Just to mention as I did not see this corrected in any of the posts. The original poster claimed the phono stage is MM and MC. It is not, the Aria Signature is MM only.
The Belles Aria Signature Integrated Amplifier
The Belles Aria Signature Integrated Amplifier has landed at the Audio Connection in Verona, NJ. 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. Sounds great even though the unit has less than 24 hours on it.
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troidelover1499: You might look Tube preamp, a used one. I have the VT-01 and I got it used for a great deal and it gives the warmth and richness you are looking for, although for a solid-state piece the Aria does sound tube like to me.... It would be interesting to see what the differences are, I did use the Aria with a TubeDac which was beneficial on what your looking for as well. This was a great combo with the Aria, and wish I would have kept it. https://www.jolida.com/product/glass-fx-tube-dac-iii |
@troidelover, I own the Aria monoblocks and think they are great, I was considering the Signature, but it was a bit too expensive for my modest rig. The best person to put your questions to is John Rutan (audioconnection). He would be able to put the differences into words, better than anyone else. Bob |
I would be curious to know if the new Signature model has the same sound signature as the standard Aria... or if Belles has injected a little more warmth and richness into the highly transparent, clear sound of the Aria. In my system with Epos M22’s and their metal dome tweeter, the Aria was a touch bright in presentation when I tried it a few years back. |
I have MB-200 monoblocs and VT-01 and love the combo but I also have a Aria Int. and love it! It has zero issues running my Dynaudio C2 Platinums or Confidence 20s.. It would be interesting to see what is the main differences, besides modest increase in power. Dave makes great stuff and works of art that make my speakers sing the way I like them. |
I recently had the opportunity to compare the Aria Integrated with the Signature with Johnny R. For full disclosure, I spent most of my time there (a few hours with my vinyl) with the Aria and Rogue Sphinx v3 as the Signature is outside my budget. I would definitely say that the Signature was an improvement, but I was very impressed with the Aria. I also much preferred the Aria to the Rogue, and as I wait for mine to be built and shipped, I can confirm that Dave B has quite a few orders to fill. |
I need to talk to John Rutan about the differences between the Aria and Signature. It would be nice to do an A/B comparison. As far as Belles' website, I agree, it would be nice to get more information, but I can understand that Belles probably doesn't have the marketing budget of, say Wilson Audio or PS Audio. B |
I think the Belles Aria is a fantastic amplifier that sounds better than some other integrateds I've recently owned, like Naim Supernait 2 and Hegel H190. The Aria costs about 50% as much as these amplifiers, so it is a great value, too. I may upgrade to the Signature model but time will tell. Going online to the Belles/Power Modules website for more information, I was disappointed not to find any product information for the Aria Signature (other than an image) or the Virtuoso integrated. So these products are offered for sale and the manufacturer does not provide detailed product information? Strange. I know, the administrative stuff gets overlooked with a small company but Belles has been around long enough to do better. Just my opinion, of course. Still a big fan. |
@jl35 , I am sure he can, but I can say that he treats everyone with respect- Which is something I can say I haven't observed from other dealers in the NY metro area over the years, and that goes back a couple of decades. Things are a bit better now, but I can remember being sized up by more than one salesman than I can count. -One of the reasons I won't buy a Rolex. B |
@so-al, I agree, but more than a few of us have limited dollars to spend, and buying used-which is much easier these days because of the interenet-allows us to get more for the dollar. Though I do feel a bit of twinge of guilt when I hear something at Johnny's and buy it used elsewhere. As a self employed gardener, I would take issue if potential clients would take my designs and have others employ them, only because they could save some money. (But, then again, my designs are pretty weird, and very few people could implement them besides myself,-at least to my standards). Bob |
@grdnrbob your advice is still good, no matter where you buy! audio connection has been there forever, they are honest, knowledgeable, welcoming - can't say that for many retailers in the biz, esp. ones with a large store and significant overhead buying used is smart as a way to try things without losing your shirt smart hi fi nerds trade that way definitely tough being a high end hifi retailer, no doubt about it, esp. away from big cities where there are people willing to spend big dollars for good sound |
@jjss49 , I am glad you found my recommendations worthy. But, I have to give credit where it is due. I auditioned the Codex and Node at Audioconnection. If I were truly upstanding, I should have bought them from him, but being a cheapskate, I bought used instead, and saved a lot of cash. Thankfully, I am now in a better financial situation, and will be buying more from Johnny. Moral of the story: Your brick and mortar dealer (esp. John Rutan) knows his/her stuff, and, if possible, you should try to repay that knowledge with purchases. B |
@gdnrbob couldn’t agree more in fact i voted with my feet (and wallet haha) my second system is an aria with node 2i/ayre codex driving harbeths (the codex purchased with your suggestion several months back, thank you) lovely natural rich coherent imminently listenable for long long stretches bought the aria used for 1500, codex for 850 -- the sq for dollars spent is just off the charts!!! |
