Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!sigma From: sigma@sun.ipl.rpi.edu (Kevin Martin) Subject: Re: Sound cards-sound blaster, adlib, roland.. Message-ID: <116g..m@rpi.edu> Nntp-Posting-Host: ipl.rpi.edu References: <1991May4.221340.12097@d.cs.okstate.edu> <1991May6.173335.6553@cs.cornell.edu> Distribution: comp Date: 6 May 91 18:35:43 GMT Lines: 49 lrj@CS.Cornell.EDU (Lew Jansen) writes: >In article <1991May4.221340.12097@d.cs.okstate.edu> ong@d.cs.okstate.edu (ONG ENG TENG) writes: >>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. > Just to fight a little bit of misinformation here... Street prices >of Adlib and SB are as follows (Electronics Boutique, 6 May 1991): > Adlib: $120 > SB: $180 No. Electronics Boutique != street prices. Close, but not good enough. I got my Soundblaster for $150 from Sierra, when they were selling them at minimum price over Xmas. You can find a dozen mail-order dealers who will do the same any time of the year. Adlib should be about $99 from the same people. The box comes tightly packed and shrinkwrapped; it's unlikely it makes any difference where you buy yours, except that older cards have the CMS chips included for free. > I don't have any numbers as to how many Adlib cards are out there, >but it can't be a small number if the SB card emulates it. :) The SB card emulates it because the Adlib came first. Programming for the Adlib is also easier and in some cases cheaper, since Creative Labs do charge a fair bit for their developer's kit. > Also, isn't there some additional $30 or $50 chipset you have to buy >in order to do some of the voice stuff (input or output?) on the SB? >I'm sure someone will be able to give the info. Don't you also have >to put some driver in your config.sys with the SB? I may be wrong on >this. Adlib is plug'n'play. No. The additional chipset enables a couple of extra melody channels, or something like that. I think it's for Gameblaster compatibility. Someone can correct me here. My card doesn't have these chips, and it can do voice input/output quite nicely. My config.sys has no driver in it. I do have 'SET SOUND=C:\SOUND\SB' in case some program wants to load a driver, but the drivers are then un-loadable, and most games come with the software built in. (Regrettably so, since newer drivers are more compatible.) Soundblaster is plug'n'play. Note: I did spend an extra $40 on a pair of 20w speakers, and I have yet to regret that. The sound is fantastic. -- Kevin Martin sigma@ipl.rpi.edu "Can I kiss one of the bridesmaids instead?"