Well, I got my Bellari phono pre... [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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Jimmy C
09-09-2005, 02:34 PM
...and remember I wasn't expecting miracles? I didn't get any!

Honestly, it is quite sonically similar to my Rotel's built-in. Not that that's a bad thig, many say Rotel's phono pres are pretty good for the money. I never had a complaint - it's just that I'm gonna spring for a tubed integrated soon, I don't want to pay for the stage they offer. I'll save for a killer one.

The one area the Bellari outdoes the stock Rotel (by a small margin) is with instrument texture that fall in the mids... piano has a bit of extra weight (Donald F's "Nightfly") as well as Duran Duran's background vocals and clanging guitar in "Rio" (sorry - guilty pleasure).

It's not rolled off, it's not fat on the bottom... seems pretty neutral to me. Does bass very well... I have a Gino Vanelli "Powerful People" with KILLER bass... can rattle things off the wall (no sub) nothing missing with the tubed phono.

DiMeola/McLaughlin/DeLucia's "Friday Night in San Fran" is vibrant as ever...layering is nice... Al is a few feet back from Paco... easily discerenced if one cares about such things. Awesome music, awesome recording. I don't think there is one click or pop on this LP... literally, probably my quitest.

That's another thing... the VP129 is dead silent... no noise whatsoever. Came packed well, and looks well constructed (for under $200, anyway)

Would I buy it simply to replace my RC-995's stage? No. But, I'm going to need a filler before I spring for that Audio Research...

I'm in N.Y... anyone going to the Stones at Madison Square? A friend is, and Deirdre HATES them... lol. I would take her place, but I really don't wanna sleep with the guy... :*)

dean_martin
09-10-2005, 09:58 AM
...and remember I wasn't expecting miracles? I didn't get any!

Honestly, it is quite sonically similar to my Rotel's built-in. Not that that's a bad thig, many say Rotel's phono pres are pretty good for the money. I never had a complaint - it's just that I'm gonna spring for a tubed integrated soon, I don't want to pay for the stage they offer. I'll save for a killer one.

The one area the Bellari outdoes the stock Rotel (by a small margin) is with instrument texture that fall in the mids... piano has a bit of extra weight (Donald F's "Nightfly") as well as Duran Duran's background vocals and clanging guitar in "Rio" (sorry - guilty pleasure).

It's not rolled off, it's not fat on the bottom... seems pretty neutral to me. Does bass very well... I have a Gino Vanelli "Powerful People" with KILLER bass... can rattle things off the wall (no sub) nothing missing with the tubed phono.

DiMeola/McLaughlin/DeLucia's "Friday Night in San Fran" is vibrant as ever...layering is nice... Al is a few feet back from Paco... easily discerenced if one cares about such things. Awesome music, awesome recording. I don't think there is one click or pop on this LP... literally, probably my quitest.

That's another thing... the VP129 is dead silent... no noise whatsoever. Came packed well, and looks well constructed (for under $200, anyway)

Would I buy it simply to replace my RC-995's stage? No. But, I'm going to need a filler before I spring for that Audio Research...

I'm in N.Y... anyone going to the Stones at Madison Square? A friend is, and Deirdre HATES them... lol. I would take her place, but I really don't wanna sleep with the guy... :*)

Hey Jimmy - thanks for posting your impressions. Keep us posted in the event there's a "break-in" period.

I'm curious as to how you have it connected to your system. I understand it has a volume control and was wondering whether it would have problems driving an amp directly.

Have you tried headphones yet?

hifitommy
09-10-2005, 01:31 PM
its on order, paid 155 and i am being patient. will post results.

Jimmy C
09-11-2005, 12:09 PM
...I have it running through my pre on aux, don't know if it can run itself... and sorry, I only have a cheap pair of Rat Shack headphones. Without the amp on, it drives them pretty well, not as loud (if ya wanna hurt the ears) as my pre's output.

I'll let you know if I hear any changes during a running-in period, but I don't think it's going to change dramatically, if at all.

