Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!uunet!munnari.oz.au!uokmax!d.cs.okstate.edu!ong 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: <1991May6.215559.11294@d.cs.okstate.edu> Date: 6 May 91 21:55:59 GMT References: <1991May6.173335.6553@cs.cornell.edu> Distribution: comp Organization: Oklahoma State University Lines: 157 From article <1991May6.173335.6553@cs.cornell.edu>, by lrj@CS.Cornell.EDU (Lew Jansen): > 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 The lowest price for Sound Blaster is $150. See summary below. > When I was making a choice a few months ago, I felt I didn't need > another game port (had one on the multi-IO card), nor did I need > Speech stuff, so I bought the Adlib card. I have yet to regret my > decision. You will, and soon (after the new games with voice output becomes the norm). > 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 problem with Adlib (low number of cards out there) is that it used to sell for $400, according to an article by another usenetter. At that price, not too many people would buy. It was only (about) when competition arrived with Sound Blaster that the price came down. Soft Warehouse, the largest computer chain-store in the US, used to carry both Adlib card and Sound Blaster. About 3 months ago they dropped Adlib from their catalog, leaving Sound Blaster there. > 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. Talk about misinformation. Please don't spread MISINFORMATION about Sound Blaster until you are sure. You do NOT need additional chipset (CMS chipset $20) to do voice stuff. Both input and output voice are standard on the card. Also, you do NOT need driver in the config.sys file to run Adlib stuff. Sound Blaster is 100% hardware compatible with Adlib. They both licensed the same technology from a third company. > My computer complains enough as it is, I don't need it being able > to talk back to me too! Sure, you don't need a 19" screen too (to complain with bigger words). > -- > -- Lewis R. Jansen, N2KNV lrj@helios.tn.cornell.edu > LASSP/LNS Systems Manager (607) 255-6065 > '78 CX500 > "You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!" I hereby attach a summary by another usenetter in rec.games.misc regarding Sound Blaster vs. Adlib ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Path: d.cs.okstate.edu!uokmax!unmvax!ariel.unm.edu!news.cs.indiana.edu!samsung!rex!uflorida!pine.circa.ufl.edu!hans From: hans@pine.circa.ufl.edu (Hans van Oostrom) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Summary of which sound card to get Message-ID: <28137@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> Date: 23 Apr 91 00:29:31 GMT Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU Reply-To: hans@pine.circa.ufl.edu Organization: University of Florida - Dept. of Anesthesiology Lines: 81 News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4 Summary of my posting about which sound card to get Adlib or SoundBlaster. Score: Soundblaster 5 - Adlib 0 Thanks to everyone that replied, I'm gonna order a SoundBlaster From: "Scott Preston" I have a Sound Blaster. I used to have an adlib, the sound blaster has many advantages, it has a joystick connector on it, a digitized sound capability (play and record), and it IS 100% adlib compatable. Go for the Sound Blaster, it is a much better deal! From: Jay Hofacker I recently bought a Soundblaster for my '386. The Soundblaster does everything the Adlib does plus it has a single voice digital channel. This DAC can be used to play digitized samples from 5000Hz to 23000Hz. Programs are available that will play digitized sounds from Macintoshes, Amigas, Sparc Stations and Next computers on the Soundblaster DAC. The Soundblaster can also digitize from nearly any audio source, which can later be played back on the Soundblaster. The SoundBlaster also has a joystick game port (which can be disabled if you already have one). For about $60 you can get an external Midi connector box with has 1 MIDI in and 5 MIDI out ports for connecting the Sound Blaster to electronic keyboards or other MIDI Instruments. For about $20 you can add two chips to the Sound Blaster which makes it compatible with C/MS or Game Blaster. The Game Blaster has 12 stereo voices, as opposed to Adlib's 11 Mono voices. From: Stephen M. Smith I have the soundblaster card and it's great. All the games that use the adlib will work on the soundblaster because the soundblaster is 100% adlib compatible. The soundblaster has added features, though, like text to speech sythesis, digitizing features, stereo sound, and other things. Don't get an adlib--get the soundblaster. You can also play Amiga files on the soundblaster with some shareware software. The Amiga files sound REALLY cool--they use digitized voices for instruments!! From: Mark Kern I think you will find the SoundBlaster card a much better investment over the Adlib. I have the Sound Blaster, and it sounds great. I read several review of sound cards before making my decision, and all of them agreed that the Sound Blaster sounded better than Adlib, even while emulating it! The Sound Blaster gives you a cleaner digital channel (8-bit 21khz), and all the voices of the Adlib plus optional CMS compatabilty (you need to add two small chips for this). CMS is another sound card that isn't really supported anymore. The Sound Blaster will even give you MIDI if you buy the optional MIDI box for the input and output. The Adlib is at the bottom edge of PC sound technology right now. It will probably be worthless in a year, especially since there are many new sound cards rumored to be coming out from Adlib,Sound Blaster and Roland. From: ong@d.cs.okstate.edu (ONG ENG TENG) 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! ------ Hans van Oostrom PO Box J-254, JHMHC hans@ufpine (BITNET) Gainesville, FL 32601, USA hans@pine.circa.ufl.edu (INTERNET) -------------------------end-of-summary----------------------------------