[mystaiced]

Does anyone else have Syn stacked on a DAC? My Syn gets warm on top of the Bifrost, might have to get some brackets for it for more spacing and cooling

 

[XMarsX]

Has anyone played with the placing of the Syn in their chain? I’m wondering if before or after a preamp makes a difference.

 

[mystaiced]

.

 

[mystaiced]

..

 

[Autiomatic]

My apologies for the long post, but I’ve had the Syn for several weeks now and finally feel that my impressions are strong enough to comment on.

First of all, I believe I am likely in the target audience for Syn. I have had minor interest in surround, primarily since hearing my brother’s system, but am a fairly staunch 2-channel listener and have always been satisfied with the results I’ve gotten with my TVs running into an amp and 2 speakers.

However, I do have have several sets of KEF speakers from the same, or similar, series, and have at times thought that, if I ever did spring for a surround receiver, my various KEFs would work well.

That being the case, Syn seemed specifically targeted to me. No need to buy a sub-par surround receiver, and an opportunity to use the excess gear I have laying around. I have an old studio monitor power amp I’ve been using for TV audio, as well as a 50 w/ch class D SMSL amp I was using in our backyard in the summers that has since been replaced. Both amps could be utilized in a Syn-centric system.

I ended up buying the latest Fosi audio class D amp to be released (the model number escapes me at the moment) for use with my projected Syn setup as well. I received the preamp itself at the tail end of April, so have had several weeks to test various configurations and preamp settings.

As it stands, I’m using my old studio monitor amp, a 100 w/ch class AB ART SLA-1, for the left and right channels running into KEF Q700 towers.

I have the SMSL on center duty with a dual male to mono female RCA adapter, which effectively sums both channels on the SMSL to mono. This is running into a pair of Audioengine P4 bookshelf speakers. My eventual plan is to use my KEF C3 bookshelves, but they were too big for the shelf on my fireplace and the P4s fit perfectly.

For the rears, I’ve settled on my KEF C1s running out of the Fosi 150 w/ch (yeah, right!) class D amp.

I also have a small 8” Yamaha sub doing the low-end duty.

When in surround mode I have all amps at max volume so that the Syn’s controls are dialing in the different levels. I have the center at around noon, and the rears at around 4 or 5 o’clock on Syn, so nearly maxed. I’m running the width knob all the way to the right, so the P4’s are handling the center duties entirely.

In terms of multi-media, I’ve been playing a lot of Skyrim and Battlefield 2042, with a dash of various movies here and there. I’ve primarily used Skyrim on my PS5 to dial in the settings, and I must say that I have them at the “set and forget” point now. I’ve been very impressed by the increased level of immersion I get with Skyrim, as the audio is enveloping, with the atmospheric effects such as wind in the over world, or booming reverberations in the catacombs, causing me to keep playing what I normally consider a “winter game”.

My results with Battlefield have been a bit more mixed, however, with the directionality of the various sounds being less defined. Certainly there’s the immersive sound of warfare all around, but I’ve found it difficult to use as a reliable method of anticipating the approach of enemies, for instance, or being able to identify where a sound is coming from.

Having said that, again, I think I have things dialed in to the point now that the audio is immersive and the indistinct directionality isn’t distracting.

In terms of music, it definitely lends itself to a unique listening experience, as I’m never quite sure what to expect to hear from the rear channels. I will say though, I do very much appreciate being able to easily switch to 2 channel only, and am pleasantly surprised at the capability of Syn for 2 channel music listening. I have a Modi 3 running into the analog inputs and this is best I’ve heard the KEF towers out of the studio monitor amp. Previously I had a Modius feeding the monitor amp directly out of the balanced outputs into the KEF towers using a digital volume control, and the Modi 3 out of the Syn sounds much better, in my estimation. There’s more “meat on the bones”, as it were.

All this to say, I am quite pleased with the results I’m getting from the Syn and this hodgepodge of amps and speakers. The nice thing being, if I decided to, I’m sure I could upgrade the various components around the Syn and continue to get improved results, though I’m quite content as it is currently.

My surround itch has been scratched while leaving my audiophile tendencies intact.

 

[Randino]

Hello, New forum member and first post here.

I have a question about the preamp gain on the Syn. I have a first generation Saga and I was actually disappointed that it was basically a passive preamp. You could switch the tube buffer in and out but it made little difference in the output level. I found the output lacking compared to my existing Acurus preamp. The music lost a substantial amount of punch and presence.

