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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2016 16:58:03 GMT -8
I suppose such crass comments should be excused because it's obvious there's some basic ignorance underlying them instead of just the aimless malice that's the first impression on reading them. Soundtraxx wouldn't do it no matter what. The woman that owns/runs Soundtraxx is one minded for herself. She could care less about what you want/need. You apparently don't understand that the firmware in the Tsunami is burned into the chip and is not upgradeable in any case. It's old technology, to be sure, so why expect Soundtraxx to do the impossible? As for the company, thousands of satisfied customers suggest your personal attack is baseless as it is uncalled for. I've needed assistance from Durango a number of times, they've taken care a couple of Blackstone warranty issues for me, and have gone out of the way to get me some special order parts. Yes, they are focused on bringing great products to market. "...one minded for herself. She could care less about what you want/need..."? Not in my experience I guess my personal experience doesn't matter. A few years ago at a hobby show, I talked to and questioned the person about a few things with their decoders, even made a few suggestions about making some different boards with the sounds that I wanted on them instead of the ones that they had, that I would prefer to use. Instead of telling me that they can't or that it wouldn't be feasable, I was basically told in a roundabout way to go pound sand up my a**, that they will not do it. So, I guess it's OK to just smile and still like that person no matter how I was treated. Heck, I was treated better by other people that worked the booth. So any time I see that person at a show, I don't give them the time of day, but I will the others. Sorry. |
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Post by atsfan on Feb 25, 2016 17:38:07 GMT -8
The point is their product is going away isn't' it? Isn't that the point of this thread? So if that is the point of this thread, then you can defend and praise them all you want to, but, they are going away. Just like Blackberry etc. This all reminds me of the post iPad and iPhone launches Tsunami (pun intended). RIM came out with a competing tablet. At first glance it looked OK. Then you found out it only worked if tethered to a Blackberry !? People were floored when they learned it would not use the clearly better and new capibility. Just like now, people defending RIM said how great they were, etc, and RIM would say at trade shows the NO also when asked if they were going to upgrade things. RIM was rock solid. Honest, trustworthy, whatever else. Didn't matter. Where is RIM now. Who is buying (not still using, buying) a Blackberry in 2016. You yourself said you just "switched to LokSound". So the Tsunami (pun intended) away from the products is happening. A better response to the question instead of NO would be explaining their future product plans, do they intend to compete with downloadable files. Etc. I have no dealings with Soundtraxx and for all I know the people running it are Saints. I didn't say otherwise, somebody ELSE made comments, not me. The original Tsunami was advertised for a long time before it actually showed up. WIll be interesting to see how the second edition comes out. Meanwhile their are other options, and people will use them. You still don't get it, atsfan. SoundTraxx is not going anywhere. They're discontinuing an old model of their product and announcing a next generation one. No one is going away just yet. They lost market share to ESU by being caught unawares when ESU made a rather sudden push into the N.American market, for sure. But even with that lost market share, between Athearn (Genesis & RTR), Bachmann, Walthers, and retail sales (where they still have better brand recognition than ESU) - I wouldn't be surprised if SoundTraxx was still shipping more of their outdated old-tech decoders in the N.American market than ESU does LokSounds via Atlas, Bowser, IMRC, Rapido, and retail combined. And as far as not announcing impending migration to next generation decoders to every Tom, Dick, and Harry who complains about them not replacing his older decoder with a new one - no business with an ounce of common sense would or should ever do that. If the information about the next gen product got out before the replacement was ready (or close enough to being ready) - SoundTraxx would stand to loose significant amounts of money and be saddled with large quantities of now unsalable product as most potential buyers would sit tight and wait for next gen decoder instead of making a purchase. In this niche market that we all play in - cash flow can make or break a business. Shooting yourself in the foot by jeopardizing your own like I described above would be foolish. I'm glad SoundTraxx has enough business sense to make sure they can stay in the game long term, and doesn't take their business advice from this forum. We all benefit from increased competition as a result. I may have switched to LokSound today because they offer a better option right now in terms of sound quality as well as motor control. But if SoundTraxx announces a truly innovative product tomorrow that competes well with LokSound and offers comparable or better quality and performance - I will have no issues with going back to them. That's the beauty of competition and having multiple players in the space that not only offer solid products, but are also financially healthy. I don't get what? The thread says the decoders are going "bye bye", not me. And your point that they should stay silent while the get ready with the new and better items so they don't get stuck with old and obsolete technology is lousy business. So it is better to hide the truth and push old gear on unsuspecting modelers? I bet they will be happy and loyal customers when the announcement soon follows they just spent top dollar on old gear? Not in my book it isn't. I get customer relations and that isn't a good model. They are in fact shooting themselves in the foot yes. You have dumped Tsunami for LokSound. So your money is following. You won't rip out the LokSound decoders if and when Tsunami 2 comes out so the deal is done. That much I do get. Cheers and have fun with the Lok Sound Decoders. |
