[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] SoundBlaster, Adlib or other

ong@d.cs.okstate.edu (ONG ENG TENG) (04/22/91)

From article <28121@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>, by hans@pine.circa.ufl.edu (Hans van Oostrom):
> I am thinking of buying a soundcard.  The options I have seen are
> Alib          ~$ 99
> SoundBlaster  ~$150
> 
> Does anybody know which card is better (software support etc), and if 
> you have one, if you're pleased with it.  I would also be interested in 
> other brands and in a good review article (PCM/Byte etc)

Sound Blaster.  You get 100% hardware Adlib compatible, joystick port,
option CMS 12-voice stereo, optional MIDI, 2x4watts power amplifier
(no need for external amplifier if you use headset or mini speakers, 
Adlib I *think* has only 1 watt, correct me if I am wrong), and most 
important of all, you get the 8-bit voice DMA input/output.  The new
games are beginning to use the 8-bit voice output.

The other cards are simply too expensive.  Even the new
souped-up "Adlib" card by a company called Multi-Media (I think)
wants $379 street-price (spoke to one guy in the company).

There are close to 100,000 Sound Blasters in the US and nearly as many
outside the US, game makers big and small cannot afford to ignore that
kind of popularity!