Which classic console has the best sound?

[+Ransom]

What, not votes for the 7800?

 

Cuz some of the games' sound effects sound like armpit farting noises...

 

You say that like it's a bad thing.

[VectorGamer]

What, not votes for the 7800?

 

Cuz some of the games' sound effects sound like armpit farting noises...

 

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

The 7800 is a great system otherwise so the shortcomings of the audio are overshadowed by the positives

[Taskmaster99]

TG 16/PC Engine for me. The Neo Geo was 91......but if we could count that.....then hands down the winner.

[fdurso224]

Hi guys,

 

By far the Super NES! That sucker was build for sound. Next would be the Neo-Geo AES System!

 

 

Anthony....

[toptenmaterial]

Hi guys,

 

By far the Super NES! That sucker was build for sound. Next would be the Neo-Geo AES System!

 

 

Anthony....

 

super castlevania 4 and f-zero sure have some great music!

[atarian63]

#1 Genesis

#2 Neo Geo AES

#3 TG-16

#4 Snes

#5 Lynx

#6 XEGS/5200

#7 SMS

#8 NES

#9 Coleco

#10 Intellivision

#11 7800 no pokey (goes to shared #6 with pokey)

[CGQuarterly]

Hi guys,

 

By far the Super NES! That sucker was build for sound. Next would be the Neo-Geo AES System!

 

 

Anthony....

 

My problem with the SNES' sound is that too many games used a reverb/echo effect. I read somewhere that there was a reason for it, but I don't remember what it was.

 

Chris

 

Edit: Found it. Don't know if it's true but it would explain why whenever I play SNES it sounds like I'm playing video games in the bathroom.

 

One tactic on the SNES to deal with lack of ROM budget (or available sound RAM) seemed to have been to cut the quality/length of samples and then try to cover it up by smothering everything in reverb.

Edited January 21, 2011 by Jibbajaba

[Armonigann]

Sega Master 1(though, one of my fave consoles) and the 7800

 

No, seriously I would go with the Turbografx and the NES.

[Arkhan]

As far as the 8-bitters, probably the C64GS. Sure it's a cheater way to get the C64 into a console list, but it works for me.

 

Otherwise for the 16-bitters, neo geo barely fits into the 1990 window. Of course, its sound didn't start getting really good until later. Matrimelee really caught my attention with a very vocal soundtrack. That's a really late entry in the neo geo lineup though.

 

Getting down to 'more standard' hardware of the era, konami did some neat things with it's NES soundtracks. The end song of Super C, and Castlevania III stand out. But the japanese castlevania III, with its custom sound chip, is out of this world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SJaF8no9t0

 

 

Yeah the special soundchip basically gives results similar to Konami's SCC that was in their MSX games.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAqZ5CaKoks

 

Fuck yeah!

[HatefulGravey]

The TG16 and NES are nice, and I can see the NES being the favorite for people based only on remembering it from childhood.

 

That said I stand by the SMS vote. Its getting no love, and even a little hate, but that machine has pretty good sound man. Wonder Boy III is the first game to come to mind, but over all the sound is solid. I can stand alone on this, I don't mind, but the SMS rules you all.

 

 

Also, I uped the epic on my avatar. See how epic it is. Much more epic!

Edited January 21, 2011 by HatefulGravey

[Austin]

I'm going to have to go with the NES or the TG-16.. Though the NES edges it out in the "pleasing to the ear" department IMO with smoother sounds and plenty of

. The Turbo had very dominant mid and high frequencies but most soundtracks on that platform

that many NES games have.. That of course was fixed with the CD add-on. The Genesis would be number one for me in terms of this timeframe, but asides from one or two games, developers developers didn't start really working the sound hardware until into the '90s..

[Reaperman]

I hate to rag on a system (total lie) but Genesis had such inconsistent sound quality between models/revisions that I can't say it does very well at all on my sound list. I've heard that the earliest of early units had the best sound, but where does that leave the other 90% of its systems?

 

Sega didn't seem to care much what their system sounded like, which in my mind it undoes a lot of the hard work by game designers. There were memorable tunes created (Aladdin comes to mind), but the performer hired to sing them enjoyed getting kicked in the throat before most shows.

 

I'm surprised to see it doing so well in this thread.

Edited January 21, 2011 by Reaperman

[Austin]

I've heard of varying quality in various hardware revisions, but I honestly never noticed anything myself other than the obvious differences between RF and RCA, as well as the lack of stereo issue with the Model 2 and 3 systems (Of course I believe this is fixed if you attach them to a Sega CD. Hm.. I will have to test that again just to make sure). Maybe I got lucky and never owned a bad revision though.. Hm.

