If you were a PC gamer in the 1990s, you probably remember the bleeps and bloops of the built-in PC speaker. If, however, you were willing to spend the money for an audio upgrade, the most prominent sound card – the aptly-named Sound Blaster by Creative Labs, could upgrade your experience immensely. It’s a difference that’s perhaps hard to appreciate today, but it took audio from an afterthought to something that could be truly appreciated as a part of the gaming experience. For a retro-modern take on this device, LABS is offering the Blasterboard Sound Blaster compatible as a kit or fully assembled.
The Blasterboard is software compatible with Sound Blaster 2.0, and features a number of upgrades on the original. It works with 8-bit PCB and ADPCM samples via an Atmel MCU, and performs FM music playback using a genuine Yamaha OPL2 chip. It can play sounds when routed to the PC speaker, as well as handling line-level inputs from a CD or other source. Onboard mixers are also available to keep the different sound sources in check.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of this board is that the audio output has a -94dB RMS signal-to-noise ratio. The original Sound Blaster measures in at -46dB, while even the high-end AWE64 Gold had only a -80dB rating. The Blasterboard sounds like a great upgrade for your retro-gaming setup, and something that could be an excellent learning experience in kit form.
