REVIEW – Synthesis Soprano Integrated Valve Amplifier With DAC
A valve amp at 1300 Euros sounds like a bit of a bargain. Add to the package an onboard phonostage and DAC and this Italian package starts to look even more attractive. Adam Billingham takes this latin beauty for a spin.
“When Hifi Pig Towers sent me my first HiFi mission of reviewing an Italian valve amp I received it with a mixture of both excitement and slight trepidation. I’ve never actually owned a valve amp, though I’ve listened to rather a few at various HiFi shows and other people’s homes, but I always thought them to be expensive, a little fussy and rather too esoteric for a modern music listener like myself. While I found many of these amps to be undoubtedly beautiful, there is surely nothing more beautiful in the electronics world than the soft glow of beautifully created tubes, I think I probably rather unfairly thought that valve amps were probably owned by the older HiFi listener who enjoyed craft ale and discussed what was the best von Karajan recording. Synthesis’ beautiful little Soprano amp was about to put a bullet to the head of my rather ignorant pre-conceptions….”
