facten..Well aren't you the cynic. I never once said I own a Belles amp or a Belles component. Basis in fact? THATS EASY....Belles has been in business for thirty years always under the radar as his products constantly sell without all the marketing hyperbole BS with no need to advertise. Word of mouth reputation. I employ you to name one other high end component American company making solid state gear that has been in business for thirty years that has stayed off the radar and has survived solely from word of mouth reputation. Dave has a very strong cult following in England. The Brits love his gear. I made it very clear that I'm buying the Virtuoso when its released in March. You need to hit yourself in the head with a brick and re-read this thread to discover that I never owned a Belles, only that I've listened to one.
Belles Greatest Integrated ever! The Virtuoso
Just before the Holiday's, I noticed on several authorized Belles websites, that certain separates went out of production which is a pattern that would indicate new products are forthcoming, and sure enough a new Integrated popped up on the Belles website last week, which appears to be his greatest integrated amp to date. The Virtuoso,
putting out over 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms, HT bypass, Processor loop, MM & MC phono stage, and power meters on the front panel. The unit will be released in March at a price tag of $6495. Given David Belles reputation during the past 30 years, who has always been at the top of his game as perhaps the best solid state engineer designer ever in the states, since musicality has always been his first order of business, it wouldn't surprise me at all that the Virtuoso will fly out the door and winds up on the back order list. Its a real looker.
Very handsome unit. Well done David! Its what we've been waiting for.
putting out over 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms, HT bypass, Processor loop, MM & MC phono stage, and power meters on the front panel. The unit will be released in March at a price tag of $6495. Given David Belles reputation during the past 30 years, who has always been at the top of his game as perhaps the best solid state engineer designer ever in the states, since musicality has always been his first order of business, it wouldn't surprise me at all that the Virtuoso will fly out the door and winds up on the back order list. Its a real looker.
Very handsome unit. Well done David! Its what we've been waiting for.
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audiozen " Their products sell constantly all year around since they have the strongest word of mouth reputation in the country amongst Musicphiles. All the other companies can only survive with their ongoing magazine ads, and constant audio establishment reviews or they would die on the vine. Not Dave Belles " What possible basis in fact can you make these statements? |
audiozen "I could care less about a retailer here in Seattle carrying the Belles product line. I just pick up the phone, call the Belles dealer in California, and have gear shipped by blue label. And no tax!! Easy Peasy! " Earlier you responded to question about what Belles amp you owned with this statement " I was turned on to Belles four years ago by a local audiophile friend who I've known for twenty years who I met at the Washington Audio society monthly meetings years ago. On several occasions, I had the pleasure of listening to his Belles Hot Rod amp hooked up to his Spectral DMC-10 preamp. " So what Belles amp do you own? |
2chfreak..Check this out. A review you will thoroughly enjoy of the same speaker I just sold in November. The Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 SE. Click on The Sound Apprentice link. On the home page to the right, there is a list of "topics and brands" in individual boxes. Click on the one that says Ascend Acoustics, it will open up the review of the CBM-170 SE which concludes the speaker sets the standard against any other in its price range. Mind you that this is their budget small bookshelf much below the Sierra Tower, and the review is outstanding. Theres a method I use from time to time to check out gear in person during the past twenty years thats not available in my area. I'll call the manufacturer of the gear of interest, tell them I want to purchase, and ask if they have customer's in my home area that have purchased, and ask if they could call the customer, give them my contact info, to see if they wouldn't mind coming over for a listen. The results have always been positive and you wind up making a new Audio friend. Call Dave Fabrikant to set it up. www.thesoundapprentice.com |
audiozen- Makes you wonder why more speaker aren't made from bamboo? More cost prohibitive... not in Ascends case though; their business model a lot more efficient allows for alternatives to MDF, I assume. That 44 lbs is pretty light - mine are a couple pounds lighter but the low profile Anchor stands aren't exactly light, have then filled with sand, so actually a bit heavier. The first time I picked up a bamboo cutting board, I was impressed with the solidity and density of it, thinking "they can do this with bamboo? Next time I'm eating bamboo shoots in a stir fry, I'll think off the Ascends. I know there are some other companies using Bamboo for their speakers, can't think of them off the top of my head. Something else to do a search on! Gotta hear the Tower one of these days. |
