I've never grown any way except hydro, and use mostly edibles, so I can't comment on taste differences.What's the difference between organic nutrients and " synthetic" ? Absolutely nothing! They are both the exact same ionic salt of the element or mineral compound derived from the same base components. Even under a microscope they look the same and lab tests will tell you that also. The whole " nasty chemicals" in manufactured nutrients is total BS. Now when it cmes to many of the "bloom boosters" etc, then it's a different story, but with a standard nutrient package like Megacrop, there is nothing in it that is any different than what is provided to your plants by microbes etc.
So the bottom line is there isn't going to be a taste or smell difference between plants grown in the same environment. I've had a bet running on this for years, I've never lost...........
But there must be a difference in what dirt roots experience, and what hydro roots experience.
No way hydro can duplicate the complex chemical nature of microbe infested dirt.
I suspect the taste differences are small, and I'm sticking with hydro.