Belles 150A Reference in Mono???

I think it's about time we got into some Belles chat;pro or con--it's all good.
Why I used the 150 for a year???( I also had the hot-rod 150 before the ref,version.)--- (I think each amp is killer in its price point.) I was busy paying off my Sophias;first the originals and then the 2's.I had the originals and then traded them and got the 2's--so I lived with both,just not at the same time.
Whether we're talking amp or speakers,esp. ones we own,it's natural to compare said item to the item it replaced.------When I refer to "noise" from the 150,believe me I NEVER heard any,it's just when you use the 350 you can't help but notice---it is quieter;in my system.---On to bass with each amp--and with Merlin vs. Sophia.------Just replacing the speakers with no other changes;using the exact same everthing--and placing them in near the same place---much more low/mid drive from the Sophia. I can tell you I get that much more bass ,150 vs. 350.---BTW---My 2's got here and a forklift went thru the wood crate so I had 2 months between 1&2's.(The Soph.1's were already gone) My hearing is such that If I make no changes to anything else,I can tell pretty well whatever differences there are between the new piece and the old. It took me months to appreciate the 2's better treble.---The 350 just got plunked down where the 150 had been (and no 2 months between each).----I had emailed David and received no reply as well;in the past. On getting an exploding amp I guess it would sour anyone,to bad. Nobody or nothing is perfect. The seller of the 350 says he bought Lamm,can't remember which model but at 4X's the price(new)I can assume it's also a much better amp/s.---How I got turned to Belles? The guy I bought my Merlins from was using the hot-rod,so I got one,too. While I loved each amp, moving up their line I found you get more with each step. I think the step to the 350 is just a bit more than the other steps were. So I guess changes are all subjective. The main purpose of my post was to write my opinions of going 150 to 350/ not to bash the 150;but that is how the chips fall--there are huge differences.

As a "new" Belles 350A Reference owner, I also want to throw myself into the "very impressed" camp. I had never even heard about Power Modules/Belles, but was looking to replace a Sunfire Cinema Grand (five channel) with a robust two-channel amp, to drive ML Summits. I had already demo'd a Butler 2250, but wasn't happy with it's synergy with the Summits. My dealer then suggested I consider the Belles. I researched the Belles 350A Ref, found the sole Soundstage review, but otherwise SCANT mention of it online. I, too, emailed Belles/Power Modules (specifically inquiring about how well it could handle ML's)... and like most folks, never got a reply. I was unimpressed, and ready to keep looking at other brands. However, since I already had $$ credit with my dealer, and the demo would only cost me shipping, I finally agreed to give it a listen. Wow! From the first notes, I was blown away, and immediately called my dealer to say it was a keeper. After 3 months break-in, I'm even more thrilled with it's musicality. I eventually emailed Belles/Power Modules AGAIN (praising the amp) and DID receive a personal thank-you reply from David Belles himself. I suspect Dave Belles is approaching retirement, and just not interested in investing the time and energy needed to compete in the shrinking audiophile market. That would be a real loss for the audio future.

After buying some beautiful looking and sounding Focus 20/20's my 150A non-ref. was huffing and puffing to provide the necessary power. So I took a chance on vertically bi amping with another 150A ! Wow ! It's hard to say how much of the improvement was the undernourished 20/20's, and how much was the vert. bi-amping . But the result was astonishing ! With a good 'ol Audible Illusions Pre and Cary's Concept CD w/upsampling/ HDCD I'm listening to some incredible sound ! Sure many Goners spend $10K for each component, but I hit paydirt for a little less than that for the whole set up ! ( Take it easy on me. I bruise easily ! )

Update: 12 days into my ownership-(bought used)- my 350 needs to back to David. I had a lightning and arcing show, that took out the right channel.From the visual and sound it seemed like I was arc welding.(scarry stuff till it tripped the breaker)
So I'm back to the little 150 and it is a come-down,for sure. SO--What I did is buy a used CJ 350 ss amp. That gets here on Fri,this week. I look to be without the Belles 350 for a month to 6 weeks. The CJ is a 10k amp. I'm curious to see how the 2 amps compare. The loser will get the boot.---David is going to install a soft-start device,he says no change to the sound.
Yo, sleepysurf do you have the soft-start in your amp?
This amp is a pig about current-draw, on start-up. I was just wondering how your is.--??