2chfreak..The one thing I like about the Sierra Towers is that they weigh only 44 pounds! The lightness of bamboo. Since bamboo is 500% stronger than MDF, it can take on much higher levels of distortion, resonance, and internal turbulence from low frequencies resulting in much better bass performance. |
Yes Audiozen, Belles is better than Gryphon, Vitus, T+A, D'agastino, Audio Research, Dartzeel, Conrad Johnson, sure. Sure at all the shows all those mega speaker companies aren't showing with Belles because of a retail conspiracy. Sure David Belles has tons of patents in audio engineering and circuit design compared to Thomas Holman, David Hafler, Nelson Pass and many others. My shop is open, please bring in your best Belles rig we can compare to T+A, Conrad Johnson, Naim, Unison Research, Micromega and a ton of other great companies. I am willing to eat my hat would you be? As per sweet spot system try a set of Dali Opticons with a Nuprime IDA 8 killer system $3,500.00 or the new Rega Brio. Point is there a ton of good and musical systems you just have to find one that you like. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
audiozen- I was vaguely familiar with Ascend, came across their site years ago before they offered a tower speaker. I read the EnjoyThe Music review and they certainly gave it a big thumbs up. I checked out the Ascend website, read everything on there and came away impressed. Based on your recommendation, and what I read including customer feedback and Mr. Fabrikants philosophy, single minded goal and dedication, it's a speaker that I would most definitely want to hear, whether I were to make a change or not. He sounds like he really cares, and the prices are beyond competitive. Thanks for letting me know about this speaker; my goal has always been to seek out world beater gear that is priced sensibly and that competes with the very best. If - applying the law of diminishing returns - I can achieve audio quality equal to 90% of what the supposed "state of the art" delivers, and for a fraction of the price, then I am very satisfied. The Belles Aria, Vandersteen 1Ci's and Rotels best CD player, with some "sweet spot" AQ speaker cables and Siltech IC are clicking all the right boxes for me, and have been for awhile. I'm listening to some female jazz vocals with a small ensemble right now and I feel like I'm right there, can hear the singer take a breath, the piano sounds real, the bass clear and tight, the Aria and speakers resolving more detail than I ever thought I would hear in my home. Piano is supposed to be a true test of a systems capabilities, and what I'm hearing sounds like the real deal. The guitar sounds like it's being played right in the room. Very balanced, no listener fatigue whatsoever do I hear. John Rutan steered me in the right direction, and I trust his opinion and his ability to system match. I personally like the guy, and he isn't an audiophile prima donna looking to rape and pillage people like some of these arrogant shysters out there. That doesn't mean I would never try some other brand, or consult with another dealer, but I like to return loyalty to those who have been good to me, and he's a straight shooter who has earned the following that he has built up over the years. I'm a big fan, pure and simple. Thanks again for the Ascend recommendation. Like I told you before, I absolutely can relate to your enthusiasm for Belles! I was a Rotel fan for many years, but wanted to take it up a few notches and get my foot in the Hi End door and Belles turned out to be a home run. I like people who go against the grain, who don't adhere to the status quo. Those with old school empathy for their customers. These are the companies I want to support. You seem to be cut from the same cloth, and what's fun about this crazy audio fixation is, to me and obviously to you, also: the pursuit and discovery of the very few brands that perform as well as the best, but are priced affordably and within reach of a lot of people, not just a select few. |
Better than anyone else? Nope. Just that Belles sounds better. Truth can be painful. No, Belles won't have the high profit margins as the big mega buck amps costing $20K to $50K. The core reason why many high end retailers don't carry the Belles line, is that these retailer's do not want Belles in their stores, since their amps would embarrass the big boys and jeopardize their high profit margins. And these retailers will always lie and mislead you, trying to convince you that Belles is just another average high end brand on the same level as everyone else, while Belles in the meantime sits quietly on top of Mount Everest. |
