Also I think I may have read somewhere that if a game wasn't specifically designed to use the AWE64's advanced features, that a game will sound almost the same coming from the AWE64 as the SB Pro II?
Yes, almost, except for two things:
- Creative Soundblaster 16 and AWE series cards do not work correctly in SB Pro 8-bit stereo DSP mode. Older games that use this mode to produce stereo digital effects/music will only sound in mono on the AWE64 card.
- AWE cards have Creative's own CQM FM chip instead of the Yamaha OPL3 found on SB Pro cards. The cheaper replacement sounds a bit different, usually enthusiasts prefer the sound of the original Yamaha OPL3. On the other hand, the AWE cards can apply chorus and reverb effects to the FM sound.
Both are minor issues for most users, since newer games (1993 and onwards) also support SB16 DSPs, and FM synthesis is commonly avoided in favour of General MIDI. Many people didn't care about the differences and some didn't even notice.
It's simply a matter of taste. For example, I use AWE cards in my old rigs, but I keep an old SB Pro 2.0 ready, in case I want to know how an old game was really supposed to sound when it was created.
