Synergy Amps

[Doughboy]

I've been seriously looking into buying a Synergy power amp & module system.

Although the preamps will probably be very accurate to the originals, I can't think that the issue will be with the power amp.

The tubes, transformer, circuit etc play a huge role in the tone, & each company, from Fender to Marshall to Morgan etc all have very different power amp set ups.

How can one solitary power amp be sufficient to accurately replicate the real tone of each preamp module?

Does anyone have any insight into this dilemma?

 

[guidedbyechoes]

I've been seriously looking into buying a Synergy power amp & module system.

Although the preamps will probably be very accurate to the originals, I can't think that the issue will be with the power amp.

The tubes, transformer, circuit etc play a huge role in the tone, & each company, from Fender to Marshall to Morgan etc all have very different power amp set ups.

How can one solitary power amp be sufficient to accurately replicate the real tone of each preamp module?

Does anyone have any insight into this dilemma?

They won't sound exactly like the amp they are based on. In same cases the modules don't have the same tone shaping as the amp it is based on. So you are getting flavors. If you paired modules based on marshalls with a Marshall power amp you would be closer than using the marshall based modules with the 6l6 power amp.

 

[aftec]

I've been seriously looking into buying a Synergy power amp & module system.

Although the preamps will probably be very accurate to the originals, I can't think that the issue will be with the power amp.

The tubes, transformer, circuit etc play a huge role in the tone, & each company, from Fender to Marshall to Morgan etc all have very different power amp set ups.

How can one solitary power amp be sufficient to accurately replicate the real tone of each preamp module?

Does anyone have any insight into this dilemma?

Does it sounds 100% like the original? No. It does not. Will you notice this difference in a mix or live? Not likely.
If you want 100% authenticity, buy the originals. Does it sounds great for a fraction of the cost? Hell yes.

Most of the tone is generated in the preamp section of the Synergy system, the poweramp gives some extra juice to it, but not specific to any flavor.
The Syn5050 is not the easiest thing to dial in, due the sound changes quite drastically in relation with the volume output of the preamp. The higher you set it, the more dynamic the sound gets, but it gets brighter too, so you need to gain stage the module volume, preamp chassis volume and the poweramp output level to your liking.
There are volume differences in the modules output too, so it needs some fine tuning, but the results are rewarding.

 

[guidedbyechoes]

I've been seriously looking into buying a Synergy power amp & module system.

Although the preamps will probably be very accurate to the originals, I can't think that the issue will be with the power amp.

The tubes, transformer, circuit etc play a huge role in the tone, & each company, from Fender to Marshall to Morgan etc all have very different power amp set ups.

How can one solitary power amp be sufficient to accurately replicate the real tone of each preamp module?

Does anyone have any insight into this dilemma?

Does it sounds 100% like the original? No. It does not. Will you notice this difference in a mix or live? Not likely.
If you want 100% authenticity, buy the originals. Does it sounds great for a fraction of the cost? Hell yes.

Most of the tone is generated in the preamp section of the Synergy system, the poweramp gives some extra juice to it, but not specific to any flavor.
The Syn5050 is not the easiest thing to dial in, due the sound changes quite drastically in relation with the volume output of the preamp. The higher you set it, the more dynamic the sound gets, but it gets brighter too, so you need to gain stage the module volume, preamp chassis volume and the poweramp output level to your liking.
There are volume differences in the modules output too, so it needs some fine tuning, but the results are rewarding.

I'm surprised that there is only one set to tone controls. It would make more sense to have two sets. One per module.

 

[aftec]

I've been seriously looking into buying a Synergy power amp & module system.

Although the preamps will probably be very accurate to the originals, I can't think that the issue will be with the power amp.

The tubes, transformer, circuit etc play a huge role in the tone, & each company, from Fender to Marshall to Morgan etc all have very different power amp set ups.

How can one solitary power amp be sufficient to accurately replicate the real tone of each preamp module?

Does anyone have any insight into this dilemma?

Does it sounds 100% like the original? No. It does not. Will you notice this difference in a mix or live? Not likely.
If you want 100% authenticity, buy the originals. Does it sounds great for a fraction of the cost? Hell yes.

Most of the tone is generated in the preamp section of the Synergy system, the poweramp gives some extra juice to it, but not specific to any flavor.
The Syn5050 is not the easiest thing to dial in, due the sound changes quite drastically in relation with the volume output of the preamp. The higher you set it, the more dynamic the sound gets, but it gets brighter too, so you need to gain stage the module volume, preamp chassis volume and the poweramp output level to your liking.
There are volume differences in the modules output too, so it needs some fine tuning, but the results are rewarding.

I'm surprised that there is only one set to tone controls. It would make more sense to have two sets. One per module.

On the poweramp? The poweramp is not switching, it’s fed from one source, there would be no way to sync the switching unless you build some switching inside.