Audiozen, Horse hockey. Just for the facts we had auditioned Belles last series of electronics, we broke them in for a week and listened to them. They were okay at best no magic, no giant killing anything. We read the Aria review and maybe that piece is really good, we haven't heard the new Aria so no judgement and maybe it is radically better than his older stuff, but if the man is such a genius as you proclaim why was his last series of stuff now being replaced by a newer design? In terms of how giant killing or how musical, listen to a Unison Research Primo a 75 watt tube hybrid and their larger Unico 50 now the 90. We had a one time the $5k Luxman 20 Watt pure class A, and the Hegel H200 and the Unison was far better sounding because it was a hybrid. When you add tubes into a circuit you can combine the musicality of what tubes do with the power and drive and bass control of solid state. The point is there are many good sounding products. What the issue is your headline and your follow up which is basically saying Belles stuff is better than everyone. The point is yes the new Aria may be really good, Belles track record has been up and down and he is a tiny, tiny, manufacturer. We had reservations also due to the esteemed Mr. Belle's age, I think he is in his 70's does he even have a transition plan in place if he crooks? Does he have a partner or children ready to step in and continue to support his products, you might make the same argument with many other high end audio companies, then again maybe not. Not trying to be down, but when you have an older gentleman building electronics which can break this can be a concern to some people. The reality Audiozen, is this is a small community, if Belles products killed everything, these would be a lot more people chiming in about their stuff. As per Mr. M, please grow up, this is not about trolling. When someone makes a ridiculous statement that product X is the only speaker or amp or whatever is good or is the best, that triggers our agenda radar and Mr. M I am sure it must trigger yours as you would not have come up with your trolling comment. Mr. M. we sell four reference grade loudspeakers and five if you count the Polymer Audio Research speakers. On display Kef Blades, Paradigm Persona 9H, Legacy Aeris, Dali Epicon 8, and the Polymers. These speakers all range in price from $25k to $68k. Which one is the best? Answer they are all great and all different. If you look at the reviews all of these speakers have been top rated. My point is beauty and musicality are in the ear of the beholder as well as the solidity of the setup. Some people love Wilson, some don't some love B&W, some don't and there are of course the Vandy fans and the Vandy non fans. We would never say that any of our reference speakers are better than any of the others, we prefer them that doesn't mean a particular listener is going to. So Audiozen, which is better a Mercedes, a BMW, an Audi, a Lexus etc. Not based on resale, trunk size, repair history, which one is better? Answer all of them are great it is a matter of the particular buyer figuring out for themselves which one they like better and for what reason. So to recap, Belles may be wonderful, is it better than anything else up to the listener to determine. Good luck to you Mr. M. and Audiozen, just remember there are many good products, nobody builds the best of anything, it is a matter of taste. Please tell me we are wrong. Or are you better than us? Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
audiotroy..Boy, you have missed the boat. You need to eat some brain food. " If Belles products were so remarkable why are there next to no dealers?" WHAT A LOAD OF HOOEY!!! More than any other company, Belles has alway been the biggest threat to the retail industry, always clobbering mass mega-bucks electronics sold at the audio establishment retail stores. Belles does not need to be hooked up to a long string of retailers'. Their products sell constantly all year around since they have the strongest word of mouth reputation in the country amongst Musicphiles. All the other companies can only survive with their ongoing magazine ads, and constant audio establishment reviews or they would die on the vine. Not Dave Belles. I could care less about a retailer here in Seattle carrying the Belles product line. I just pick up the phone, call the Belles dealer in California, and have gear shipped by blue label. And no tax!! Easy Peasy! JohnnyR at AudioConnection in New Jersey appears to be a solid decent retailer that caters to both Musicphiles and Audiophiles and operates from a high ethical standard. I know exactly what game your playing, trying to convey a false misleading perception that a high end product is only good if its available everywhere at the top high end retailers in every major city. For those younger, newer Audiophiles/Musicphiles ignore this bunk from audiotroy. And if you happen live in the New Jersey, central east coast area, give JohnnyR a call at AudioConnection if your in buying mode, JohnnyR can give the run down on the magnificence of Belles, the Rolls Royce of solid state. |
Audiozen come on, only Belles makes musical electronics? If Belles products were so remarkable why are there next to no dealers. When someone makes ridiculous claims speaks volumes about intention. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ Dave your quote above. Please state your comments more gracefully. You have a lot to offer, and I appreciate your information at times, please be more helpful and less controversial. I know your a big boy. Can audiozen enjoy his sharing his enthusiasm for his products? You do all over the place. This is his thread. I don't agree about his view of early production Vandersteens. The early ones do sound different then the newer ones to some extent but they still sounded very very good in their own way. I have always liked Thiel speakers better. But I like to hear about audiozens enthusiasm about his system. Just like audiozen words are not end all statements neither are yours. Thanks for sharing your views also. |
