[micrex22]

I've had a chance to use the 'feature code 8244' which is a 32-bit 3.3v PCI soundcard IBM made for the RS/6000 and subsequently recycled for the later IntelliStations. It was basically the final 'official' sound option IBM did for official audio under the system--specifically with Ultimedia, although the FC8224 will in fact operate *without* Ultimedia and OSS/AIX--with what? I don't know but I imagine it's just some super basic AIX driver. Not a whole lot of documentation on the many ways audio gets routed around in AIX.



At any rate the card has some major major flaws:
#1 the frequency response of the DAC is fairly lacklustre, super basic options
#2 there's no amplifier on the card!!!!
#3 most of the reference layout Crystal Semiconductor advised for the DAC was ignored

As a result of all of these problems (and even recapping the card), the frequency response is super flat and the card clips easily as there's no proper amplifier. Even if an amplifier was horribly jerry rigged, the DAC is a write-off.

It's so awful that it's not at all acceptable for playback of music, let alone anything else. Stay away from this piece of crap -- although I guess not many have tried running complex music through these things. So I seen a lot of people use these as quiet sound upgrades to their systems but I doubt many have been putting them through their paces.