NAMM 2026: MusicRadar Tech’s Top Synth Picks – No Hype, Just Heat

Ashun Sound Machines’ Leviasynth ditched the Hydrasynth’s wavetable legacy and dove headfirst into FM territory, but not the brittle, glassy stuff you’re used to. This thing’s got algorithmic oscillators you can twist into infinity, and the result is pure cinematic muscle—think Blade Runner on a bad trip. The demo patch alone was so lush it nearly blew the chunky speakers off the stand. If you want a synth that fills the room and then some, Leviasynth’s your new best mate.

Korg’s Phase 8 is what happens when you lock Tats Takahashi in a Berlin lab and tell him to break the rules. The result? An acoustic synthesizer that’s half electric kalimba, half mad science. You get eight steel resonators, swappable for custom scales, and you excite them with electromagnetic pulses instead of your fingers. The sound? Metallic, unpredictable, and deeply tweakable—especially when you start laying screws and pebbles across the tines like some kind of synth caveman.

What really sets Phase 8 apart is the physicality. You can pluck, strike, or just mess with the tines directly, warping the sound in ways no plugin can touch. Sure, there’s no onboard effects (Korg, why?), but run it through a fat reverb and you’re in drone heaven. The launch edition even comes with limited-edition tines—fishbone shapes, anyone? This is the sort of hardware that’ll have modular heads and acoustic weirdos fighting in the aisles.

Behringer’s JN-80 is their long-teased Juno 60 clone, and it’s finally almost here. They’ve nailed the oscillator and filter chips close to the original, chucked in an analog BBD chorus (two types, not just the digital stuff), and kept the interface simple enough that even your gran could dial in a pad. But this isn’t just a nostalgia box—they’ve added aftertouch, expanded modulation, full MIDI, and more patch storage, so it’s actually usable in a modern rig.

The price? Classic Behringer—somewhere between 599 and 629 quid, which is a steal for this much analog juice. It’s not a 1:1 clone, but it’s close enough for anyone who wants that Juno magic without selling a kidney. If you’re still on the fence about Behringer, this might be the synth that tips you over. Just don’t expect miracles from their DNX drum machine—by all accounts, it’s more of a curiosity than a killer.

Stylophone Voice is proof that cheap doesn’t mean boring. This pocket sampler lets you grab sounds on the fly, slam them into a chunky sequencer, and mangle them with instant effects. Three sample slots, a two-octave stylus keyboard, and a four-track sequencer—plus a drum lane—mean you can go from daft vocal chops to full-on beats in seconds. The best part? It’s allegedly going to be fifty bucks. For that price, you’d be mad not to grab one and start annoying your neighbours. If you want to see just how much chaos you can squeeze out of a toy-sized box, the video’s a must-watch.