How weird, I was just looking into that chip.

The CT1748A is the ASP, aka the "Advanced Signal Processor". Later known as the CSP or "Creative Signal Processor".

Here's a few old threads about it:
What does the optional CSP chip on creative cards do?
The Sound Blaster ASP chip, Q-Sound and Games.
Creative Labs CT1748A ASP DSP

The top card is the CT3900 and the bottom card is the CT3990.

Look here fore the different AWE32 options:
http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2012/07/s … 64-options.html

cyclone3d wrote on 2020-04-09, 05:48:

Look here fore the different AWE32 options:
http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2012/07/s … 64-options.html

That link claims that in addition to the CT3900, the CT3990 is also supposed to come with the CT1748. I guess it was removed from the above PCB?

TheMAN has some photos of the original ASP upgrade box, for the Sound Blaster 16's that came with sockets for the chip.
Gives you some ideas of their claims on what the ASP was for.
My modest Creative Labs collection (no 56k!)

cyclone3d wrote on 2020-04-09, 05:48:

The top card is the CT3900 and the bottom card is the CT3990.

Look here fore the different AWE32 options:
http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2012/07/s … 64-options.html

Yeah sorry, mixed up the pics, here the correct pic.

Stiletto wrote on 2020-04-09, 06:06:

TheMAN has some photos of the original ASP upgrade box, for the Sound Blaster 16's that came with sockets for the chip. Gives yo […]
Show full quote

TheMAN has some photos of the original ASP upgrade box, for the Sound Blaster 16's that came with sockets for the chip.
Gives you some ideas of their claims on what the ASP was for.
My modest Creative Labs collection (no 56k!)

Ah great, so I guess basically it is irrelevant for gaming etc. and games are normally not using it...

See here on how to sort of use the Q-sound feature:
The Sound Blaster ASP chip, Q-Sound and Games.

Ok, thx.
It's is jut crazy how many revisions of a hardware creative labs made back then...

Now that I have researched all the possible variants I am coming to the conclusion that the best choices are the CT3900 and CT3980 (PnP) of the Awe32. Though the CT3990 is the last revision of the Awe32 line it lacks the Opl3 chip . Let's see how difficult it will be to find one of these two cards.

Cloudshatze did some work on actually making use of the ASP/CSP for something. It was quite interesting.
"Accelerating" Windows 95 with Creative's Advanced Signal Processor (CSP)

skel2raw wrote on 2020-04-09, 16:59:

Now that I have researched all the possible variants I am coming to the conclusion that the best choices are the CT3900 and CT3980 (PnP) of the Awe32. Though the CT3990 is the last revision of the Awe32 line it lacks the Opl3 chip . Let's see how difficult it will be to find one of these two cards.

All the different ones show up on eBay every once in a while. I was lucky and was able to grab one of each of the different AWE32 cards and multiple of all the SB32 models. Not only that but I got them all for really good prices. I think the 2760 was the only one I paid anywhere near what it was normally going for at the time.

I did not get and do not want any of thew AWE32 value cards (no RAM slots).

There is a way to convert a CT3990 to have genuine OPL3.
I de-CQMed my AWE32 PnP CT3990...!

You wouldn't be willing to part with a CT3900 or CT3980 by any chance? 😉

you can get them for ok prices regularly if you keep looking, my most expensive AWE32 was the CT3980 though at ~€50