Any owner thoughts on the Belle 350A amp?

belles is true plug & play (100k-ohm input impedance, so no problems there)---will work w/ ANY speaker. very organic, great imaging, excellent bass (really, excellent throughout the freq spectrum).

ultimately i sold mine for 2 reasons: 1) i got a CTC BBQ for less money (its a legitimate superamp retailing for $7k), and 2) the belles' biggest fault was stage depth, particularly when music got complex. the stage depth would collapse & run together. a problem w/ symphonic music, but for jazz, vocals, R&R, folk, the belles is a great amp.

but really, the reason i sold was b/c of #1. CTC gear is amongst the best in the world; belles is good/great, but not BEST.

oh, the 350 puts off NO heat. and physically small. also considerations worth noting.

i think marty at BoundForSound had a very good review of it.

rhyno

I've used the Belles 350A for some time now and am very pleased with it in every respect. My Belles drives a pair of JMLabs Mezzo Utopias. As Rhyno notes, the amp runs very cool and cozies up to nearly any speaker you can name.

I respectfully but energetically disagree about the collapse of sound stage depth with complex music. I routinely listen to highly complex orchestral music and have NEVER noticed this tendency. On the contrary, one of the features of this amp that appealed to me during the selection process was its ability to disentagle Mahler and keep all the players in their correct seats and not bouncing around the stage or falling into a muddy lump. I would have to question whether the difficulties he experienced resulted from another component in the signal path or some dyssynergy or other.

Good luck and good listening.

will

actually, i foudn the staging issue was resolved with the CTC amp. listen as the dynamic gradations run up & down from quiet to loud...the stage collapse does happen.

its still better than anything else out there for $3500 retail easy...i really liked that amp, but the CTC i got for the same money is in a different league.
best

rhyno

The 350A & for that matter also the 150A, were a complete disappointment in my revealing & detailed rig. Dark - Dark- Darkest amps I ever heard. Detail was buried, stage was basically nonexistent, no PRaT, & highs were just not there. Why Stereophile reviwed these amps as being so good I just do not understand.
However the reviewer used all silver cabling in the test setup, vs. my all copper, which probably explains the huge differences that I experienced. I was not about to recable my whole rig just to try & make these amps work, when other equipment just drops right in & plays marvelously. I did try it with one of my silver AC cords but that only further killed the bass response.
Although YMMV & hopefully it will, I cannot at all recommend the Belles amps.

what's your rig bob?

i have a pretty revealing system: G&D transport into belcanto 1.1 dac, into G&D preamp into merlin vsm-ms w/ TG Audio cabling (silver) througout. never had the problems you did w/ belles gear...it was an excellent performer, but i'm curious as to what you're using that it didn't work for you.
best
rhyno

Haven't heard the Belles or Sim amps, but have been able to audition the BC8s and Herron 150s with the Herron VTSP-1A, which I also own. First these are both great amps, and in the end the choice is reaaly a matter of personal preferences.

To my ear the Blue Circle's are a bit more extended and detailed, the Herron's warmer and more organic. Both image very well with wide, deep soundstages. You didn't mention your speakers, mine are the Von Schweidert VR5-HSEs.

Haven't heard the Belles or Sim amps, but have been able to audition the BC8s and Herron 150s with the Herron VTSP-1A, which I also own. First these are both great amps, and in the end the choice is really a matter of personal preferences.

To my ear the Blue Circle's are a bit more extended and detailed, the Herron's warmer and more organic. Both image very well with wide, deep soundstages. You didn't mention your speakers, mine are the Von Schweidert VR5-HSEs.

Thanks for the responses. I forgot to mention that my speakers are JM Lab Mini Utopia's and I am still on the amp search.

I respect bob and admire his posts but I can't help thinking that something else was amiss in his experience with the Belles amps. I've never heard them called dark before and they've certainly never sounded dark in my system....which is likewise pretty detailed and revealing.

Just demonstrates how radically different the same gear can sound in different setups, doesn't it?

Anyway, I am quite happy using the Belles 350a to power my Mezzo Utopias so...if there is a family connection...you might be equally pleased with your Minis.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

will