Audiozen come on, only Belles makes musical electronics? If Belles products were so remarkable why are there next to no dealers. Yes the Aria does sound like a terrific integrated with a phono, but is it better than an Electrocompaniet or a Unison Research primo which is a hybrid with a tube line stage and a solid state amp? Or a dozen other well respected companies. When someone makes ridiculous claims speaks volumes about intention. We love T plus A electronics never in our posts have we stated that the brand is better then other products that we dont sell or havent compaired it to. We have reported that when we compared T plus A directly to other brands that we were also testing it was better on these speakers. Remember Peter Actzel all else is boat anchors quote? There are many outstanding afforadable and musical amps. Belles may be one of them they are not the only one. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
Important point..there are just over 4000 speaker companies' worldwide. Only 20% of those companies' manufacture their speaker's in house. Out of those 20 percent there is a small percentage of those that don't just manufacture loudspeaker's, they go beyond conventional thinking and design their speaker's as musical instruments. This applies to the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower which is true musical instrument treasure which is Dave Fabrikants' intended purpose. The same philosophy applies to electronics. Dave Belles amplifiers are designed as musical instruments as well. |
oem-wheels..Hard to say. Shoot Dave an email. He responds quickly. Hes full of surprises. But I would doubt it. My seasoned instincts tell me that the Virtuoso will be so spectacular musically, that separates will be the last thing on your mind. Don't think about, just buy it. And once you do, you will never sell it unless you hit hard times, and you will covet it like no other, and wind up hiring an armed Security Guard to guard your home. |
I love my Classe CA2200 amp and had no desire in trading it in for something else but after reading this thread, it got me curious about Belles product(s).. I wonder if Belles is going to make a 200w amp from the Virtuoso line ? How they compare to each other ? or sell my SSP800 and CA2200 and get this integrated ? ha .. |
2chreak..The current Vandy's look really good. Better crossover boards and better drivers. The speaker I'm referring to that I'm purchasing when the Virtuoso is released is designed by former top speaker engineer at Miller & Kreisel. Their professional pro line back in the 80's was overkill and their speaker's were used in just about every pro recording studio coast to coast. The designer is David Fabrikant. Hes off the radar just like Belles and his speaker's are killer. Absolute killer. He only sells factory direct and is one of the most decent, friendly, enjoyable audio engineers to chat with, and he has the best customer service I have experienced in thirty years. His company is Ascend Acoustics. And his killer Sierra Tower is one to beat at $10K and under. He is also a speaker/driver designer. He co-designed his NrT dome tweeter with SEAS which took two years. The speaker is the Sierra Tower. Check out this review on the EnjoytheMusic website, which is for Musicphiles, not Audiophiles. This past November, I sold by Ascend CBM-170 SE's with my Mira integrated and Sony SACD player and I must say those little CBM bugger's are some of the best little bookshelf's I've heard during the past 30 years. David likes staying off the radar and works 12 to 15 hours a day to satisfy his customers. He is a true music man that builds speakers for music lover's, the musicphiles. www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0312/sierra_tower_htm www.ascendacoustics.com |
The problem was the 2CE speaker. Not the amp and preamp. Several times during the listening session we switched back and forth with a Genesis floor stander. The sound from the same gear coming through the Genesis was spectacular. Aaron Nevilles' voice floating in front on the speaker with remarkable 3D imaging was remarkable and the bottom end was outstanding. Believe me, I'm the last person on earth that needs and education on the technical values matching gear regarding impedance, capacitance, or resistance values between components, matching cables or interconnects. Curtis made no mistake. Nice try. |
