Synthesis A40 V Integrated

[Paolo]

Has anyone heard this Italian beauty?

[admin]

I've never heard it played. But it is an interesting unit with a bunch of stuff inside. The DAC I would be cautious with. USB seems to be severely limited to 16b/48khz. No no hirez content from the major streamers. SPDIF input is luckily up to 24b/192khz. No DSD support. The amp is only rated at 40 Watts so you are going to have to use these with sensitive speakers. It's also rated at 6 ohms which is not a common rating point. Usually they define it at either 4 or 8 ohm settings,... Very few speakers are 6 ohms so not sure what to make of it.

It's certainly unique but I'm not sure if this is the way I would go myself as the DAC seems less than ideal. And it's really the integrated DAC that makes it unique.

[Paolo]

I posted about this amp because a trusted audio dealer had some very complimentary/positive things to say about it. Most of the streaming I listen to is cd quality anyway, so I'm not concerned about that. My Sonus Faber speakers are 6 ohm. I may be able to get the Synthesis in for a proper audition. That's the only way I'd know for sure.

Meanwhile I'm awaiting arrival of my ET3 which should be here this coming week. So far my MV55 is sounding fine but of course there's always something like the Classic 62 SE to consider. My goal, believe it or not, is to build an endgame system based around the Guarneri Homage speakers.

[admin]

This may be a niche product, but it sounds like it may be what your looking for. The DAC really seems ideal for CD playback. If the 45 watts of the MV55 is enough, the 40 watts of the synthesis most likely will be as well. It basically gets your 3 components in one. If they all meet your requirements then it really may be great performance for price.

[Paolo]

This may be a niche product, but it sounds like it may be what your looking for. The DAC really seems ideal for CD playback. If the 45 watts of the MV55 is enough, the 40 watts of the synthesis most likely will be as well. It basically gets your 3 components in one. If they all meet your requirements then it really may be great performance for price.

Oh, I would say it's a niche product for sure. . The dealer- a man who has extensive experience with cj -assures me that the Synthesis would suit me just fine. SQ is said to be smooth, rich, full, not at all strident. It employs a quad of KT66 tubes. If I'm not mistaken, biasing the tubes on the Synthesis is not a simple process like it is on cj amps. A home trial is tempting, but until I've lived with the ET3 long enough, any other major purchases are on hold.

One big lesson for me over the past year or so is that I tried getting away from tube gear but that didn't work out too well. .

[Paolo]

Update: I decided to home audition the Synthesis A40 Virtus integrated. It's everything the dealer told me it would be. It sounds full, rich, powerful, and comes with an excellent DAC. Perfect, yes?

Well, not quite. As good as this amp is I decided it was not for me. The primary reason is that in my small listening room with my aged ears, the soundstage is too forward. Listening to music was always exciting but ultimately fatiguing. In the right room for the right person, the Synthesis A40 could very well be an "endgame" component. It's really something special and I urge anyone who's curious to arrange to hear one.

BUT..I'm going back to Conrad Johnson.

[admin]

Sorry to hear that it didn't turn out the way you had hoped. you are not alone, I think we've all tried equipment that looked good on paper but when put into the system it just didn't "do it."

As for going back to CJ,... what can I say, it just sounds right.

[Paolo]

I'll simply reiterate what I said. The Synthesis is a remarkable component. The DAC is excellent. The specs in my opinion are meaningless because it sounds so good. The Synthesis DAC is better in some ways than my Gold Note DS-10 streamer. I've never heard the Guarneri Homage sound so full in my home before. Bass response was startling. So, for the right person, the Synthesis a40 Virtus could very well be an endgame integrated.

It's unfortunately just not the right amp for me.