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Post by craigz on Feb 25, 2016 18:50:25 GMT -8
"Rolling Thunder" will dethrone them all!! OK, maybe not. Soundtraxx was at a disadvantage the minute esu showed up on the market. Soundtraxx's saving grace was that while esu's operating characteristics were top notch, their sounds were questionable. By being able to load customer selected sound files, a dealer can carry the whole line in a handful of decoders. What i'm guessing would cost 1-2 thousand dollars at dealer cost from soundtraxx could be done for probably 1/4 of that with the loksound line. Years later we're still looking at the same tsunami, and esu has upgraded their decoder and sound files. Honestly, I'm surprised market share hasn't forced a change sooner. Not only has ESU upgraded, they have also managed to preserve backward compatibility. If you have a favorite sound file for their previous generation of decoder (the v3.5) that you want to put into a new decoder, you can. The Loksound software will import and convert the old file. I put the v3.5 decoders in a number of engines in pre-Tsunami days, but when the Tsunami 567s came out, I went that way. Now I've been pulling those decoders out and selling them, replacing with Loksounds. There was a time when QSI had the model railroad world by the tail. Now they're very difficult to find. TCS's sound decoder carries the sound on a micro SD card - writeable media so presumably upgradable or changeable at some point in the future. Soundtraxx had the world by the tail but with a product that was not really user configurable or upgradable - will they suffer the same fate as QSI? Tune in tomorrow. Or in a couple of years... |
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Post by notabob on Feb 26, 2016 7:12:41 GMT -8
I don't get what? The thread says the decoders are going "bye bye", not me. And your point that they should stay silent while the get ready with the new and better items so they don't get stuck with old and obsolete technology is lousy business. So it is better to hide the truth and push old gear on unsuspecting modelers? I bet they will be happy and loyal customers when the announcement soon follows they just spent top dollar on old gear? Not in my book it isn't. I get customer relations and that isn't a good model. They are in fact shooting themselves in the foot yes. You have dumped Tsunami for LokSound. So your money is following. You won't rip out the LokSound decoders if and when Tsunami 2 comes out so the deal is done. That much I do get. Cheers and have fun with the Lok Sound Decoders. You didn't say they are going away? I'm sorry. When I read these words of yours in a post: " you can defend and praise them all you want to, but, they are going away. Just like Blackberry etc.", I interpret them as you saying the company is going away. But I'm sure you will have a very interesting reason for why it meant something completely different. Good customer service and a wise product release strategy are not the same things. No business exists for the sole reason of making its customers happy. We live in a capitalist market-based economy, where businesses exist to make money. Money that they spend to provide livelihood for their employees, invest in new products, and grow the company. Now, they can go about making money in different ways, and having happy customers is certainly a solid strategy. But in the case we're talking about, customer satisfaction will actually suffer more if an announcement is made too early. One would realize that if one actually stopped to think about it for a moment instead of just posting indignant statements. Regardless of when a company announces a next generation of their product, there will be customers who had just bought the earlier generation of said product. While many will accept the reality that companies always announce new products and they still got something worthwhile for their money, there will always be some in that group of people who will choose to be disappointed. It's an unavoidable reality in any business where new versions of products replace old. Just as unavoidable is the fact that the moment a next generation is announced, both volumes of and revenues from sales of the previous generation will take a nose dive. And if the announcement is made too early, not only is cash flow from sales of the older generation severely impacted, but the company's standing with its customers will begin to diminish as most potential customers will now be unwilling to invest in the old product anymore, and will get frustrated from waiting too long for the new version and move on. This is why letting the cat out of the bag too early is a horrible idea. No matter when you announce, someone will always be upset. But you can either choose to disappoint just some of the people who recently bought your product and then find out that a new version is coming shortly, or you can announce too early and piss off those who just bought the old, as well as a whole lot more who get tired of waiting for replacement and move on to something else. In the latter case you end up with worse overall customer satisfaction as well as loss in revenues and cash flow. If you consider the latter strategy a better business approach and better customer relations model - then I'm very glad that you don't run a business that I actually need to deal with. |
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Post by rockisland652 on Feb 26, 2016 7:24:15 GMT -8
The February announcements from Athearn reference units arriving throughout 2016 having Tsunami sound.
