Thank you for all the replies so far. Very interesting indeed. Too bad some of the cards you mention seem to be almost unobtainable and you are lucky to have one.

Tropez Plus sounds amazing.
Does it have a clear bass output like MultiSound?

orcish75 wrote:

Crystal clear sound from the Crystal CS4232 CODEC (Sorry, no pun intended), true OPL3 that hasn't been filtered, WSS compatibility, absolutely no background noise/hum, decent 4MB ICS wavetable (I do prefer the Yamaha and Roland sounds though) The IDE port can be set to Primary, so hard drives can be attached to it and booted off it. Superb compatibility, I haven't come across a game that doesn't work on it, although the card can be an absolute nightmare to setup properly if your motherboard doesn't assign IRQ's/DMA's correctly. It can also be expanded to 12MB via SIMMs but this card doesn't seem to have very good support in term of soundfonts for it (It doesn't use Creative soundfonts) and it has a Yamaha YSS225 effect processor on it for reverb/chorus etc.

I need to get one. How good is the ICS wavetable? Any relationship or compatibility with the Gravis Ultrasound?

Thank you for all the replies so far. Very interesting indeed. Too bad some of the cards you mention seem to be almost unobtainable and you are lucky to have one.

Unfortunately the Tropez is very rare these days and commands a premium when it comes up on Amibay/EBay. I was very lucky to find this card, I was actually looking for a soundcard that had an IDE port that could be set to primary, not specifically the Tropez. I have a 286 bridgeboard in my Amiga 2000 which only has 3 useable ISA slots once the bridgeboard is plugged in. I wanted to eliminate using a separate multi I/O card for the IDE so that I could fit a network card in. The Tropez was the only soundcard that I came across that could have the IDE set to primary. I came across one on EBay about 3 years ago and bought it for about $30. I had no idea that the sound from this card was so good when I first started using it, so it was quickly transferred from my Amiga to my main DOS rig, a P233MMX. I then used the XT-IDE ROM in my Amiga which allows booting off a secondary IDE port so a generic ESS1688 was slotted in it's place.

Tropez Plus sounds amazing.
Does it have a clear bass output like MultiSound?

The bass is also really good, it's not over-powering and certainly has a solid thump to it. Unfortunately I don't have a MultiSound for a direct comparison, but I'd say the WAV output is on par with an AWE64 Gold.

I need to get one. How good is the ICS wavetable? Any relationship or compatibility with the Gravis Ultrasound?

The ICS wavetable sounds good, not great, but certainly acceptable. The Roland and Yamaha wavetables sound better in my opinion, but I'd say the ICS sounds better than my MediaVision Korg wavetable. Unfortunately there's no relationship or compatibiltiy with the GUS and I don't have a GUS to make a comparison. As with all audio devices it is very subjective, so some people will find the ICS better or worse than other wavetables.

If I had to stick with a single solitary card, I'd probably go with the AWE64 and SoftMPU. Though, I dislike the thought of constantly switching back and forth between my joystick and my MIDI adapter 🙁 Not to mention those games that need both a joystick and sound best with an external MIDI box. Do they make a splitter to let you use both?? Would such a thing even work, or would signals get crossed??

Get one of these 😀

orcish75 wrote:

My ultimate soundcard is the Turtle Beach Tropez Plus.

Good Choice.
Basically the same as the the Acer Magic S23. But that one comes without a Synth, so I can stick on any Synth I like. Admitted, coming without synth chips makes it look cheap.
Another similar card is the Terretac Maestro 32/96, but there they chose to do FM with a chip from the synth. Which is the only serious drawback. The EWS64XL elianda mentioned is the successor to the Maestro, with a CS4236(B) core chip with integrated FM.
Configuration of the CS4232 is typical, PnP to the max.. I now use the crystal resource.exe to change the resource preference in the EEPROM, leaving it with only one choice.

orcish75 wrote:

The YMF71X series is my next favourite card.

