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From: ong@d.cs.okstate.edu (ONG ENG TENG)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Sound cards-sound blaster, adlib, roland..
Message-ID: <1991May4.221340.12097@d.cs.okstate.edu>
Date: 4 May 91 22:13:40 GMT
References: <jayh.673378215@s.ms.uky.edu>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Oklahoma State University
Lines: 29

From article <jayh.673378215@s.ms.uky.edu>, by jayh@ms.uky.edu (Jay Hofacker):
> The Roland LAPC is the best sound card I've heard for the PC.  It has eight
> synthesizers plus a percusion synthesizer.  The sound quality is astounding.
> All new Sierra games support the LAPC.  Of course, at $300-400, you get what
> you pay for.

First, Sierra games are somewhat boring (by TODAY's standards of 
Wing Commander and Tycoon).  Other game makers like Origin and
Microprose has improve themselves greatly while Sierra 
kept beating the same dead horse.  Other than that, there are many more 
new (great) games supporting Sound Blaster than Roland.

(I bought KingQuest V and got tired after ONE DAY, gave it away.  I also
checked out PoliceQuest 2 at my friend's place, yawn) 

Second, if the digital voice output (8-bit DAC) should become popular,
Roland users would be left out because it does not have 
Sound Blaster-specification digital voice output channel (if it has any
DAC at all).  

All in all, due to the popularity of Sound Blaster (about 100,000 in the US),
and its power in population growth (good hardware at cheap price, 
a simple Adlib used to cost $400, now SB is only $150), game makers will
always has SB in their mind when designing game.

You can fight the crowd... if you writes your own games. 

p.s.  I heard that a few motherboard makers are considering building 
      Sound Blaster into their motherboards.