Curiously, the SD40-2 announcement has no reference to what sound will be in board, the SD70M announcement has the Tsu logo on it.
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Post by atsfan on Feb 26, 2016 7:36:56 GMT -8
I don't get what? The thread says the decoders are going "bye bye", not me. And your point that they should stay silent while the get ready with the new and better items so they don't get stuck with old and obsolete technology is lousy business. So it is better to hide the truth and push old gear on unsuspecting modelers? I bet they will be happy and loyal customers when the announcement soon follows they just spent top dollar on old gear? Not in my book it isn't. I get customer relations and that isn't a good model. They are in fact shooting themselves in the foot yes. You have dumped Tsunami for LokSound. So your money is following. You won't rip out the LokSound decoders if and when Tsunami 2 comes out so the deal is done. That much I do get. Cheers and have fun with the Lok Sound Decoders. You didn't say they are going away? I'm sorry. When I read these words of yours in a post: " you can defend and praise them all you want to, but, they are going away. Just like Blackberry etc.", I interpret them as you saying the company is going away. But I'm sure you will have a very interesting reason for why it meant something completely different. Good customer service and a wise product release strategy are not the same things. No business exists for the sole reason of making its customers happy. We live in a capitalist market-based economy, where businesses exist to make money. Money that they spend to provide livelihood for their employees, invest in new products, and grow the company. Now, they can go about making money in different ways, and having happy customers is certainly a solid strategy. But in the case we're talking about, customer satisfaction will actually suffer more if an announcement is made too early. One would realize that if one actually stopped to think about it for a moment instead of just posting indignant statements. Regardless of when a company announces a next generation of their product, there will be customers who had just bought the earlier generation of said product. While many will accept the reality that companies always announce new products and they still got something worthwhile for their money, there will always be some in that group of people who will choose to be disappointed. It's an unavoidable reality in any business where new versions of products replace old. Just as unavoidable is the fact that the moment a next generation is announced, both volumes of and revenues from sales of the previous generation will take a nose dive. And if the announcement is made too early, not only is cash flow from sales of the older generation severely impacted, but the company's standing with its customers will begin to diminish as most potential customers will now be unwilling to invest in the old product anymore, and will get frustrated from waiting too long for the new version and move on. This is why letting the cat out of the bag too early is a horrible idea. No matter when you announce, someone will always be upset. But you can either choose to disappoint just some of the people who recently bought your product and then find out that a new version is coming shortly, or you can announce too early and piss off those who just bought the old, as well as a whole lot more who get tired of waiting for replacement and move on to something else. In the latter case you end up with worse overall customer satisfaction as well as loss in revenues and cash flow. If you consider the latter strategy a better business approach and better customer relations model - then I'm very glad that you don't run a business that I actually need to deal with. Dude, you need to slow down. When you read a book do you just skip to the middle? The entire thread is the Tsunami Decoders are going away bye bye. Somebody else wrote that , not me. Again, the entire thread you are reading and responding to, started by someone else, is about them going away. So if you want to say otherwise, respond to the OP and say why Tsunami is not going bye bye. If you want to think that selling old stock at full price, knowing all the time you are close to replacing it is good business, go ahead. It isn't, but you can think that. And again, you yourself have dumped Tsunami. Yet you keep posting about how great they are and defending them. Huh? If so, why did you stop buying their products?? |
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Post by mlehman on Feb 26, 2016 8:39:37 GMT -8
