I have a Belles 28A pre amplifier. I purchased it used. The power cord and the phono plugs that came with the pre amplifier were missing so I had to purchase them. With a 50 VA power transformer and 400 000 microfarads of capacitance please be aware that the Belles needs a good power cord. The small gauge wire and the inadequate insulation and connectors of a cheap power cord will make your Belles a noisy and veiled audio machine. Take 5 Audio in Toronto made up the plugs and the power cord for me and I am very pleased. The Belles 28A came with a very good power cord from the factory. The original was pinched. Good does not mean $ 15,000, but it does mean more than $100.
I too would like to know more about the 10A preamp. If it is better than the 28A it would be a dandy. The 28A with a full phono section was a $5000 unit in its day. The 10A with all the toys is $4000 unit. The separate power supply with a phono section is a good idea. It should keep things quiet in the moving coil phono section.
The 28A was a disappointment when I first played it. The balance dial scratched and groaned when moved. I took off the units cover and applied premium contact cleaner and it has been perfect ever since. The power cable upgrade was a shocker. This 28A is now a very nice sounding full featured preamp. I am an analogue fanatic, and the phono section is a beauty. Putting a copper tubing around the AC power cord (thereby shielding it)where it ties into preamp and making sure it touches the units chassis this cuts AC power noise by a bunch. A 3 inch piece of copper tubing is all it takes.
The Belles 28A and 10A both are low gain line stages with only 7 dB of gain. With digital sources this is no problem but with the moving magnet section of my 28A it means I have to have the volume at 2-3 o'clock for enough volume for an impact. With moving coil section and its 66 dB of boost, the volume control is between 11-12 o'clock with more slam than the moving magnet section. For comparison, at an 11 o'clock volume control position with a CD, your ears would be bleeding. 9 o'clock is plenty with my 300 plus watts per channel.
I like my Belles 28A very much, but I too would like to know more about this mysterious 10A pre amplifier. Especially its phono section's performance.
I too would like to know more about the 10A preamp. If it is better than the 28A it would be a dandy. The 28A with a full phono section was a $5000 unit in its day. The 10A with all the toys is $4000 unit. The separate power supply with a phono section is a good idea. It should keep things quiet in the moving coil phono section.
The 28A was a disappointment when I first played it. The balance dial scratched and groaned when moved. I took off the units cover and applied premium contact cleaner and it has been perfect ever since. The power cable upgrade was a shocker. This 28A is now a very nice sounding full featured preamp. I am an analogue fanatic, and the phono section is a beauty. Putting a copper tubing around the AC power cord (thereby shielding it)where it ties into preamp and making sure it touches the units chassis this cuts AC power noise by a bunch. A 3 inch piece of copper tubing is all it takes.
The Belles 28A and 10A both are low gain line stages with only 7 dB of gain. With digital sources this is no problem but with the moving magnet section of my 28A it means I have to have the volume at 2-3 o'clock for enough volume for an impact. With moving coil section and its 66 dB of boost, the volume control is between 11-12 o'clock with more slam than the moving magnet section. For comparison, at an 11 o'clock volume control position with a CD, your ears would be bleeding. 9 o'clock is plenty with my 300 plus watts per channel.
I like my Belles 28A very much, but I too would like to know more about this mysterious 10A pre amplifier. Especially its phono section's performance.