yeah it the card that connects to the "gold_finchr" pins on the supported SB16 models and upgrades them to AWE32...
can't remember anything else, I find all AWEs quite boring 😵 🤣

edit: here is more info: http://web.archive.org/web/20100106160133/htt … ter_ct19201.htm

CT1920 and 1922, otherwise known as the Goldfinch board. It works in conjunction with a SB16 to give AWE32 capability. A lot of people owned SB16 cards at the time the AWE32 was released so Creative made the Goldfinch board as a less expensive upgrade for existing customers who might not have otherwise upgraded to a full AWE32. That little upgrade board probably prevented a lot defections to other makers sound cards as the market was getting really competitive at that time.

the goldfinch cards were mostly OEM upgrades sold by PC makers... they were never offered as retail because of the additional technical complexities involved in making them work... as such, they were only sold in a limited basis, tightly controlled by PC makers... they only sold the cards to people owning certain PCs sold by them, knowing they would be compatible with the OEM equipped SB16

for the retail market, the Wave Blaster II took on that job, it was a more elegant upgrade as it didn't take an additional ISA slot, but at the expense of horrible samples and no ability to add memory

TheMAN wrote:

the goldfinch cards were mostly OEM upgrades sold by PC makers... they were never offered as retail because of the additional technical complexities involved in making them work... as such, they were only sold in a limited basis, tightly controlled by PC makers... they only sold the cards to people owning certain PCs sold by them, knowing they would be compatible with the OEM equipped SB16

for the retail market, the Wave Blaster II took on that job, it was a more elegant upgrade as it didn't take an additional ISA slot, but at the expense of horrible samples and no ability to add memory

Thanks for the correction. I was told a long time ago that these were offered as upgrades. I have to go slap someone on the back of the head for telling me this.

TheMAN wrote:

...for the retail market, the Wave Blaster II took on that job, it was a more elegant upgrade as it didn't take an additional ISA slot, but at the expense of horrible samples and no ability to add memory

I think you went a bit far with the conjecture. Where did Creative ever describe or advertise the Wave Blaster II as being an upgrade path to an AWE32?

Now wait just a second, isn't the Wave Blaster II using the same EMU chip as the AWE32? AFAIK it just has a 2MB ROM instead of the 1MB on the AWE32/64.

F2bnp wrote:

Now wait just a second, isn't the Wave Blaster II using the same EMU chip as the AWE32?

Yes, but it's not used or addressed in like manner. Adding a WBII to a SB16 does not an AWE32 make.

back to topic:

Yes, the card is worth keeping around if you can get it cheap. It definitely gets you rid of the daughterboard bug. You are limited to a certain version of the CTCM and awe utils and will have full 32 voice polyphony. Keep an eye on Bristlehog's soundfont proggie...