Recently, Fidelis has split into two separate divisions-Fidelis AV, the store, and Fidelis Distribution. At one point there was a plan to review them together because Lab12 makes one of the few tube amplifiers that sound great with Harbeth. I’ve known Walter for many years-he was our distribution mentor and best dealer at one point, and he’s always had great taste in gear. In fact, that’s how I wound up reviewing the Harbeth C7ES-3 XD monitors earlier this year. Naturally, I was very pleased with the news that Walter Swanbon and Fidelis Distribution finally started bringing Lab12 into the US last year. The years passed by and those urges to go back into distribution faded away, but every once in a while I thought about that gorgeous little tube phono stage, loaded with personality, attractively priced, waiting for someone to notice how special it was.
![synergy amps synergy amps](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--mQwx6sv1--/f_auto,t_large/v1550742056/jdvwucy07ybjzekytg3z.jpg)
My mindset at the time, of course, was that I wished I was still in the importing biz because this brand needed to be heard in the US. But there was only one problem-at the time, Lab12 didn’t have a distributor in North America. Stratos Vichos, the electronic engineer who started Lab12, immediately said yes. I had my eye, of course, on the Lab12 Integre integrated amplifier, because of that whole integrated obsession that I have.
#Synergy amps full#
I was so impressed with the Melto2 and its glorious tube sound that I gave it an Editor’s Choice Award-my very first for this publication.Īfterward, I hoped to try out another product from their full line of electronics. I hadn’t heard of Lab12-we received our first sample directly from the country of origin based on strong recommendations from our own Panagiotis Karavitas. There’s an important foreword to my love story with the Lab12 Integre4 integrated amplifier.Ī few years ago, shortly after I joined the PTA team and started work on my first issue of The Occasionalmagazine, I had the pleasure of reviewing the Lab12 Melto2 phono preamplifier from Greece.