Data Formats and Compression - 6.2.3. The delivery of high quality sound in CBL has until recently been complicated by the availability of the hardware to deliver it.
Most modern microcomputers have a sound processor built in to the machine.
For example even the most low end Macintosh can deliver digitised or synthesised sound through its own internal loudspeaker, and with the addition of an amplifier and external loudspeakers or headphones this can be of very high quality. The one huge exception to this is the IBM PC which has extremely limited audio facilities - being able to do little more than beep at a given frequency. Sound boards have been available to the PC for some time which can give it excellent audio capabilities. Recently, however, this has changed due to two factors. The immensely successful low cost Soundblaster family of boards produced by Creative Labs has provided a much needed de facto standard, and Soundblaster compatibility is now frequently claimed by many sound card manufacturers.