1. Forum
  2. USENET
  3. comp.sys.apple2

  • What are the best sound and video cards?

    From S M Trimble@fate7@removespamswbell.net to comp.sys.apple2 on Thursday, July 24, 2003 02:21:07
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    Hello,
    Any opinions as to what the best sound and video cards for the IIGS are? I
    get the impression from the FAQ that the Mockingboard Rev D is a good sound card... Are the video cards available for the IIGS currently for PC monitor compatibility?

    I currently have a old AE Sonic Blaster with a Roger Wagner HyperStudio and
    am using the basic RGB video port for video.

    Any suggestions?

    Thanks!
    Shawn


    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From supertimer@supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer) to comp.sys.apple2 on Sunday, July 27, 2003 18:50:34
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    "Jason Whorton" <jason at microxl.com> wrote:

    Hi, Supertimer. Are you saying the AE Sonic Blaster is the best stereo
    card for a IIgs? I don't have a stereo card in my IIGS, but I was
    thinking about getting one sometime. Do you know of any others that are >available?

    What I meant to say was that the built in IIGS sound
    was the best in the Apple II world. Stereo cards don't
    matter as much because they are not true sound
    cards. They just decode stereo from the IIGS' sound
    chip.

    That said, I do think the Sonic Blaster was one of
    the better sound cards. If I remember correctly, it
    was a lot quieter than the SoundMeister and it could
    record in stereo.

    You'd be surprised at how little a stereo card does.
    It does not improve the sound quality. In fact, it
    degrades it slightly unless the card is really good
    and you do not notice any added electrical noise.
    If you don't mind mono, then the cleanest sound
    is going to be from the headphone port built into
    the IIGS. For input, the slotless HyperStudio card
    is one of the better ones although it only does
    mono. Very clean recordings if set at the right
    sampling rate.
    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From Shawn Trimble@fate7@removespam.swbell.net to comp.sys.apple2 on Monday, July 28, 2003 12:49:22
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    Thanks, Supertimer... I've gotten a few other replies that seem to confirm what you're saying in that there aren't really any good video upgrades,
    other than Second Sight, which is useful only for the ability to use SVGA monitors..

    I've heard some mixed things about sound cards, including a few comments
    that the Mockingboard and Phasor are valuable mostly for the speech
    emulation they are able to do with select games. A few commented that the Sonic Blaster had some problems with cabling and advised finding one with better shielding.

    Shawn


    "Supertimer" <supertimer@aol.com> wrote in message news:20030727145034.27618.00000529@mb-m23.aol.com...
    "Jason Whorton" <jason at microxl.com> wrote:

    Hi, Supertimer. Are you saying the AE Sonic Blaster is the best stereo >card for a IIgs? I don't have a stereo card in my IIGS, but I was
    thinking about getting one sometime. Do you know of any others that are >available?

    What I meant to say was that the built in IIGS sound
    was the best in the Apple II world. Stereo cards don't
    matter as much because they are not true sound
    cards. They just decode stereo from the IIGS' sound
    chip.

    That said, I do think the Sonic Blaster was one of
    the better sound cards. If I remember correctly, it
    was a lot quieter than the SoundMeister and it could
    record in stereo.

    You'd be surprised at how little a stereo card does.
    It does not improve the sound quality. In fact, it
    degrades it slightly unless the card is really good
    and you do not notice any added electrical noise.
    If you don't mind mono, then the cleanest sound
    is going to be from the headphone port built into
    the IIGS. For input, the slotless HyperStudio card
    is one of the better ones although it only does
    mono. Very clean recordings if set at the right
    sampling rate.


    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113