I've been listening to sirens for over 40 years, and as I've been listening I've heard the good and the bad. So I ask you, which sirens sound best or worst to your ears? They can be mechanical or electronic, new or old, North American or foreign, but they must be emergency vehicle sirens. And you must rate them according to your own personal preference, not their 'effectiveness' as warning devices.
I'll start with my own 'ratings', although this is by no means an exhaustive list of everything I've ever heard.
Best sounding electronic sirens (in order of preference):
Low-pitched wail and yelp tones (in order of preference):
Federal PA15A series 1B, 1C, and 1D; PA20A series 2B, 2C and 2D. (love the slow rising wail tone)
Smith & Wesson Magnum series, early to mid 1970s (similar to above)
Signal Stat VI (yelp sounds like early PA15A and PA20A)
Federal PA15 and PA20 (classic Adam-12 tone)
North American Signal Siren Master (good wail tone)
High-pitched wail and yelp tones (in order of preference):
Silver face and early black face Federal PA300s (slow rising wail tone)
New Whelen 295 series (1990s to present)
Code 3 V-con and Mastercom series (nice windup on the wail tone)
Various Carson sirens (late 1980s to present)
Unitrol Omega series (sound somewhat like Carson sirens)
Best sounding mechanical sirens (in order of preference):
B&M Super Chief (the original 'growler' siren)
Federal 77 series (dual tone rotor/stator assembly)
Federal WL (standard pitch)
Worst sounding electronic sirens:
Federal PA15A series 1E, PA20A series 2E, PA20A series B, PA150, PA170, PA200, and PA1000 (all of these sirens have a high-pitched fast rising wail tone - they sound like girls screaming)
Unitrol 80K (fast rising wail tone - another screamer)
Australian 'Mad Max' siren (I don't know the brand, but the siren is so high-pitched it's almost a dog whistle)
Motorola T1300A (poor attempt at simulating the sound of a mechanical siren)
Federal eQ2b (wail sounds okay, but the yelp is terrible)
GE Power-Call/Siren (yelp sounds too choppy and robotic)
Worst sounding mechanical sirens:
High-pitched Federal 66, 28, W and X series sirens (16 ports in rotor/stator assembly. Thank goodness they didn't sell as well as the standard pitch versions)
Federal Q series (Too shrill sounding, and unbearably shrill at top speed)
I'll start with my own 'ratings', although this is by no means an exhaustive list of everything I've ever heard.
Best sounding electronic sirens (in order of preference):
Low-pitched wail and yelp tones (in order of preference):
Federal PA15A series 1B, 1C, and 1D; PA20A series 2B, 2C and 2D. (love the slow rising wail tone)
Smith & Wesson Magnum series, early to mid 1970s (similar to above)
Signal Stat VI (yelp sounds like early PA15A and PA20A)
Federal PA15 and PA20 (classic Adam-12 tone)
North American Signal Siren Master (good wail tone)
High-pitched wail and yelp tones (in order of preference):
Silver face and early black face Federal PA300s (slow rising wail tone)
New Whelen 295 series (1990s to present)
Code 3 V-con and Mastercom series (nice windup on the wail tone)
Various Carson sirens (late 1980s to present)
Unitrol Omega series (sound somewhat like Carson sirens)
Best sounding mechanical sirens (in order of preference):
B&M Super Chief (the original 'growler' siren)
Federal 77 series (dual tone rotor/stator assembly)
Federal WL (standard pitch)
Worst sounding electronic sirens:
Federal PA15A series 1E, PA20A series 2E, PA20A series B, PA150, PA170, PA200, and PA1000 (all of these sirens have a high-pitched fast rising wail tone - they sound like girls screaming)
Unitrol 80K (fast rising wail tone - another screamer)
Australian 'Mad Max' siren (I don't know the brand, but the siren is so high-pitched it's almost a dog whistle)
Motorola T1300A (poor attempt at simulating the sound of a mechanical siren)
Federal eQ2b (wail sounds okay, but the yelp is terrible)
GE Power-Call/Siren (yelp sounds too choppy and robotic)
Worst sounding mechanical sirens:
High-pitched Federal 66, 28, W and X series sirens (16 ports in rotor/stator assembly. Thank goodness they didn't sell as well as the standard pitch versions)
Federal Q series (Too shrill sounding, and unbearably shrill at top speed)
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