In general, Lab 12 the firm struck me as an early Trafomatic type - before the Serbians pursued cost-no-issue efforts like 2016's gargantuan Elysium monos. In more current company denomination, there are Fezz Audio from Poland. Whilst they overlap with Lab 12 on colourful lacquer options, this comparison omits preamps, DACs and headphone amps which the Greeks already have. With his one-for-all musketeer maxim—at least one model in each category including AC conditioning—Mr. Vichos in fact presents himself as more of a renaissance man than designers who just do amps. That too is a bit different. With some context established, we now proceed to physical inspection. Younger companies from less industrialized nations often betray their origins with lower-level packaging and simpler fit'n'finish. Where would Lab 12's delivery fall? The big but invisible thing would be the output transformers. Those represent hundreds of metres of copper between output devices and speakers. That affects bandwidth, phase and impedance. It's here where firms like Fezz and Trafomatic exploit their prior specialization in transformer manufacture (Fezz are a subsidiary of toroidy.pl). TruLife Audio in Athens have their roots in three generations of transformer manufacture as do Octave Audio in Germany. Other tube builders source their iron from specialty vendors like Lundahl or Magnequest. Lab 12 do not. Like more established competitors, they roll their own. This secures full control over what aficionados universally believe is the greatest contributor to a valve amp's sound: its output transformers. Being encapsulated and canned, here only listening would have any opinion. But even that can't break down what's due to tube choice, circuit choice, iron and how all of it interacts.

Its elongated egg shape with the decorative light-bulb curvature is said to combat microphonics because it avoids the parallel walls which are so typical for cylindrical octals like EL34 and KT88. Tube expert Kevin Deal of California's Upscale Audio calls this bottle "truly the tyrannosaurus rex of beam tetrodes... the dynamics are unlike anything we have ever heard before." A single push/pull pair in UL is claimed capable of up to 150 watts. In the Trafomatic Audio Noa monos, 4 x KT150 equal 200 watts whilst the Audio Research G150 stereo amp uses quads for a more conservative 150 watts, albeit with 14dB of NFB. Back to the Suono, convenience freaks might complain how access to the bias board means getting inside; and how the VU meters don't double as bias meters to require a tool-box volt meter. For triode/UL conversion however, the mode is selected with two easily reached toggles behind the power tubes. Flicked away from the tubes is triode, towards them ultralinear. You'd know what's what already when UL mode gets louder. And yes, this can be done under signal. Let's take a look.

As promised, the real cojones were to be found beneath the sheets, requiring mere removal of 5 screws to inspect. Except for the two chunky inductors, everything mounts to the top plate. Why stand up if you can hang asked the chilly sloth.

Here we see the Fine Symmetry® Design PCB which would suggest rigorous parts matching between channels.

Here is one of the output transformers with the manual bias trim board...

... followed by one of the smoothing inductors. Despite those chokes being mounted behind the thin face plate, the Suono is seriously tipsy i.e. back-heavy what with the larger irons living behind the binding posts. Packaging was, as expected, of less industrialized origins. This included raw styrofoam protective panels, a simple plastic bag over the amp and lower-grade cardboard. Just so, it was perfectly adequate to arrive unharmed. The bottom-vented casing was light bent sheet metal; strong enough to do the job without caving but no more. Again, most your coin is spent on the sound-producing bits.

Here we see the tube sockets and triode/UL switches.

Finely applied lacquer and three blue LEDs—power plus l/r channel—make for the finishing touches.