((((The gear used was an Audible Illusion’s Modulus 3A preamp, an Ayre amplifier))) Audiodozen Thanks for your well-intended observations above. I know you are fond of this new nice speaker and I am sure it is fine design that I would love to also hear. There is something that you should know that’s very important and would have happened to your nice speaker or any well-designed speaker as well back then with that pairing. We carried all three of the components and made the same mistakes as Curtis Here is a case of you shot the wrong messenger and I’m sure not intentionally as I would also agree with what you heard as spot on. Here’s Why....... First, the Ayre is a nice amp at the time of introduction it had a 10 K input impedance its a balanced bridge zero feedback design and was at its best with its own brand balanced pre amp which Curtis or I didn’t have until later when it came out. Enter the Balanced K1 The K1 together balanced with Ayres own amp were superb together and it drove that ayre amp to perfection we heard things we never heard before in recordings with that pairing with Vandys The Audible Illusions tube preamp was not balanced but RCA output it had a 1200 ohm output impedance. When you place AI / Ayre together these 2 mismatched components together with any well-designed speaker its a major mismatch. I agreed with you 100 percent and know what you heard as it was a bleak pairing but it’s not the speaker’s fault as the speaker was only the messenger. The AI preamp cant drive the10 k load.hence the extremes get rolled off soggy bass no dynamics elevator mids you get the picture etc. Later Ayre because of this happening to many others changed the input impedance spec of its amps to 100 K and now higher. This gave a much friendlier interface with matching other preamp owners equipment. Back then the Belles amps were 100 k and worked Fine with AI preamps I even remember hooking up Soundstage reviewer Doug Blackburn that purchassed Vandy 2s / 3A sigs with Belles and AI and later went to an all Belles pairing and loved it gave Vandersteen Reviewers choice. Cheers JohnnyR PS. Nowadays Vandys play Beethoven with the Belles like the Vienna Philharmonic.WOM You may need to come to Jersey to hear it. |
audiozen - You have provided quite a few revelations that I was unaware of about Vandersteen. It's always nice to get the inside scoop, and hear about personal experiences, good and bad because I do want to know about a companies true intentions and how committed they are to achieving excellence, as well as rock solid customer support. I wasn't all that familiar with Stereophile back then - really knew next to nothing about Vandersteen until I listened to them late '16. Vandersteens ads, at least the ones in Stereophile and TAS that I'm familiar with, are relatively simple one page affairs that don't exactly bang you over the head. I never would have guessed that he had the largest advertising contract with a major magazine. If he's a hot head, like you say, well I certainly don't condone that type of behavior and personality, but I have dealt with such types quite a few times along the way and it can become unbearable for all parties concerned. I try to see the good in everybody, but sometimes you need a magnifying glass to see it! My speakers have the "sock", and that doesn't bother me because it's the sound that I focus on as a priority. I really like my 1Ci's, and am used to the way they sound with the Belles. The room is pretty small, 11 1/2 x 12 1/2 ft, 8 ft ceiling, and I would love to get them into a bigger space but am unable at this time. I have never turned the volume up half way, not even close. The Aria isn't going anywhere in the foreseeable future, but if you, or someone else convinced me that I could do better than the Vandersteens, or rather the speakers convinced me, I would certainly be open the making a change at some point. So yes, I'm intrigued by this "Belles of speakers" you have mentioned, and if it was a heavenly match with the Aria, and was a quantum leap over the Vandersteens, then I would seriously consider making the change. i don't want to twist your arm, but if you don't tell me what it is, I might go all RV on you and God knows there are enough loose cannons in this world already! So yeah, give me the low down so my high blood pressure doesn't get out of control. Thanks for the information, and good luck on your Virtuoso quest to reach the audio promised land. |
2chfreak..Haven't heard any of the current Vandersteen models, and it appears he has taken on engineers that has improved his designs in recent years but that was not the case back in the 90's when all his model's were the open frame design with the sock over the frame. His speaker's back then sounded absolutely horrible. Why did he get such high praise back then? Because of big bucks going to Stereophile. During the late 80's and early 90's Richard Vandersteen had the largest annual advertising contract with Stereophile. For four years + he had a full page ad on the back cover every month. Most of the ads were the 2 CE. In the summer of 1998 I decided to check out the 2 CE's and called my friend Keith from the Washington Audio Society and asked him to go down to Tacoma with me and listen to the CE's at Advanced Audio. We arrived at the store, and the owner, Curtis, took us into the sound room where he set up a system to the 2 CE's. The gear used was an Audible Illusion's Modulus 3A preamp, an Ayre amplifier and a Wadia CD player. I brought some master CD recordings with me and started off with Copelands' Rodeo. The spectacular opening of Rodeo with its powerful timpani's and crashing symbols sounded flat and dull. The bass was loose and flabby with a narrow soundstage with no hall effect and poor imaging. Keith and I looked at each other and were shocked how bad the speaker sounded especially the bottom end that had low SPL capability. For two