Okay, here’s the deal. I’m new to all of this airhorn stuff, but I have done air-ride before, so I have some (limited) knowledge. My question is this…
How will an Omega ah300 sound under my truck? I have the Viair 480c, a 5 gallon tank, and I am running 1/2" lines. I am planning on running a K5la under my truck, but I want something to hold me over just for fun until it ships to me…
Also, should I be running at 150psi or 200psi? My setup is capable of 200 easily, so just a question…
What kind of truck do you have? Hard to answer your question without knowing.
I’ve heard a few bad stories about damaged diaphragms at 200 PSI with the Omega’s. If its only a temporary setup, I guess it wouldn’t matter too much. If you want to resell them though, I’d definitely recommend 150 PSI so you don’t blow them out.
On a side note, we sell replacements if things go sour.
I have an Omega AH-500 which has been great. I am in the process of upgrading to a larger system. I just finished installing a 7-gallon tank, dual Viair 400C compressors, and new manifold / fittings which keep the air flowing fast and long.
The old system cutoff at 110 PSI but this new setup cuts off at 146 PSI. The Omega AH-500 is rated to take 150+ PSI but unfortunately it won’t sound at all once I get above 120 PSI. I was told that I need to replace the solenoid to a unit which can handle the higher pressure, so I am just going to replace the Omega horn with a Shocker XL kit instead.
I am tempted to keep both horns under the truck and switch from factory, one, both, all, or none. But I think both would be too loud and suck too much air so I would end up only using the Shocker most of the time anyway. So I am going to remove my Omega and sell the old system cheap to someone else that is just getting started.
I thought long and hard about getting a K3LA but they don’t seem to be worth the price and I don’t want the trouble of mounting them. My current setup is so well hidden that you can’t see most of the system at all and you would need the vehicle up on a rack to even see a portion of the horns.
My advice to you is think twice before getting the K3LA. Try an AH-500 or a Shocker XL first, then if you must upgrade you should plan on needing a lot more room.
the k3la is worth the price dude there is no comparations with a nathan airchime the shockers and omegas are loud but not like a nathan airchime bro… “Nothing Blows Like a Nathan Airchime!”
I have seen a bunch of videos and listened to the horns in person several times, with my Omega AH-500 parked right next to a real train with a K3LA and the horns sounding separately then together. The K3LA definitely has an awesome tone and is very loud, obviously the only way to get a 100% authentic real train sound unless you go with a K5LA, but it seemed to me that the Omega and Shocker horns are almost as loud and close enough in tone to satisfy most people. My Omega AH-500 tone is actually a little higher and similar to the K3LA but I prefer a bit deeper tone with more rumble to it and the Shocker XL seems to provide that. So I agree that the Nathan airchimes are awesome, but in my opinion they are not worth the huge extra cost and effort to install. They are also much heavier and I assume they suck more air so they are harder to hide, you get a little less blow time for any given tank capacity, and your MPG may take a slight hit over time. For the money I would rather purchase 2-3 other horns and run them all at once than spend $1,000 or more on a Nathan. If you can get a used or rebuilt Nathan for under $500 and you don’t mind the extra size / effort to install, and you have plenty of air tank capacity in reserve then by all means go with the K3LA or K5LA. Hornblasters site is correct with the Shocker XL representing the best bang for the buck, IMHO.
Of course. And there are many variances depending on how you tune the bells, mount the horns, PSI range, etc.
But the K3 and K5 are the horns found on most American trains which most people would recognize as the original train sound, and presumably which most hornblasters would seek to emulate.
