https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster
Sound Blaster 16 Value - In 1994 this was my first SB card...or any sound card for that matter. We'd gotten my first pc the day before and Id used it for Star Trek 25th Anniversary with just the pc speaker. So next day it was back to Electronics Boutique for a sound card and speakers. Ended up with a SB16 and some Labtec LCS-800 speakers. I can remember being so nervous about installing it. It was a first. Didn't want to break my fancy new pc Id been wanting for years. I read the manual twice and it was a big manual. Then opened my pc and installed it...very gently. Success. I was blown away by the sound and music after that. I still have it in box and all here beside me on the shelf.
Sound Blaster AWE64 - I wanted a AWE32 but my SB16 was still doing great and the AWE cards were expensive for what I didn't see as enough new stuff to warrant a buy. But I did get the AWE64 when it came out. It was cheaper as I recall.
![Enlarge Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/KL_Creative_Labs_Soundblaster_AWE64_Gold_CT4390.jpg/330px-KL_Creative_Labs_Soundblaster_AWE64_Gold_CT4390.jpg)
Sound Blaster Live! - Got this one next. Another step up. Was around the time of Ultima Online and EverQuest. This was a pretty nice card actually. though I cant remember much about it.
![Enlarge Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Sblive%21.jpg/330px-Sblive%21.jpg)
Sound Blaster Audigy - This was another nice step up. I kept using this card many years with no need to change.
![Enlarge Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Creative_Sound_Blaster_Audigy_SB0090.jpg/330px-Creative_Sound_Blaster_Audigy_SB0090.jpg)
Auzentech X-Fi Prelude - I couldn't afford a X-Fi but also saw no reason to give up my Audigy so didn't get a Sound Blaster this time. I cant really recall why.....either my Audigy glitched or I was able to get the Auzentech cheap or free. I 'think' I got it from someone here on OO in the late 2000s. It really sounded amazing and I was shocked at how nice it was. I used that card for years before it failed. I still have it in box here some place. I had to go back to one of my older cards until I built the latest system.
![Enlarge Image](https://www.guru3d.com/miraserver/images/brann/prelude-outro.jpg)
Sound Blaster Z - This is my last Sound Blaster. I built my newest system in 2010 and 2011. Its the one Im still using now . I was going to just use onboard since I kept hearing how good it was by then. But after a couple weeks I couldn't take its muffled bad sound to my ears any longer. I tried. Ive never found onboard listenable. So my wife bought me a Z card. Red metal and a bright as hell red led in it. It was fine because my case lighting was / is red too. I still am on that system and that little Z card is still bright as hell today as Im sitting here typing. I love the card.
![Enlarge Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61-AeJjmX2L._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
Seems sound card development and releases have about died these days. Nothing much past the Z..least not to my eyes. If I ever do get to build a new system one day Ill probably just move this SB Z into it .....unless something amazing and cheap is out by then. I could never go without a sound card.