Heck, there’s a pair of CS 6 up for grabs right here on Audiogon for $1200, but either they are in pretty funky condition or the seller’s camera can’t do them justice.
In the not too distant past I probably woulda jumped ugly on ‘em based on the seller’s price alone but, I’ve wisened up. A little.
Like many sellers here, I have used US Audiomart to buy and sell my equipment. A lot of people here advertise their equipment there at the same time as well - why not? It’s free.
My experiences there mirror those I have had here, all good. (I’ve had only ONE negative experience on Audiogon since joining, and that was from a buyer who claimed non-receipt of my shipment. Fortunately, but still unfortunate for moi, it wasn’t a “significant” amount of money so I simply refunded his payment in full. Never heard from him again.)
What this site could benefit from, a nice touch on the other site, would be to allow us to narrow our searches by state if we wish. I used to be able to input my zip code here and that would produce relatively good results, but no longer. This matters especially when searching for Thiels or other large, or heavy speakers. Shipping can prove costly.
Also, the folks on the other site aren’t as diligent in providing feedback. I have four transactions that haven’t been rated there. Methinks that’s important.
On point to this thread; “breaking in” my newly acquired CS2.4’s with the Belles 250i Integrated has been an absolute joy. While I can’t speak for any other Belles product, this one has met and exceeded my expectations. From its rather large external power supply, (which attaches to the amp via an umbilical) to the simple design of the faceplate, this continues to impress. Solid state power, tubed preamplifier section - well done all around.
I have to assume that it runs class A/B because it does warm up after a little while. It’s not going to raise your room temperature, but compared to virtually every amp/integrated I’ve owned it runs warmer.
Since a previous post, I have removed the maple blocks from under the speakers, opting instead to place them on small isolation blocks which the spikes settle firmly into. At this minimally lower height off the floor I find the separation to have improved - not the sweet spot. That I’m getting accustomed to. It still strikes me as being narrower than any of the previous models I’ve owned.
There is more than merely sufficient bass response from the 2.4’s as well. The two versions of Ginger Baker’s “Cyril Davies” and “Cyril Davis” - same composition with different titles, are a good place to start comparing. On one version - the more “acoustic” version, the upright bass is sinewy, taut, yet taffy-like flexible - and the effect is both felt and heard clearly through these speakers.
No doubt the quality of the Belles contributes a lot to such timbre, tension, and resonance. And no doubt that these speakers are up to the task of faithfully reproducing it.
Neato.
