SB16 to SB32?

[Posix_memalign]

I have a working P1 233 MHz running DOS 6.2 and Windows 3.11, I'd like to change the SB16 card in it with a SB32 as I've always wanted to hear what the difference is in games.

I have a couple questions that I hope someone with more experience than myself can answer.

Are there any, or many games that work with SB16 that do not work with SB32, or that will actually sound worse with the SB32?

Will there be any difference at all from SB16 to SB32 in most DOS games? I was hoping that MIDI in particular would sound better on the SB32, is this true in the real world?

If there are issues with SB32, such as making it work in Windows 3.11 or with any games such as mentioned above, is it then possible to use a SB16 *and* a SB32 at the same time, in the same physical computer? If so, is there anything in particular I need to know about a setup like that?

Thanks in advance!

[dosraider]

What exact type of SB32 are you asking about?
(there are several types, ISA-PCI-etcetera....)

Otherwise, you always could ask@ Vogons; seems there are some real specialists over there.

[Posix_memalign]

What exact type of SB32 are you asking about?
(there are several types, ISA-PCI-etcetera....)

Otherwise, you always could ask@ Vogons; seems there are some real specialists over there.

Forgive me, I obviously should have written that in my initial post.

The sound blaster 32 is the CT3670 model, an ISA based Sound Blaster 32.

[dosraider]

So, an ISA card, that's pretty important to know, means it has full dos compability (any PCI card that can work in Dos is doing so by 'emulating' an ISA card ... just that you know that fact).

About your questions:

Will there be any difference at all from SB16 to SB32 in most DOS games? I was hoping that MIDI in particular would sound better on the SB32, is this true in the real world?

Depends, depends, depends ...... there are a lot of soundcards named as SB16/32/whatever that are OEM cards, value cards etcetera etcetera with lesser components, if one of your cards carries an Yamaha OPL3 chip that's the one you should use.

If there are issues with SB32, such as making it work in Windows 3.11 or with any games such as mentioned above...

There shouldn't be any issue to get either of those cards working in MsDos/W3.x

.....is it then possible to use a SB16 *and* a SB32 at the same time, in the same physical computer? If so, is there anything in particular I need to know about a setup like that?

Seems a bit crazy to me .... IRQ/DMA problems ...? You're talking about two soundcards, that's not the same as an addon sound device.

If you want to test things out better get yourself a second P1, they throw those things in the shredder nowadays ...*sigh*

[Posix_memalign]

I actually find that the sound quality is worse on every single game I've tested so far with the SB32, I guess I need a real AWE32. :-)

Edit: Actually only games that do not support "AWE" or "SB 16 AWE" (whatever that is) sound worse, but those that support said types sound better.

[dosraider]

Should you come back one day, and it's not too much to ask, would you elaborate a bit about the soundchips on both cards?