I ended up buying three of Synido’s tiny stereo interfaces (the A10, A20 and A20 Pro), so here’s how they compare, at least in my experience. I hope this helps someone avoid a bad purchase.
Pros (for each):
- Stereo recording!!! I think it’s fantastic to have such a tiny unit capable of recording in stereo.
- Bus-powered: all of them can run without external power, and each has a charging port, which should allow charging while in use.
- Size (obviously).
Pros (for the A20 units):
- Easier access to the controls (I like that the branded wheel is used to adjust the monitoring level).
- Mono/stereo switch.
- Microphone input: I’ve tested it with a Boya BY-MM1 mic and it works fine! Unfortunately, there is no separate input recognised for the mic, so anything recorded with it goes onto the same 1+2 stereo channel.
Cons (for each):
- Lack of headroom. According to Synido’s own specs, the A20 Pro accepts the hottest input at about 0.9–1 V (≈ +1–2 dBu), the A20 takes about 750 mV (≈ -0.3 dBu, roughly 2 dB less), and the A10 tops out at just 200 mV (≈ -12 dBu, about 13 dB less than the Pro). For comparison: iRig USB +13.5 dBu, MiniFuse 2 and Zoom AMS-44 +22 dBu.
- ...which means that if the signal going into it is hot, the interface will clip. For example, I tried recording the M-Vave FM-1 directly into it, and all the chords clipped because the signal overloaded the interface.
- The built-in cables... I just don’t like them. I even added a female-to-female USB-C adapter so I can plug a different cable into it.
Cons (A20):
- No direct monitoring switch!!! (More about this in the “story” section.)
The lack of headroom and the clipping are a BIG issue in my opinion, but if the signal going into these is tamed and less hot (even something coming from a mixer, pedal, etc. can be gentler), they can record beautifully.
Summary: I’ll only keep the A20 Pro and sell the rest. It won’t replace my iRig USB (more headroom), but I’ll use it when I want a small-footprint stereo recording and the recorded signal isn't hot. The limited headroom is bad, but I think all the units have their purpose: this one is perfect for small / travel setups.
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The background story of why I got all of these:
First, I got the A20 (silver). I liked it a lot, but the deal-breaker was the lack of a direct monitoring switch on the device, so I couldn’t turn off the dry signal... This made the interface unusable if I wanted to apply any effects on the iPad / iPhone (I heard both the wet and dry signals). The only use case I can imagine for it is recording fully wet sounds... like if someone wants to record their sessions with AUM, GarageBand or even the stock recording apps... BUT without applying any FX afterwards.
I checked their portfolio again, saw that the round one (A10) has a dedicated direct monitoring switch, and ordered it. It’s a compact unit and works well, but the form factor and layout are weird: I really have to pay attention not to press anything else when I want to adjust the monitoring volume or gain... and it has the least headroom.
After trying it out, I saw that Synido had released a Pro version of the A20, and this time it has a DM switch... so I ordered it as well. It works great; if I’d got this unit first, I’d probably have skipped the rest.
