Read this post for AWE32 & 64 options:
http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2012/07/s … 64-options.html

Best AWE32 cards are the CT3980, CT2760 and the CT3900.

Best SB16 (IMO) CT2230 (borgie83 said it very nice)

CT1600 is also a nice card 😀

vetz wrote:

Read this post for AWE32 & 64 options: http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2012/07/s … 64-options.html […]
Show full quote

Read this post for AWE32 & 64 options:
http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2012/07/s … 64-options.html

Best AWE32 cards are the CT3980, CT2760 and the CT3900.

Best SB16 (IMO) CT2230 (borgie83 said it very nice)

CT1600 is also a nice card 😀

I honestly find it amazing how much the CT2230 is overlooked. Everyone seems to always hunt around for the SB16 CT1740, CT1750 as well as AWE64 Gold's yet there is always lots of CT2230's available on eBay for cheap ($20-$30). Don't get me wrong, I do like the AWE 64 Gold but it's lack a waveblaster header kills it for me as I love my daughterboards. Not an issue for those using an external sound module though.

For older Dos games, I agree, the CT1600 is the card to get. The CT2600 is even better but they don't go for sale that often unfortunately. The CT2600 has the updated CT1345-S mixer as opposed to the CT1600's CT1345. Slightly cleaner sound IMO. The other difference is that the CT2600 has a Mitsumi interface instead of the Panasonic interface on the CT1600.

I've never owned a CT3980, any difference in its sound quality compared to the CT3900?

RacoonRider wrote:

Sound Blaster 32 is a newer name of AWE32 Value. The classic example would be CT3670 - the most popular audiocard from AWE series in Russia. I have only had good experience with it. It's a tiny bit limited compared to AWE32 (visually it just does not have 512K onboard RAM, who cares about that?).

I recommend this one for Sound font support. X2 16mb Simms are easy to get, and this card is short and easy to fit in cases, its S/PDIF header also works if you solder some wires to the pad. Its basically a poor mans \ cheap Awe64 Gold.
But no OPL-3 just CQM like the Awe64's.
Its also a noise free card in my experience.

Just combine it with another sound-card that has the YMF-262 or equiv for Opl-3.

Heres a Picture of one of my 3670's vs My 2760 Full Awe32 which I don't use because it produces a weird tunnel whoosh sound during Midi and OPL playback even over S/PDIF OUT. ITS quiet as a mouse during normal digital audio playback 😒 .

Also an ESS 1688 vs a CT 1740 without ASP Pic.
Added a CT 2800 Vibra that has the OPL-3 YMF-262 on it.
Sound Blaster pro 2 CT 1600 and a Yamaha 719.

Pictures are Just an idea what to look for!

borgie83 wrote:

I honestly find it amazing how much the CT2230 is overlooked.

You could say that about the CT2290 as well. 😉
The reason why these are "good" SB16 cards is the CT1747 chip, which not only provides real OPL3, but also does away with the "hanging note bug".

borgie83 wrote:

I've never owned a CT3980, any difference in its sound quality compared to the CT3900?

I have both and could't detect a difference. With these two it's more a matter of PnP vs. non-PnP.

The Sound Blaster I have in my Windows 95 box is an SB 32 CT3930 with two SIMMs installed, which is the one based on the Vibra 16 chip. So far it sounds great, but it shows a crapton of errors in Dxdiag.

It's definitely not a real AWE 32. 😀

What of the Soundblaster cards feature OPL3? I just watched a video on the CT1470 and MAN I like the way that sounds. 🤣

Everything I listed above but the TOP, CT3670 In my pictures above will sound similar to that.
There are alot of SB models with the YMF-262 chip, to many to list.

If I had to choose between SB16/AWE's:

CT2940 with OPL3-L - Vibra Pro CT2502 PnP chipset. Daughterboard header, Useless MPU-401, the rest is fine.
CT2950 with OPL3-L - CT1749 PnP Chipset. Daughterboard header, Useless MPU-401, the rest is good.
CT2230 or CT2290 - with OPL logo CT1747 chipset. Daughterboard header, Arguably workable MPU-401, Arguably workable Signal quality.

If AWE synth was preferred over genuine OPL3, then my selection would be different. Or add a CT1920 AWE upgrade card to the above.

What is the MPU-401 for exactly? Sorry for my noobish questions. 😜

It is the Midi music interface (at address 330h for example), it may suffer from the infamous hanging note issue. Does not affect the OPL3 or any AWE synth, but affects midi daughterboards and external modules.

Cool so as long as I don't buy a Roland or Yamaha external midi module and try and hook it to this card I should be good? Cause I just need a compatible stand alone sound card right now, I don't own any external devices or daughterboards.

That's right.

Excellent! Thanks a lot dude, you really helped me out here. I'll probably be buying a CT2940 since they are readily abundant on Ebay right now and fairly inexpensive.
But I will for sure be keeping my eyes peeled for all these other variants mentioned so I can play around with them. 😜

Thanks again to Alpha Wing too, you saved me from trying to get that Aztech card working also. 😜

Abundant? not really, unfortunately..
When I wrote "CT2940 with OPL3-L" I did so to differentiate from "CT2940 with CQM (CT1978)", the latter being more common.
The CT2950 with OPL3-L is more rare.
If you care for OPL3 then try to recognize the difference before buying, by looking at the chip placement.

Oh hmm. How can I tell? Is it labeled OPL like on the other SB 16 cards? What I mean is what chip numbers am I looking for here?

Are any of these OPL to your knowledge?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111446443789?_trksid= … K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171293601848?_trksid= … K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

No, cornered between the crystals and the main chip we find the CQM chip.
The OPL3-L area is empty.
A quick search on ebay.com gives me no CT2940 or 2950 with OPL3-L.
This image shows the OPL3-L area filled:

Ohhhh! Sweet ok, yet again you have saved me from wasting my money. 🤣 Thank you.

For AWE's. Look at this page.... (good and easy reading)

http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.dk/2012/07/so … 64-options.html

The next website is in German language. If google translate can do it, then you might be able to get info from it.
Other than that, it is great if you can read the German language.

http://www.amoretro.de/

King_Corduroy wrote:

Cool so as long as I don't buy a Roland or Yamaha external midi module and try and hook it to this card I should be good? Cause I just need a compatible stand alone sound card right now, I don't own any external devices or daughterboards.

To confirm, the hanging note bug only affects daughterboards connected to the card via the waveblaster header on the sound card. You can use any external module you like as external modules will not suffer from the hanging note bug. Still, if you use the SB16 CT2230 or Awe32 CT2760 (Not Rev 3)/CT3900/CT3980 you won't have to worry about the bug either. I'd rather get a card that isn't affected so if you one day choose to purchase a daughterboard for midi, you're right to go without having to purchase another card.

Once you've heard midi from a Roland or Yamaha external module or daughterboard, you'll never want to go back to listening to music straight from the Sound Blaster.

Lol. I've heard it, just not in person. Those devices cost a pretty penny, the closest I got to listening to the Yamaha side of things was a PCI Yamaha A301-G50. Beautiful synth, horrible compatibility with dos games. 😜