14 bit calibrated audio is just as good as 16 bit from a SoundBlaster Live sound card with the exception that you lose some upper end sound range. Majority of people would not even notice the difference.
The difference is not that difficult to discern
IMO...high frequency sounds are clipped and
fuzzy.
I suspect you did not set AHI up right, and you probably did not calibrate your audio using CyberSound. Without calibration, your 14 bit audio will sound horrible as you describe.
Set up right, and at 44kHz, any sort of
delicate string music or piano sounds like
crap. It's OK for beat music or classic rock,
and admittedly it's acceptable for what
it is (an old ghetto 8 bit chip).
