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Rogue Sphinx or Belles Aria???

I've recently been building up my system over the past year getting into the mid/hi-fi level and have finally reached the point of upgrading my amplifier [currently older Yamaha A-S500]. 
I'm looking for an integrated amp in the ~$2k range [I don't have space or budget for separates] and think I finally have it narrowed down between a Rogue Sphinx v3 and a Belles Aria.  I'm only listening to vinyl so have no need to worry about a DAC.

The Rogue has many positive reviews so think it would be a pretty safe bet and while I can only find one professional Belles Aria reviews the personal reviews in various forums seem to be pretty spectacular and seems to punch above its class so I'm really intrigued. 
Unfortunately, I'm not in the position to demo either of these personally so I'm looking for advice; especially if any one has ever compared side by side.

The rest of my setup is as follows:
B&W 705 stand-mounts
Rega Planar P3 w/ Elys MM
Audioquest Sydney interconnects

I really appreciate any advice...thanks!

dsjs4
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 

I posted this info in another thread, but in summary, my understanding is this: the Virtuoso power amp is finished and available for purchase right now.  The Virtuoso pre-amp is still being finalized but will be available very soon.

My understanding also was that these will be followed by a "blending" of the two into the Virtuoso Integrated (which was supposed to be coming first, but is now last, for a variety of reasons), and only then the Aria Signature integrated.

But perhaps the A.S. has leapt over it in the order of production.  We shall see. I also don't know to what extent the A.S. might use trickle-down from the Virtuoso, or to what extent it is a beefing up of the already excellent Aria line (preamp, stereo amp, monoblocks).

I know at least one member of A'gon has a Virtuoso power, but so far hasn't reported back on impressions.

b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,277 posts
 
@jackd , interesting that you mentioned the Kinki... I’ve had that on my radar for awhile now, v
before I had the Carreras.

I actually sent out an e-mail to A seller of a Kinki EX-M1 a week ago who resides in Mexico but haven’t heard back yet from him.  He has good feedback but him not getting back to me in a timely manner was a bit worrying.  
I’m looking at A Rogue Cronus 1 or a Rogue Tempest 2 here on the gon.

I wonder if the Kinki would just be the way to go since I think the build quality is awesome and I think it would pair well with the Carreras and my musical tastes...

I have a few days before I can do anything so I have some time to research things!

The Belles Aria at around $1300 used would be ideal  though,but I just can’t find one for sale and have been looking for one for weeks now...


b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,277 posts
 
@valinar , what was the other amp that you liked a wee bit more?
valinar
473 posts
 
@b_limo 
Actually, it was more than a “wee bit more”. It was a LFD LE MK VI U. The Aria was generally more dynamic but the LFD has a more musical sound to my ears. For the money the Aria is an amp that could easily be a years long favorite. I just like the LFD presentation more. 
msafrick
19 posts
 
After reading several reviews and posts about the Sphinx v3 (and prior models) and the one review of the Aria and few posts, I finally got the opportunity to listen to them side by side. 
In short, I just placed the order for the Aria. I brought along my vinyl to audition the amps, and was struggling to find the words to describe the differences, but basically the Aria just sounds better. Using a digital source and switching between the amps, the characteristics of what was missing in the Rogue were consistently revealed with each track. 
To me this just proves the point that you really need to go listen for yourself. I don’t mean to knock the Rogue as it did sound very nice. I guess I just expected it to sound better, and when hearing the 2 side by side, it really wasn’t a difficult decision.
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