The February announcements from Athearn reference units arriving throughout 2016 having Tsunami sound. Curiously, the SD40-2 announcement has no reference to what sound will be in board, the SD70M announcement has the Tsu logo on it. Tom, I'm pretty certain Athearn posts what they know or previously arranged on their website. I'm pretty sure that Soundtraxx will honor the commitments made to Athearn with either like or better product and in such a manner that it's unlikely there will be any price difference. I suspect that the Athearn listings show what is known as of now and will be updated when and if Soundtraxx announces a substantive change in availability and/or features. Not knowing what the typical production lead times are, I suspect that production for Athearn deliveries through mid-year, i.e. the next 3 or 4 months, has already been done or the parts were already in hand to do so. After June, assuming that Soundtraxx is ending production of the current gen Tsu now, then changes could be expected. Just best guesstimates on my part. |
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Post by notabob on Feb 26, 2016 8:45:26 GMT -8
Dude, you need to slow down. When you read a book do you just skip to the middle? The entire thread is the Tsunami Decoders are going away bye bye. Somebody else wrote that , not me. Again, the entire thread you are reading and responding to, started by someone else, is about them going away. So if you want to say otherwise, respond to the OP and say why Tsunami is not going bye bye. If you want to think that selling old stock at full price, knowing all the time you are close to replacing it is good business, go ahead. It isn't, but you can think that. And again, you yourself have dumped Tsunami. Yet you keep posting about how great they are and defending them. Huh? If so, why did you stop buying their products?? *sigh* It's like beating your head against a brick wall... Decoder manufacturers are not sports teams. They're vendors that make goods that I can choose to use or not. I didn't dump Tsunami decoders. That would be silly and wasteful. I switched to using LokSound for new sound installs going forward. I still have Tsunamis in many of my locos and still buy SoundTraxx motion decoders when I don't need sound. Just because company B released a better product today, doesn't mean that company A should now be crapped on. I still think SoundTraxx is a good, solid company, and certainly am glad to see them making the right choices with their new product introduction going forward. Did they get caught with their pants down by LokSound? Sure. LokSound caught everyone unawares with the sudden and dramatic improvement in the quality of their sound offerings in N.American market. Good for us consumers. But does that make SoundTraxx a bad company? No. I WANT SoundTraxx to have a solid business strategy and come out with a good, competitive next-generation sound decoder. Others who want our hobby to grow and improve should want that as well. More options and more competition is a great thing. We consumers win in the end. But to stand around and spew indignation about a company because someone else came out with a better product? How is that helpful to the industry? You know what? Never mind. That last one was a rhetorical question. Please spare our sanity (or at least mine) and don't answer. |
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Post by notabob on Feb 26, 2016 8:47:53 GMT -8
The February announcements from Athearn reference units arriving throughout 2016 having Tsunami sound. Curiously, the SD40-2 announcement has no reference to what sound will be in board, the SD70M announcement has the Tsu logo on it. That's probably because the RTR line does not use Tsunamis. They use the SoundValue - a stripped-down OEM-only version with limited sound capabilities. Athearn only uses full-blown Tsunamis in the Genesis line. |
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Post by scl1234 on Feb 26, 2016 8:59:51 GMT -8
Isn't that the point of this thread? So if that is the point of this thread, then you can defend and praise them all you want to, but, they are going away. Just like Blackberry etc.Are you sure? |
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Post by riogrande on Feb 26, 2016 9:02:13 GMT -8
The February announcements from Athearn reference units arriving throughout 2016 having Tsunami sound. Curiously, the SD40-2 announcement has no reference to what sound will be in board, the SD70M announcement has the Tsu logo on it. That's probably because the RTR line does not use Tsunamis. They use the SoundValue - a stripped-down OEM-only version with limited sound capabilities. Athearn only uses full-blown Tsunamis in the Genesis line. I don't think even the Genesis have "full blown" Tsunami's. Haven't they been stripped down too and only have like 3 horns rather than the full selection you'd get if you bought a Tsunami and installed it yourself? The RTR Sountrax decoders are further stripped down of course, although reportedly Athearn is going to restore the dynamic braking sound on the RTR SD40, although I'm not sure how that's going to be fleshed out. |
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Post by atsfan on Feb 26, 2016 9:34:41 GMT -8
There have been many claims that Genesis Tsunami boards are missing some features of the retail boards.
