Customer Kudos
"zZounds' return policy is exceptionally reasonable, their pay-to-play option is very handy, and the support staff with whom I've spoken on the phone have been, without fail, knowledgeable and friendly."
March 8, 2024
All-Star Synthesizers
Our customers' top-rated synth gear
Are you an analog purist, or do you prefer the functionality of digital modeling and presets? Do fat, wooly '70s synths ring your bell, or do you think lush '80s pads are rad? Whatever your taste, a synthesizer is a powerful tool in any musician's arsenal. We've taken all the synths at zZounds, put them through a high-pass filter so only the top remained, and added testimonials from real customers who couldn't say enough good things about their favorite models. Check out our list and find one that resonates with you!
See more All-Star Gear Guides »
Korg MicroKorg Analog-Modeling Synth/Vocoder
Our customers say...
"Either clean your slate for the day or set an alarm because you will become so immersed in musical creation that the time will fly by. My Micro is so full of sound options that I haven't found any limits. It is small but massive sound."
- Brian in Milton, VT
"Designing your own sounds is a breeze with the intuitive knob layout. The sound engine sounds very natural."
- A Happy Owner
"The sound on this little honey can BLOW YOUR MIND!!! Deep rich bass, or out of this world spacy leads, you will LOVE these sounds guaranteed!"
- Corey in Boise, ID
"Either clean your slate for the day or set an alarm because you will become so immersed in musical creation that the time will fly by. My Micro is so full of sound options that I haven't found any limits. It is small but massive sound."
- Brian in Milton, VT
"Designing your own sounds is a breeze with the intuitive knob layout. The sound engine sounds very natural."
- A Happy Owner
"The sound on this little honey can BLOW YOUR MIND!!! Deep rich bass, or out of this world spacy leads, you will LOVE these sounds guaranteed!"
- Corey in Boise, ID
Moog Subsequent 37 Analog Synthesizer Keyboard
Our customers say...
"Sometimes I just stand in my studio, low A latched down, sweeping the filter and getting weak in the knees. This thing sounds so fat, huge and dirty... then you crank that Multidrive and you're like 'WTF there is seriously MORE?!'"
- Ted
"The sound is just exquisite. Throaty lows from pristine clean to grinding dirt and everything in between and a presence to every note that is effortless to obtain."
- A Happy Owner
"The Sub 37 is by far the crème de la crème for insane leads and low bass. This machine's sound can not be replicated!"
- A Happy Owner
"Sometimes I just stand in my studio, low A latched down, sweeping the filter and getting weak in the knees. This thing sounds so fat, huge and dirty... then you crank that Multidrive and you're like 'WTF there is seriously MORE?!'"
- Ted
"The sound is just exquisite. Throaty lows from pristine clean to grinding dirt and everything in between and a presence to every note that is effortless to obtain."
- A Happy Owner
"The Sub 37 is by far the crème de la crème for insane leads and low bass. This machine's sound can not be replicated!"
- A Happy Owner
Roland JUNO-DS61 Synthesizer Keyboard
Our customers say...
"Fantastic sounds on this board, especially the organs. I mean really WOW on the organs, they are fantastic! This board has some really nice vintage sounds on it as well. Decent clavs and 'Moog-ish' sounding leads make it a lot of fun to play."
- William in Phoenix, NY
"Roland has a real winner here. I had the Juno DI which was good, but the Juno DS is a better improvement. The controls are on the left side which I like better. The pad buttons are nice. They included more new organs which sound excellent."
- Bill in Manchester, NH
"It does so many things and you can really customize this board in 3 ways to your personal needs and preferences. Plus it has little bonuses here and there."
- Damon in Pelzer, SC
"Fantastic sounds on this board, especially the organs. I mean really WOW on the organs, they are fantastic! This board has some really nice vintage sounds on it as well. Decent clavs and 'Moog-ish' sounding leads make it a lot of fun to play."
- William in Phoenix, NY
"Roland has a real winner here. I had the Juno DI which was good, but the Juno DS is a better improvement. The controls are on the left side which I like better. The pad buttons are nice. They included more new organs which sound excellent."
- Bill in Manchester, NH
"It does so many things and you can really customize this board in 3 ways to your personal needs and preferences. Plus it has little bonuses here and there."
- Damon in Pelzer, SC
Sequential Prophet Rev2 16-Voice Analog Synthesizer Keyboard
Our customers say...
