Garden Railway Forum

Hey,

I've built one of these into a loco, but I'm not overly impressed with the sound quality, very electronic..

Would building a baffle for the speaker help? And has anyone got any examples?

Thx!

sjrixon wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2026 9:46 am Hey,

I've built one of these into a loco, but I'm not overly impressed with the sound quality, very electronic..

Would building a baffle for the speaker help? And has anyone got any examples?

Thx!

The quality of the sound is dependent on the size and quality of the speaker. Encasing the speaker in an enclosure does help or using an encased speaker such as ...... https://micronradiocontrol.co.uk/speake ... 28x31_8ohm

Rik

Yes, I agree with Rik. I would say that the bigger the speaker and the better it is sealed into a rear enclosure, the better the sound will be. You should see an improved bass response and less hissy/scratchy. You might also get better sound using a small elliptical speaker rather than 'standard' round ones.

I've used these for a few of my loco builds and they seem to work OK
https://micronradiocontrol.co.uk/speake ... 40x28_4ohm

Rik

I've a Visaton BF 45.. And I'm trying to print a surround for it... It's more expensive than the ones you've linked, so, should be good..

Which 'flavour' of MLS card have you got?

If it is the Universal Steam, that is mainly synthesised sounds, and is not the best.

Is there a version number on the card?

Phil.P

So.. - Order says - MyLocoSound Large Scale Sound Module (151012) - Premium British Steam

The card has PLC009 on it.. Is that the number?

Not sure how/where you are planning to mount it, but the important bit is that the 'works' i.e the magnet etc at the back is completely enclosed and sealed to the front surround of the speaker cone. The front thick plate in your first picture does nothing acoustically, but you do need a box around everything you can see in the 2nd pic. Doesn't need anything fancy , it can be a simple as cut down lid of an aerosol can, if it fits, but a bit meatier is better if you have the room.
Your Visaton BF 45 appears to be 1.8" ( 50mm) diameter so a short piece of plastic waste pipe would possibly work with a piece of flat plastics sheet to cover the open end, or you could of course print something, but I'd experiment with lids, pipe etc first to see if it gives the sort of improvement you are after


.

Ok, so that box is going to slide into the frame of the loco. - But I made it a tick shallow at the back, so it's not totally enclosed.