I have 2 Genesis Tsunami engines though and I would be hard pressed to notice anything I am missing.
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Post by atsfan on Feb 26, 2016 9:38:42 GMT -8
Isn't that the point of this thread? So if that is the point of this thread, then you can defend and praise them all you want to, but, they are going away. Just like Blackberry etc.Are you sure? So many people need to learn reading. IF the thread is accurate. A thread and claim I did not make. For the love of god please learn how to read and comprehend the English language. In the meantime you can either continue paying full price for a product soon to be replaced. Or you can stop buying them, but post how great they are. Either way my life will go on unimpaired. Thanks and out. |
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Post by notabob on Feb 26, 2016 10:00:25 GMT -8
That's probably because the RTR line does not use Tsunamis. They use the SoundValue - a stripped-down OEM-only version with limited sound capabilities. Athearn only uses full-blown Tsunamis in the Genesis line. I don't think even the Genesis have "full blown" Tsunami's. Haven't they been stripped down too and only have like 3 horns rather than the full selection you'd get if you bought a Tsunami and installed it yourself? The RTR Sountrax decoders are further stripped down of course, although reportedly Athearn is going to restore the dynamic braking sound on the RTR SD40, although I'm not sure how that's going to be fleshed out. They may well have customized sound files burned into those. I know they do that for manufacturers. The original release of Rapido FP9As (standalone and those sold as part of the Canadian set), for instance, had specialized Tsunamis with custom sounds recorded by Rapido. Rapido did switch to LokSound by the time standalone F9Bs came out. |
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Post by riogrande on Feb 26, 2016 10:08:35 GMT -8
They may well have customized sound files burned into those. I know they do that for manufacturers. The original release of Rapido FP9As (standalone and those sold as part of the Canadian set), for instance, had specialized Tsunamis with custom sounds recorded by Rapido. Rapido did switch to LokSound by the time standalone F9Bs came out. They weren't customized enough then as the Genesis D&RGW GP9 does not have the correct horn included with the onboard sound. I recall reading Soundtrax sell the OEM Tsunami's for lower cost because they have less memory, and with less memory there isn't enough space for all of the horn sounds. Apparently Rio Grande's GP9's correct horn sond was not include among the 3 that were stored on the chip. Rapido may have made different arrangements with SoundTrax. I know Jason is more of a stickler for prototype accuracy - more than Athearn seems to be considering the OEM sounds and the physical prototypical errors in the SP SD40R's. (I'm still trying to find out if/what Athearn is going to do about those, but that's another story. |
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Post by atsfan on Feb 26, 2016 12:42:22 GMT -8
This video is clear to the ears on which sound is best.
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Post by mlehman on Feb 26, 2016 12:57:23 GMT -8
They may well have customized sound files burned into those. I know they do that for manufacturers. The original release of Rapido FP9As (standalone and those sold as part of the Canadian set), for instance, had specialized Tsunamis with custom sounds recorded by Rapido. Rapido did switch to LokSound by the time standalone F9Bs came out. They weren't customized enough then as the Genesis D&RGW GP9 does not have the correct horn included with the onboard sound. I recall reading Soundtrax sell the OEM Tsunami's for lower cost because they have less memory, and with less memory there isn't enough space for all of the horn sounds. Apparently Rio Grande's GP9's correct horn sond was not include among the 3 that were stored on the chip. Rapido may have made different arrangements with SoundTrax. I know Jason is more of a stickler for prototype accuracy - more than Athearn seems to be considering the OEM sounds and the physical prototypical errors in the SP SD40R's. (I'm still trying to find out if/what Athearn is going to do about those, but that's another story. This is something that the loco mfg's need to quit cheaping out on. THEY are the ones who spec the decoder. Soundtraxx builds what they want. Some could say that Soundtraxx should refuse to supply decoders that don't match the model, but who is going to track and enforce that? Ultimately, the consumer has to decide on this. And there's the rub for the nothing-but-bleeding-edge-prototype-fidelity fans. That's a moving target to start with -- How many can really afford to replace all their gear as soon as better becomes available anyway? But Athearn apparently calculated that those buying the GP9 wouldn't care enough about it to matter and went cheap, instead of going the extra mile - Yes, Virginia, you really do NOT get something for nothing in the Real World -- unlike Rapido. Ultimately, those who cut this corner need to *hear* -- OK, an unintentional pun, but a good one  -- from consumers about this. Not simply buying elsewhere or not at all, but something specific in a email or -- gasp! -- letter that people do care about the sounds matching the loco... Until then, I'd say those who offer sound "bytes" of what will be used in the actual model are good folks to shop with. Or some other factor like specific language that you're getting the sounds you're expecting. Otherwise, it could be anything. And that's not Soundtraxx's fault. |
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Post by atsfan on Feb 26, 2016 13:02:01 GMT -8
Other than Athearn, is there another HO manufacturer that uses Tsunami for it's sound?
