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Thank you, will test them and post them when validated 😀

For objective testing and analysis, MDFourier.

I'm actually amazed that THE custom software specifically written to be a fully fledged objective analyser of sound chip outputs is barely known here at this forum mecca of soundcard technology! Hopefully it's use will spread, for the betterment of sound card understanding and preservation.

I can't see no dedicated FM in that card, too. So there are just two possibilities, imo.
The Dream is handling the FM as you mentioned. (It sounds quite different than the yamaha OPL2/3)
Or maybe behind the decal is not an ALS100 but an ALS100+ which has an integrated FM that sounds pretty much the same as the original Yamaha OPL2/3.

False informations on these boxes weren't uncommon I think, especially on these more or less taiwanese no-name brands. I recently saw a 2themax Voodoo II box with an AGP Logo printed on 😀

I have a very similar card. I believe FM is handled by the CS9233 chip as it doesn't sound like gen OPL3. But in all fairness, the fact it supports what it does and has really good wavetable onboard makes it a really good card!

Boohyaka wrote on 2020-10-02, 17:15:

[...]

Something that got my attention was the "FM Synthesizer" section of the catalog that mentions "Yamaha OPL3 FM technology". When I first posted about this card, dionb and others mentioned it didn't look like it featured any proper OPL3 or clone (such as LS262) often featured on ALS100 based cards, and that the FM portion was probably handled by the CS9233 chip. As I see no other chip that fits the bill either with my limited knowledge, and the CS9233 apparently supports FM from what I could read, that would make sense. But in that case would it make sense that they mention "Yamaha OPL3 FM technology" in the specs, wouldn't that be deceiving to customers? Obviously I'm not that naive and am sure the marketing from a Taiwanese company in the 90's would be fine with a little "creative interpretation" as long as the proper keywords were on the press release, but still this got me curious and wanting to double-check.

And to loop the loop with my initial question - would there be anything 100% objective to test and benchmark this card for its FM capabilities? Or is it only a subjective matter of "sounding somewhat different" when you listen to it?

The only 100% objective test is to look at waveforms. But subjective tests are more interesting, just listen and compare.

Here's an opinion on the FM synth of the 9233:
Re: Equivalent replacement for Reveal SC500 16bit sound card

The SAM9233/CS9233 FM sounds much smoother then a genuine Yamaha OPL chip, a bit like an organ.

Basically I'd just recommend running a game with a good OPL3 track. Dune 1 immediately comes to mind, or otherwise Ultima 6 (composed for AdLib/OPL2, but still a good way to separate the sheep from the goats in FM-world)

I must say I'm intrigued, I have lots of cards with lots of FM stuff, from absolutely awful (Prometheus Aria) to sublime (ProAudio Spectrum/Studio 16 is still the OPL3 to beat in my opinion), but I don't have anything with a Dream chip doing OPL duty. Need to get one - the Terratec 32/96 would be the obvious choice, but generally a bit above my budget...

This card will go in a new P233MMX build, I'm still waiting on the mobo, covid making things slow...I'm now curious and looking forward to actually giving it a proper test as I now have enough machines and soundcards to make an interesting comparison - this card, ESS1868f, AWE32 CT3900, and soon enough an Orpheus that just got sent 😀

Thanks for the games suggestions dionb, I'll try those. I should be able to make proper recordings if there's any interest! So you guys feel free to suggest more games to compare.

Boohyaka, thank you for the info on that card.

Thought it might fit here, I just received the version with simple OPL3 clone in the mail.
It has the same designation or FCC ID, MA5ASAOUND.

The "LS262" seems to by one of the more common disguises of the Yamaha YMF-262.

I wonder what caused these grey lines on the chip's label - heat or humidity?

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-03-10, 13:52:

The "LS262" seems to by one of the more common disguises of the Yamaha YMF-262. ASOUND.JPG […]
Show full quote

The "LS262" seems to by one of the more common disguises of the Yamaha YMF-262.
ASOUND.JPG

I wonder what caused these grey lines on the chip's label - heat or humidity?
ALS100.JPG

that LS262 should be a 100% clone of OPL3 so you are set in that front
also the ALS100 does get warm when powered so the label deterioration is explained - and it's not that bad actually
personally I would get rid of that sticker

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-03-10, 13:52:

Boohyaka, thank you for the info on that card.

Glad it was useful to you! Funny timing, as I'm working on a build with random loose stuff I had in drawers and I wanted to give this card a new go.
I honestly forgot about this topic I created and have no idea why I never got around to testing this card properly.

According to the old website, yours is the ASOUND 100 3D 16 PnP 😁

Boohyaka wrote on 2022-03-10, 20:03:

According to the old website, yours is the ASOUND 100 3D 16 PnP 😁

Thank you again.

Ah, those wonderful times when even Panzer General 2 was maketed as "Panzer General IIID" in Germany because, well...

There's another similar cards to the 2 above: the Britek Trump WaveCom 32 aka TRUMP Audio/Wave32 PnP-AVx.

I've tested it yesterday with my friend and the FM synthesis is done by the SAM9233. It uses the Dream's FM synth engine and sounds quite different from a genuine Yamaha OPL, not bad, but more on the "interesting" than faithful to the OPL side.

GL1zdA wrote on 2024-04-10, 08:23:

There's another similar cards to the 2 above: the Britek Trump WaveCom 32 aka TRUMP Audio/Wave32 PnP-AVx.
[...]

kinda bummer , 9233 FM is indeed unique but most of the times it is too unique 🤣
how did you find the ALS100 output? does it sound good on that card?

Haven't really tested it much, but it didn't sound bad, though it's not a Terratec Maestro 32/96 either. I had to turn the volume down to like 2/3 of what the mixer provided, or otherwise the sound would "crack" a lot. But it definitely sounded cleaner than the similar, but CMI8328 based AV500. Unfortunately, someone snatched the ROM chip from my AV500, so the SAM is non-functional 🙁.