Like it too. Very similar to the CS4232; but easier to setup (as long as you don't expect WSS to work) and slightly lower signal quality.

I really wouldn't want to have to limit myself to a single card, but if I absolutely had to choose just one, then I'd go with the others who said AWE64 Gold.
It's got good output quality, no OPL (yep, that's a plus to me, as I don't like PC FM synthesis), nice RCA plugs and good dos compatibility.
That Gravis Ultrasound Extreme seems tempting though. Kind of like a best of both worlds thing, as you'd get maximum compatibility and nice Gravis sounds for games that support it. I've never come across one for sale though, so I can't really choose that, as it becomes a case of wishful thinking.

I don't see myself ever getting rid of my GUS Classic though 😉

gerwin wrote:

Another similar card is the Terretac Maestro 32/96, but there they chose to do FM with a chip from the synth.

Any FM recordings of that card? How close is the sam chip FM to an original OPL3?

Its horrible.

Actually it depends. The FM-synth is built into the SAM9233. I'd say that some old AdLib games like Wolfenstein and Keen sound decent on the Maestro 32/96, yet a bit different than AdLib, some newer games like Duke3D sound a bit strange compared to the Yamaha OPL3 but still OK IMO. Of course you can use the General Midi part with the newer games so for me it is a non-issue. It is also nice that the Maestro 32/96 routes the FM signal through the SAM8905 effects processor and gives the FM some subtle reverb.

But both the Maestro 32/96 and Tropez Plus have the Crystal CS4232 Codec which is very nice in terms of SB Pro and WSS quality. Both are very decent cards when you just HAVE one slot available.

I did a review of both cards on my website and put also wavetable recordings online. You can compare them, if you want:

Maestro 32/96 review with wavetable recordings: http://www.amoretro.de/2011/09/terratec-maest … -soundcard.html

Tropez Plus with wavetable recordings: http://www.amoretro.de/2013/06/turtle-beach-t … l#comment-24373

Even more wavetable recordings (you can listen to 16 different synths right now but I will add more the next weeks and month): http://www.amoretro.de/soundkarten-und-wavetable-recordings

Its written in German but if you have questions I would of course answer them here.

If you ask me for the "perfect ONE card sound solution" I would ask back: What kind of games do you want to play? You have to cut a line somewhere between before 1993 and after 1993 or somewhere where the transition between MT-32 to General Midi happended. In the MT-32 era also AdLib OPL2 FM sound was much more popular so IMO there is no need for a really decent or genuine OPL3 synth if you want to play games after 1993. The same applies to the GUS to some degree. Older games tool real advantage while newer games don't profit from a GUS at all.
All games from late 1993 have General Midi options and most of them also (patched) AWE32 options so they profit from a decent wavetable card like one of the mentioned above.

Budget users can start with a good AWE32 card (like model CT3900 or CT3980 with a real OPL3 circuit built into the CT1747 IC) and later expand the card with a wavetable daughterboard when the budget and or the craving is there 😀 .

But we all know that the perfect card is non existant. Any card has its flaws.

Best regards
Fabian

In cases where only a single slot can be spared for both sound and MIDI, the features of an expanded Mediatrix AudioTrix Pro are tough to beat:

- Crystal CS4231 (SB2.0 and WSS compatible)
- Yamaha OPL4 (FM and GM-compliant Wavetable)
- Yamaha YSS225 effects-processor
- 512KB sample-RAM
- Pseudo-intelligent MPU-401 interface

The last point is a critical differentiator between this and comparable cards. Like Ensoniq's offerings, the AudioTrix Pro is one of the few cards that "fakes" MPU-401 intelligence in hardware. In addition, the ATPro works well in 8-bit slots (when appropriately configured), and is FM-compatible with the Ad Lib Gold.

