Discovered this thread on google today. Occasion is that I dug out and dusted off my Genesis model 1 after becoming very dissatisfied with the genesis audio quality on my Genesis 2/SegaCD2/32X rig. Comparing the two, I did like the sound better on the Gen 1, but it still didn't seem "better enough" based on the comparo clip on the Genesis' wikipedia page. I remembered hearing that some of the very late Model 1s actually had the cheaper mixing circuit a la the model 2, but I didn't know how to tell whether I had the good one or bad one.
Soooo, I found this, read the whole thing (very informative!) also checked out the milkcrate comparo linked at the end (great sample tune!) grabbed a screwdriver and would go on to discover that my Genesis 1 contained motherboard USA VA7.....crap! :-(
Giving it a listen on my home stereo* using the headphone out on the Genesis (using a stereo mini to LR RCA cable), I do have to disagree with the assessment that VA7 is overly hissy, or lacks in bass output. It seemed fine in those respects. -However- I do notice a lot of scratchiness and flatness in the high end, no brilliance that characterizes the superior mixing hardware (per the wikipedia clip). Comparing my Genesis 1 to the wikipedia clip, my Gen 1 sounded much closer to the Gen 2 than the Gen 1 in the example, so I would agree with the overall sentiment that the VA7 does not sound particularly good.
I have a friend who has a Gen 1 with the "High Definition Graphics" decal, which this article says is a sure-bet to have the better audio circuitry...rest assured I will get to work on trying to work a trade with him post haste! :-D
Thank you for this very informative article! I've been greatly benefitted by it!
God Bless!
-J
p.s. Another important question: If I get the HDGFX branded Gen 1, hook it up to the Sega CD model 2, and the 32X, use the headphone jack from the Genesis into the Sega CD, and then then LR RCA cables from the Sega CD into the Stereo, will I still reap the benefits that the Gen 1 offers, or will the Sega CD/32X rob me of that? Lemme know! Thanks!
* =If you are interested in specifics on my stereo (the specifics of my test environment, as it were), PM me.