i can't say which to choose without seeing photos, especially since i don't know anything about the ymf701. only know about 715, 718 and 719.
the yxg is unrelated to soundcard model as long as it has 16bit output in windows, its a bit demanding in cpu though.

This is the YAMAHA YMF701-S

OR.... Vibra 16S

Which one should I go for? 😕

noshutdown wrote:

i can't say which to choose without seeing photos, especially since i don't know anything about the ymf701. only know about 715, 718 and 719.
the yxg is unrelated to soundcard model as long as it has 16bit output in windows, its a bit demanding in cpu though.

Yeah, I just upload it from my phone. Sorry for the poor quality. My phone camera is crappy... ..
Oh.. YXG is not related to the soundcard.... okay...
I was thinking maybe it will perform... better? 😐 I guess not...
so which one should I choose?
Base on the picture, both have IDE and Wavetable pin on top. .(if im not mistaken)...

Anybody have experience on these cards?

I found the YAMAHA YMF107-S Driver from http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/lsi/download/ .

But for Vibra 16S, I couldn't find it..
Was it here:- http://support.creative.com/Products/product_ … e=Sound+Blaster# ? But I dont see it in the list...

VogonsDriver do have one:- https://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fil … =33&menustate=0

Should I go for Yamaha, due to better drivers? or SB 16S for sound quality? Anyone?

my vote goes to the vibra, for its a special card made by soundforte using creative chip, rather than creative's own product.

noshutdown wrote:

my vote goes to the vibra, for its a special card made by soundforte using creative chip, rather than creative's own product.

How about DOS compatiblity? The Vibra 16S has higher Dos compatibility than Yamaha? hmmm.... Does this Vibra 16S has hanging note bug?

Any other advice guys? Should I go for Yamaha or Vibra 16S? 😒 Appreciate feedback here...

Can you specify your needs:
1) DOS, Windows or both?
2) Gaming, music making or both?
3) MIDI compatibility (MPU401, wavetable)?

Or are you just looking for better jack-of-all-trades type of compromise of these two? I have no first-hand experience of either of these cards (I have only SB Vibra 16C and 16XV) but looking at the specs of both on paper I'd choose that Yamaha card because of guaranteed OPL3 chip and also presumably better external MIDI support (no hanging note) if you use MIDI device through the joystick port.

I want it all and I want it NOW and CHEAP = YMF718 (Audician 32).
Skip the "old computer hardware shop" and go to Ebay.

James-F wrote:

I want it all and I want it NOW and CHEAP = YMF718 (Audician 32).

I actually bought one of those just this week for my 386 as a jack-of-all-trades card. 😊

Indeed it is.
One should definitely own at least one YMF71x card.

I own these cards:
Sound Blaster Pro 2 CT1600
Sound Blaster 16 CT2230
Sound Blaster 16 CT2950
Sound Blaster 16 Vibra 16 CT2890
Aztech NX Pro
Aztech Multimedia 16 Pro
AudioDrive ES1688
Yamaha YMF719.

You want bug free MPU-401, Wavetable Header, excellent SBPro2, WSS and Low-Noise, you buy a YMF71x.
None of the other cards does it all combined and as trouble free as the YMF71x.

Ebay -> Audician 32 Plus -> Buy.

Is the Audician's sound quality as good as the YMF701-S? The YMF701-S has 2 crystals vs 1 crystal on the Audician. Which sound standard gets resampled on the Audician?

Looking at the datasheet for OPL-SA3 based cards, they appear to support multiple sampling rates using an 8 option clock divider. This divider supports sampling rates of 48k or less using a 22mhz clock gen and 44.1k or less using a 33mhz clock gen. These requisite clocks can in turn be generated by an MK1420 or supplied by two crystals.

James-F wrote:

Ebay -> Audician 32 Plus -> Buy.

What he said

+1 for Audician32. Brand new and cheap when looking at what it is. 😜

HI all, thank you all for replies!!

Ariakos wrote:

Can you specify your needs: 1) DOS, Windows or both? 2) Gaming, music making or both? 3) MIDI compatibility (MPU401, wavetable) […]
Show full quote

Can you specify your needs:
1) DOS, Windows or both?
2) Gaming, music making or both?
3) MIDI compatibility (MPU401, wavetable)?

Or are you just looking for better jack-of-all-trades type of compromise of these two? I have no first-hand experience of either of these cards (I have only SB Vibra 16C and 16XV) but looking at the specs of both on paper I'd choose that Yamaha card because of guaranteed OPL3 chip and also presumably better external MIDI support (no hanging note) if you use MIDI device through the joystick port.

Yeah... Jack of all Thread, if possible. I will go for the Yamaha than.... SInce there is no hanging note... BUT, what is OPL3? @.@

James-F wrote:

Indeed it is. One should definitely own at least one YMF71x card. […]
Show full quote

Indeed it is.
One should definitely own at least one YMF71x card.

I own these cards:
Sound Blaster Pro 2 CT1600
Sound Blaster 16 CT2230
Sound Blaster 16 CT2950
Sound Blaster 16 Vibra 16 CT2890
Aztech NX Pro
Aztech Multimedia 16 Pro
AudioDrive ES1688
Yamaha YMF719.

