Scala, Inc. - Hardware FAQ / Hardware Stability Guide

Many motherboards listed above have some form of basic "AC'97" CPU-Driven sound system. Those listed as "Intel Processor Driven" and "Analogue Devices AD18xx/SoundMAX3" have tested to be quite stable. Use the Microsoft MIDI driver found at Start/Settings/Control Panel/Sound and Multimedia/Audio/MIDI Music Playback/Microsoft GS.

Other chips that have tested stable in recent quarters:

The Cirrus Logic/CRYSTAL SEMICONDUCTOR CS4281

The ENSONIQ ES1373 [Note: ES1370, 1371 parts were VERY unstable!!! These parts are found in the retail channel as the "Creative Labs SoundBlaster xxx PCI"].

The ESS Technologies ES1938 (Solo-1), ES194x (Maestro-x), and ES 1989 (Allegro) PCI chips. [This product line is very popular in laptop computers but can also be found in a wide selection of cheap OEM audio cards]

Examples:

http://dcs.sertek.com.tw/s929-2.htm
http://dcs.sertek.com.tw/dcsmw_s819.htm

ISA Sound Cards

Creative Labs SoundBlaster16 / AWE32 / AWE64.

If you can afford it, we can also recommend Creative Labs ISA SoundBlaster16 / AWE32 / AWE64 series of sound cards.

ESS 1868 / 9 chip based cards.

We have the most experience with ISA based sound cards such as cards based on the ESS 1868 chip. This is a very inexpensive sound card that can be used as a default choice. The ESS ES1869 is a minor upgrade to the ES1868 part that we have recommended for years. A stable ISA solution for audio playback. Many vendors use this part. One example of an ISA board using this part is: Compaq's "ISA PremierSound Audio Card (ES1869)".

PCI Sound Cards

An ESS Technologies-based PCI card.

An ESS Technologies-based PCI card using a Solo-1, (part # 1938S), a Maestro-2, (part #'s 192x or 194x), or Alegro, [part # 1989] series chip. A basic stable audio part. In playback testing this part has survived well over 240 hours of continuous use without a system reset. There are MANY vendors that make PCI cards that use this basic audio part. Example: The Acer/DCS S819. http://dcs.sertek.com.tw/dcsmw_s819.htm

A CMI 8738 PCI card.
This sound solution is found on motherboards as well as on audio cards. http://www.cmedia.com.tw/

We have seen bad results using the UIA motherboard audio.

Regards,

Scala Technical Support