Cloudschatze wrote:

In cases where only a single slot can be spared for both sound and MIDI, the features of an expanded Mediatrix AudioTrix Pro are […]
Show full quote

In cases where only a single slot can be spared for both sound and MIDI, the features of an expanded Mediatrix AudioTrix Pro are tough to beat:

- Crystal CS4231 (SB2.0 and WSS compatible)
- Yamaha OPL4 (FM and GM-compliant Wavetable)
- Yamaha YSS225 effects-processor
- 512KB sample-RAM
- Pseudo-intelligent MPU-401 interface

The last point is a critical differentiator between this and comparable cards. Like Ensoniq's offerings, the AudioTrix Pro is one of the few cards that "fakes" MPU-401 intelligence in hardware. In addition, the ATPro works well in 8-bit slots (when appropriately configured), and is FM-compatible with the Ad Lib Gold.

That is definitely a contender for top spot. Another great Canadian made sound card!

You mention it works great in 8 bit slots but I wonder if it work in anything less than a 286? According to this ancient product announcement for it in Computer Shopper Magazine (from 1995)...http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15944609.html, it mentions that it requires a 286 or higher. Not that that matters because this would work perfect in a 386 system for what I would use it for, but I am curious if it would work in an 8 bit slot in anything pre-286.

@Fabian

I agree that Maestro 32/96 FM emulation is decent in some cases, but i always look at it from an application end as well, what if some one wants to mess around with AdLib tracker or Note?
What i like about Maestro is that it has a pretty good Sound Canvas font on it plus a wavetable.
So if some one has an Yamaha DB he can install it. And it configures easily.

I my self, from what ive used, would recommend AWE32 CT3900 with SCB-55.

I would really like to try those Audio Trix cards, but i heard they are extremely rare.

Yes I totally agree with you. The SAM9233 isn't the No. 1 FM-synth for a tracker software. But I always assume that the "one card user" is a beginner and not a more advanced user being able / willing to configure more than one card and / or specific cards for specific needs in ONE system. For a beginner the Maestro 32/96 card is very good and has one of the best soundsets available. And like the AWE card there is another plus: These cards are actually available opposed to the rare Tropez Plus and the even more rare Audiotrix Pro.

Regarding the Audiotrix.. Well yes.. a really nice card and I love to see the OPL4 with an effects processor attached BUT IMO its mixed quality 2MB soundset is kind of a drawback, compared with the other mentioned "all in one" cards..But of course you can always attach an external module to the card. And the AdLib Gold FM compatibility is a plus for those niche games with direct support.

Interested in OPL4 2MB ROM samples? Here you go: http://www.amoretro.de/2014/07/klangbeispiele … n-mit-opl4.html

Regards
Fabian

Speaking of OPL4, what is your thought on MiroSoun PCM1?
I saw one for sale a while ago, and its still available, the guy wants 20 euro (+20 for shipping).

What are the differences between MiroSound sound cards?

The YMF-71x is a great chipset. Too bad that its PCB implementation is cheap and its software is not that great.

Ja, it's a real pity that none of the higher end soundcard manufacturers used this chipset on a decently laid out board. An all-in-one board with the DB50XG chipset would've been great. There are a cards available that have been teamed up with the YMF704 OPL4 chipset but the wavetable in the YMF704 is weak (only 1MB).

Like it too. Very similar to the CS4232; but easier to setup (as long as you don't expect WSS to work) and slightly lower signal quality.

I've only ever got WSS working on this card in DOS or pure DOS mode in Win9X, never in a DOS window. The other really nice feature of this card is that it only uses one IRQ for SB, WSS and the MPU-401.

I forgot to mention that there is one irritating drawback on the Tropez Plus. It takes approx 20 seconds in DOS or pure DOS mode in Win9X to initialise the ICS wavetable during boot up. Not a deal breaker, but irritating none-the-less.

There are several runner-ups, but I would take an Acer Magic S23 (Crystal CS4232+OPL3).