 

[guidedbyechoes]

I've been seriously looking into buying a Synergy power amp & module system.

Although the preamps will probably be very accurate to the originals, I can't think that the issue will be with the power amp.

The tubes, transformer, circuit etc play a huge role in the tone, & each company, from Fender to Marshall to Morgan etc all have very different power amp set ups.

How can one solitary power amp be sufficient to accurately replicate the real tone of each preamp module?

Does anyone have any insight into this dilemma?

Does it sounds 100% like the original? No. It does not. Will you notice this difference in a mix or live? Not likely.
If you want 100% authenticity, buy the originals. Does it sounds great for a fraction of the cost? Hell yes.

Most of the tone is generated in the preamp section of the Synergy system, the poweramp gives some extra juice to it, but not specific to any flavor.
The Syn5050 is not the easiest thing to dial in, due the sound changes quite drastically in relation with the volume output of the preamp. The higher you set it, the more dynamic the sound gets, but it gets brighter too, so you need to gain stage the module volume, preamp chassis volume and the poweramp output level to your liking.
There are volume differences in the modules output too, so it needs some fine tuning, but the results are rewarding.

I'm surprised that there is only one set to tone controls. It would make more sense to have two sets. One per module.

On the poweramp? The poweramp is not switching, it’s fed from one source, there would be no way to sync the switching unless you build some switching inside.

I think of them as two separate preamps. It has two channels so I'm surprised you can't send one preamp to one channel and the other to the other channel. That would be really cool if you could have that sort of setup like you did with old rack stuff. That way you could run two preamps at a time.

 

[aftec]

No only 1 preamp module is active at a time and 1 mode of it, it can be fed to the poweramp mono or stereo. But if you have 2 syn ones or syn 2s you can feed the 2 sides separately.

 

[guidedbyechoes]

No only 1 preamp module is active at a time and 1 mode of it, it can be fed to the poweramp mono or stereo. But if you have 2 syn ones or syn 2s you can feed the 2 sides separately.

Yeah I'm aware. I'm saying it would be a lot cooler if you could send both out at the same time. Besides it's form factor it has less features than much older gear. That's very strange for something Fryette designed. He's generally about trying to add as many features as possible. Rack stuff used to let you do all of the cool technical stuff and heads and combos you just get what you get. I'm hoping that the only reason the synergy power amp is so basic is because Fryette is going to release something more similar to the power station but in rack form.

 

[marvcus]

Great question and everything above is correct about the "flavors" of the amps. It's almost like the "shell" of the tone is there. I had the same experience with my Mark IIC+ vs. the Lead 2 Yellow on the Triaxis preamp. You're in the ballpark, but it's not an exact replication.

In any event, it is its own unique tone.

 

[Doughboy]

Great question and everything above is correct about the "flavors" of the amps. It's almost like the "shell" of the tone is there. I had the same experience with my Mark IIC+ vs. the Lead 2 Yellow on the Triaxis preamp. You're in the ballpark, but it's not an exact replication.

In any event, it is its own unique tone.

In this case, wouldn't it make more sense to get an AXE FX & a nice tube power amp instead? You'd get way more options & tones & it would be cheaper in the long run.

 

[aftec]

Great question and everything above is correct about the "flavors" of the amps. It's almost like the "shell" of the tone is there. I had the same experience with my Mark IIC+ vs. the Lead 2 Yellow on the Triaxis preamp. You're in the ballpark, but it's not an exact replication.

In any event, it is its own unique tone.

In this case, wouldn't it make more sense to get an AXE FX & a nice tube power amp instead? You'd get way more options & tones & it would be cheaper in the long run.

With an Axe Fx a Matrix GT1000Fx is pretty solid. The Axe already have the poweramp simulation too, by model, so it is a lot closer in theory what you are looking for.
In the room, you immediately know which is the real deal and which is the Axe, unless you do super compressed high gain.
The real stuff including the synergy has a way more natural feel and reaction to picking dynamics and playing in general. It's always a perspective, you can get great results with the Axe, but if you put it next to something, that will show the real difference.
Recorded is a different deal, still piling tracks of Axe can loose definition a lot faster than real steel.

 

[RockyStar]

I am on the fence with the Synergy stuff. By the time you buy everything you may as well buy the amp (in some cases). I get the flexibility and some of the modules I do like very much but I may be too old school..lol. Nothing will sound identical unless it is identical and even then there are variables in components used etc from one to another 9even though that difference is incredibly small). The Fryette, Bogner and Dirty Shirley sound good to me along with one of the Engl's.

