off and I suspect it would get on my nerves after the initial novelty has worn off. Additionally I often play background music/listen to the radio whilst operating my layout. Occasionally I play KZbin videos with steam effects if I want some atmosphere. Okay it isn't sychronised with the locos but it has two advantages: 1) Better quality sound. 2) You get all the background noise of a real railway. Bird song, traffic, the murmur of passengers, station announcements, coach doors slamming, etc. In contrast loco sound files can be tinny and are in isolation without all the other sounds of an operating railway. Mouldy Rasberry's running sessions are a good example and for me provide a much better atmosphere than sound chips. At the end of the day it's all a matter of personal taste and your budget. My thoughts about steam generators are the same. I'm sure it would be great at first, but suspect after a while I'd decide it was too much faff and only use it occasionally. Perhaps one day I'll get one or two flagship locos with steam and sound, but being on a limited budget I always find myself thinking 'What else could I get with the money instead?'

[@stephendavies6949]

With you all the way regarding Mouldy Raspberry.

[@MrLoewietje]

I have a TXS in a J50, runs like clockwork, doesn’t stall, I bought one of the plug-in stay alives but won’t bother to fit it. I don’t have the means for high end sound, so the combination of TXS with HM7000 is perfect for me. Interesting review, but with the app it takes seconds to adjust the sound volume, and to add random sounds, both to running and idle.

[@modelrailfan37]

You can change the CVs to make certain sounds quieter (ie idling sounds for the Clan)

[@stephendavies6949]

Gotta say, I'm not a built-in sound fan either, mostly because after the novelty wears off, it can get irritating. But each to his own. The industry seems to have moved towards a "DCC Ready" or "DCC Sound Fitted" business model, with basic DCC chipping left to the modeller (or retailer) to fit. PS: Did you catch OOBill's mini-serial detailing how he rebuilt my WD Austerity 2-8-0 in NS livery? PPS: I love 9Fs!

[@TheSynthnut]

Having seen a glimpse behind the scenes of Hornby through the TV series, it comes as no suprise that there's a certain half-baked nature to their fare. They really can't afford to be complacent however, their existence is fragile without doubt. Steam punk locos anyone, anyone, oh...

[@1earedwolf]

Sound in steam locos have always been iffy, passable at the best. HM7000 seems like a good idea for those who just want some ambience but not for anyone who takes their locos/modelling seriously. As boring as it sounds, diesel sound has been near perfected simply because it's easier to get the sound out at all speeds without sounding fake.

[@modelrailfan37]

I only own one sound loco (an American diesel) but I have been thinking of sound fitting most of my locos that could fit sound decoders (mainly British locos). I had been thinking of using the HM7000 decoders since they are more affordable than other decoders, but I will really need to think about that now… I have a sound fitted 94xx from Bachmann on the way, so I’ll see how impressed I am by that first.

[@ajaxengineco]

I run analogue without exception - the trade-off for cheap but invariably ancient models - but if I did go to DCC, it wouldn't be with sound. The tinniness would grate after a while, as would the chuffs not matching the revolutions. The latter is something I consider fundamental to the way steam engines sound, and certainly you hear chuffing a lot more than, ahem, bells and whistles. The cost of sound systems is no attraction either...

[@Jaxon953]

I remember hearing before on a certain video that you could put tin foil over the frogs, and that would improve the performance.

[@stephendavies6949]

OOBill used a slightly different approach, I seem to recall.

[@monoonyx]

Always found sound far better when running diesel locos, would like to see what newer manufactures like accurascale do with sound for steam. I have one of their 37s which imo sounds fantastic (though of course youd hope so for the price).

[@FlyingScott]

I actually didn't mention it in the script that I did have a play with a (defective, in the end) sound fitted Bachmann diesel, and I found the running sounds get monotone after a short while. A shame, especially for the money :\

[@greatbritishrailwayvideos4529]

ive had to put a bigger speaker in my Bachman 9F so it sounds much louder and another thing is the chip rates by Hornby are crap a Britannia should have at least 4 chufs per rotation

[@DennisLora2001]

Good video man but I have no thoughts or opinions about this models

[@modelrailfan37]

Just curious, what radius are your curves on your layout and what are the dimensions of your baseboard? I’m just wondering because my layout is small and it seems like you have fitted a lot in a small space!

