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MRC Sound Decoders…
Quick Facts the Competition Doesn't Want You to Know

MRC Decoders… Technology Perfected


Experience realistic sounds you never imagined… like diesel motor roar that changes pitch in synch with your locomotives speed, dynamic braking that slows the loco and activates realistic sounds at the same time. Experience the clanking of real coupling, steam injectors, squealing wheel flanges, horns blaring at grade crossings, bells ringing, and many other authentic sounds that can help turn your layout into a real railroad. We’ve also an abundance of Sound Decoders specific to your model loco.


In addition to the widest range of sound decoders, MRC decoders feature...

  • Compatibility with NMRA DCC standards.
  • Drop in decoders, including narrow body N scale locos. No wiring. Easy snap-in installation
  • Sound-on-sound capability
  • The widest range of decoders, including O through N scale for many popular locos
  • Memory chips with up to four times more capacity than the nearest competitor allow us to put up to 34 different horns and 14 different bell sounds on a single chip
  • More memory means we never have to skimp on realism
  • Sounds are recorded at trackside from working engines… not computer generated or enhanced
  • Each MRC sound decoder comes with a matched speaker
  • Depending on the decoder, ours will work with 8 16 or 32 ohm speakers
  • Supports two or four digit addressing, up to 9,999 addresses, and handles advanced consisting (CV #19)

MRC Enhances Its 16-Bit Sound Decoders


Back EMF control that automatically adjusts. Or if a modeler prefers, he can make adjustments manually.
More realistic sound performance. Certain sounds, previously on a pre timed loop, can now be manually activated to remain on until the modeler decides to manually turn them off. These sounds include the traction air compressor, the blower and others.
Until now, air compressor sounds only delivered a constant RPM sound. Now, like popular prototypes, MRC has enhanced the air compressor sound on its diesel decoder so it’s in synch with the RPM of the prime mover. Depending on loco type, railroaders can use the decoder either synched or non-synched to the prime mover. This is unique to MRC decoders.
MRC decoders now put authentic braking action and synchronized sound together. The company has added real-life, service braking control. Apply the brake, F5, it will prototypically slow the loco. Simultaneously, brake squeal will be activated. Stop applying the brake, or come to a stop, the squeal turns off.
A new, Dynamic Braking feature. Hitting Dynamic Braking (F6) not only slows the loco down, but activates the appropriate sounds. You’ll hear the cooling fans come on to cool the resistor grid, the engine notch down and the rpms drop as the train slows.
MRC has developed the first sound decoder to replicate the sounds of three prime movers in a full-size GenSet Loco. Now, like the prototype, it shuts down after five minutes. Developed for an HO GenSet loco, it’s the sound of three prime movers going on one-by-one, from idle to a thundering, full-throated rumble.
Lighting control… 17 of them. Our decoders now offer 17 lighting options, including gyro lights, ditch lights, mars lights, strobe lights, oscillating head lights, on-off, dynamo, Rule 17, dim-bright-off cycle, cabin lights and more.
Stereo Sound. If a modeler wants prototypical prime mover separation and out of synch RPMs from his dual motored E-8s, or would like one prime mover’s bell and horn sounds to emanate from the front speaker and the second prime mover’s sounds to come from the rear speaker, then he should try the new MRC (#0001922) drop-in sound decoder for E-8s. Comes with two speakers.

Decoder features you shouldn’t do without.

Functions? We’ve got 28. Our 28 functions deliver more control/adjustments over more sounds than most other decoders. In addition to the prime mover with all its associated, random sounds, we’ve a long list of “on-the-fly” sounds that you can call up or change without stopping to access CVs. Simply use the function buttons. These on-the-fly sounds include exhaust chuff, air pump, multiple coupling and uncoupling sounds, bells, cylinder cocks, steam, air and brakes, cooling fans, blower, air release, poppet valves, dynamic braking, reverse throttle, blower injector and more.
Special steam sounds. The sounds of the firebox door opening and closing, and the shoveling of coal are available. Some of our decoders even reproduce the unmistakable sounds of a spinning auger delivering coal to the firebox.
You’ll hear the difference. While others still use 8 bit sound, MRC has new 16 bit sound decoders which improve overall sound quality.
Noise Abatement. Like other decoders, ours utilize Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to control the speed of your loco. Occasionally, at low frequencies, PWM causes “noises” like humming or buzzing from loco motors. Our decoders are designed to automatically eliminate the “noise” in just about all locos
Volume Control. For precise volume control, many of our recently introduced decoders feature up to 16 separate volume steps, allowing you to alter the level of most sounds separately.
Leading the way in whistles and horns. Multiple whistles and horns have become a standard feature in many decoders. MRC pioneered this capability and today offers up to 34 different ones so you can select the sound that best fits your loco.
Adjustable speed curves. Our decoders allow you to set your loco to react differently at every speed step. This ability lets you fine tune your loco to your specific parameters.
MRC decoders deliver real digital sounds from real prime movers…At MRC, our sound engineers go trackside and record each loco at its various speed notches. If the loco has eight notches, which most do, we record the eight notches in sequence as theRPMs are actually increasing. Our decoders allow you to hear a diesel motor actually change pitch relative to engine speed and load. When we say the sound is an actual SD45-2 with turbocharger or a specific GE or Alco loco, you can rest assured it’s for real.
More memory, more sounds, a difference you can hear… at this writing, our memory chips have four times more capacity than the nearest competitor. This lets us put up to 34 different horns and 14 different bell sounds on a single chip, plus multiple prime movers, so you can pick the one that’s right for you. Our cutting edge decoder technology means we can do more. More memory means we don’t have to skimp on realism. If it’s in the real world, we’ll capture it for your real-life layout.
Tiny drop-in sound decoders with matched speakers… MRC’s engineers and tech experts are model railroaders. They understand that while building a railroad is a labor of love, it takes enormous time and effort. That’s why every decoder and system we make is designed to make life easier for you. It explains why no one has more convenient, easy to install, drop in sound decoders than MRC. These include our unique and incredibly small, one-piece, dual mode N Scale on-board decoders, complete with mounted speakers.