 

[* velcro-fly *]

Call me a believer.....got talked / nudged into buying a SYN1 head unit....got ahold of an SLO module and was impressed...now I have a Bogner Ecstasy module I’m trying and honestly I’m kind of blown away how good it sounds. Running it through the effects return of a Wizard MC25. I’ve got a Bogner 3534 head for comparison and as cool as the 3534 is I’m questioning need for it now. I’ll add that the head unit came with a Friedman BE/BB module that was alright, but I like the SLO module better, and the Ecstasy even more than that. I’ll try the Bog module through the 3534 but suspect it will be like getting a tattoo of your butt on your butt hahah

 

[timeghost]

The Synergy stuff sounds great, and gets within the ballpark of the originals. But that being said, it's like having a Fractal or Kemper, it's just not the same.

 

[Econ]

This is my current rig and I’m so hooked to the tones I’m getting that I’m soending more time than ever playing everyday.

 

[* velcro-fly *]

The Synergy stuff sounds great, and gets within the ballpark of the originals. But that being said, it's like having a Fractal or Kemper, it's just not the same.

Actually it’s nothing like a Fractal or a Kemper, not even close really. Have you played them? If so how was it setup?

 

[Markedman]

There’s imitation crab meat, imitation vanilla, margarine. Why don’t they call these amps, imitations?
When I bought my Boogie Mark IV, I was so blown away with how different it sounded, I wanted to find out more about Boogie amps. So, I went on-line to see what was what and found out that there was a lot of guitar players on the net, go figure, that's how uninformed I was about what was on the net. I'm a real old fucker and the web was something for everyone else.

One of the first things I found out that Jimi Hendrix was not universally accepted as the absolute greatest ever!!! People would post sections of Jimmy Page's playing from "The Song Remains the Same" and say how awful it was. Mind blown. Prince played guitar? I thought it was a prop and now he's in the same ballpark as Hendrix? Fuck you inter-web-net. Well, I calmed down once I realized Billy Joel and Bruce Stringbean are for other people, just like good old Hendrix and Page do something to my brain.

I also saw there was something called IR, impulse response, say what? A snapshot of an amp? Wait, but what if I change a knob? This Mark IV already can sound as shitty as any amp I've heard if the knobs are turned in certain way and it has a zillion different tones so what would it take to IR it? I can get whatever tone I want and I can mimic Fender and Marshall with this one Boogie amp. Even a dozen snapshots wouldn't scratch the surface of what is in the amp, on just one, not on all three channels.

To this day, nothing I've heard in person compares with an amp that is by itself, rediculously great sounding and has enough variables to get that tone, my tone in my head. My new amp, Mezzabarba M-Zero, will never sound like a modeler in person because it goes places I've never been to, power amp places, literally chest pounding, all heads turning, "whoa, man that is something else, WTF? Now that amp is, like, holy greatness", that if someone were able to clone, would make the amp too expensive to be viable and still be an acceptable alternative.

I will say this about modelers. If you want to tweak and tweak and tweak, you'll be in heaven. If you want to tweak, get a real, world-class amp. Or, if you only record and play at home with little or no volume, I'm sure a modeler is great for that.

Budget amp for great tweaking, tons of juicy tones for days recommendation, Boogie Mark III, any stripe. There's enough in that amp to make it act like a modeler but also will have the power section to make playing in person at band level a joy.

 

[* velcro-fly *]

I will say this about modelers. If you want to tweak and tweak and tweak, you'll be in heaven. If you want to tweak, get a real, world-class amp. Or, if you only record and play at home with little or no volume, I'm sure a modeler is great for that.

I don't have anywhere near the patience required for the AxeFx, Kemper, modeler whatever stuff. The Synergy preamps are not modeling in anyway, they are tube driven preamps that run at full wall powered voltage. 100% where you send that signal will determine what you hear and feel. Bogner Ecstasy module through a powered PA speaker ? powered guitar cab speaker ? meh, it might get close but you've still got solid state aspects in there and no idea what the designer really wanted the pre to go through. Now, same Bog module into a Marshall, Bogner, Wizard, whatever tube driven power amp? yeah you will then be getting really close there. I tried the Friedman BE/BB module and wasn't impressed, at all. Total disconnected feel, something wasn't right. The SLO was much better, the Ecstasy was / is best of the group and as far as I understand one of the more recent offerings. When we do get back to actually real World gigs again the SYN1 setup will for sure be my backup rig, couldn't be any easier.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I love my synergy setup. I have a bunch of synergy modules, but for this track, I used a Salvation Audio Sathanas (inspired from Fortin) going into syn2> a Diamond Nitrox for power:


The other 3 tracks on that page use a lot of the syn PBall, Uber, with some Pitbull & Vai.

 

[Mailman1971]

When synergy was released it just seemed the same as the egnater / Randall mts amps.
ive owned numerous of them. Tons of modules. Modded etc. it sounded great. But I was sinking a lot of money into it. But I’ve never played the synergy. But the feedback sounds like it’s the same track.