You want bug free MPU-401, Wavetable Header, excellent SBPro2, WSS and Low-Noise, you buy a YMF71x.
None of the other cards does it all combined and as trouble free as the YMF71x.

Ebay -> Audician 32 Plus -> Buy.

OKay... YMF701-S it is... I am getting it!!!

Stretch wrote:

Is the Audician's sound quality as good as the YMF701-S? The YMF701-S has 2 crystals vs 1 crystal on the Audician. Which sound standard gets resampled on the Audician?

Seriously.. I'm not sure.. I never own OPL3 card before... nor play them... so this is my first... I can't really share.. I have no experience on such Yamaha or OPL3 card..

gdjacobs wrote:

Looking at the datasheet for OPL-SA3 based cards, they appear to support multiple sampling rates using an 8 option clock divider. This divider supports sampling rates of 48k or less using a 22mhz clock gen and 44.1k or less using a 33mhz clock gen. These requisite clocks can in turn be generated by an MK1420 or supplied by two crystals.

Oooooo.. okay. .so how do I ... hear and utilize this "OPL3" tech by Yamaha? How do I activate it in the DOS game? I have MechWarrior 2 and Doom... should I choose General Midi or SB PRo as Midi music, to utilize the OPL3? Sorry, Im quite new to Yamaha card... =)

Panties wrote:

OKay... YMF701-S it is... I am getting it!!!

Who said anything about 701? The Audician 32 is 718.

Panties wrote:

BUT, what is OPL3? @.@

A Sound Blaster card has Digital sounds and Synthesized/FM music (Doom as the most basic example).
OPL3 is a synthesizer chip responsible for practically all music you hear in DOS games.
DOSBox emulates the OPL chips and all its configurations.

The first Adlib card did not have digital sounds but only a single OPL2 (LINK) chip that played synthesized music.
When the first Sound Blaster 1 and 2 appeared on the marker it brought Digital sounds and had 100% Adlib compatibility because it had the OPL2 on board.
Then Sound Blaster Pro appeared on the market with two OPL2 chips for stereo.
Then Sound Blaster Pro 2 appeared with a single OPL3 (LINK) chip which is already stereo and includes several new sound generating options; that why games let you select between SBPro1 and SBPro2 for music..they have different synthesizer configurations, but the digital sounds part is the same.
Sound Blaster 16 had the OPL3 on board but later revisions had Creative clone that did not sound like the original.

That is why when you buy a sound card for DOS make sure it has an original OPL3 chip.
The Yamaha YMF701 or 71x has the original (obviously) OPL3 chip already integrated into the main chip, your Vibra 16S has the Creative clone (not all of them).

Please read this article which everybody on Vogons already did: http://www.crossfire-designs.de/?lang=en&what … icle=soundcards

James-F wrote:

Who said anything about 701? The Audician 32 is 718. […]
Show full quote

Panties wrote:

OKay... YMF701-S it is... I am getting it!!!

Who said anything about 701? The Audician 32 is 718.

Panties wrote:

BUT, what is OPL3? @.@

A Sound Blaster card has Digital sounds and Synthesized/FM music (Doom as the most basic example).
OPL3 is a synthesizer chip responsible for practically all music you hear in DOS games.
DOSBox emulates the OPL chips and all its configurations.

The first Adlib card did not have digital sounds but only a single OPL2 (LINK) chip that played synthesized music.
When the first Sound Blaster 1 and 2 appeared on the marker it brought Digital sounds and had 100% Adlib compatibility because it had the OPL2 on board.
Then Sound Blaster Pro appeared on the market with two OPL2 chips for stereo.
Then Sound Blaster Pro 2 appeared with a single OPL3 (LINK) chip which is already stereo and includes several new sound generating options; that why games let you select between SBPro1 and SBPro2 for music..they have different synthesizer configurations, but the digital sounds part is the same.
Sound Blaster 16 had the OPL3 on board but later revisions had Creative clone that did not sound like the original.

That is why when you buy a sound card for DOS make sure it has an original OPL3 chip.
The Yamaha YMF701 or 71x has the original (obviously) OPL3 chip already integrated into the main chip, your Vibra 16S has the Creative clone (not all of them).

Please read this article which everybody on Vogons already did: http://www.crossfire-designs.de/?lang=en&what … icle=soundcards

Hi James..
That's a lot of information.. Wow.. I didn't know much about it. 😕
I have a lot of reading, so much to catch up. 😈
I'll proceed on reading the Article link that you have shared. 😀
Fyi.. I'm getting the Yamaha.. so it is on it's way to my home.. 😎

I still have plenty to ask, but let me wait till the card come and I will experiment it... so that my question are more, precise.. 😀 🤣

James-F wrote:

That is why when you buy a sound card for DOS make sure it has an original OPL3 chip.
The Yamaha YMF701 or 71x has the original (obviously) OPL3 chip already integrated into the main chip, your Vibra 16S has the Creative clone (not all of them).

On the photo of the Soundforte Vibra16S: the marking of this leftmost chip cannot be read, but I still suspect that one to be the OPL3 clone. It does not look like a creative CQM chip, it is probably some obscure clone, that may actually sound 100% like an OPL3... or not.