2. amps-preamps
  3. 1114485622

Belles 150A Short Review

I'm going to chime in about this amp because I think it's that good! My comparisons are based on other SS amps & not tube & mostly to power amps in the $2,000.00 range & under. This amp was definitely designed for the critical audiophile. Sounds excellent with all types of music but really excels at high quality recorded material, very well refined at its price point, with good depth. It doesn't have the bass slam of a Krell, but from top to bottom, it's very well balanced. One of the things that really stood out was the height of the soundstage. While listening I felt as if I shrank in size & my speakers grew to twelve feet tall, amazing acomplishment for a solid state amp. Some SS amps I have heard that can come close to this, suffer at the expense of a large soundstage, not this one. Excellent midbass, & the midrange is very well acomplished for a SS amp more so than previous amps. A slightly warmish sounding amp (no listening fatigue here) but with superb detail, not the state of the art in transparency but very good never the less. This small discrepancy is easily over-shadowed by what this amp does so superbly right. By the way, I am using the amp with the spectacular ARC LS-1 tube preamp, which is a killer bargain in its own right. Trying different interconnects is crucial for deriving the best sound ( but not necessarily based on costs). I used some Groneberg interconnects (not extremely expensive) but the same ones recommended by Klaus for Odyssey amps. Spectacular improvement over the Audioquests, but this equation can change from one amp to another. Everytime I fire this amp up I'm amazed at what it can do & the amount of enjoyment I get from just listening, very musical! David Belles deserves a standing ovation for this fine power amp. One can only imagine what the Hotrod version sounds like but from what I understand the only difference would be the addition of strategicaly placed damping material & gold binding posts. I strongly recommend this amp!
phd
teajay
1,697 posts
 
Thanks for your fine review Phd. My audiophile partner just replaced an Audio Lab amp with a Hotrod version of the Belles 150 with the result that his whole system went up another notch towards the sound of real music. The Belles amps are great pieces period, but when you factor in their price their one of the great bargains in high-end audio. Thanks for sharing and enjoy the music as I know you will.
bigtee
803 posts
 
If you get a chance, listen to the Belles 150a Reference amp. It is not an upgraded 150a but an entirely new amp based on the 350a. Talking about a spetacular amplifier, it takes music to another level.
photon46
1,086 posts
 
Phd, your short review (and other's impressions) certainly indicate that many listeners find the Belles a great amp & an impressive value. My own experience with a Hot Rod 150a was far less positive. I found it to be almost no improvement over a old Adcom 125 watt amp in the context of my system. I say this not to dispute your impressions or evaluation, but rather to point out that I've found system synergy elusive and hard to predict. In my case, replacing the Belles with a PS Audio HCA-2 gave me the audio magic carpet ride. It could be that the Belles didn't react well to the 4 ohm resistance of my Magneplanar 1.6's. To further complicate impressions, I found that changing the output gain from my Music Reference preamp also drastically changes the sound. Using 3db of output gain sounds vastly better than higher gain settings. It's such a question of luck (or a good dealer) finding the combination of components that work well together. I would also have to mention in passing that I had a very sour experience with Belles warranty repair service. I had to send the amp back for blown mosfets and when it came back from that repair, it still wasn't working. Had to send it back again at my expense. It was out of service a long time, and shipping was expensive.
phd OP
1,320 posts
 
Thankyou Teajay, Bigtee, & Photon46 for your responses, they are all appreciated! Finding a budget amplifier that does most things right is a real plus & there is no such thing as the "one" perfect amplifier for everyone especially when you take in account the type of speakers you will be driving. My speakers are efficient & very revealing. A 100 watt per channel amp will drive these speakers to intolerable levels, well almost. Anyway these efficient speakers allows me the luxury of being able to invest in lowered powered, lower cost amplifiers. Photon46 I have owned Magneplanar speakers (fine speakers) before & know they may require more power than the 150A to drive them satisfactorly, to constantly overdrive them with the 150A could result in amplifier failure. The HCA-2 is a fine digital power amp, & because its digital, may be less prone to higher demands & impedances in this regard, the HCA2 will shut itself down completely before clipping, requiring the amp to be reset. On the other hand the 150A does not shut itself down at the very point of clipping requiring more immediate action by the user. However I have yet to clip it with my speakers at sane volume levels. My only & (I do mean only) criticism would be that the HCA-2 does not offer a weighty sound that a conventional amp has. Never the less I love the sound of the HCA-2 & wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Your right, matching & finding the perfect components is what this hobby is all about. I have not had any problems requiring specific service through Belles so I can't comment on their quality of service. The Belles 150A is currently driving my speakers without a hint of strain. For now, I am using this amp as an alternative to my tube power amp & that says alot. I will not make any direct comparisons between the two as they are both very special in their own sort of way.
More to discover