About Factory Installed Decoders

SoundTraxx has been designing and manufacturing superior sound products for 20 years! It is no wonder then, with our reputation in the industry and our proven longevity that our products can now be found installed in a variety of quality models. If you are already a SoundTraxx customer, you know the added value this brings to the model.

If this is your first experience with our products, there are a few things you should know:

  • We partner with some of the finest model manufacturers in the industry. We work with them to provide the best product we can within the confines of their specifications.
  • Most manufacturers are installing a 'Tsunami Technology' Digital Sound Decoder into their models. This may mean slightly different things to different companies.
  • If you have questions or need support, it is best to begin with the model manufacturer. They have been trained by us to help you and are in a better position to determine whether your question is model or decoder-related.

'Tsunami Technology' generally means that these manufacturers have elected to use a product based on our top-of-the-line 16-bit Digital Sound Decoder. It operates in both DC and DCC modes and provides many advanced motor control features. The specific sounds, number of functions, sounds and lighting effects will likely differ between manufacturers. These decoders, while manufactured and designed by SoundTraxx are made to order according to a set of specifications provided by each model maker.

Below you will find a list of manufacturers who use their products as their sound system of choice in some or all models. There is a link to their website and a brief description of the product features. Wherever we can, we've provided the product documentation (not all documentation is written by SoundTraxx). We hope this helps you to understand the differences between various decoder models in the marketplace.

Frequently Asked Questions
Athearn Trains
Bachmann Industries
Bowser Manufacturing
InterMountain Railway
S-Helper Service