Very nice card too, although the PCB on mine seems to have been made to take a variety of chipsets so there are a lot of traces that go unused. These traces seem to pick up electrical noise from within the PC, so there is a noticeable hiss on the output of my card, not loud, but it's definitely there.

Several cards are being praised let's resume the most praised:

- Turtle Beach Tropez Plus
- MediaTrix AudioTrix Pro
- Acer Magic S23
- Yamaha YMF-71x chipset based cards
- AWE 64 Gold

My opinion, unfortunetely as i mentioned, the YMF-71x cards had no high quality PCB and circuit implementation, unlike the ESS AudioDrive solutions (Terratec Maestro 16/96 as example) and the AWE64 Gold has no real OPL3 that might not appeal to purists, so i would drop these two cards in the competition with the other three.

I'm not so worried about internal wavetable capabilities as driving external modules should be no problem with any of these cards, as for me its hard to find anything that sounds better than a Roland GS or Yamaha XG.

orcish75 wrote:

I forgot to mention that there is one irritating drawback on the Tropez Plus. It takes approx 20 seconds in DOS or pure DOS mode in Win9X to initialise the ICS wavetable during boot up. Not a deal breaker, but irritating none-the-less.

That is because the card loads the firmware to the synth. A neat feature to implement either new features or eliminate bugs. But of course it is a bit annoying to wait for the firmware to be loaded / processed. But I think it's also worth to mention that the firmware stays in the sound card when you warm boot your computer (CTRL+ALT+DEL).

Stojke wrote:

Speaking of OPL4, what is your thought on MiroSoun PCM1?
I saw one for sale a while ago, and its still available, the guy wants 20 euro (+20 for shipping).

What are the differences between MiroSound sound cards?

The Miro Sound PCM1 is a good card for DOS / Windows 3.x and can be also used in a Windows 9x environment. OPL4 is Windows only and also NOT available in the DOS-BOX in Windows so for DOS games you only have the OPL3 part of the card as well as SB Pro and WSS. The PCM10 is basically the same, just higher integrated and without the breakout-box-connector for Line IN/OUT , Midi stuff.
The PCM12 and PCM20 have the OPL4 routed to a hardware MPU-401 interface which is available in DOS and DOS-BOX in Windows. So as a DOS-gamer these are the cards to look for. 20 Euros shipping costs to Serbia are pretty high (From Germany shipping costs to serbia are 5,90 Euros), I won't comment on the cards price because IMO it is always worth what you you are happily willing to pay.

Maybe you find a cheaper card with the same OPL4 like the "Mozart Wavetable": http://www.amoretro.de/2012/04/mozart-wave-ta … etable-2mb.html. Its wavetable is also limited to Win 3.x and Win 9x but in DOS it doesn't do SB Pro but SB 2.0. The Windows drivers of the Mozart card are not soo nice and straight forward. It may be quirky and there are several drivers for several revisions of the "Mozart" chip from OTI. No passion without pain 🤣 In the end you still WILL get the OPL4 to work and it still sounds decent for a 2MB patch set but only mediocre if you compare it to the good 4MB soundsets available.

@carlostex: You forgot the Maestro 32/96 .

retrofanatic wrote:

You mention it works great in 8 bit slots but I wonder if it work in anything less than a 286?

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, since I've yet to install an AudioTrix Pro in a < 286 system. I do have a Media Vision PAS-16 installed and working in an 8086-based Tandy 1000 RL though...

orcish75 wrote:

The YMF-71x is a great chipset. Too bad that its PCB implementation is cheap and its software is not that great.

Ja, it's a real pity that none of the higher end soundcard manufacturers used this chipset on a decently laid out board. An all-in-one board with the DB50XG chipset would've been great.

Et voilà. Another soundcard you're not likely to find anytime soon!

MediaTrix' AudioTrix 3D-XG uses the YMF715E chipset. By default, the YMF715E output is routed through the attached DB60XG for effects, but the design allows for a number of different routing options, including the ability to configure separate 1/8" jacks for the YMF and DB output.