hours we threw everything at the Vandy's, Brubeck, Zeppelin, Beethoven. It just couldn't deliver the goods. Two days later I called and spoke to Richard Vandersteen and asked him what the maximum SPL/weighted decibel level the speaker could reach before breaking down. His response was.."What do you mean by weighted?" I explained and he went dead quiet, then replied loosing his temper and yelled at me saying, "I don't have time to answer technical question's" and slammed the phone on me. I mentioned my experience with senior member's of the audio society and they burst out laughing and told me that Richard is well known in the industry for his bad temper. If you ever decide to move on from Vandersteen, I will turn you on to a true treasure speaker that I would call the "Belles" of stereo speakers from a small boutique company. Their best floor stander cabinet is made from bamboo. The strongest natural fiber panels available. Bamboo is 500% stronger than MDF which everyone uses to make speakers since MDF is cheap. Bamboo also weighs 50% less. The guy who makes these speakers is just like Dave Belles. Makes speakers for music lovers. His top floor stander only cost two grand and you would be hard pressed to find a better speaker anywhere under $10K that could best it. Its the speaker I have finally decided on that is a match made in heaven with the Virtuoso. |
audiozen - thank you audiozen (and carmenc) for the kind words. I've been all over this forum in the short time I've been registered, and I feel like a kid in a candy shop! In most cases I would be suffering from information overload, but this audio topic I find fascinating... have always been intrigued by it and I have never been able to shake the bug. Not that I want to! People can watch reality tv, play video games, or grow progressively more stupid while worshiping their smart phones; I'm perfectly content to chill out while listening to my music, basking in the splendor of it all. We "musicphiles" - I really like that term so much more than "audiophiles" - know deep down that our lust for fine audio is not just a vanity production. Maybe for some audiophiles it is, but getting lost in the music and forgetting about the electronics and cables and speakers is the end game unless you are a showoff trying to impress people with your processions. Like $40k look what I have guy. My main form of entertainment is listening to my 2 channel stereo, and since I upgraded the whole thing in the past couple of years I am enjoying it more than ever. I wanted to take the sound to the next level, and the Belles Aria with the Vandersteen 1's rescued me from languishing in mid fi limbo. I remember the Sansui AU series, really nice cosmetics and from the era when amps and receivers actually had style. Having a good sound system was what many people aspired towards back then, but those days are over. Now it's about mobility, convenience, portability and listening in private with ear buds and the almighty phone. People probably think that moving up to an Echo with Alexa is entering the realm of hi end. It might be as close to hi end as they will ever get, and that is sad. I had some Advents too for a couple of years... all the rage for a while. Yeah, the 70's and 80's, when hifi shops were ubiquitous. For you kids, that means they were all over the place. Google it. I met Dave Belles a couple of times last year, and he is an incredible guy. I had heard about the Belles brand for years, but never knew very much about it. I had about 2k to spend on an amp, and I saw a tiny ad for the Belles Aria in the back of one of the magazines. The HiFI Choice review was stellar, and I drove 3+ hours to Audio Connection in NJ. JohnnyR played some cool tunes, and it was a done deal. It takes me 15 minutes to pick out a head of lettuce; this decision took 15 seconds. I share your enthusiasm for Belles, to say the least. After reading a hundred reviews, and driving myself crazy, I finally ditched the reviews and let my ears be the final arbiter, for the amp and speakers. The Rutan factor didn't hurt either. He really tells it like it is, and he has an affable way about him that puts you at ease, making the decision process anxiety free. I think that with the new Aria line, and with the soon to be released Virtuoso, Dave Belles is going to make a lot of people think twice before they fork over that big, fat money clip. The quote attributed to Leonardo da Vince... "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" sums up Dave Belles to a tee. In an industry that more than ever caters to the wealthy and privileged, Dave Belles has decided to take a different approach. Namely, produce "music first" audio products of superior quality, price them fairly, derive immense satisfaction knowing that you made many people happy, and stay honest and humble and true to your vision no matter what the other guys are doing. This makes him an icon in my opinion. I feel very lucky that I discovered Belles, and it will take an awful lot of convincing to persuade me to switch to another brand after this massive an upgrade and the value proposition that it represents. I don't think you can do better for the money. I might be wrong, but my ears tell me I'm not! |
