Belcanto Power Amplifiers

Yes I have the Ref 1000s and and an S300 for my rear surrounds. I'm very happy with them. In reverse order of importance, their benefits are: small form factor, run cool, very powerful, superb sound. What would you like to know about them specifically.

I use a pair of M300s for my VSA VR-4JRs, placed near my speakers with Speltz anti-cables suspended in the air for one meter runs. I love them. They are the best amps I have yet tried. The S300 is a single box version of the M300s. I hear the Ref 1000s may be even better, but in my room 1000 W/ch was not needed. My amps completely disappear. They are as close to a "wire with gain" as I have yet heard. Although I currently use a SS pre-pro I am looking for a tube pre-amp. This may be a perfect combination and is what the reviewers have used and recommend in their systems. As with all components, they will be system dependent. With the VR-4JRs, it is like someone is standing in the room performing, they are that real. Walter at Underwood HiFi has great prices on electronics, especially Bel Canto.

I am considering purchasing either the Ref 1000's or the M300's (room will be 23'-0" X 16'-0" X 9'-3"). My concern is that I have been told that the new style amps have the edge on 'hi-fi type sound', but they do not give the level of musical involvement of the EVo Amps (or a good valve amp).

I also use the M300s with VSA VR-4JRs speakers and a tube pre amp (Dehavilland Superverve) and to my ears, it is a beautiful sound. I tried a couple other solid state amps (Bryston,PS Audio etc.), however, the Bel Cantos for their price, seemed better for me at the moment. The M300s appeared to have taken a long time to break in, especially the lower end, but, thats the case as you know sometimes.

I purchased a pair of M-300 mono blocks from a Belcanto dealer, to play a pair of standard Maggie 1.6QRs, through a Rogue 99 Magnum pre-amp, using Millersound bi-wired speaker cables. The amps would not work; when powered up, they simply let out a radio frequency type squeal, and their protective circuitry shut them down. I have friends who make their living in the high end audio industry, and they could not get them to play squat. I finally had Belcanto ship me a new pair and I returned the original amps. Naturally, they played perfectly in Minnesota, but once again the new amps would not make music in Pennsylvania. It was the most frustrating thing. The dealer contacted Rogue, and Maggie, and everybody had their two cents worth of ideas, but nothing helped. The M-300s just did not like the load the Maggies represented, or, the amps lack adequate RFI rejection design. No reason on this earth why they should not have played. Belcanto continued to claim no-one else had ever had the problem with these units, but I am told that is highly unlikely. They did play on an old pair of Boston Acoustic speakers and sounded fine at that, but they represented a rather benign load.
We tried bi-wiring; then I put jumpers in place and ran single speaker wires, but nothing would get those amps to play. Then a friend loaned me a pair of Nuforce 9's, and they sounded great, playing the 1.6QRs effortlessly. I have no idea why the M-300s would not work, but people in the know feel it is an RFI problem. I even took an old Sony CDP 707ES with a variable output, and ran it directly into the Belcanto amps, circumventing the Rogue, and still, nothing.
Just thought everyone should know to be careful, especially if they have speakers which can drop to below 4 ohms while in use.

I have seen threads saying the Evo amps were more musically involving than the new generation of Bel Canto amps. In a word -- NO -- at least not in my system. I had an EVO6 before I bought my Ref 1000s and S300. The EVO6 was a great amp, but the monoblocks outshine it in every respect.

Dgaylin would you say that the difference in quality justify the substantial difference in price between the S300 (or M300) and the Ref 1000.
I am ATM hesitating between the Nuforce 9 SE v2 and the Belcanto Ref 1000 or the M300 as an alternative). The rest of m system is a RA Opus 21 and a pair of Gallo ref3 vII.
I probably will onlybe able to test these amps in different places and with ancillaries I am not familiar with, that is the reason why I am asking

Yes I do think the price difference is justified but that's of course a very complex calculus for each of us. Given your speakers I think the additional power and dynamics of the Ref 1000s are a better but. I don't know the Nuforce except what I've read about it.

For what it is worth, I bought my S300 (for my rear surrounds) from a fellow Audiogoner who had auditioned it against the REf1000s for his front speakers. He wanted to save money and keep the S300, but he ended up unloading the S300 and keeping the Ref1000s.

Hope this helps.

--dan

Many thanks Dgaylin,
I will be audioning the Ref 1000 and the S3000 tomorrow (5 hours of train round trip!), although unfortunately again with CDP and speakers I have never heard. Life for audiophiles is not so easy here in the UK.
I will then try the new Nuforce SE v2 and then I'll make my choice. Will keep posted