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Any love for the Belles Aria or other recent Belles amplifier?

I recently heard a Belles 150a Hotrod with Triangle Zerius speakers and a transformer volume control.  The sound is one of the most compelling pairings I have heard.  I am considering purchasing a used 350a or a new Aria or 150a ref. v2.

Has anyone spent time with one, two or all three of these amplifiers?  I'd like to spend as little as possible but still have an outstanding match with the easy-to-drive Zerius.  I like the idea of an integrated if it sounds as good as the bigger amps just with less output power.

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
128x128leahy
cedargrover
302 posts
 
What speakers did Johnny pair the Arias with?
joey54
434 posts
 
John has generally been showing the Aria Integrated with the Ryan 610's and the Vandersteen Treo CT's. Both combinations sound great. I believe he showed the monoblocks with a pair of Proac floorstanders when I was there. I am not sure which Proac's they were. I would call John directly and speak to him if you are interested. He's a great guy and will work with you to get your system sounding the way you want it to. Good Luck!
cedargrover
302 posts
 
Thanks Joey54!  I got my Ayre-Vandersteen set up from John and agree that he's a great guy! 
djengan
46 posts
 
signaturesound,
Can you please explain how is the Aria "terrific" amplifier when NAD C356
(when it works, of course) sound better with the Cardas Clear for Pre/Amp.
Better bass and much more detailed sound. With the NAD you can actually hear the pluck on guitar which is not the case with Aria.
My friend recently bought a brand new Aria but with some issues so it had to go back for a repair. We listened yesterday some music and it's very clear that the Aria is not "terrific" amplifier. To be fair, we listened Aria only for a couple of hours but I really doubt that the Aria needs 250 hours to open. I even don't believe that the Integrated amplifiers (except for tubed)
need break in period. Of course, this is just my opinion.
smrex13
645 posts
 
I was also in the minority in not being wowed by the Belles Aria.  Of course, everything is system dependent, and I was comparing it to a Bryston B100sst integrated.  The Belles just sounded small and thin compared to the Bryston.  Perhaps it needed more burn in time.  I have heard the Soloist and liked it quite a bit, so I was hoping to be impressed with the Aria.  Wasn't bad at all, but just fell short for me.  Was running it with Harbeth C7es3 speakers.

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