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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
tube_meister
20 posts
 
Hello All.
Does anybody know anything about David's 250i tube hybrid integrated amplifier?
There is one currently for sale here on Audiogon.
It must be a discontinued piece, but I cannot find much information about it on the internet.
Is it that rare?
Many Thanks!
leahy's avatar
leahy OP
80 posts
 
I've landed at some vintage Harman Kardon equipment from the mid-70's (HK 330B & 430). Lot's of synergy with my current single-driver speakers. If I needed more power, I would stick with an Aria. Liked it much better than many other more expensive options.
gandalf's avatar
gandalf
55 posts
 
I am an owner of Belles MB-200 Monoblocs along with David's VT-01 Pre/Amp, but ended up buying a Aria Int. Amp at a great deal and I am shocked on how good it sounds on a pair of Magnepan 1.7i and some Dynaudio Confidence C2's. Didn't think this thing had the balls to run some of these big boy speakers, and boy was I wrong... Unbelievable that good! 
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
He is a great designer.  Many great ones out there, but most folks don't know about their gear etc...  This is why the brick and mortar stores are so important and why I frequent them when purchasing.  You can hear gear and how it pairs with what you own.  

I'm sure Johnny can answer any questions about the age of a piece or how it sounds compared to todays offerings.
nealkot
25 posts
 
Hey all... 

  found this thread doing research and felt compelled to resurrect it with a comment.....I couldn’t agree more with what ctsooner said above about “brick and mortar” audio retailers. I found my Belles Soloist 1 at Overture Audio in Ann Arbor used in 2015. Since then, I’ve replaced every other component in my system with no plans to replace the Belles. I’m running a Transparent cable loom that costs more than the Amp, a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, ATC SCM 40v2 towers and a REL S/3 SHO and I am truly happy with that set up. Point is, I would’ve never considered the Soloist 1 or even known it existed unless someone at Overture took the time to educate me about David Belles and his handmade audio gems. I’m very happy with mine and I can’t imagine ever finding a better solid state integrated for the money....
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