[KLUG Members] Re: sound card -- $15 SBPCI128/ES1373 4-output

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Thu, 2002-04-04 at 20:40, Adam Bultman wrote:
> And having four independent channels is pretty cool.
> I really love my sblive, esp. at like, 45 bucks.

I bought the very first, original SoundBlaster Live (P/N CT4620) model
almost 4 years ago (yes, the $199 one with the DIO card).  I then had
endless issues with it's Emu10k1 driver's "maturity" in Linux at the
time.  I know this has since changed, but I ended up going with another
SB-model after about six months of frustration.**

This was an OEM version of the SoundBlaster PCI128 (P/N CT4750), which
could be had for under $25 at the time.  It's on-board ES1373 chip also
had 4-speaker output, 128 _hardware_ voices (just like the Emu10K1 on
the PCI512/Live), full EAX support and other goodies.  At the same time,
it was fully backward compatible at the register-level with the 32-64
hardware voice AudioPCI (ES1371 chip) which is still sold in the
SoundBlaster PCI64/16/whatever.  This meant it worked with existing
drivers in Linux, other platforms and even legacy DOS programs as a
SB16/GM (not just SBPro).  And it sounded "just as clear" as my Live.

Even back then, the ES1373 was well-documented, since it was in
development _before_ Creative bought out Ensoniq and much of its details
were known.  As such, in addition to the rock-solid, stock ES1371/1373
2-speaker kernel driver, ALSA support today is _very_extensive_.  This
includes 4-speaker for Dolby Surround Sound with a number of OSS
media/DVD players under Linux.  All-in-all, I haven't found a reason to
go with another card, especially for the price.

You can still get them, the same, exact P/N CT4750, at Comp-U-Plus, the
same place I got mine over 3 years ago.  But they're only $15 now!  I
recommend the grabbing a few since they are _excellent_ for the price:
http://www.compuplus.com/insidepage.php3?id=58

-- Bryan

**NOTE:  Again, I haven't kept up with the SBLive/Emu10K1 driver in
Linux since I choose to stick with the low-cost SBPCI128/ES1373 cards
years ago.  How are the stock and ALSA drivers for it, respective?

-- 
  Would you trust a vendor who doesn't rely on its own products?
Ask Microsoft why it uses mainly UNIX servers and Linux providers!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan J. Smith, SmithConcepts, Inc.      mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org
Engineers and IT Professionals        http://www.SmithConcepts.com