Daylight, I started DCC with EZ Command & like its simplicity & ease of use. I think the discounted price is about $80. I went on eBay & bought a used one for $40; it has worked well for 10 months so far. I think I've gotten my money's worth already. As my layout grew & I added several locomotives with sound, I bought Bachmann's 5 amp booster, which cost about 3 times as much as my EZ Command!
Among the cheapest locomotives with sound are BLI's BlueLine DC with sound. I've bought two, but I also bought DCC decoders to install. I discovered that, if I wanted them to perform like my locomotives that came with DCC, I would have to get a DCC system that would program. I decided to get the Digitrax Zephyr. I could not find it cheaper on eBay than from an Internet store, $155. I immediately programmed my BLI locos to have momentum for gradual starts & stops to avoid uncouplings.
The Zephyr will give you 2.5 amps to run more locomotives than EZ Command's 1.5. Some say EZ Command actually puts out only 1 amp.
Among the cheapest locomotives with sound are BLI's BlueLine DC with sound. I've bought two, but I also bought DCC decoders to install. I discovered that, if I wanted them to perform like my locomotives that came with DCC, I would have to get a DCC system that would program. I decided to get the Digitrax Zephyr. I could not find it cheaper on eBay than from an Internet store, $155. I immediately programmed my BLI locos to have momentum for gradual starts & stops to avoid uncouplings.
The Zephyr will give you 2.5 amps to run more locomotives than EZ Command's 1.5. Some say EZ Command actually puts out only 1 amp.