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From: Tomasz Nidecki tonid@elektron.pl
Subject: Re: What's The Best 16-Bit Sound Card
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 97 12:40:01
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.audio
Organization: -= endemic zone =- [Amiga A4k/040/CV64]
References: Mark.Salud.45f0@mtrap.cts.com

Yoadie yo ho !!!

Based on a message from Mark Salud to ,

 MS> Perhaps this question has been asked before, but what the heck-- I'll
 MS> ask anyway.
 MS> Of all the 16-bit Audio cards for the Amiga out there, which is the
 MS> best? I'm considering getting one for my A2000.  Ideas??

I've done a review of cards in our Polish Amiga Magazine. Here's a 
brief conclusion:

The best is undoutably the Soundstage, however it costs about $1500 
and has absolutely no software for it. It has quadruple outputs, 
both analog and digital, Zorro-3, onboard DRAM, strong 20MIPS DSP. 
The only way to use it is with Broadcaster video cards :-/

Second best is AD516, due to its quality, however it's as expensive 
as the Soundstage, has no development for it whatsoever, is no longer 
manufactured, has a non-programmable 10 MIPS DSP and almost no software 
except included Studio 16.

The third best and IMHO the best in price/performance is Delfina DSP 
which costs about $400 (!) and has a 20-MIPS DSP, extra ports (serial 
and parralel, so you get a Multi-I/O card built in), costs very little, 
has a lot of good software for it, and is vividly developed - read my 
review in docs/rview on it to find out about future plans. However, you 
might wait a little, since Petsoff is planning to do a 
Soundstage-capabilities soundcard with up to 32MB DRAM onboard (!), 
Zorro-III and more. There will be also a lite version that will cost 
less than the Toccata did, but will have less SRAM and no extra ports.

There are interesting developments like Prelude and Hypersound 32. 
The first one just entered production AFAIK, and I see it as competitive, 
but not too much to the Delfina (I don't know its price, it'd have to 
be in the same range or cheaper, since I believe it has no DSP!), the 
second one just disappeared, I haven't heard about it for a long time, 
three months ago they disappeared from their ISP and nobody knows where 
they are.

Maestro Pro and Toccata from Macrosystems are no longer manufactured. 
The first one was of no use to a home studio since it only had digital 
outputs (but it was a medium-proced, around $600, good quality card), 
the second one is much worse than the Delfina and costs as much 
(tested both simultaneously here...).

I don't know anything much about Wavetools, but from what I read it 
seems it's a Toccata-class card.

If you plan VERY serious use you might want to get a Zorro-III Amiga and 
wait for Delfina DSP Pro. If not, if I were you, I'd jump to Petsoff page: 
http://www.sci.fi/~petsoff and order a Delfina DSP right away :) I did and 
I'm damn happy about what it does!!! I've also NEVER had a case of as much 
support and friendliness from any other manufacturer as I get from Jyrki 
and Teenu.

 MS> PS My apologies for my letters to Ray Burt-Frost and Teijo Kinnuenn
 MS> becoming public.

Never read them, what were they about? If about further development of 
O.S.S. for Amiga I've also tried and failed :-/

BTW Mark, a request, the AMIGA FIDO conference has become unavaialble in 
Poland :( Could you please ask on the conference is there anyone who would be 
willing to supply it to me via E-Mail until we find an alternative feed? 
Could you give them my email address and ask them to talk to me? Thanx.

   _/_      -= tonid/endemic =-   Member of Team *AMIGA*
 /')__\<(      Tomasz Nidecki       GMS_Mailer Support Poland
 ~ `         tonid@fidonet.org.pl   Mail Manager Support Poland
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