Atlas, MTH, Kato, Intermoutain, Bowser, Rapido, Broadway, no.
I think Walther's does still use Tsunami so that makes them and Athearn ?
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Post by ddatrainman on Feb 26, 2016 13:28:23 GMT -8
Other than Athearn, is there another HO manufacturer that uses Tsunami for it's sound? Atlas, MTH, Kato, Intermoutain, Bowser, Rapido, Broadway, no. I think Walther's does still use Tsunami so that makes them and Athearn ? Walthers & Bachmann I believe that's it. |
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Post by bnsffan on Feb 26, 2016 14:14:24 GMT -8
What is the name of the computer company whose CEO announced a "new and improved" product that would be released in six months. Overnight sales of the current model stopped because customers decided to wait for the improved model. If memory does not fail me, the computer company folded up and the CEO went off and started selling men's clothes.
Respectfully,
BNSF Fan
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Feb 26, 2016 14:49:10 GMT -8
bnsffan,
Something like that happened back in the 1980's to my town's largest employer. They promised everyone that they were developing a new digital system to replace their 1970's analog system, so everyone stopped buying the old system to wait for the new one. When the new one had trouble getting out of R&D, the company tanked. The 100-year-old family-owned company had to sell out to a foreign concern who supplied enough capital to keep the place going while they fixed all the bugs in the new system, and has since been merged twice more. All because they couldn't keep their marketing people in check.
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Post by mlehman on Feb 26, 2016 14:50:01 GMT -8
SNIP We live in a capitalist market-based economy, where businesses exist to make money. Money that they spend to provide livelihood for their employees, invest in new products, and grow the company. Now, they can go about making money in different ways, and having happy customers is certainly a solid strategy. But in the case we're talking about, customer satisfaction will actually suffer more if an announcement is made too early. One would realize that if one actually stopped to think about it for a moment instead of just posting indignant statements. SNIP Ain't that the truth. Folks are militant capitalists so often -- until it comes to their train hobby. Then the expect those laws to be suspended ONLY for the purpose of filling their yards with stuff as cheaply as possible. If they have a small issue with a product, then no expense is too ridiculous to make them satisfied. Note I did not say "happy" -- some folks just do grumpy, I understand... |
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Post by atsfan on Feb 26, 2016 17:25:53 GMT -8
SNIP We live in a capitalist market-based economy, where businesses exist to make money. Money that they spend to provide livelihood for their employees, invest in new products, and grow the company. Now, they can go about making money in different ways, and having happy customers is certainly a solid strategy. But in the case we're talking about, customer satisfaction will actually suffer more if an announcement is made too early. One would realize that if one actually stopped to think about it for a moment instead of just posting indignant statements. SNIP Ain't that the truth. Folks are militant capitalists so often -- until it comes to their train hobby. Then the expect those laws to be suspended ONLY for the purpose of filling their yards with stuff as cheaply as possible. If they have a small issue with a product, then no expense is too ridiculous to make them satisfied. Note I did not say "happy" -- some folks just do grumpy, I understand... Congrats on the huge stretch to write the above. Ibuprofen will help with the soreness. Nobody here is "suspending capitalism", nor "filling their yards", nor sparing "no expense too ridiculous to make them satisfied". Nor is anyone "grumpy". The thread is about Tsunami being replaced as some point with Tsunami 2 and some people instead buying LokSound for the same $ (not "no expense too ridiculous to make them satisfied". PS: You say "Folks are Militant Capitalists". Does this include yourself? Or are just other people folks? Thanks. |
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Post by atsfan on Feb 26, 2016 17:34:11 GMT -8
