Syn50 Questions

I am really interested in buying a Syn50 Head and I like everything about the module system. I am reading reviews everywhere I can find them and looking at as many YouTube videos on this system that I can find. Every time I find more reviews there is always 1 or 2 negative reviews that makes me hesitate.
One I read I think on SweetWater said that all the high gain modules sound almost the same. This makes me hesitate.
Another place I saw someone talk about the V30 speakers he got in the Synergy cab are not the best option for speakers for the Syn50 and he felt after he paired it with another type of speaker that things sounded better. I would like to hear some opinions on this if anyone has experienced anything similar?

Thanks Kevin

I ended up going the rack SYN-2 and SYN5050 route vs just the head, but I can at least speak to those.

I have the ENGL Savage, SLO, Friedman HBE, and Vai signature modules. They each sound VERY different. The HBE and SLO are the only two that are remotely close to sounding similar, but even that's a stretch.

I have the 4x12 which uses V30 and Greenbacks. It sounds amazing to me. I replaced my old 1960a and my oversized mesa 4x12 with it. To my ears, they are a great match.

Everything here is subjective. If you already have a Soldano, the module isn't going to sound as good, but it gets you 90-95% of the way there. I think all these modules are the same story. At some point in my life, I've owned a Marshal JVM410, Mesa Mark V, EVH 5150iii 50watt, ENGL Savage, JCM800 studio, and a Kemper Profiler. I wasn't really happy with any one of those amps, but also wasn't willing to store/pay for so many expensive heads. In my opinion, that's what the Synergy stuff is for. It's affordable, sounds amazing, FEELs great, and gives you a huge amount of variety if you are into that. It's also low overhead in terms of costs. If I decide I don't like my Savage module, that's $300-400usd to sell/trade vs well over a grand or two for the head.

If you only want one amp sound and you know what that is, consider buying that amp instead. If money/space is no object, buy all the various heads and a nice switcher. Otherwise, I think this stuff is unbeatable.

EIDT: To add, you should check out John Browne's youtube channel for sound samples to hear the differences between modules for yourself. You can listen/ignore his opinions, but at the very least, the videos will give you a rough idea of what each sound like. His recording setup was pretty consistent through most vids it seems. No youtube video will give you a perfect representation of any gear out there, but his mixes are great.

Thanks for your reply. I currently have a Kemper which is a great studio tool but I want an amp again and really think I will go the way of Synergy.
It looks like a very versatile setup. I like the idea of having access to a few amps if I play live or even just jam with friends.
I fully expect that a module won't sound exactly like the original amp its designed to sound like but if it gets you 90% of the way there that is acceptable to me. How do you find the effects loop? Also some pedals just dont belong in a loop. Have you put any pedals in the front of the amp and if so what is your opinion of how the modules respond to pedals going in the front?

Kevin

The effects loop is great and the pre-amp/modules accept front end pedals perfectly.

Here is one of my pedal setups:

4 cable method with my NS-2, but otherwise the bottom row of pedals are all in front of the amp with the top pedals (minus tuner) are in the effects loop. Not pictured is my phase 95 (use it in effects or front, sounds great both ways), op amp big muff, and a handful of other overdrives (ts-9 my fav).

I run my pedals in stereo since the SYN-2 has support for stereo effect loops and the SYN5050 is a stereo amp. It's great. For now, I only run my 4x12 in stereo, but I plan to add a second cab for true stereo.

I have a SYN50, so I can speak to my experience with that and the various modules I have. I have not tried the cabinet specifically, though I have tried a myriad of different speakers in a 1960a cab with different modules...so maybe I can be helpful there.

IMO the high gain modules that I have used do not sound the same. For high gain I have the Savage, Powerball, Deliverance, Soldano, Ecstasy...which can be high gainy, and Vai (if you count channel 2 on that as high gain) modules. All of them sound different to me, and like their respective amps. Like most people have said I don't think that they are identical to their amps, but IMO they are pretty close.

Effects loop is great as far as I am concerned, I have no issues with it. I keep a reverb and delay in the loop of mine and haven't experienced any degradation in signal when using them.

The modules do great with the pedals that I have put in front of them, and like real amp heads they all react differently to my various pedals. Admittedly, with the exception of boost pedals, I'm not a big pedal person...so my opinion may not be worth as much as somebody's that uses a wide variety.

As far as speakers go: I think that the modules sound good with Vintage 30's, and I wouldn't be upset if that was my only choice. That being said, I do prefer some modules with specific speakers. I like my metroplex and bogner modules best with g12m-65 creambacks. I like the Soldano and Savage modules best with Mesa/Boogie Vintage 30's. The Powerball I like best with regular vintage 30's. We're talking a small amount of change in preference, though. Obviously it's subjective and there are different strokes for different folks.

Also keep in mind the various preamps paired with the correct power amp will also be more representative.

For example PowerBall and SLO modules are best with 6L6 as that’s what the real amps had.

The Ecstasy and Vai modules are best with EL34 and the Uber sounds very good with all types depending on your flavor tastes.

I have tried the above modules with 6L6, EL34 and KT88 power sections and there is a huge difference in feel and response and tone.

Synergy uses 6L6 based power sections because the tubes are cheaper and more reliable and can take abuse better.

Thanks to all of you. Thats very useful information. I think I will take the dive soon and get myself a Syn50 and a few modules.