Synthesis Roma 41dc+ Tube Class a Headphone Amp Review

The Synthesis Roma 98DC hails from Italy and costs a couple of notes under €5000 for a stereo pair. Janine Elliot takes a listen.

I had several reasons to go excited at reviewing the Roma 98DC from Synthesis. Not simply did information technology combine the fantabulous KT88 tubes merely it likewise used one of my favourite valves, the 6CG7, often seen in Audio Research and Stax amplifiers due to their excellently detailed and musical audio. This is a mono amplifier meaning you lot volition obviously need 2, and that ticks another box for me, or rather two. At under €5000 for a pair this is extremely good value. The word 'synthesis' means the combination of components or elements to grade a connected whole. The more I listened to this power amplifier the more I could meet that all those components – more than on those later – worked in tandem to produce a highly musical and connected entity. The "Roma" series is i of three lines of products from the visitor, and this is the merely power amplifier in a large line-up of tube and hybrid integrated amps and CD players. Synthesis has fabricated ability amplifiers in the past; the 'Theatre' and 'Celebration' went out of production some years back.  Synthesis Art in Music, to give information technology its full name, was founded by Luigi Lorenzon in 1992, with their offset success being the Nimis dual-mono integrated. Each product is totally handmade within the visitor in Morrovalle, Italy, with particular intendance and attention to the transformers. This latter point is worth mention. Luigi'south father founded FASEL in 1961, a company making transformers for valve amplifiers, and which speedily became a significant manufacturer of output transformers, power transformers, chokes, and inductors for musical instruments. It is, therefore, not surprising that Luigi himself would have learned a lot about transformers, later deciding to combine his acquired technical noesis with his honey for music to create Synthesis Art in Music. The output transformers in the Roma 98DC are mitt assembled in the company and are notable for their particularly wide frequency response and very low baloney. Synthesis are a small company with Luigi in R&D, three gentlemen working in production, and one in administration, plus Ludovica in PR, who kindly supplied the review sample.

Construction

What is immediately noticeable is the utilise of lacquered wood on this and other Synthesis models. This really was a good-looking amp; supplied for me in an almost Ferrari-red wooden front panel with blackness frame and valve guard. Other colours are bachelor, including lacquered pianoforte black, lacquered dark mahogany, and the 2 aluminum finishes, black and silvery. Other finishes bachelor on asking. In that location are 4 valves; a pair of KT88s in push button-pull and ultra linear configuration, delivering the aplenty 80W ability-stage, plus the 12AY7 double triode input stage and 6CG7 driver. The 12AY7'due south afterwards brother was the 12AX7 (ECC83) which had more than than double the output, but the 12AY7 was chosen considering they produced the best sound for the Synthesis, in that earth-shaking first phase. Indeed, the 12AY7 has a rich warm audio, which was apparent when listening to the Roma 98DC. One tin can modify the bias on each of the two KT88'southward if, for example, yous replace the tubes, simply you will need an Alan central in gild to remove the guard, however a screwdriver for bias tuning is supplied. An 80W valve amp for under €2499 each is a very good price, and the website stresses the "well-nigh maniacal attending to item" going into producing it. There are two sets of loudspeaker outputs for bi-wiring, a balanced XLR input and a pick of unbalanced  RCA "direct" and RCA "filtered" inputs – the latter has a -3dB attenuation at 20Hz and 20KHz. Obviously, yous mustn't connect to both RCA sockets simultaneously, and in that location is a switch at the back to choose between XLR and RCA. Completing the rear is a small screwdriver volume command to finely adjust to get a perfect match between the pair of monos. Overall build quality is first-class, equally is the instruction book completing the package. In that location is no indicator for the off-on push button, though the front VU meters light up. In a bright room the illumination might non be apparent so I personally would adopt an indicator as well. The logarithmic VU meters get all the mode up to 100W with mid-position at 1W. They seemed accurate. All construction is done in-house. This is not a designed-in-Italy-simply-made-in-China thing. It is all done in house. This is even downwardly to the choice of insulating paint on the metallic plates on the transformers, in lodge to reduce vibration. The whole process includes painting, leaving in the air to dry off, and then putting in an oven for iv hours at 100°C exactly.

The Music

My first listening was Phil Collins 'No Jacket Required'. Tons of digital drums and synths in this, and many an amplifier (particularly transistor) brand heavy listening out of it. This valve amp gave an first-class punchy sound with great initial transient speed and full command of the music with an openness that made it piece of cake to understand what is going on in the music. With "Sussudio" the digital drums were almost acceptable to my musical ears, and "1 More Night" was velvety shine as a valve amp should be, the solo saxophone coming out of the ether beautifully blended in with the synth and drums. Adjacent on the platter was Andre Previn's version of the Holst Planet Suite, one of my all-time favourite works, not to the lowest degree because I once got to sit down on the very chair and affect the piano he wrote it on whilst teaching music at St Pauls Girls School in London. Just the very top percussion parts weren't every bit crystal clear as I would have liked them to be, merely the bass was excellent. Side 2 track 2 Uranus "The Magician" had a cute clarity to the strings, with formidable contumely and flowing flute lines. The percussion has its chance to allow it all out, and this is beautifully controlled with an excellent bass pulsate. I pumped up the amp to over 10W, though the bass drum had enough in reserve if needed. The last track is my favourite. Such a sad and lone weep from Neptune "The Mystic". This motility has vii beats to the bar, which unless a Dave Brubeck jazz piece just wouldn't unremarkably sound quite so musical, especially for a tranquility number, but this just flowed so well. All the running lines from the Celesta were brilliantly articulated by the Synthesis. No shortage of meridian frequencies here. Holst's Planet Suite was written before the discovery of Pluto, though that planet has now been reclassed equally a dwarf planet. They think there are as many as x,000 planets and dwarf planets in the solar system. That would make a very long work, if Holst was still around.

