xfactor72

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $2995.00 from Authorized Dealer

Summary:
This is a review of the Model 150A reference. this unit was recently awarded a Double Reviwer's Choice by Soundstage.com.. This amp was recommended to me for use with my Merlin VSM-MX speakers... I then looked up the Soundstage review. Now, let me state that I don't usually believe reviews... and when I do use them, it is just for reference to get a list of amps to consider. The reviewer was so enthusiastic that I ordered the amp unheard ( after speaking with a few owners and the designer). I am someone who has owned insanely expensive audio gear and at one point felt I owned the finest system I had ever heard/the finest system in the world. Of course that is most likely UNTRUE, but I am just stating this is how I felt. After downsizing, I realized I was spoiled and could not live with a middle of the road system. So, I bought/sold/bought/sold until I could find something that would give me the sound I was used to, but at a much smaller dollar figure. I can soundly say I am extremely pleased/shocked at the level of performance of the 150A Refernce... and all of this for less than $3K. Transparency is important to me... I also can't live with thin sounding gear that makes instruments sound nasal.... texture is another 'must have'... I don't want to make this too boring, so I won't go too much further. describing the amp. If you need to read a professional review... go to Soundstage,com and look it up. If you are considering a new amp.... and looking anywhere near 10K or less... save your money... buy this amp! If you are looking in the $20K region buy 2 and use them as monoblocks... and keep the change... or use it to buy a nice preamp - with xlr output ( you need this to use the 150A ref as monoblocks) and a top notch cd player. Another nicety is this amp is only 40 pounds... so, you won't break your back moving it around. The build quality is good enough... looks/feels solid... the sound quality is off the charts...

Strengths:
Pure. liquid. detailed, transparent. quiet. grain-free, glare-free... price... An audio bargain with no regrets!!!

Weaknesses:
let me think....

Similar Products Used:
You name it! from Adcom to Halcro and just about everything in between.

drb

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $1300.00 from AudioWaves

Summary:
I purchased the 150A Hot Rod based on Reviews and was very happy with the unit. Quiet with a great sound stage. Easily drove my 8ohm speakers. But after listening to a friend's Threshold T200 I heard what my speakers were really capable of on the bottom end. So I upgraded to the Belles 350A and not regretting it one bit.

Strengths:
Solid little amp for the money.

Weaknesses:
Lacking bottom end slam, won't drive low impedence loads well.

Similar Products Used:
Belles 350A Adcom GFA545II Threshold T200 Decware SE84B

Price Paid:  $1100.00 from private party

Summary:
I was looking for clean transparent power for my Alon MkIIs. I have a Musical Designs SP-1 tube preamp, and a friend suggested I audition the Belles 150A. I bought it, an have not been disapointed. It is clean, transparent, quiet, with a fantastic soundstage. With Alcarian Black Ophus bi-wires, and the SP-1, I now have a great sounding system for under $7K that always gets a gasp out of my non-audiophile friends when they first hear it. I prefer acoustic jazz, but this setup sounds great with everything from Chesky's Ultimate Demo to Reel Big Fish. In addition, I have some vintage Fulton FMI-80s, and wired those into the system, and compared the Belles 150A to my Adcom 5300, and my NEC 2600. No comparison - with the Belles, I haven't heard the Fultons sound so good since I first heard them in college run by Audio Research equipment. In my opinion, the Belles 150A is an outstanding piece of equipment, and at the price, it is THE power amp bargain of the decade.

Strengths:
Transparency, detail, focus, soundstage, lack of coloration.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Adcom 5300 NEC 2600

Price Paid:  $1345.00 from Audiowaves

Summary:
This is a review of the Belles 150A hot rod and the saga of my quest for high end sound. It all started two years ago when I bought some Triangle Cellius speakers. I hooked them to my dennon 3802 and after break-in I began to see what they could do but I also noticed some problems specifically hard bitting treble. I began to upgrade first, I got some Musical fidelity M250 mono blocks. no help. I decided to build a seperate two channel system.I added a AH Njoe Tjoeb 4000 with upsampling. When I ran the three together it was worse,no bass, harsh bitting treble and hard to control the volume with the CD player. I then added a sunfire classic tube pre {great}This helped, better bass and big sound stage less harshness. I then decide to replace the monos with a Belles 150A. Major inprovment. This amp is smooth,it has a huge soundstage, and rock solid center image. The Belles has half the power but on direct comparsion is the better amp. the M250 was loose, flabby, and harsh.The M250 is well built and powerful but a bad match with bright speakers. Lucky for me Alan at Audiowaves gave me a fair trade in for the M250. this great system was further inproved by adding AH ls noise killers to the tweeter terminals. the best 50$I spent. The harshness is gone.finalaly I spent 11$ on some eggshell mattress foam placed behind and beside the speakers. This makes a big diferance with the soundstage. I am now happy but enough about me.The Belles 150A is a great amp! Powerful, precise instrument placement, and huge soundstage.Yes it takes foever to break-in,but it is worth it.This amp is an overachiever. So smooth.I highly recomend it.

Strengths:
SMOOTH big soundstage Powerful

Weaknesses:
none I have found

Similar Products Used:
Musicial fedelity M250

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This amp is VERY relaxed. I never felt the need to turn it down and found it sounding better as I increased the volume while retaining it's tonal quality. The bass as first seemed lean but after further test I'm inclined to believe it to be the coloration of my previous amp the LLANO Trinity A-100 due to a pr of siemans and halski 7308's. When the Bass notes hit they did have tone and definition, no bloat or boom. Soundstage was simular in width and depth to the LLANO, giving the LLANO a slight edge here although I was using a Rogue 99 Mag with the LLANO. The amp has good timing and is not to forward with it's presentation. I guess like everyone else I heard neutrality, with listenability. This is the most relaxed solid state amp I've heard. IS it quiet? Yes, no trans hum and very little tweeter hiss. I love the amp and it is the best solidstate amp I've heard. I feel this amp benefits from good fuel it is a HOTROD! The amp has no character of it's own IMO, if any it seems to smooth things out a bit. I listened to this amp with the new Coltrane classic records 45's, as well as the st. james infirmary 45 (Satchmo Plays King Oliver). I spent time with U2 Rattle & Hum as well as Sarah Mclachlan, Joni Mitchel, I also listened to Counting Crows Recovering the Satelittes on LP and Lincoln Park My December on 45RPM. I did listen to Smetna's Moldau and some other various classical as well as some windham hill records including the piono sampler. All listening done with Vinyl on: NAS SpaceDeck Dyna 17DII Belles 20A Pre Belles 150A Hot Rod Silvercat's from Catcables.com Speaker wire was Cardas Golden Reference and VDH Tea Track with WBT's Merlin VSM-M Some CD and SACD, not on a reference player.(Pioneer 45A)

Strengths:
Relaxed Sound Quiet Build Quality

Weaknesses:
No colorations in the bass

Similar Products Used:
Classe CA-201 LLANO Trinity A-100 Berning ZH270 Acurus A-200 Citation Amps in MONO