Any old soundblaster 16 probably will do.

But there are also some cool projects around here like awe64 legacy, Orpheus, ‘isa audio interface’, etc.

Personally, for socket 7 I usually do a audigy 2 zs. But I don’t do much dos. Though I do believe it is compatible with sb16 functions? Someone else can chime in and correct me.

AWE64 value, SB16 value, ESS AudioDrive, Yamaha YMF719.

awe64 value isn't uncommon on ebay in aus, but sb16 value (vibra) if you are looking for something a little cheaper. the original "proper" sb16s can be a little expensive, large and noisy in terms of audio output. sometimes you have clicky and choppy audio samples with the vibra cards (read up on DMA clicking bug).

another idea is ESS audiodrive, very compatible but does not have SB16 support (sb pro support is more than fine in most cases tho). the yamaha YMF719 based ISA cards are great but a few (very few) games might not be 100% compatible (look up ADPCM compatibility to know more) without sneaky updates/patches/workarounds.

basically avoid PCI cards if you can. they -can- work but you will find yourself with configuration/dos extender/compatibility issues.

PhilsComputerLab on youtube has reviews and tests of all these cards and more, so spend a few hrs watching those videos to get a better idea.

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-11-11, 03:45:

Any old soundblaster 16 probably will do.

But there are also some cool projects around here like awe64 legacy, Orpheus, ‘isa audio interface’, etc.

Personally, for socket 7 I usually do a audigy 2 zs. But I don’t do much dos. Though I do believe it is compatible with sb16 functions? Someone else can chime in and correct me.

I'll keep an eye out then. Even a Vibra 16 would be fine for me.
I was aiming for a ISA card just as I know the performance hit of a PCI card on a lower performance machine.
A DIY card project would be an awesome option too!

ESS1869