SRQ wrote:Sooo if I want working stereo sound and retaining period correct my only real option is
An SB-Pro ($$$)
A non-bugged SB16 ($)
? […]
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Sooo if I want working stereo sound and retaining period correct my only real option is
An SB-Pro ($$$)
A non-bugged SB16 ($)
?
If you want to stay period correct, then there were a number of clone cards that were manufactured around that time, but some of them didn't offer 100 % Sound Blaster Pro compatibility (which is probably what you want). But, I agree with James-F that having a Sound Blaster Pro is ideal for any retro 386/486 PC.
Being a fan of the Aztech range of sound cards (the Sound Galaxy range), I can recommend perhaps one of the first generation cards, which were the Sound Galaxy NX Pro 16 (I38-MMSN803) or Basic 16/Pro 16 (I38-MMSN810). They offer excellent Sound Blaster Pro compatibility, are also 16-bit cards (under Windows) and as such are also Windows Sound System compatible. They are also Covox Speech Thing/Disney Sound Source compatible. These cards are speed sensitive and I wouldn't recommend installing them in anything faster than a 486DX4-100.
You can also look at the third generation of Aztech Sound Galaxy cards (those are the ones that has the AZT-2316 chipset which includes some of the following model numbers: I38-MMSN824, I38-MMSN830, I38-MMSN837, I38-MMSN845, I38-MMSN846, I38-MMSN850 & I38-SN96103). These are also Sound Blaster Pro & Windows Sound System compatible, but doesn't have the low pass filter of the original Sound Blaster Pro.