Yamaha YMF-7x4 PCI cards do support genuine OPL3 and, in some cases, have SPDIF outputs. Rayer was working on a tool to enable it in pure DOS. Keep in mind, these cards don't support ADPCM encoding which is used in a couple of early Apogee games like DN2.

Thanks for the suggestion - i do remember seeing one such YMF card once, but that one lacked the PC-PCI connection.
And as for cards with an ESS chip, are there any known models with SPDIF out? On the plus side, i think at least the ESS Solo-1 should support ADPCM.

Neither the ES1938 nor the ES1946 chips support SPDIF output (or I2S for that matter). So, that's not a viable option for digital out.

Der Kuenringer wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion - i do remember seeing one such YMF card once, but that one lacked the PC-PCI connection.
And as for cards with an ESS chip, are there any known models with SPDIF out? On the plus side, i think at least the ESS Solo-1 should support ADPCM.

I have such a card (the former), yet to even test it like most of the stuff I have collected.

Regarding YMF7x4 and ADPCM, only 2/3bit is affected and I've only come across DN2 that uses it (so not that common). But with this game, you can replace the affect with OPL FM in the game options.

There is an ESFM card with SPDIF, but it first uses ADC before feeding it. IIRC, it was one of the Guillemot Maxi Sound ISA cards.

Have you tried Major Stryker? I heard it also had issues. I'd love to put that myth to bed, one way or another.

gdjacobs wrote:

Have you tried Major Stryker? I heard it also had issues. I'd love to put that myth to bed, one way or another.

I've played it, although don't recall testing it with a YMF7x4. I'll put it on my to do list.

Many YMF-744 cards have OPL3 and an attached SP/DIF daughterboard or at least an SP/DIF connector.

j^aws wrote:

Regarding YMF7x4 and ADPCM, only 2/3bit is affected and I've only come across DN2 that uses it (so not that common). But with this game, you can replace the affect with OPL FM in the game options.

There is an ESFM card with SPDIF, but it first uses ADC before feeding it. IIRC, it was one of the Guillemot Maxi Sound ISA cards.

Thanks, is it the Guillemot Maxi Sound Home Studio Pro 64 by any chance?
Although it's kind of futile anyway i suppose. It's the DAC that i want to bypass on these cards, and that not happening with this one.

appiah4 wrote:

Many YMF-744 cards have OPL3 and an attached SP/DIF daughterboard or at least an SP/DIF connector.

While we're at the topic of daughterboards. If I add a wavetable board to a card with SPDIF out, will i get digital out from this add-on card as well? And if so, directly, or does it go through an ADC?
Let's say on one of the YMF-7x4 cards.

Der Kuenringer wrote:

While we're at the topic of daughterboards. If I add a wavetable board to a card with SPDIF out, will i get digital out from this add-on card as well? And if so, directly, or does it go through an ADC?
Let's say on one of the YMF-7x4 cards.

If it's a Waveblaster type board AFAIK it's analog, based on the pinout/schematics.