Interesting thread because I have never heard the Belles Aria. I know Art’s taste and his recommendation goes a long way. To that point, I bought a Sonneteer Orton on his recommendation and so far it is my best ever. That is the one I will keep forever regardless of other gear. I have a few lesser quality integrated amps than the Orton in other rooms and always think of upgrading the 2d system. I am sure the Belles is better than my secondary amps but wonder how it compares to the Sonneteer. It wouldn’t really matter which I liked better, because the Orton is not the one to go. I like it well enough that I got an outboard Heed Headphone amp and Sedly phono stage amp. A new 2d amp with those features would be nice. I like the fact that the Belles has a headphone amp which my Rega Bria R does not. (2d to newest version). I would replace that or my Marantz 8004, which is not better than the Rega, but has the headphone out as well as connections for 2 sets of speakers, pre-amp options etc. I am not sure which one to upgrade. While the Rega sounds very good, it is lacking those features.
Thanks to the good info and reviews here the Aria is in the mail. It will be used in one of my two main listening areas: 1-living room with Spendor A6, or 2-MY room/old man cave/vinyl room, (known to my wife as the 'guest room'). With the Penaudio Cenya. The headphone amp would be much more used in the living room, but rarely in my room. I decided to move the Marantz 8004 to the rec room, which is now in 'my room'. That remote failed for volume. My oldest amp, the Onix AO21s, failed so I had a spot empty in the work shop so I moved the HK 6950R monster to the shop. Like musical chairs. Btw, that HK is very good, but it is huge, uses a lot of power and the remote failed. It will be there until the new owners of my house get rid of it.
Hi Bilbo. I would be intrigued to hear your thoughts on ten Aria vs Orton. I’m a long time Campion Owner and now also an Orton owner. If I was trying an Aria it would likely be as a used purchase. As all my other kit is Sonneteer, the Aria would need to be something else to tempt me.
I feel that the Sonneteer Orton has a little more clarity and detail than the Aria. That makes the Aria a real bargain because it costs a lot less than the Orton and has a nice headphone amp, as well as a phono amp. I bought the Sonneteer Sedley usb headphone amp, and a Heed headphone amp for the Orton. All together the Orton/Sedley/Heed is a step up but at a much higher price. I will keep the Orton forever. I am keeping them both: the Orton for my "vinyl room" or cave/den, as the wife calls it, the guest room. The Belles Aria is the main house music, living, dining kitchen "great room". It is a great deal and I am satisfied.
Thanks so much, Bilbo. I feel I can rest easy with my Sonneteer stack. I need to get another Sedley. I sold mine when I thought I was done with vinyl, then I got a TransRotor Classic Gold for the equivalent of $275 and I’m using a Trichord Dino until I find another Sedley. For CD I’m using a Sonneteer Byron CD player with Sonneteer Dryden DAC. Best CD source I’ve had. I get where you’re coming from with keeping stuff you love. It looks like my Orton will be used primarily in my system, but I will never sell my Campion. I will be seeking out another Sonneteer Byron to pair it with in another room. I can’t even bring myself to call it a second system because the Campion could never be “2nd” to me in any way.
Sonneteer has a new phono amp, smaller and less expensive. It would be interesting to try one. It would not surprise me if it were based on the Alabaster's phono. I looked into the Byron CDP but ended up going with the Line Magnetic 215 and an Audiolab 8300 cdq. The only reason I didn't go with the Byron is that it was discontinued. I always suspected that it was up to Sonneteer standards.
I am thinking about getting a Belles Aria to pair with my new Spendor A1. Is the amp dead quiet? No popping noises coming through the speakers when turning the amp on or off?
I have just purchased a Belles Aria and should be receiving it next week. It will be replacing a Creek Evolution 50a and driving Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 speakers for now. Marantz Sa-8005 SACD player the only source.
Hmmm, my Aria puts out a soft popping noise through the speakers when turning the power on, which causes the woofers to visibly move. My old Rega Brio also used to do this and it bothered me, while my Creek amp was dead quiet when switching on and off. My first day with the Belles and it does sound great. So when you turn the power on on your Aria, no type of popping noise at all comes through your speakers?
I have been running a belles aria integrated for a couple of years now, love it. I never turn mine off, I simply put the mute on.
Just an update, I emailed the dealer with my concern about the amp making a pop or thump noise when powering on. His exact response: "That is completely normal and is a reason the amp sounds so good. The LFD, Croft, and Heed all do the same thing. The reason is that there is no turn-on delay relay. This way the speakers are directly hooked to the amp output without an electric relay switch in line. The relay saves you from the thump but slightly degrades the sound while playing. The turn on thump is not only normal but an advantage."
I will leave mine on from now on and just put it on MUTE when not using it for a while. I only have 5 hours on mine but can tell it blows away my Creek Evolution50A, which I thought was good in its own right.
I am probably not doing justice to this amp, using it with a pair of 9 year old, $800 speakers. (Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1)
If you are enjoying it then you are indeed doing it justice. If at some point you feel like making a change with regards to speakers your Belles will be up to the task.
No pop or noise from mine. When I turn the power the amp always has the mute on by default. I like it.
Belles make incredibly good value for money kit I had a Belles Pre and Monos giving great sound before I went TAD
Well, based on this thread, and comments from Johnny Rutan of Audio Connection on other threads, I've purchased an Aria (used), and expect it to arrive tomorrow (USPS willing). I plan to use the Aria with some Vandersteen Treo CT speakers, and the source will be a PS Audio streamer/DAC Jr. I'm very excited about the synergy of these speakers and the Aria, commented on by Mr. Rutan often in Vandy discussions, though I'm sure this amp will need many hours of breakin as the p.o. says it is little used. I've been curious about the Belles products for many years, and now get to scratch that itch. Can't wait!
I've been using the Aria with some Klipsch RP600M speakers for the last week, just burning it in, and have to say, this is a great combination. I'll eventually pair it with the Treo CT's, but for now am just enjoying it as is, because to pair with the Treos I'll have to move the speakers back into the house from the garage, and they are a pain to move by myself. I, too, am leaving it on all the time, just using the mute button. More later,
Well, it’s been over a week, listening to the Aria with both sets of speakers. It sounds very good with both, but the Aria/Klipsch combo is my favorite. I think it’s the dynamics of the Klipsch horns along with the power of the Belles. Together their synergy is jaw dropping, and fortunately, I know the Treo’s sound really great with another amp around here. Of course, that’s just my take, YMMV.
How friendly is the volume pot on the Aria? Is it usable through the range or does it make your ears bleed before 10 oclock?
