What type of soundcard does my Amiga have?

As standard every Amiga comes with a 4 channel 8-bit audio "soundcard" as standard. This is actually built into the Amigas custom chips and cannot be replaced. The Amigas audio hardware is known as Agnus.

Can I buy a 16-bit soundcard?

There are a number of 16-bit cards available specifically designed for the Amiga, such as the Toccota. Most of these require a Zorro interface to plug in, meaning they are largely restricted to A1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and A1200 tower conversions. There was a 12-bit sound card that plugged into the A1200's (and presumably the A600's) PCMCIA slot, called the Aura. I'm not sure if this is still available however.

What about PC soundcards?

Yes, as a matter of fact you can use some PC XG soundcards. These plug into the serial port and can be used by ANY Amiga. Software and building instructions can be found in the September 1997 edition of CU Amiga.

BACK