VOGONS


First post, by p24t

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Was considering Soundbaster AWE64 CT4520

Reply 1 of 11, by schmatzler

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I bought an OPTi 82C929A MAD16 Pro card and it's just excellent.
The drivers are very modern (GUI with mouse) and it even supports Windows Sound System in pure DOS mode.

I just bought it because of this review by philscomputerlab:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okxN4GVLJRI

"Windows 98's natural state is locked up"

Reply 2 of 11, by gdjacobs

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Shouldn't this be in the Marvin -> Sound forum?

Anyway, my vote is for ESS 1868/1869 cards.

Last edited by gdjacobs on 2017-12-22, 19:02. Edited 1 time in total.

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder

Reply 3 of 11, by cyclone3d

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schmatzler wrote:
I bought an OPTi 82C929A MAD16 Pro card and it's just excellent. The drivers are very modern (GUI with mouse) and it even suppor […]
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I bought an OPTi 82C929A MAD16 Pro card and it's just excellent.
The drivers are very modern (GUI with mouse) and it even supports Windows Sound System in pure DOS mode.

I just bought it because of this review by philscomputerlab:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okxN4GVLJRI

I pretty much agree with this. I still have an Opti930 based card with onboard wavetable that was the card I used back in the day. Never found a DOS game that it wouldn't work with.

Pretty much any of the Creative labs ISA cards are going to be great as well. You may want one with real OPL3 though if you don't like the sound of CQM.

Most of the Aztech ISA cards are going to be really good as well.

ESS cards.

Yamaha YMF based cards.

There is a huge selection of cards to choose from.

Yamaha modified setupds and drivers
Yamaha XG repository
YMF7x4 Guide
Aopen AW744L II SB-LINK

Reply 4 of 11, by Jo22

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Can't disagree with you people (plus, Creative cards are a bit overrated. EMU8K is nice, though.).
Back when 98 was current, I was still using a PAS16 and was happy with it.
I didn't care much about the legacy SB standard or SB Pro compatibility then, though.
But if audio quality and a true OPl3 matters, then it's still worth a try, I believe.
Keep in mind that -5v is required and backwards compatibility is limited to SB 2.0.

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In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

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Reply 5 of 11, by p24t

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Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I found this ISA soundcard I forgot I had. I don't know anything about it, but would it do the job?

https://i.imgur.com/SgWOJDX.jpg

Reply 6 of 11, by brostenen

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p24t wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I found this ISA soundcard I forgot I had. I don't know anything about it, but would it do the job?

https://i.imgur.com/SgWOJDX.jpg

I think it is good for late Dos games. Yet I don't know anything about that card, I would say it is a bit in the same league as an AWE64, just by the looks of it. Regarding OPL, I have a feeling that it is not that great.

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Reply 7 of 11, by gdjacobs

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Jo22 wrote:
Can't disagree with you people (plus, Creative cards are a bit overrated. EMU8K is nice, though.). Back when 98 was current, I w […]
Show full quote

Can't disagree with you people (plus, Creative cards are a bit overrated. EMU8K is nice, though.).
Back when 98 was current, I was still using a PAS16 and was happy with it.
I didn't care much about the legacy SB standard or SB Pro compatibility then, though.
But if audio quality and a true OPl3 matters, then it's still worth a try, I believe.
Keep in mind that -5v is required and backwards compatibility is limited to SB 2.0.

A PAS 16 would be excellent with an early 486 or fast 386 machine.

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder

Reply 9 of 11, by Jo22

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gdjacobs wrote:

A PAS 16 would be excellent with an early 486 or fast 386 machine.

Yay, I fully agree! ^^ Personally, I remember using it from the 286 to 586 generation (~P75).
The latter one was finally running Windows 98SE, even. Though, I believe, later on, I had another machine, too (a P166MMX).

p24t wrote:

I don't know what OPL is or why it's desirable.

It's an FM synthesizer chip which makes stereo music.
The older mono OPL2 was used in PCs since ~1987, when the AdLib card was released..
http://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Yamaha#OPL3

p24t wrote:

I just want the games to make the 80's beep noises.

How fitting, the PAS16 even has a PC Speaker "emulation". 😁
But I'm afraid it only works in 386/486 machines.

Anyway, I was just mentioning the PAS16 because it worked well for me.
Back in the 90s, I had little knowledge about soundcards and it "just worked".

In fact, it wasn until the late 90s/early 2000s when I learned about the ins and outs of the Sound Blaster universe.
I had got a SB16 CT1740 by then and requiring to manually setting up jumpers seemed so backwardly to me.
It was still better than using Creative's configurations tools from hell, though, as I later found out. 😉

(In that respect, even cheap clone cards were more friendly I think.
Phil has some YT videos about AWEs, they explain well how to use Creative drivers).

Configuration of the PAS 16 is also done via software. The PAS16 setup program looks like the DOS 6.2 or Win 3.1 version
and does everything automatical without requiring ISA Plug'n'Pray or jumper settings. The SB emulation can be disabled.

The downside is, however, that the card is 1992 technology (dated).
It requires -5V which was dropped from later ATX specs and lacks SB Pro support.

Win98 has built-in drivers, but the card doesn't do any fancy audio accelleration
or post-processing (except for a 3D Sound feature).

PS: I'm no sales man trying to sell you stuff.
Just tried to share my impressions of the card, since it isn't popular (anymore) 😀
If you want maximum compatibilty and orchestral MIDI music, but no authentic FM music, that AWE is fine as well.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 10 of 11, by Eleanor1967

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p24t wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I found this ISA soundcard I forgot I had. I don't know anything about it, but would it do the job?

https://i.imgur.com/SgWOJDX.jpg

Your card is an Ensoniq Soundscape VIVO 90. There is a Vogons Wiki on that card. I would say it is decent card for your era of system.

Reply 11 of 11, by p24t

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Eleanor1967 wrote:
p24t wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I found this ISA soundcard I forgot I had. I don't know anything about it, but would it do the job?

https://i.imgur.com/SgWOJDX.jpg

Your card is an Ensoniq Soundscape VIVO 90. There is a Vogons Wiki on that card. I would say it is decent card for your era of system.

Thanks. Anyone know where to find DOS drivers for this?