Chadti99 wrote on 2021-07-11, 09:55:
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Yes the 688 works well, but I want to branch out and see what else is out there that I should try in future builds. I’m def interested in a non-pnp Sound Blaster, but there are so many models it’s a bit daunting. I also had a card in my first PC, a Leading Edge, that I think was an Aztech or Crystal. Would be interesting to hear that one again. Maybe these cards wouldn’t really sound all that different and I should seek out another 688?
Sound cards with similar specs should sound almost identical.
That 688 supports SBPro2 (stereo 22kHz), has an external, most likely genuine (or 1:1 copy of an) OPL3. It doesn't have a native MIDI synth, so nothing to compare there. It should basically sound identical to a real SBPro2, plus or minus analog noise levels (and the CT1600 is noisy, so chances are this one sounds cleaner). Additionally it supports a proprietary (and little-used) 16b 44kHz "AudioDrive" mode, which will sound identical to SB16 on the few games that fully support it.
Basically all DAC stuff will sound identical with identical specs (i.e. 8b 22kHz vs 16b 44kHz etc), the only differences will be in synthesized music. That means FM synth ("AdLib/Soundblaster music"), where the original is Yamaha OPL2/OPL3, and various vendors have other implementations of FM synth, in general order of quality: ESFM (newer ESS chips, different but generally liked), CSFM (Crystal chips, decent), CQM (newer Creative cards, considered metallic and not much liked) and then aberrations that try to do FM synth using samples-based synthesizer (eg. Analog Devices Echo, hilariously awful). Or it means samples-based synths like all the "wavetable" stuff, where quality is mainly down to the samples used (bigger is generally, but not always, better).
So if you want something to sound different, try a card with ESFM, CSFM, CQM or eh.. AD Echo (for really "different). Downside is that most are later PnP solutions, in fact I'm not aware of any with jumpers-only config.