Re: Apple IIgs in a IIe

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

Mike <tbogard1@MYhome.com> wrote:

>I thought the built-in sound chip can only output in mono?

No, the built in sound chip ALWAYS outputs stereo.
Apple, in a bit of lunatic cost cutting or an attempt
to dumb down the IIGS so as not to compete against
the Mac, left out part of the stereo circuit.

Instead, the left and right channels are output
together as mono.  Talk about being unfair to the
Apple II (Apple, that is)!

The SuperSonic card and other stereo amplifier
cards for the IIGS simply grab the stereo signals
off the Ensoniq, demultiplexes (decodes) them
into their separate left and right channels, amplifies
them, and outputs them to speakers.

Practically all IIGS games and music software
always output stereo with the chip.  You just won't
hear it thanks to Apple without the additional
decoder card.

Basically, the programs are stereo.  The chip is
stereo.  The chip's output is stereo.  Apple made
the motherboard so that the stereo channels are
output combined!  The stereo amplifier decoder
cards intercept the chip's output before it goes
through Apple's circuitry and passes them out
directly to the speakers instead.  The cards are
not the same as PC sound cards.  The IIGS'
sound chip is still responsible for producing the
sound and music.