The Asus OEM card has a different stereo audio amplifier than the Creative one.
The one on the Asus, manufactured by STMicroelectronics, has support for a gain of 45dB, where as the one on the Creative is only 20dB.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean one has higher output quality then the other. Maybe provide some line recordings once you get it, and then get a comparison of the same samples being played through the normal Vibra?

Well, I bought a CT4180 Vibra 16C, an ASUS I-A16C and an Avance Logic ALS100plus all for $6.00 including shipping. So I'll have 3 cards to mess around with when they get here.

I say the Asus will be better. The TEA2025B can support up to 1A current, and the Asus card uses a 5V 1A regulator, while the regulator on the Creative card is only 5V at .5A! Output quality should be comparable, but power will be higher on the Asus card so if you use passive speakers, I'd op for the Asus.

I have this card, it's "nothing flashy, but gets the job done". I tend to like it, it does not make much noise and is rock solid. And I like the board design. When you look at Creative card, it's much of a mess with capacitors hanging here and there.

The original card is bundled with ASUS XP55T2P4, but works well with other motherboards.

Another card I'm somewhat interested in is the more modern/simplified Sound Blaster Vibra 16XV WavEffects model. I'm quite interested to hear what the wavetable on that card sounds like. Has anyone had an opportunity to test this card before?

Totempole wrote:

Another card I'm somewhat interested in is the more modern/simplified Sound Blaster Vibra 16XV WavEffects model. I'm quite inter […]
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Another card I'm somewhat interested in is the more modern/simplified Sound Blaster Vibra 16XV WavEffects model. I'm quite interested to hear what the wavetable on that card sounds like. Has anyone had an opportunity to test this card before?

I have owned one since new. There is no wavetable on the card. It was just a Vibra 16 card bundled with Creative's "WavEffects" software synthesizer that originally came with the AWE64 (that provided the other 32 voices advertised on the box).

I had assumed it was a software based wavetable. Does the software synth on the SB16XV sound the same as the AWE64 once the bundled software is installed?

Logistics wrote:

I say the Asus will be better. The TEA2025B can support up to 1A current, and the Asus card uses a 5V 1A regulator, while the regulator on the Creative card is only 5V at .5A! Output quality should be comparable, but power will be higher on the Asus card so if you use passive speakers, I'd op for the Asus.

Irrelevant. TEA2025B on ASUS card does use 5V from the regulator, but the TDA1517P on CT4180 gets 12V directly from the ISA bus. It gives out new possibilities to assume which one is better.

When talking about these minor differences in amplifier, the eventual conclusion is to use lineout and an external amp with volume control.
I am usually fascinated by soundcards, yet this discussion makes me yawn. 🤣

Boring as this discussion may have been, I received the cards to day and can safely conclude that the amplifacation levels on both cards are almost identical.

There are only 2 relevant differences between the CT4180 and the I-A16C.

1. The IA-16C has a Spk Out port and a separate Line Out port. The CT4180 only one Output (Spk Out or Line Out depending on jumper conf).
2. The IA-16C has a Wavetable connector. The CT4180 doesn't.

Other than that, they're basically the same card.

Jepael wrote:

Irrelevant. TEA2025B on ASUS card does use 5V from the regulator, but the TDA1517P on CT4180 gets 12V directly from the ISA bus. It gives out new possibilities to assume which one is better.

Every time I follow the traces, I end up at the 5V regulator to the OpAmp's left. This coincides with OP's finding the output levels similar because the difference between 5V and 12V would be several hundred milliwatts, which would be very noticeable.

I know this is an old post I'm looking at but I wonder if anyone knows what the difference is in the two different sound blaster ct4180 is. One has a small chip on the rear of the board where there is a diagram for a crystal, the other version actually has a crystal there. One that has the crystal is labeled as a Sound blaster ct 4180. the other one with the small chip is labeled Vira 16 ct4180.