What is the name of the computer company whose CEO announced a "new and improved" product that would be released in six months. Overnight sales of the current model stopped because customers decided to wait for the improved model. If memory does not fail me, the computer company folded up and the CEO went off and started selling men's clothes. Respectfully, BNSF Fan Successful companies today like Intel, Apple, Samsung, AMD, etc. clearly let people know their roadmaps and people can buy or not accordingly. The game of surprising consumers with technology products doesn't work. They also usually continue to make the previous version(s) at a discount. Canon and Nikon do this for example. They also manage their inventory and stock in the entire process. Even in the Model Railroad Hobby it isn't done. Athearn announces a year in advance. Rapido put out a 2 year roadmap of steam engines. This isn't the 70s, 80's, 90's, or 00's any more. www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/public-roadmap-article.html |
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Post by Donnell Wells on Feb 26, 2016 20:18:12 GMT -8
Successful companies today like Intel, Apple, Samsung, AMD, etc. clearly let people know their roadmaps and people can buy or not accordingly. The game of surprising consumers with technology products doesn't work. They also usually continue to make the previous version(s) at a discount. Canon and Nikon do this for example. They also manage their inventory and stock in the entire process. Even in the Model Railroad Hobby it isn't done. Athearn announces a year in advance. Rapido put out a 2 year roadmap of steam engines. This isn't the 70s, 80's, 90's, or 00's any more. www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/public-roadmap-article.html
This is a totally unrealistic comparison as Soundtraxx, while I'm sure they are very successful at what they do, is not even in the same category as any of the companies you've mentioned.
Donnell
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Post by mlehman on Feb 27, 2016 7:50:41 GMT -8
Well, if your fashion sense leans towards jumpsuits, you might just think one size fits all...  |
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Feb 27, 2016 9:40:28 GMT -8
A little review of history will reveal that SoundTraxx had trouble getting the Tsunami to market in the first place. I'm sure they remember the flak they caught for that, and that may be influencing their latest actions.
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Post by mlehman on Feb 27, 2016 9:59:04 GMT -8
A little review of history will reveal that SoundTraxx had trouble getting the Tsunami to market in the first place. I'm sure they remember the flak they caught for that, and that may be influencing their latest actions. Paul, That thought had also crossed my mind. To a certain degree, the long lead time matters a bit less for a new product. But when you're talking about replacing a product that everyone knows has grown obsolescent and has lots of competition now, it would matter a lot more, both in terms of market perception and financial impact. Now, the old signs need to come down to be quickly replaced with the new. |
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Post by riogrande on Feb 27, 2016 10:07:47 GMT -8
It sounds like we have a good replacement in Loksound - there is a product on the mark now it seems. Problem solved.
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Post by antoniofp45 on Feb 27, 2016 15:13:23 GMT -8
Good discussion. I clicked on the link that Atsfan provided. Of the three sound samples provided, I liked the Loksound equipped unit the best. Startup sequence, and "Speed Step One's movement were impressive. What really caught my attention was the prime mover. That was pure GE 4 cycle "Chug-music" and it was so well pronounced. Would have been good if a TCS Diesel WOW sample had been shown too. If I had been blindfolded and not told which unit had which decoder, I know I still would have picked the Loksound version. With that said, it stands to reason that Soundtraxx is likely not resting on its laurels for the smaller scale sound market (any longer). Its owners have seen and "heard" the competition and hopefully they're working to produce a good successor to Tsunami that will provide good competition in this market. This video is clear to the ears on which sound is best. It sounds like we have a good replacement in Loksound - there is a product on the mark now it seems. Problem solved. |
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-- from consumers about this. Not simply buying elsewhere or not at all, but something specific in a email or -- gasp! -- letter that people do care about the sounds matching the loco...
