Amp help with a B.E.L. 1001 Mk.II


I purchased a B.E.L.1001 Mk.II (Brown Electronic Labs)along with a marantz 67SE cd player for $8.50 from my local thrift shop. Being that the cd player has volume output control I was able to connect it directly to the amp, with the amp connected to a pair of chrisman speakers. The amp an cd player sounded awesome and worked with no issues. I have never heard of or seen a B.E.L. amp. So any info on it would be great. I'm guessing the correct way to hook up the amp is with a pre-amp. What would be a nice pre-amp to go with the B.E.L. amp?
silentdarkness
What a score! I think the BEL is a very nice sounding amp. What is your budget for a preamp? Get a tubed preamp.
What? You got a BEL MK II and a CD player for $8.50? Did you mean $850? If you bought it at $8.50, I would then offer to buy your BEL MKII at $20. :)

I used to own BEL MKII, to MKIII, to MKIV, and to MKV. They are awsome amps. If you can find another MKII, then you can run them as mono amps. Sound is way better as mono amps. Unfortunately, the designer Dick Brown passed away. I don't know if anyone out there continues his legendary work.

I would pick a tube preamp to go with any of the BEL amps. I had good result with CAT and CJ preamp.
You will get plenty of folks to tell you that you scored large, and I agree. I found a BEL 1001 Mk V 3 years ago and ran it in my system, changing out with my other amps (I kept most the others, putting them in other systems.) I was very happy with the tube like warmth, but in a very honest, no frills package. Imaging was stellar, and the soundstage deep. I found a 2nd Mk V a year later, switch the toggle on both to mono (on back panel), and bi amped my Meadowlark Blue Heron II's. Magic! This setup retired a Musical Fidelity Trivista 300, ARC VT 130SE, McCormack DNA-1 (Gold + mods), and a Pass X250.5. I have tried a Gill Audio Alana pre (modded), Aesthetix Calypso, but settled on a Hovland HP 100 (tweeked by Mr. Hovland). The BEL's mate well with tube pre's.

You may have found out, but Mr. Richard Brown was an electrical engineer with an intense interest in audio. He worked for some audio component companies (I'm not sure which ones), but started making his own amps at home. Those who heard them wanted ones for themselves, so he went into business, sort of. He had a lousy but completely honest business plan: he made everything himself, he tested each unit until he was happy with it, he never compromised or cut corners, and he sold a damn fine amp for relative peanuts. Unfortunately, he died after a very brief illness in the fall of 2010. I don't think anyone picked up the mantle; mainly because this is a currency driven business and Mr. Brown did it for what appears to be the love and pride of his workmanship. Keep your amp; they will become rarer and at full retail price, are still a bargain.
Thanks all for info about the amp and about Richard Brown. I'd love to find another one for $8.50 so I can run them in mono as suggested by you audiophiles. My guess is hell will freeze over first. Unfortunately my budget is zero towards a preamp. My local music store has a preowned luxman C-02 preamp for $130.00 I know its not a tube preamp, but think I might ask them if they would trade me for it since my budget is zero. Would the luxman be ok till I can afford a tube preamp?