nosuch wrote on 2022-04-06, 13:30:
That is an excellent SoundBlaster list, that ks for the reference! If there is an all-up best to worst please point me to it 😀
There isn't an "all-up best" - every single one has some kind of bug or limitation, and what works best depends on your preferences and requirements. For the older DOS stuff, a lot of people like the CT2230 and CT2290, with real OPL3, wavtable header, only MIDI slowdowns, SC DMA clicking and the less irritating type 2 MIDI hanging note bug, and not too much noise if you have the CT1703-TBS or CT1703-A. For later DOS and Windows, the CT3670 is well-liked, with very low self noise, no DMA clicking or hanging notes, and AWE64 functionality if you add some SIMMs. Not so great for AdLib/OPL though with CQM, and no wavetable header either. If you want SPDIF out, the AWE64 Gold is the way to go.
That's when talking single-card. Given no SB16 has perfect MPU-401 MIDI, it makes a lot of sense to use a different card for that. Then you can ignore the columns for MPU-401 and your choice becomes easier - even more so if your other card also has OPL3 and a wavetable header...