you can get SoundBlaster AWE64 value (CT4500 or CT4520) for a few dollars. best pick for low budget retro pc IMO

Normally I would have recommended an Audician 32 Plus. And just now I realise that they might all have been sold out. (They were sold brand new in a box from the UK)....

Anyway...
Some type of YMF-718/719 based card or an AWE64 are what I recommend. You can allways upgrade the YMF with a daughterboard, like the Dreamblaster-S1/S2/X1/X2: http://www.serdashop.com/ Then you have Wavetable and real OPL compared to OPL emulation on the AWE64. Ultimately I think they might be equally expensive, if you go the AWE64-Gold route. Depends on what you can find and when, on eBay or locally.

Yeah, the ESS1868F and YMF-718/719 cards are really good choices. If yours is doing weird things, I'd first try to address that (is it fixable?) or maybe replace it with another of the same. They are inexpensive. Phil recently reviewed one and had high praises for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWOdIuRO5fI

clueless1 wrote:

Phil recently reviewed one and had high praises for it

Get one fast, and like now... Phil reviewed one, praised it, prices might go up on that account. 😉

second the YMF718/719 great compatibility + legit OPL3

I will look for an AWE64 value, but this shipping will kill me someday 25 usd for card and another 15 for shipping, i wish i had a better deal 🙁 iam from czech republic and i don't know where to get the card , so i guess my only chance is overpriced Ebay. 😒

Anyway thanks for advice 😀

You can try with polish allegro.pl if they ship to Czech republic, i got AWE64 there for 40zl inc. postage. thats $10

Aglenoth wrote:

I will look for an AWE64 value, but this shipping will kill me someday 25 usd for card and another 15 for shipping, i wish i had a better deal 🙁 iam from czech republic and i don't know where to get the card , so i guess my only chance is overpriced Ebay. 😒

Dude, just grab whatever gets the job done. Don't overpay. It's a hobby not an obsession. Grab a simple AD1816 or whatever you can get for 5 $ and that'll be it if you cannot throw money out excessively...

Aglenoth wrote:

I will look for an AWE64 value, but this shipping will kill me someday 25 usd for card and another 15 for shipping, i wish i had a better deal 🙁 iam from czech republic and i don't know where to get the card , so i guess my only chance is overpriced Ebay. 😒

Try some local fleamarket?

Another good alternative (that you might be able to source locally) is one of the Aztech Labs Sound Galaxy sound cards (preferably one with the AZT-2316 chipset).

SB32 CT:3670 if you can find one on the cheap. Best soundcard for the price I have ever used, and you can expand the memory easily, unlike on an AWE64.

Well i just bought 3 more ES1869F based cards. I have like 8 of them.
I love them, so compatible and they have nice 3d effects processor, that you can even use in dos.

OPL-SAx .... i like to play Duke Nukem 2.

IDK what is so magical and expensive about the Sound Blaster PRO/16/AWE, the name? Because newer clones are better than the original.

I sure do have 3x16 and 3xAWE but i do not use them much.