2chfreak..I second carmenc's opinion that your post is great. You nailed it in spades. And your absolutely correct that millions don't care about music anymore. There are many audiophiles that buy high end gear just for show, on a endless carousel buying and selling constantly. A former audiophile friend of mine, who I no longer deal with, always has an average of $40K worth of gear in his rec room. He has never owned more than twenty CD's and has never heard of Bob Dylan or Joan Baez. A percentage of Gon member's are in the same camp. Buy just for show. I just don't get it. They would be better off investing in a car collection or coin collection. |
carmenc - I'm new to this forum, and between you, audiozen, and of course JohnnyR, not to mention others... I'm feeling less alone in my appreciation for Belles. Like so many other things in life, people tend to ignore true quality, and too easily give in to the hype, to glitzy advertising and all the other nonsense that attempts to sway us from our own intuition, our gut feeling. It's easy to get caught up in the exclusivity and status of many of these audio products, but there is not necessarily a correlation between price and quality/ performance. Those 3 page, glossier than polyurathane ads in the audio rags cost a ton, and I personally prefer manufacturers who put the money into the product. Trust your ears is the best advice I've heard so far. Belles and Vandersteen are just two examples; there are countless others for sure. "If you build it, and build it really well, they will come" type of approach, to paraphrase the old adage. Nothing beats word of mouth promotion and enthusiasm, and if I buy your product and it mesmerises and delights me and literally makes a powerful emotional connection with me than just as sure as hell I'm going to acknowledge the fact with gratitude and admiration. Music is a big deal, in my opinion the most powerful form of communication and entertainment there is, and to have it rendered and interpreted as beautifully and accurately as possible is one of life's great pleasures. Millions of people seemingly don't care, which bewilders me but different strokes for different folks, as they say. This is and always will be a niche interest, hobby, whatever you want to call it. Too many people have no idea what good music is, and really have no idea what good audio is all about. I love this stuff, and have for as long as I can remember. Been reading your comments, carmenc, and really enjoy your insight and perspective. Listening to others opinions is where it's at, and this should be a fun endeavor. Everybody's input is valuable, whether I agree or not. |
The venerable, one and only JohnnyR at Audio Connection played the Belles Aria integrated amp for me with Vandersteen Treo CT speakers and... A. My jaw dropped B. I went into an audiophile trance, so immersed was I in the music C. I Bought the Aria on the spot, convinced that I could do no better at anywhere near the price D. Repeat A&B every time I listen to this amazing amplifier, which I’ve been doing for over a year, not with the Treo’s, but a pair of the more affordable, yet massive bang for buck Vandersteen 1Ci’s. The sound is so balanced, so harmonious and so pristine, with bass that is palpable and never fatiguing. Based on the pure joy I’ve experienced listening to the Aria, I can only imagine how prolific a performer the Virtuoso is. It wouldn’t surprise me if it ends up embarrassing the esoteric, far more costly status symbol brands. I don’t know of another brand that punches so far above its weight as does Belles. It’s obscene what some of these companies charge for their audio products. Dave Belles provides an alternative to the brands that cater to the 1%, and it’s nice to see that someone in this industry has a conscience and gives a damn about music lovers with limited funds. In the meantime, the Aria is everything I could want and the music has never sounded more natural, more vibrant or more pleasurable. "How the hell does he do it?" is a recurring question I ask myself all the time! This is my experience, and I know everybody hears differently and has their own preferences. The Belles (Power Modules) brand flies way below the radar, and Dave Belles likes it that way, I suspect. He may not be a household name, but the man is a true icon in the world of audio whose products compete with, and in many cases surpass far more expensive stuff. Ignore the Belles brand at your own risk; buying the Aria was the best audio decision I have ever made. |
Oops!..mis-spaced. www.playbackdesigns.com |
bobheinatz...There are very few companies whose audio products I would purchase without hesitation with no concern to listen first before I buy. For one reason only, reputation. Belles is one of those companies. One other company that comes to mind that I would purchase from without a listen, who makes the world's finest SACD/CD players, is Playback Designs. Their upcoming to be released next month, the MPS-8 SACD/CD player, which retails for $25,000.00, is the finest player in the world. Checkout the MPS-8 at www.playbackdesigns.com |
