NEW GUY ! Head Or Rack ???

[mattseed]

Hi guys I am in the UK and Synergy stuff is hard to find to try out. I am looking to invest in the whole rig from scratch.

The burning question I have is Head or Rack ??

I watched the Hennng vidoes where he says the head is better sounding than the Syn 2 and 50/50.

Could I ask you guys that own this stuff what your thought on this are please ?

Thanks in advance
Matthew

 

[GtrGear]

Personally I didn't prefer the MOD100/MOD100 poweramp section.
The SYN50/50 is a BIG let down to my ears. I am very surprised to be honest about the poweramp...
The Randall RT2:50 was very nice but unreliable. I prefer 19" and my own poweramp of choice. (Mesa 2:90 and 2:100)
My advice: 19" and your own poweramp of choice.

 

[Elric]

I love the 5050 power amp, FWIW. It is pretty amazing and is a great amp for the modules; adds just a touch of power amp flavor without being overbearing in its response across the entire frequency spectrum, a touch of compression and sag as you turn up for that tubey response... Love having the depth and presence controls right there, they are voiced really well and are great to make high and low end adjustments based on volume level and the room being played...

For me it was totally worth it to go full synergy , the form factor is great and I would guess that it is used as a reference amp during testing/design of the modules (for example look at the Metroplex test vid on YouTube) because it seems to go well with all the ones I have tried so far... It is very similar to the Fryette LXII and others but voiced to Synergy’s requirements...

That said, if you are willing to look at 2U or larger units, there are MANY great rack power amps to pick from, so listen to some demos or check a few out and pick what sounds best to you or has the features you want. Some folks even use light SS power amps like the Duncan power stage.

And of course there is the head... I already had a rack setup so I wanted to stay in that format. If I didn’t feel the need for rack stuff the head seems like a great option and is cheaper overall than the Syn2+power amp, so if you are using pedals or something for FX instead of rack gear it might be the best option of all!

Good luck.

 

[mattseed]

Thanks Elric, that’s a very useful response. I’m hearing nothing but great chat about the modules but mix reviews on the power amp. A lot of guys are also saying the power amp has too much fan noise at low level, bedroom volume playing. How do you find it in this regard please ?

Matt

 

[webrthomson]

I went rack:

Sounds great, althought I have a Egnater Mod50 as well and that is one of the best sounding amps I've ever heard!

I dont think you could go wrong with either

 

[Elric]

Thanks Elric, that’s a very useful response. I’m hearing nothing but great chat about the modules but mix reviews on the power amp. A lot of guys are also saying the power amp has too much fan noise at low level, bedroom volume playing. How do you find it in this regard please ?

Matt

The fan is pretty substantial (being a 1U 100W unit) but when I am running the rig at home it does not bother me.... It may depend on where you are positioned relative to the unit, what you consider a good bedroom volume, how your rack is setup, and your tolerance for noise; so there are a number o variables... fans on devices generally don’t bug me so my tolerance must be pretty high (or I’m running them louder )... I’ve owned a number of units with fans.

 

[ricky]

I have both. My SYN 2 is in a rack with my Helix Rack. I can use it with my MOD50 head and have 4 channels or with a Carvin 50w tube power amp and run stereo. The biggest problem with the stereo rig is that I take up a bit of stage room and in small clubs the other band members can get kind of pissed.

 

[sidestepstudios]

Rack would be the most flexible and the way I would go as well.

 

[9985]

There's a 3rd option: SYN-2 in 4CM into your existing head/combo with a Series loop. Lets you keep the pre-amp section of your current rig, and its power sections, while adding MTS modules at will. Having gone that route myself, I will say that it can be a little logistically challenging for live setup to have at least a 2U rack and a combo/head. I also still have my RM100 though.