The Aztech card should incorporate licensed OPL3 tech in the main chip.

The jazz16/pas16 are some of the most impressive sb16 alternatives I have come across.

Although for me the ultimate dual card system is an awe32 with a musicquest clone card.

Is the Jazz16 card you have PAS16 compatible? AFAIK there were some issues there with some cards, same with the Sound Blaster Pro compatibility. If it's compatible with both, that would be my pick. Two non-Creative 16-bit audio standards in one system with good DOS support.

If it's FM synth you're after, you want OPL3 or the closest possible clone.

Listing those cards:
1+2) Jazz16 and Aztech AZT2320 - both have a real licensed OPL3
3) ES1868F - ESFM isn't the real thing, but close.
4) AWE64 - CQM isn't bad, but it's not OPL.

As a GUS owner I'd also thoroughly suggest doing SBPro (and/or 16) on the other card. There I'd suggest the following:
1+2+3) AWE64 (full hardware SB16, but no SBPro), ES1868F or AZT2320 (full hardware SBPro, but no SB16) - all three need init progs but no TSR.
4) Jazz16 (SBPro in harware, but nasty little TSR required)

Given that, I'd say the AZT2320 is the best overall choice, although if you really want SB16, you might try the AWE64 instead. Or go mad and do three cards, AZT2320, AWE64 and GUS 😜

Rawit wrote:

Is the Jazz16 card you have PAS16 compatible? AFAIK there were some issues there with some cards, same with the Sound Blaster Pro compatibility. If it's compatible with both, that would be my pick. Two non-Creative 16-bit audio standards in one system with good DOS support.

That Jazz16 chipset isn't PAS or PAS16 compatible.

gdjacobs wrote:

That Jazz16 chipset isn't PAS or PAS16 compatible.

Hmm, PAS compatibility would be my main reason to pick this card. Reading about it and seeing the issues it has with Windows compatibility and DB headers I would choose the AZT2320 instead if accurate OPL3 is your thing.

Rawit wrote:

gdjacobs wrote:

That Jazz16 chipset isn't PAS or PAS16 compatible.

Hmm, PAS compatibility would be my main reason to pick this card. Reading about it and seeing the issues it has with Windows compatibility and DB headers I would choose the AZT2320 instead if accurate OPL3 is your thing.

The Jazz cards were a very strange and unsuccessful direction for Mediavision - they ditched all backwards-compatibility with their own generally superior (but less well supported) PAS line and instead pumped out an unremarkable SBPro2.0 clone with TSR requirements and MIDI hanging note bugs as bad as most SB16s. I suspect they just licenced/bought up a competitor's design, hence no PAS(16) support. End result completely failed to be compelling vs ESS and Aztech alternatives that actually improved upon the Creative original, with less bugs and generally better SNR (and were cheaper too) and vs Crystal and OPTi solutions that were a lot cheaper.

I say, install a GUS, PAS16, and AWE32:

1) Have ALL the 90s heavyweights!
2) And because %!$# IRQs and DMAs!

If you have them...

My multi-sound card system has a GUS Classic, PAS16, MusicQuest and either a CT3670 'SB32' (i.e. AWE64 with SIMMs) or an Aztech NXPro (for SBPro2 and Covox-suppot). Havent been able to get the NXPro and SB32 to work together though, which would complete this build.

But this is ricing for the sake of it. Combining a GUS with a single AdLib & SB compatible card is more than enough for normal use (as Gravis themselves agreed, looking at the GUS Extreme)