I just purchased a used Belles 150a Hot Rod amp. and it works very well with my 1.6 magnepans. It's watt rating is 125/250 @ 4ohms. I use it with tube separates.
BELLES 250i INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
Hello.
I just purchased this truly remarkable integrated amplifier from a fellow member here a couple of weeks ago. Like many of us I have long been interested in Belles simply because the brand receives high praise from virtually everyone who’s owned a piece.
Admittedly, I have consumed the various koolaids out there, buying some pretty good equipment over the years since I joined in 2015. Of all the stuff that has passed through my house, the Belles, at least this particular Belles model, is hands down the best integrated I have owned. (BAT VK 300XE, Primare i30, McIntosh 6400 receiver, Peachtree Audio, Modwright KWI200...) A pretty extensive list in such a brief period. And that’s just the integrateds. My separates list is even longer...McIntosh, ARC, BAT, Pass Labs....
Curiously enough there is extraordinarily little information about this integrated. What little I have been able to cull off of the interweb is vague. One classified states that its output is 125 watts per channel, another classifed kind of guesses that it will output up to 250 watts per channel. Neither states the output into ohms as is usually the case. At least with more current equipment.
This is a VERY articulate integrated, to my ears it strikes me as being similar to the Pass Labs X150.5 amplifier I had a while back. Pass Labs became my benchmark for amplification, and this is indeed its equal - at least sonically.
Anyway...based on enjoying this for a couple of weeks now I would guess that the power rating is 125 watts @ 8ohms, doubling to 250 watts @ 4ohms. It does run quite warm, warmer than any other of the amps or integrateds I have owned, so I am also guessing that it runs Class A for most of the power band. That’s an uneducated guess - I am an audiot, not an audiophile. I don’t know a mosfet from a misfit, but I know what I like.
For the record my listening levels run VERY conservative. There are occasions during a year when I may listen at a higher level than normal, but that’s pretty rare. My preferred loudspeakers are Thiel and/or Magnepan - both speakers being what I liken to be "articulate." Neither brand is very efficient, but that doesn’t really matter to me because I have never pushed anything I’ve owned to its limit.
If anyone has more detailed information regarding this Belles model please feel welcome to respond here. I love this integrated. (I have contacted Power Modules with a similar inquiry but no response yet..)
Thanks.
I just purchased this truly remarkable integrated amplifier from a fellow member here a couple of weeks ago. Like many of us I have long been interested in Belles simply because the brand receives high praise from virtually everyone who’s owned a piece.
Admittedly, I have consumed the various koolaids out there, buying some pretty good equipment over the years since I joined in 2015. Of all the stuff that has passed through my house, the Belles, at least this particular Belles model, is hands down the best integrated I have owned. (BAT VK 300XE, Primare i30, McIntosh 6400 receiver, Peachtree Audio, Modwright KWI200...) A pretty extensive list in such a brief period. And that’s just the integrateds. My separates list is even longer...McIntosh, ARC, BAT, Pass Labs....
Curiously enough there is extraordinarily little information about this integrated. What little I have been able to cull off of the interweb is vague. One classified states that its output is 125 watts per channel, another classifed kind of guesses that it will output up to 250 watts per channel. Neither states the output into ohms as is usually the case. At least with more current equipment.
This is a VERY articulate integrated, to my ears it strikes me as being similar to the Pass Labs X150.5 amplifier I had a while back. Pass Labs became my benchmark for amplification, and this is indeed its equal - at least sonically.
Anyway...based on enjoying this for a couple of weeks now I would guess that the power rating is 125 watts @ 8ohms, doubling to 250 watts @ 4ohms. It does run quite warm, warmer than any other of the amps or integrateds I have owned, so I am also guessing that it runs Class A for most of the power band. That’s an uneducated guess - I am an audiot, not an audiophile. I don’t know a mosfet from a misfit, but I know what I like.
For the record my listening levels run VERY conservative. There are occasions during a year when I may listen at a higher level than normal, but that’s pretty rare. My preferred loudspeakers are Thiel and/or Magnepan - both speakers being what I liken to be "articulate." Neither brand is very efficient, but that doesn’t really matter to me because I have never pushed anything I’ve owned to its limit.
If anyone has more detailed information regarding this Belles model please feel welcome to respond here. I love this integrated. (I have contacted Power Modules with a similar inquiry but no response yet..)
Thanks.
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- 17 posts total
sml19... A few comments I’ve gathered - and there are very few indeed - more or less imply that the integrated is comprised of that amp and one of his preamps. Having never had either, I am just as content with the integrated. The specs you state for the amp are most likely the same for the integrated. I’ll bet your Maggies sound excellent with it. Colorless speakers mated to an articulate amp. Woof! Thanks! |
jafant... Thanks. This is a system you build around the amp. Since I got a hold of my first Thiels years ago I built my system around the speakers, eventually getting to a time where my “standard” was Thiel/Pass Labs. With all due respect to Nelson Pass, this integrated gives me everything my Pass system did. It is THAT good. I’m not kidding here - this is an articulate, dynamic, resolute integrated. I do not consider this an “alternative” to Pass, it is by any comparison I can muster through experience an equal. Now, pair this with Maggies or Thiel? This is my 3rd pair of MMG’s. The ONLY thing that would have me sell these would be a pair of Thiel 2.3, or 2.4’s. As a matter of fact there’s a NY local pair of 2.4’s I’m considering after I sell my ARC DSi200 Integrated. The Thiel seller is asking $1800. Methinks I may be able to get ‘em for $1500. (Third floor walk up in Manhattan - ugh!). But...worth it. This is is a seriously refined integrated. Articulate like Thiel and Magnepan. Happier than hell now. |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSyZuSyO76M The Belles Virtuoso dual-mono power amp is here playing music along with the Virtuoso Preamp at Audio Connection NJ.The Virtuoso is a healthy match for many speakers B&Ws, Magnepans, Vandersteen's, Thiels, etcFor those looking for a sophisticated, strong capable choice, this is a refreshingly different experience seemingly void of electronic artifacts with an endless engaging feel by stepping out of musics way. The V integrated is in the final stage with just final CAD drawings and should be available October Best JohnnyR |
- 17 posts total