[@FlyingScott]

The layout is 240cm by 150cm, the loop is third radius.

[@modelrailfan37]

@@FlyingScott Thanks for the info! Yours is only slightly wider than mine! Good to know, might be worth extending mine out a bit, considering the space I really like your track plan since you have the yard on the outside, it makes it look a lot bigger than it is!!

[@modeloco]

Your sound recordings of the locomotives (not your voice) from the outset actually sound like they have been recorded through a plug in mic on an old Windows 2000 computer sound card? I own both Bachmann and Hornby sound locomotives of all varieties and non of them sound like this at all. HM7000, Factory Fitted, TTS, ESU, etc, etc. If anything the new recordings from Hornby on their HM|DCC system are a massive step up with multiple sounds now able to be triggered at once. The new recordings allowing the sugar cube speakers included with every Bluetooth decoder, a chance to shine and throw out a more three dimensional sound and the new sounds have been recorded and compressed much better so there’s no distortion unless really pushed. Just like newer iPhones don’t need massive boom boxes anymore to give better clarity or a richer, fuller sound. The new plug in Power Banks offer superb run times and a solder free experience. The plug in speakers are solder free too of course and a real credit to Hornby and are all offered under the HM7000 umbrella as a real cost effective solution for everyone with a superb free app and now a dongle to connect older non Bluetooth decoders to enable app control through xpressnet equipped controllers like the select or elite. Nobody needs to stay in DC or not have access to app control due to cost anymore. I’m not here to cause division. Your video recordings and feelings do not match the actual sound or my experience. I write to restore some balance. I wouldn’t want others to miss out on the joy sound can bring with all the latest innovations. Don’t feel HM|DCC fitted decoders make trains stop on points any more than any other. It’s a great hobby and hope this helps everyone come to a better decision, nay or yay 👍

[@FlyingScott]

I put it out there that my opinion does not have to be the viewer's opinion, as you might have heard within this video. By nature of the sound being waves that have to hit the microphone, which then compresses it into MP4 which is then compressed again by KZbin, always means there is a loss of quality.

[@modeloco]

@@FlyingScott Yes indeed. At this end it sounded really awful yet your narration was crystal clear. I’ve had people say the same about the steam sounds I put up on the 1st TT:120 models I ran and recorded these with a Neumann. The odd critical comment came over as just being biased and negative to anything Hornby but, maybe not then. Maybe enhancement algorithms just don’t know what to do with this type of content in this regard. Your channel popped up in you tube popular videos this morning and I thought… ooo not seen this channel before. Notice you’ve probably had a bad experience with Rapido but, I generally stick to B&H and I don’t mean Benson and Hedges 😂

[@TBone-bz9mp]

Yeesh, what did Rapido do?

[@unnameduser06]

Ain’t gotta lie…? I listen to it, it could barely sounded either to Class 35 or Class 40 Locomotive, except it sounded its coughing up to start up an engine. Idk what the hell is sounded at first. Just saying

[@1earedwolf]

What

[@modeloco]

Your sound recordings of the locomotives (not your voice) from the outset actually sound like they have been recorded through a plug in mic on an old Windows 2000 computer sound card? Owning both Bachmann and Hornby sound locomotives of all varieties, non of them sound like this at all?

[@pim1234]

I watched almost every vid with hm7000 and never seen or heard abou trains stopping ! There is something wrong with your lay out

[@FlyingScott]

If I have locos with similar pickup arrangements, heck, with fewer overall pickups which can handle those dead zones fine, and the stock fitted with Hornby chips cannot, then no. This is on the decoders.

[@1471SirFrederickBanbury]

Both Hornby’s and Bachmann’s sounds and sound systems have always been extremely naff. Accurascale and Rapido are some of the only half decent DCC sound rtr manufacturers. Something like Locoman sounds, on a ESU Loksound 5 decoder, with dual bass speakers, and a proper keep-alive is where DCC sound becomes amazing! Please don’t get too discouraged by manufacturers quarter-arsed attempts. They are nothing more than modern versions of the old Hornby sandpaper on the tender style of “realistic chuffing sound”. Nothing more, nothing less, and certainly give no justice to the real deal of DCC sound technology.