 

As far as the other form of sound inconsistencies on the Genesis (instrumentation), that's all due to the developers. Different people had different techniques, some people knew what they were doing more than others.. (compare, say, the original X-Men to the work that Jesper Kyd did, for instance.. there's a vast difference).

[Reaperman]

I've heard of varying quality in various hardware revisions, but I honestly never noticed anything myself [...]

Plugging in a couple different ones next to each other on an av switch with the same game really shows off the differences. I've got many of the revisions, and while I cannot pick a 'best' I can spot 'different' pretty easily. It's put me off a bit on the system in general because I don't know what's right anymore on its sound.

 

my favorite of the links on the subject

 

A quick comparison

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRsfrwmsbaI

Edited January 21, 2011 by Reaperman

[WatchVenusSpa]

The Commodore64 takes it for me. Awesome sound card on all levels.

[Nikdog]

Yeah the special soundchip basically gives results similar to Konami's SCC that was in their MSX games.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAqZ5CaKoks

 

Fuck yeah!

That just made me drool.

 

 

 

 

1. PC-Engine/TurboGrafx 16

2. Konami's sound chips

3. Famicom Disk System

[4Ks]

NES. Most games had pretty average audio during the early years, but the devlopers really figured out how to make that beast sing later on (especially Capcom).

[BydoEmpire]

NES, because at the time I was playing a lot of NES I had a big console stereo next to it with which I could blast Dokken, Metallica, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, Sabbath, etc. It had an AM/FM radio, and played LPs, cassettes AND 8 tracks. It provided the perfect soundtrack for stomping goombas, killing eggplant wizards, blowing away enemy soldiers and trekking through dungeons...

 

Technically I don't know, but I do like the music and sfx on NES games better than most.

Edited January 22, 2011 by BydoEmpire

[NinjaWarrior]

Master System

[Armonigann]

As far as the 8-bitters, probably the C64GS. Sure it's a cheater way to get the C64 into a console list, but it works for me.

 

Otherwise for the 16-bitters, neo geo barely fits into the 1990 window. Of course, its sound didn't start getting really good until later. Matrimelee really caught my attention with a very vocal soundtrack. That's a really late entry in the neo geo lineup though.

 

Getting down to 'more standard' hardware of the era, konami did some neat things with it's NES soundtracks. The end song of Super C, and Castlevania III stand out. But the japanese castlevania III, with its custom sound chip, is out of this world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SJaF8no9t0

 

 

Yeah the special soundchip basically gives results similar to Konami's SCC that was in their MSX games.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAqZ5CaKoks

 

Fuck yeah!

 

fuck yeah is right! nice.

[HatefulGravey]

Master System

 

My man! Its about time someone else showed some class in this thread!

[The_Laird]

Hi guys,

 

By far the Super NES! That sucker was build for sound. Next would be the Neo-Geo AES System!

 

 

Anthony....

 

You can't really include the SNES seen as it came out at the end of 1990

 

The Commodore64 takes it for me. Awesome sound card on all levels.

 

The C64 is a computer not a console

[Arkhan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaEp8q6PG9U Salamander, MSX1 w/ Konami SCC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_MvzZTOxOs Salamander, PC Engine w/ epic PSG (Listen to the fucking snare. Oh my god.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McnJcT113b8 LifeForce (Same thing as Salamander), NES,

 

 

 

I think we can all clearly see how the NES is destroyed. As far As Konami goes at least.

 

 

 

I'm afraid of what would've happened if Capcom did MSX / More PCE stuff

[128Kgames]

Never played one, but the Astrocade seems ahead of its time in the sound department.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2UMwarnPvY

 

It was, and you could not have picked a better game to show off its capabilities. Its a great system to pick up, if you can find one that works, that is.

[BDW]

Hi guys,

 

By far the Super NES! That sucker was build for sound. Next would be the Neo-Geo AES System!

 

 

Anthony....

 

You can't really include the SNES seen as it came out at the end of 1990

 

The cut off date was 1990, and the SNES came out in 1990. No excuses.

 

I'd have to say that the Genesis and the SNES are my top two.

 

I mean, listen to this stuff:

SNES

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sX3fjpkFwk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoQex8CB9eA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxa_8FSTkXQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8haGR2cG94w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0auHwznTJ9g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EiIfQYDeYo

 

 

 

Genesis

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyoMQg3d5cs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B93QQvL0CGQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGnUpwKJkh0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOvGTULHw2Y

 

 

 

 

 

Glorious

Edited January 24, 2011 by brandondwright