"The Prophet Rev2 16 is by far my all-time favorite! It has a lot of great features from the split keyboard to the onboard special effects to the great sound, but most of all its playability is supreme."
- Ricky in Flint, MI
"The key bed action is very nice. Not too light and not too heavy. Has a nice resistance to key press. The sounds are incredible with the 16-voice unit I ordered. Plenty of user memory space for creating your own patches."
- Jeffrey in Kennett Square, PA
"The Prophet Rev2 16 is by far my all-time favorite! It has a lot of great features from the split keyboard to the onboard special effects to the great sound, but most of all its playability is supreme."
- Ricky in Flint, MI
"The key bed action is very nice. Not too light and not too heavy. Has a nice resistance to key press. The sounds are incredible with the 16-voice unit I ordered. Plenty of user memory space for creating your own patches."
- Jeffrey in Kennett Square, PA
Korg Minilogue XD Analog Keyboard Synthesizer
Our customers say...
"This synth is capable of many sounds and styles, makes subtractive synthesis simple, and has been very inspiring."
- Christian in Staatsburg, NY
"What an incredibly fun piece of hardware. The sound this unit produces is incredible, and playing with it is so intuitive."
- Richie in Scottsdale, AZ
"This synth has it all: analog warmth, digital glass, 16 step motion sequencer, arpeggiator, beautiful effects, and on and on. PLUS more effects and oscillators can be installed super easily with the Korg Sound Librarian."
- John in Dewey, AZ
"This synth is capable of many sounds and styles, makes subtractive synthesis simple, and has been very inspiring."
- Christian in Staatsburg, NY
"What an incredibly fun piece of hardware. The sound this unit produces is incredible, and playing with it is so intuitive."
- Richie in Scottsdale, AZ
"This synth has it all: analog warmth, digital glass, 16 step motion sequencer, arpeggiator, beautiful effects, and on and on. PLUS more effects and oscillators can be installed super easily with the Korg Sound Librarian."
- John in Dewey, AZ
Moog Mother-32 Semi-Modular Analog Synthesizer
Our customers say...
"I am very glad we ordered a second Moog Mother-32. Together they make a massive amount of awesome sound. I am trying not to want three...at any rate having two is an amazing amount of fun patching back and forth and with other gear that uses CV, gate, etc."
- C.G.
"My studio is packed full of computers and electronic instruments, and as soon as I plugged the Mother-32 in, the sound of it made me want to sell everything in my studio. The sound of this thing is amazing. Buy 2 of them and you'll be in analog heaven."
- Benny in Los Angeles, CA
"It has an appeal that is hard to describe. This is like a brick while the giant modular is a wall, stack some of these bricks and make your own wall. I intend to make a pyramid with my MIDI gear and this will be in it, count on it. Did I mention the sound? Bob Moog would be proud of this mini Mother."
"I am very glad we ordered a second Moog Mother-32. Together they make a massive amount of awesome sound. I am trying not to want three...at any rate having two is an amazing amount of fun patching back and forth and with other gear that uses CV, gate, etc."
- C.G.
"My studio is packed full of computers and electronic instruments, and as soon as I plugged the Mother-32 in, the sound of it made me want to sell everything in my studio. The sound of this thing is amazing. Buy 2 of them and you'll be in analog heaven."
- Benny in Los Angeles, CA
"It has an appeal that is hard to describe. This is like a brick while the giant modular is a wall, stack some of these bricks and make your own wall. I intend to make a pyramid with my MIDI gear and this will be in it, count on it. Did I mention the sound? Bob Moog would be proud of this mini Mother."
Novation MiniNova Compact Keyboard Synthesizer
Our customers say...
"I got this synth to replace my MacBook Pro + Logic Pro 9 + Mainstage 3 setup I was using, and I have to say, the MiniNova has exceeded my expectations! It's versatile and even the stock sounds that came with it can be manipulated into new, robust sounds."
- Kyle in Lynchburg, VA
"The MiniNova sounds huge. It has useable presets & the tweakability factor is off the chart. It's obvious that Novation put a lot of thought into the functional layout of this synth."
- Greg
"This mini monster never ceases to amaze me...from killer leads, vocoder and powerful basses!"
- Anthony in Staten Island, NY
"I got this synth to replace my MacBook Pro + Logic Pro 9 + Mainstage 3 setup I was using, and I have to say, the MiniNova has exceeded my expectations! It's versatile and even the stock sounds that came with it can be manipulated into new, robust sounds."