These numbers I've copied and pasted from Schiit's website.
These would be output levels stated for the Syn:

Main L/R
Gain: 0dB
Center
Gain: 0dB in absence of processing, up to 12dB with processing
Surround
Gain: 0dB in absence of processing, up to 12dB with processing
Subwoofer Out
Gain: 10dB referenced to mains

I'm comfortable with all of these except those for Main L/R at 0dB.
Would anyone have any comments about this? I want to order a Syn but if that 0dB output level is anything like I've experienced with the Saga, I may have to rethink my purchase decisions.

Thanks!

 

[rocketron]

Hello, New forum member and first post here.

I have a question about the preamp gain on the Syn. I have a first generation Saga and I was actually disappointed that it was basically a passive preamp. You could switch the tube buffer in and out but it made little difference in the output level. I found the output lacking compared to my existing Acurus preamp. The music lost a substantial amount of punch and presence.

These numbers I've copied and pasted from Schiit's website.
These would be output levels stated for the Syn:

Main L/R
Gain: 0dB
Center
Gain: 0dB in absence of processing, up to 12dB with processing
Surround
Gain: 0dB in absence of processing, up to 12dB with processing
Subwoofer Out
Gain: 10dB referenced to mains

I'm comfortable with all of these except those for Main L/R at 0dB.
Would anyone have any comments about this? I want to order a Syn but if that 0dB output level is anything like I've experienced with the Saga, I may have to rethink my purchase decisions.

Thanks!

Welcome to Head-Fi.

I would email Schiit and see what they have to say.

 

[Randino]

I did that regarding the Saga and never got a reply from them. That's why I haven't asked them. Figured maybe Mr. Stoddard might see this post and reply.
That was a few years ago. I wonder if their customer service has gotten any better?

 

[Autiomatic]

I did that regarding the Saga and never got a reply from them. That's why I haven't asked them. Figured maybe Mr. Stoddard might see this post and reply.
That was a few years ago. I wonder if their customer service has gotten any better?

I’m feeding my mains with a 100 w/ch studio monitor amp I had laying around, with the gain wide open. With the Syn I find I usually go no higher than around 12 o’clock when in stereo mode. I’ve actually found that it’s the rear channels, which I’m feeding with a 150 w/ch class D amp, that I have at around 3 or 4 o’clock to reach the desired balance with processing turned on.

At any rate, I don’t have any other preamps to compare the Syn to, but I do find the result improved over running a DAC directly into the monitor amp and using a digital volume control. The mains definitely have more impact and weight to them when using the Syn in stereo. Hope that helps.

 

[SLC1966]

My apologies for the long post, but I’ve had the Syn for several weeks now and finally feel that my impressions are strong enough to comment on.

First of all, I believe I am likely in the target audience for Syn. I have had minor interest in surround, primarily since hearing my brother’s system, but am a fairly staunch 2-channel listener and have always been satisfied with the results I’ve gotten with my TVs running into an amp and 2 speakers.

However, I do have have several sets of KEF speakers from the same, or similar, series, and have at times thought that, if I ever did spring for a surround receiver, my various KEFs would work well.

That being the case, Syn seemed specifically targeted to me. No need to buy a sub-par surround receiver, and an opportunity to use the excess gear I have laying around. I have an old studio monitor power amp I’ve been using for TV audio, as well as a 50 w/ch class D SMSL amp I was using in our backyard in the summers that has since been replaced. Both amps could be utilized in a Syn-centric system.

I ended up buying the latest Fosi audio class D amp to be released (the model number escapes me at the moment) for use with my projected Syn setup as well. I received the preamp itself at the tail end of April, so have had several weeks to test various configurations and preamp settings.

As it stands, I’m using my old studio monitor amp, a 100 w/ch class AB ART SLA-1, for the left and right channels running into KEF Q700 towers.

I have the SMSL on center duty with a dual male to mono female RCA adapter, which effectively sums both channels on the SMSL to mono. This is running into a pair of Audioengine P4 bookshelf speakers. My eventual plan is to use my KEF C3 bookshelves, but they were too big for the shelf on my fireplace and the P4s fit perfectly.

For the rears, I’ve settled on my KEF C1s running out of the Fosi 150 w/ch (yeah, right!) class D amp.

I also have a small 8” Yamaha sub doing the low-end duty.

When in surround mode I have all amps at max volume so that the Syn’s controls are dialing in the different levels. I have the center at around noon, and the rears at around 4 or 5 o’clock on Syn, so nearly maxed. I’m running the width knob all the way to the right, so the P4’s are handling the center duties entirely.

In terms of multi-media, I’ve been playing a lot of Skyrim and Battlefield 2042, with a dash of various movies here and there. I’ve primarily used Skyrim on my PS5 to dial in the settings, and I must say that I have them at the “set and forget” point now. I’ve been very impressed by the increased level of immersion I get with Skyrim, as the audio is enveloping, with the atmospheric effects such as wind in the over world, or booming reverberations in the catacombs, causing me to keep playing what I normally consider a “winter game”.

