You lucky dog. the upper tier Belles amps are in a league of their own. For those that have not heard one you owe it to yourself to give one a listen, you will then realize what you've been missing. Big full sound with a tall sound stage. Definitely not part of the usual crowd of amps. I also have a high respect for the Audible Illusions preamps but you are correct that the the M3A does not have a gain control like the Audible Illusions L1. The L1 has the same line stage but no phono stage but does have a gain control along with a master volume control.
Belles Virtuoso power amp - My initial experience
On a previous post I mentioned that I was buying a Belles virtuoso power amp/ Must be one of the first ones since they are not advertised on their website yet. However, I was able to buy one through John Rutan from Audio Connection. Belles states a break in period of 200hrs. I have not reached that level yet. Im more close to 50. I was asked to report my experience with the amp.
First, this is an upgrade from my Rogue Cronus Magnum 90 wpc integrated which I believe is a great intro level equipment. I have not heard the Belles Aria nor I have done any A/B comparison with the Belles.
Second, so far the excitement in improved SQ is there. The extra power allows for more detail, sounds that were not audible before, are there. Cymbals are heard, voices sound with energy and not tired.Whispers are heard. Percussion instruments are noticeable with clarity. Overall all instruments sound lively and true. I enjoy being music analytical and this amp allows me to enjoy that. Bad recordings will be noticeable though.
Third, now to the rest of my equipment. I also acquired for my preamp an Audible Illusions M3A factory refurbished. I liked this unit bc of its successful history of being one of the best tube preamps right there with CJ and AR. I also loved the idea of a separate power supply. I used to owned Counterpoints. I like the sound of tubes. The M3A provides for an amazing sound stage. My only complain is their volume control. The increase in dbs per clicks can be too much at time. My Vandersteens 2 CE sig have never sound this good! I never thought those speakers could produce that good bass quality. Obviously is the combination of both equipments, but could not do it without the amp driving power. Even at lower volumes, you can still get definition. Kimber cables 12t remained as my speaker cable. I used PBJ cables but will be replaced by Audioquest Red Rivers. Maybe down the futures some Vandis Treo CTs. they are pricey but angelicals.
Without a A/B comparison is a bit hard to further explain the characteristics of the Belles. With a tag price of almost 6k, it is not entry level but I have to agree it is a fine piece of equipment and once become available , should be seriously considered with others in its class like Brystons, McCormacks in said price range. Those that owned Belles electronics seems to cherish them as a well designed equipment and will salivate to listen to it. Like I said, I like the sound of tubes. This combination provides for that. I'm not missing any at all.
Will it improve with time, only time will tell. I hope so.
First, this is an upgrade from my Rogue Cronus Magnum 90 wpc integrated which I believe is a great intro level equipment. I have not heard the Belles Aria nor I have done any A/B comparison with the Belles.
Second, so far the excitement in improved SQ is there. The extra power allows for more detail, sounds that were not audible before, are there. Cymbals are heard, voices sound with energy and not tired.Whispers are heard. Percussion instruments are noticeable with clarity. Overall all instruments sound lively and true. I enjoy being music analytical and this amp allows me to enjoy that. Bad recordings will be noticeable though.
Third, now to the rest of my equipment. I also acquired for my preamp an Audible Illusions M3A factory refurbished. I liked this unit bc of its successful history of being one of the best tube preamps right there with CJ and AR. I also loved the idea of a separate power supply. I used to owned Counterpoints. I like the sound of tubes. The M3A provides for an amazing sound stage. My only complain is their volume control. The increase in dbs per clicks can be too much at time. My Vandersteens 2 CE sig have never sound this good! I never thought those speakers could produce that good bass quality. Obviously is the combination of both equipments, but could not do it without the amp driving power. Even at lower volumes, you can still get definition. Kimber cables 12t remained as my speaker cable. I used PBJ cables but will be replaced by Audioquest Red Rivers. Maybe down the futures some Vandis Treo CTs. they are pricey but angelicals.
Without a A/B comparison is a bit hard to further explain the characteristics of the Belles. With a tag price of almost 6k, it is not entry level but I have to agree it is a fine piece of equipment and once become available , should be seriously considered with others in its class like Brystons, McCormacks in said price range. Those that owned Belles electronics seems to cherish them as a well designed equipment and will salivate to listen to it. Like I said, I like the sound of tubes. This combination provides for that. I'm not missing any at all.
Will it improve with time, only time will tell. I hope so.
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I spent a few hours listening to the new Belles Aria Signature Integrated amp at the Audio Connection today. It betters the standard Aria in every way, as it should for $4400. The rest of the system was Vandersteen Treo CT's, Clearaudio Concept with Satisfy arm and Hana EH cartridge, Ayre Codex, Innuos Zen Mini and all Audioquest cabling. I think John said 120 watts per channel with a phono stage that supports both MM and MC cartridges. 3 Single ended and 1 balanced input and output. This unit has less than 24 hours on it. We listened to vinyl mostly and the phono stage in the amplifier is much better than the one in the standard Aria. The midrange and sound staging were close to what I hear with my Aesthetix Mimas. The bass is also outstanding. Music flowed from the speakers in a relaxed, effortless manner without sounding polite or laid-back. Dynamics were excellent. I can't imagine how much better it will sound once it's broken in. At this price point I think it will be hard to beat. I understand that the release of the Virtuoso Integrated is not that much farther out. |
Things change and we may be dealing with a moving target here, but my understanding was this: - preamp being finalized was also going to be called Virtuoso (part of the Virtuoso series). Price TBA but probably somewhere in the 5K range. - two more products in development: i. the Virtuoso integrated, combining elements from the power and pre- (third member of the Virtuoso family); ii. an Aria Signature integrated, using some trickle-down technology, a seriously revamped and upped version of the Aria integrated. |
stereo54 I think they are a great preamps, but like you said too much gain. Coincidentialy , Having owned a Rogue Cronus before, my first choice was the RP1, which was tube and about the same price as the AI but lacked the external power supply. I wear hearing aides so I have an extra level of control. I miss a remote but was willing to go without. How do you compare the SQ of the Rogue vs the AI 3B? |
I had the same problem with all 3 of my Modulus preamps, the 3, 3A and 3B that I could never get the volume exactly the level I wanted it at. There is just too much gain in the preamp. I got so frustrated that I sold all of them and purchased a Rogue RP5 preamp. It was more quiet than the AI preamps and once I rolled NOS Mullard into it, the sound was superb. I also liked the full function remote. |
here is a link to the Belles dual mono amp http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=0punVnTh&id=2A3B8CDCB3E2AD8A55F064D74272DA092BD05230&thid=OIP.0punVnTheGx_AVWALW7STQHaDX&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soundstagenetwork.com%2Fequipment%2Fpics%2F200909_belles_sa30_380w.jpg&exph=173&expw=380&q=belles+virtuoso+power+amplifier&simid=608032833570605006&ck=47AA8AA5B8CE02C7E0E027EE6AFFBF22&selectedindex=80&ajaxhist=0&vt=0&sim=11 . BTW, I forgot to mentioned that this novel design is a dual mono. there are two PS , one for each channel. here is a link to a pic. |