- Kyle in Lynchburg, VA
"The MiniNova sounds huge. It has useable presets & the tweakability factor is off the chart. It's obvious that Novation put a lot of thought into the functional layout of this synth."
- Greg
"This mini monster never ceases to amaze me...from killer leads, vocoder and powerful basses!"
- Anthony in Staten Island, NY
Yamaha MX61 v2 Keyboard Synthesizer
Our customers say...
"This is a full-blown synth with fantastic sounds. And it has plenty of other features that can make this keyboard the centerpiece of most home studio DAWs."
- Jimi in Wentzville, MO
"It's hard to beat this synth for the price. With the MOTIF sounds and FM patches it's fantastic. Add on to that downloadable libraries from Yamaha and FM Essentials which is PURE '80s FM goodness and you have a beast of a board."
- A Happy Owner
"Yamaha has taken their awesome sounds from the Motif and put them in HERE, the MX61!"
- A Happy Owner
"This is a full-blown synth with fantastic sounds. And it has plenty of other features that can make this keyboard the centerpiece of most home studio DAWs."
- Jimi in Wentzville, MO
"It's hard to beat this synth for the price. With the MOTIF sounds and FM patches it's fantastic. Add on to that downloadable libraries from Yamaha and FM Essentials which is PURE '80s FM goodness and you have a beast of a board."
- A Happy Owner
"Yamaha has taken their awesome sounds from the Motif and put them in HERE, the MX61!"
- A Happy Owner
Ashun Sound Machines Hydrasynth Desktop/Rack Synthesizer
Our customers say...
"If you don't like to read manuals, you can probably coax interesting sounds from this. If you are willing to study and dive deep, I'm guessing the possibilities are endless. In short, every part of the Hydra seems to be top quality."
- Steve
"The control panel is completely intuitive and I never touched the manual to make amazing soundscapes. The keyboard is top notch; the build quality is the finest I’ve played. The magnitude of sound design is enormous, with 212 morphing wave tables, 5 envelopes, 4 mutant oscillators, and tons of studio quality effects better than some of my expensive rack gear."
- Shred Flintstone in Magic Town, OH
"If you don't like to read manuals, you can probably coax interesting sounds from this. If you are willing to study and dive deep, I'm guessing the possibilities are endless. In short, every part of the Hydra seems to be top quality."
- Steve
"The control panel is completely intuitive and I never touched the manual to make amazing soundscapes. The keyboard is top notch; the build quality is the finest I’ve played. The magnitude of sound design is enormous, with 212 morphing wave tables, 5 envelopes, 4 mutant oscillators, and tons of studio quality effects better than some of my expensive rack gear."
- Shred Flintstone in Magic Town, OH
Roland JD-Xi Analog/Digital Crossover Synthesizer
Our customers say...
"This is a serious powerhouse of a synth. The obvious selling point, at least for me, was the included set of classic Roland drum kits (TR-909, 808, etc) and they sound spot on. The step sequencer and recorder is very intuitive once you get the hang of it and also very capable."
- Dylon
"In the mini synth category, the Roland JD-XI is by and far a mean music making machine. I am a starter with synthesizers, but have been doing music for many years and my first reaction to this was immense satisfaction."
- Tyler in Catlett, VA
"We needed a small-ish groovebox/synth set-up via hardware,so we can build basic beats without using a computer, and this little powerhouse fit the bill...and some. Intuitive,easy to learn, and loaded with great sounds, but once you get familiar with it and do some menu diving, you'll realize what a bargain this synthy groovebox is."
- A Happy Owner
"This is a serious powerhouse of a synth. The obvious selling point, at least for me, was the included set of classic Roland drum kits (TR-909, 808, etc) and they sound spot on. The step sequencer and recorder is very intuitive once you get the hang of it and also very capable."
- Dylon
"In the mini synth category, the Roland JD-XI is by and far a mean music making machine. I am a starter with synthesizers, but have been doing music for many years and my first reaction to this was immense satisfaction."
- Tyler in Catlett, VA
"We needed a small-ish groovebox/synth set-up via hardware,so we can build basic beats without using a computer, and this little powerhouse fit the bill...and some. Intuitive,easy to learn, and loaded with great sounds, but once you get familiar with it and do some menu diving, you'll realize what a bargain this synthy groovebox is."
- A Happy Owner