Keeping with classics I decided to play Mozart'due south Pianoforte Concerto No23 in A major K488 (Ian Hobson/English Chamber Orchestra) considering it can sound rather woolly and confused unless the amplifier can eke out the details from inside. My valve Leak Stereo20 can sound so gorgeous but slow and chaotic when playing this, but the Synthesis opened up every musical instrument into their divide parts, plus the reverb was allowed to concord out to its bitter terminate. Only the mid ranges were slightly too pronounced, merely this was in the recording; playing Mozart'due south Piano Concerto in D minor k466 (24/96 via my streamer) had a completely open and detailed operation with a much clearer top cease. My point, that the Roma 98DC doesn't broaden colourations in the operation, but it also doesn't take anything away from the music. If you desire over-excitement look elsewhere; this is pure honest music to the highest order, something nosotros should all desire. The pianoforte was in the room in front of the orchestra, playing away with effortless ease. This was equally good every bit it gets.

Turning to Muse 'Drones' and "The Globalist", the long string phrases, song whistling, lots of atmosphere and a sense of being in the wild wild west were captured so well past the 98DC. Excellent bass end and pivot-sharp percussion. Even when Muse let rip all was nevertheless highly controlled. The Elgar Enigma Variations spoof was highly successful equally were the harking back to 17^th century motets at the end. There was so much space in the performance that one could almost touch the musicians. Turning to "Walking on the Moon" (Y H Trio) again at that place was then much space to exhale but withal to be boisterous when it needed to be. All the item was ably performed with pivot-sharp accurateness and ample power in the bass and toms. Again, the saxophone had plenty of breath with the double-bass positioned conspicuously in the soundstage accompanying it.

Turning to one of my favourite groups, Alan Parsons Projection, and their 'Centre in the Sky' anthology the Roma was able to give a highly enjoyable operation with swell ease and fast initial transients, for example the snare rimshots on the penultimate track. Alan'southward phonation was clearer on the Roma than my ain Krell amp which made it rather nasal.

Finally to London Grammar and the anthology 'Truth is a Beautiful Matter'. This could so easily sum upward this amplifier. The sound was and so truthful, making for a very enjoyable performance. In that location was a sense of say-so and tightness but at the same time a calmness and delicacy. Zippo was missed out in the performance, including pressing the foot pedal damper on the piano or the song breaths. In all the music that I played there was great retrieval of detail, with a realistic soundstage, and it didn't matter how big or small the instrumentation or dynamics, it covered them with ease and honesty.

Conclusion

I get to listen to so many amplifiers and many just audio the same that you tin can cease up repeating the same words each time, but this was different. Not just did the Synthesis deliver with accuracy and speed, but information technology did so with a musicality that is often missed out in amplifiers. OK, information technology might not be as creamy every bit my Leak Stereo20 or as punchy as my Krell, but it was pure honest reproduction of the music, which is what we should all be wanting. €5000 is a minor price to pay.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Beautiful woods front slice and adept structure throughout

Audio Quality: Highly musical with fantabulous depression bass and particular of sound

Value for Money: €2499 per mono is splendid value for the audio

Pros:

Balanced input

Musical and honest performance

Excellent bass end

I similar the VU meters!

Cons:

Nothing at this price

Price: €2499 per channel

Janine Elliot

Review Equipment:

Pre-Audio GL1102/ AT AT33sa; (turntable/cartridge); Manley Steelhead (phonostage); Ferrograph Logic 7 (Reel to Reel); Fiio and Sony digital sources into Fiio streamer; Music First Audio Baby Reference (pre-amplifier) Graham Audio LS5/9 plus Townshend Super Tweeter (speakers); Tellurium Q and Townshend (cables), Townshend Seismic Sink stand.

Specification

Valves;  Power stage 2x KT88

Input Stage  1x 12AY7

Commuter            1x 6CG7

Input Impedance; 100kΩ

Input Sensitivity; 600mV for max power

Power Phase Config; Push button-Pull Ultra Linear 43% tap

Class of Operation; Course AB

Power Output; 80W RMS at 6Ω

THD; 0.07% at 1W/kHz, one% at 80W

Frequency Response; 20-20,000Hz -0.5dB (RCA straight and XLR); -3dB (RCA filtered)

Output Impedance; 6Ω

Gain; +32dB

S/N ratio; >90dB A weighted

Ability Consumption; 220W max

Dimensions; 260x410x210mm

Weight; 16kG

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Source: https://www.hifipig.com/synthesis-roma-98dc-power-amplifiers/