Hi. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on one "problem" I am having. I have 2 different sound cards on 2 computers, a SB Live! and a SB 128, and a set of 4.1 way speakers. After reading the specs of both it seems that neither one have a built-in amplifier, and yet the output of the SB-128 is way much louder than the SB Live. If I hook them to the same speakers, I have to set the master volume of the SB Live at 100%, and the SB Live at 20% to match the same output. I am quite puzzled about it. Does the SB128 (or some particular model) really have a built-in amplifier??

If a card has a "speaker out" jack, then it is safe to assume that it has an audio power output stage built onto the card. There are literally hundreds, it not thousands, of different audio IC's used by the electronics industry. They vary tremendously in output power characteristics. Also, manufacturers often use an array of these devices depending on things like availability and price of the IC's at a given time during production of their equipment. It is really nothing to be surprised about at all that one card might play louder than the other.

Look on the cards for jumpers. Old 16bit isa soundblaster cards had a 4watt amplifier with a jumper to bypass it.