My results with Battlefield have been a bit more mixed, however, with the directionality of the various sounds being less defined. Certainly there’s the immersive sound of warfare all around, but I’ve found it difficult to use as a reliable method of anticipating the approach of enemies, for instance, or being able to identify where a sound is coming from.

Having said that, again, I think I have things dialed in to the point now that the audio is immersive and the indistinct directionality isn’t distracting.

In terms of music, it definitely lends itself to a unique listening experience, as I’m never quite sure what to expect to hear from the rear channels. I will say though, I do very much appreciate being able to easily switch to 2 channel only, and am pleasantly surprised at the capability of Syn for 2 channel music listening. I have a Modi 3 running into the analog inputs and this is best I’ve heard the KEF towers out of the studio monitor amp. Previously I had a Modius feeding the monitor amp directly out of the balanced outputs into the KEF towers using a digital volume control, and the Modi 3 out of the Syn sounds much better, in my estimation. There’s more “meat on the bones”, as it were.

All this to say, I am quite pleased with the results I’m getting from the Syn and this hodgepodge of amps and speakers. The nice thing being, if I decided to, I’m sure I could upgrade the various components around the Syn and continue to get improved results, though I’m quite content as it is currently.

My surround itch has been scratched while leaving my audiophile tendencies intact.

Thank you for the information. Syn also fits my needs perfectly. Setting up a 5.1 mainly with things I no longer have in my main 2ch (couple generations of older speakers and amps). I just a mono amp for my center speaker. Syn does what I want without the fear of being outdated and without spending a ton on a sound processor that again will be outdated over time.

I am using an older projector until it no longer works. The de-embedder is inexpensive and really works well. I needed a USB C to HDMI cable to go from my source to the de embedder. For whatever reason (de embedder or cable related) the picture from the projector is so much better. Added unexpected benefit.

 

[Randino]

Thanks to Autiomatic and SLC1966. I understand that you're satisfied with the Syn and that's great news. The Zero dB of gain for the L/R main speakers still has me stumped. Even on the Magni+ (Schiit's website) I'm seeing Gain: -8dB, 0dB, or 14dB, selectable via front switch on the Specs tab.
My L/R main speakers will be NHT 3.3's driven by an Aragon 8008bb. Sort of a match made in heaven. I've tried the original Saga that's basically a passive preamp and it just doesn't have the UMPH needed for the 3.3/8008 combination. My go to preamp is an Acurus RL11 that has as much as 18dB of gain and an input sensitivity of 60mv. Max output is 8V. Any comments and thoughts are welcome.

BTW, I did ask Schiit customer service about this and all I got back were the gain numbers on their website. They didn't answer my question about the Main L/R channels being passive or not. Basically no gain from the Syn.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

 

[bweiss711]

My results with Battlefield have been a bit more mixed, however, with the directionality of the various sounds being less defined. Certainly there’s the immersive sound of warfare all around, but I’ve found it difficult to use as a reliable method of anticipating the approach of enemies, for instance, or being able to identify where a sound is coming from.

Having said that, again, I think I have things dialed in to the point now that the audio is immersive and the indistinct directionality isn’t distracting.

Glad to hear you're in on the Syn. Love to read you're using it for gaming too. That's a big part of my usage as well. My main first person shooter at the moment is Halo Infinite. At first, I also struggled with the directionality of sounds, but later came to find I had my surround channels too loud. Bringing them down helped, and now I dont have any issues. Of course, it helps that I have my front L/R dialed in, so most of the directionality is coming from them anyways.

I can appreciate the set-it-and-forget-it mentality, but I've found that tweaking settings is required when switching between music/gaming/movies/tv. But I don't mind it too much, I actually enjoy the tweaking and dialing things in. I even bought a Sys for the sub output to control that channel at arms reach. I like to bump it up quite a bit for movies and games, and turn it back down for music and tv.

 

[Autiomatic]

At first, I also struggled with the directionality of sounds, but later came to find I had my surround channels too loud. Bringing them down helped, and now I dont have any issues. Of course, it helps that I have my front L/R dialed in, so most of the directionality is coming from them anyways.

I also found that I had the surrounds mixed too high initially as the audio in the left and right channels started to sound like it was coming from above me in a strange way. Once I got the mix right they supplied the requisite ambience and the plane of the sound returned back to normal.

 

[harrinj]

Would the Syn be able to output Quadraphonic to a 70's Marantz 4400 Quadraphonic receiver? I've wanted to listen to the quad mixes of pink Floyd for so long but had no way to do it besides cheap garbage 5.1 cards. This is the first one that looks promising and schiit quality.

 

[Nicholas Seltzer]