Belles Aria Signature and other Int Amp recommendation

@elan120 I've owned a Belles Aria Signature for about three months. I agree there's not much out there about it. I'm not an experienced audiophile but I'm extremely pleased with it. I upgraded from a Rega Elex-R and I primarily listen to vinyl using a Tavish Design tube phono pre. Here are a few observations:

1. Relative to the Elex-R, the Belles is warmer, which makes it neutral and well-balanced through the range compared to the leaner, more forward Rega. 

2. Bass is wonderful, very strong, full, and tight with great tonal and pitch definition. This is a refined amp and it really shows in the bass performance. 

3. Soundstage depth and instrument separation are excellent, giving an immersive sense of being there and being able to easily point to each instrument or voice in space. It's very three dimensional, and endlessly fascinating to listen for where specific sounds are coming from in the music. 

4. Clarity is dramatic and precise yet smooth at all ranges with no harshness or rough edges. It has a full, rich sound that's engaging, but never syrupy or rounded off. The sound is so interesting I have a hard time walking away, even after a couple hours of focused listening. 

5. The Signature has a lot of grunt and really woke up my speakers, bringing them to a much higher level of performance than the Rega. I can really feel the fullness and power of the music, even in quiet parts or at lower volume. 

6. Break in took a long time, and it goes through very audible changes as break in proceeds. It started to settle down after about 40 hours of playing, and kept getting clearer, smoother, and more lifelike over a few more weeks after that. Break in is not subtle with this amp. 

7. I bought from Gene Rubin. Gene went above and beyond to help me with setup issues, and I highly recommend working with him. I also had a few questions for David Belles who replied quickly and gave me great service. These are top shelf guys to work with. 

I'm really happy with the amp and highly recommend it. However, I freely admit I'm not very experienced and don't have a lot of high end references for comparison. For me, it was a great purchase that's added a lot to my enjoyment of music and my system. 

Best wishes!

@thecarpathian ,  Will do, once I have the setup ready.

Interesting read about the Coda, and I will do more research on this gear.

@phasemonger ,  Thank you for taking the time for such detailed reply.  It is very helpful, and I lean very strongly to get one and see how it works in my setup.  If you don't mind, could you also share what speakers you paired with the Aria Signature?

I have owned the Belles Aria now for 2 years. I own Klipsch....JBL....Teckton.....Triangle...Alon....and Quad speakers. This integrated powers them all beautifully. Sweet  and punchy. Easy to listen to for hours at a time with no fatigue....I'm actually looking to upgrade to seperates and will be selling my Aria . Mint condition. Like new.

@elan120 You're most welcome. Below are a few of my system details. I know my speakers are on the border of "audiophile" grade, but the Signature is definitely getting the best out of them, and they're a lot better than their price point might indicate. I'm planning an upgrade because I can tell the rest of my system is capable of much more with better speakers, but for now I really enjoy what I'm hearing. For what it's worth, I'm taking a close look at Vandersteen 3a and Raven Audio Celest' right now, but haven't decided. 

Speakers: Martin Logan Motion 40i

TT: Rega RP8 with Hana SL

Phono pre: Tavish Vintage

Mid grade AudioQuest interconnects, Belden speaker wire, Nobsound springs and BDR cones for vibration control, magic by Krissy (bless her). 

On the Signature, my impression is that it does everything really well with no apparent weaknesses. I have no doubt you can get more of all that goodness at the next price point, but for me at least I'm not hearing any weaknesses within the context of my modest system. The Rega Elex-R on the other hand was energetic and brilliantly clear, but slightly harsh and fatiguing with all the same gear. 

Best wishes!

@buddyboy1 I heard from Gene Rubin that David Belles is about to release an Aria Signature dual mono, if you find that interesting vs. separates. 

Best wishes!