bobheinatz..I'm not sure if any beta units turned up at CES last week, but heres what I would suggest until the unit is released. Find out if there is a Belles dealer in your area. The newest Aria series designs come with MM/MC boards depending on which version is available at a retail store to listen to. The Aria integrated, comes in two versions, with MM phono or with both MM/MC boards. See if the Aria integrated is on display with the MC version and go in and take a listen. This will provide you just how well his phono sections performs, and the Virtuoso, over three times the price of the Aria, I'm certain will up that game. |
Audiozen, Before we crown this the greatest reasonably price integrated ever no one here has heard it. I might be interested in purchasing the Virtuoso if the mc/phono section is really outstanding. We need to have some feedback from people in the field on their opinions. Audiozen track one down and give us your impression. Again this is of interest to me. |
" The sound is luscious and sweet...if you like the smooth liquid delivery of tube amps but wish they had more grunt, listen to the Aria." HI-FI Choice online magazine. The Aria is the little brother to the Virtuoso putting out 75 watts per channel. I was told by AudioWaves, a Belles retailer, that the Aria outsells all brands of integrated's at their store.The important point to make here is the special tube like liquid midrange that Belles is known for. I cannot recall any other high end solid state amp during the past 30 years regardless of price and build quality that sounds like tubes. The early pieces from Spectral in the mid 80's and early 90's, when designs were done by Demian Martin only came the closest to the Belles sound. When Keith Johnson took over the designs starting with the DMC-12, things went downhill at Spectral. Amps from Boulder, Levinson, Ayre, Pass, McIntosh, Spectral, Krell, or the best class D amps all do great things, but their engineers never have achieved what Belles has accomplished, getting the closest ever to that tube liquid midrange from a solid state amp. |
Click on this link and it will take you to the Belles home page with the pic of the Virtuoso. www.powermodules.com |
Pure Class A? I doubt it. But it really doesn't matter if its Class A,B,C,D,E,F,G...Why? Once you hear a Belles amp, game over. The sound will seduce you like the Siren's from Greece. I MEAN Really seduce you. I was originally planning to purchase the Belles Aria preamp hooked up to a pair of Bel Canto amps and during the past eight months was frustrated why Belles doesn't come out with a 200+ watts per side integrated, and sure enough, it has arrived from the Mother Ship. My first system in 1978 was a Sansui AU 7900 integrated hooked up to a Dual 701 turntable and large Advent speakers. You could fry an egg on the rear heat sink. And now that I'm retiring coming back full circle to an integrated amp from Belles, the Rolls Royce of solid state. |
(((Mr M Wrong designer Moscode was a different fellow initials GK and I agree with you))) Many years back I was selling Apogee Divas Calipers and Duettas Jason Bloom Apogees pres walks in and said Rutan I like you and I’m glad we’re doing business. But can you do me a small favor? whats that? ""That Pioneer Elite amp sitting near my speakers it’s a little well you know near my gear can you please move it away. I replied sure I get it and followed with my Question ""Jason, if you were me and wanted to please folks with offering a real-world high-performance fairly priced amp what would you suggest""? He scratched his head and in seconds later replied Belles Dave Belles I don’t know how he does it check it out! I call Dave up he sent one down to us and watched it embarrass everything we had at twice the price including Classe DR9s Counterpoints, Big PS Audios, My friend who had Calipers with a 270 wpc Mcintosh amp sold it immediately and still has the Belles. Years later his 2995 Aria Mono Blocks are doing the same for us with Vandersteens and many other speakers for music lovers. JohnnyR |
facten..I was turned on to Belles four years ago by a local audiophile friend who I've known for twenty years who I met at the Washington Audio society monthly meetings years ago. On several occasions, I had the pleasure of listening to his Belles Hot Rod amp hooked up to his Spectral DMC-10 preamp. The sound swept me away. Having owned many amps during the past 30 years from the likes of Carver, Counterpoint, Parasound, Early Nuforce SE 9's, None of those units grabbed my soul like the Belles. The one sonic character the Belles has over many others, is the remarkable rich smoothness in the midrange and high frequencies, as well as bass to die for. |
The basis of my statement is this. I have been an Audiophile for 40 years and have heard all the brands I have mentioned above and have owned in the past PASS gear. The Belles gear is far better sounding than the other brands I've mentioned and heres why. During the past forty years there has been repeated attempts by solid state amp designers to get as close as possible to that magical midrange floating holographic quality that the best tube amps are known for. Since David Belles has had a history producing solid state and tube designs, his solid state designs come closer to that magical midrange of tubes than any other solid state amp on the market. He doesn't advertise, he doesn't need to due to having the strongest word of mouth reputation in the country. He designs gear specifically for music lovers, the Musicphiles, not Audiophiles. |