Same as title! I'm finally gonna buy an AWE32 but I don't know which Model no./revisions should I be looking at. I'd love to have a card that has true OPL3 and has a properly working Wavetable header 😁
Once again... Many thanks guys 😅
CT2760, CT3900 and CT3980 are the most common models with OPL3. But I'm afraid no AWE32 comes with a properly working wavetable connector.
Ahh, and which of all these sounds the best? 🤣
Can a modification or a firmware flash be made to the card in order to solve the Wavetable connector issue?
wrote:Ahh, and which of all these sounds the best? 🤣
I have a CT3900 and a CT3980, but I couldn't tell the difference between them in a blind test. 😉 The AWE models mentioned above derive from the standard SB16 chipset, so their biggest problem is noise.
Newer AWE cards (like the AWE64 and SB32) are based on the Vibra16 chipset, which has a much cleaner output, but with these you lose the genuine OPL and the wavetable connector.
The main difference about the models I listed is how you configure their hardware resources:
CT2760: Jumpers for everything
CT3900: Jumpers only for I/O address, the rest is configured by driver
CT3980: Plug and Play card, needs PnP configuration manager to initialize the card
wrote:Can a modification or a firmware flash be made to the card in order to solve the Wavetable connector issue?
The WB connector issue (a.k.a "the hanging notes bug") has been discussed on these forums for years, but AFAIK there is no simple solution. The easiest way to avoid it is to use a second sound card for either digital sound or MIDI, as the problem only occurs when both are used simultaneously.
I have a CT3980, but it was a long wait to get one. They were a high end (expensive) card in their day and I wouldn't think a lot of them sold compared to cards lower down the ladder. Stay clear of the CT3990, though, as they don't use a genuine OPL chip. They use Creative's horrendous approximation of OPL that always ends up sounding horrible.
The CT2760 is generally considered the way to go, maybe CT3900 too. The main thing is that people here really don't like the PnP revisions, CT1747 with real OPL3 or not, especially as they apparently don't let you disable the CD-ROM controller on the card, taking up extra valuable resources.
Also, the earlier cards are far more likely to have the CT1748 ASP/CSP installed, if you care about that. Only TFX uses it, to my knowledge.
In terms of noise, it's said that the S/PDIF header on the AWE32s only handles FM synth and EMU8000 output, unfortunately; digital PCM audio still needs to go through the card's noisy DAC. (Complete S/PDIF output seems to have started with the AWE64 Gold, but then you lose genuine OPL3.) At least the CT2760 (original revision) doesn't sound too bad over headphones if you use the line-out and NOT the speaker-out.
The wavetable header bug is said to be caused by a flaw in the DSP. IIRC, it's versions 4.05 and 4.16 that are the only unaffected ones. Nobody has been ballsy enough to try and swap out DSP chips from other cards to see if that fixes the issue, though.
Oh, and while we're at it, make sure you have a case that can fit these 14"-long behemoths. Chances are you'll need one with removable hard drive cages. (Any recommendations? I need one before I can swap out my AWE64 Gold with my AWE32 CT2760.)
wrote:The main thing is that people here really don't like the PnP revisions, CT1747 with real OPL3 or not, especially as they apparently don't let you disable the CD-ROM controller on the card, taking up extra valuable resources.
It should be possible by editing the CTPNP.CFG file like this:
[IDE]Disable=1
wrote:Oh, and while we're at it, make sure you have a case that can fit these 14"-long behemoths.
The really annoying thing is that the AWE32 is just a few millimeters shorter than a proper full-size ISA card, so even if you've got a decent case with rails to hold up the card in front of the case, the AWE32 won't catch on it and droop down as a result (even more so if there is RAM installed). Typical penny-pinching Creative Labs design... 🙄
wrote:It should be possible by editing the CTPNP.CFG file like this: […]
wrote:The main thing is that people here really don't like the PnP revisions, CT1747 with real OPL3 or not, especially as they apparently don't let you disable the CD-ROM controller on the card, taking up extra valuable resources.
It should be possible by editing the CTPNP.CFG file like this:
[IDE]Disable=1wrote:Oh, and while we're at it, make sure you have a case that can fit these 14"-long behemoths.
The really annoying thing is that the AWE32 is just a few millimeters shorter than a proper full-size ISA card, so even if you've got a decent case with rails to hold up the card in front of the case, the AWE32 won't catch on it and droop down as a result (even more so if there is RAM installed). Typical penny-pinching Creative Labs design... 🙄
That first tip is handy to know. Other old sound card enthusiasts on other forums (like the Quest Studios forum) don't seem to notice this. (Then again, a lot of them don't even like genuine Sound Blasters to begin with.)
I actually haven't seen any vintage cases with plenty of space down there and rails to prop up the cards, but then again, most of the hardware I've dabbled with was Pentium II or K6-2 at the earliest.
Mr. Gerwin had this to say a while ago:
CT3670 has an AWE64 chipset, but with 30-Pin memory slots.
CT3600 has the vibra 16 pro CT2502: the best output quality of the whole SB16/32 line AFAIK.