Watching the Jets lose,

Jimmy

hifitommy
09-11-2005, 12:11 PM
film at 11!

ericl
09-12-2005, 11:38 AM
Could y'all post reviews of this sucker when you get a chance? I'd appreciate it very much!

http://audioreview.com/PRD_332937_1591crx.aspx

Thanks!!

eric

hifitommy
09-13-2005, 05:43 PM
skin it back:

well it sounds like i am going to start talking about little feat BUT NO! my bellari arrived today and thats what i had to do with the tightly applied plastic bag it was in.

its PURTY setting there all red in the face. an outboard wallwart for a power supply, i will bet there will be a bevy of minor to major suggestions for improvement there.

not hooked up yet, i have to revaluate the jim hall/bill evans-undercurrents LP i got saturday due to its unflatness and possible distortion on the guitar part on side 2. it was first played with an ortofon mc200 and distorted so now its going on with the v15V. i will likely take it back to amoeba anyway because of the flatness issue. for $12 i deserve better.

i shoulda gotten the classic reissue of another disc for $28 (not telling you which, just in case) instead. maybe i will swap up. meanwhile, i can probably wait for a better copy of the unercurrents.

dont ask me why i got this huge font but i did somehow. i havent sited the bellari yet and neither have i powered it up.


im old now and things go slowly.

dean_martin
09-13-2005, 09:33 PM
i havent sited the bellari yet and neither have i powered it up.
[/b]

im old now and things go slowly.

Congratulations, grandpa! I guess we'll wait patiently for your impressions while you try to remember where you put it. (j/k)

DaHaq
09-14-2005, 01:33 AM
I'm eagerly awaiting HiFiTommy's impressions. I currently use the phono input on my Onkyo HT receiver to listen to my old Technics TT. It sounds good to me, but I can't say i've listened to much else. I use a Shure M97XE cartridge and use AR.com speakers and Grado SR-80 headphones. The receiver says it puts out 55 watts/channel. Do you guys think the Bellari would offer me a worthwhile improvement? Is the phono stage inside an HT receiver going to be any better than the $25 phono stage I can get at radioshack? Thanks

hifitommy
09-18-2005, 09:53 PM
WHEN it is hooked up, subtleties and nuances will exceed my soundcraftsmen 2215 now in serviceand running thru my b&k pre/pro. the plan is to run it thru the b&k dierectly rather than thru the 2215, eliminate one gain stage.

given jimmy c's report, which underestimates the bellari potential, i look forward to this item VERY much.

Jimmy C
09-19-2005, 07:29 AM
WHEN it is hooked up, subtleties and nuances will exceed my soundcraftsmen 2215 now in serviceand running thru my b&k pre/pro. the plan is to run it thru the b&k dierectly rather than thru the 2215, eliminate one gain stage.

given jimmy c's report, which underestimates the bellari potential, i look forward to this item VERY much.

...I had a chance to spin 40 or 50 LPs. I still maintain my earlier impressions... it is preferable to what I had, but not by all that much. Like I said, texture and midband weight are indeed better. Not only better, but a bit more up-front as well - you're sitting closer to the stage by a few rows. Another example: In a live Dead recording I have, Donna Godchaux's (sp?) voice is definitely more palpable than before...err, but I'm not sure this is a good thing :*)

Weather Report's "I Sing the Body Electric" opens with "Unknown Soldier". There are a lot of percussive instruments in that song which are layered better than before. They're also a bit more "rounded"... more body to them.

If someone were to say "Wow... the Bellari KILLS the stage in my preamp/receiver (whatever)", I would say that built-in really sucked, moreso than the Bellari is a giant killer. Again, it is certainly competant, and for under $200, I would easily recommend it to someone who wants to spin vinyl without breaking the bank.

One can go another route and say my Rotel isn't transparent enough to let everything through. The only flaw in that is the RC-995 doesn't have any problems showing off what the PH-3 can do.

I'll also say this 'lil red thing seems to mitigate surface noise... rolled off? Doesn't seem it to me.

One negative - it's quite microphonic. We were having some humid/stormy weather, and strange noises were coming through the speakers. I can also tell when my cell is about to ring the same way... a series of beeps... sorta like Morse code type of sounds.

That's about it for now... I have to flip the LP...

hifitommy
10-02-2005, 08:09 PM
i had to start taking notes. i put it into the system a few nites ago and played two different copies of passion, grace, and fire by mclaughlin/de lucia/di meola, both of which i paid a dollar for. one an import in noisy condition and the other american in great cond.

whereas the soundcraftsmen pe2217 was a bit more incisive, guitars sounded like guitars and had more flow than the ss phono section with the bellari. then i put on a basie disc called verve's choice which i found to be boxy and closed in, dull. THEN jazz at the pawnshop (atr mastercut reissue, not the original). its a valid version of the disc, and yielded a distinct transient signature with a good tang on edge struck cymbals, excellent room sound, great tonality and texture.

this recording has suffered from overexposure in the audiophile community. i, otoh, have limited my exposure and can enjoy the recording. the diaphragm of the snare is quite apparent, the disembodiment of elements, and spatiality are evident.

i will have to play the classic vinyl of norah jones first disc to evaluate textural definition. this phono section hold together on peaks. on dexter gordons 'manhattan symphonie' the cymbals creep through and the saxophone textural feel is there.

goerge cables 'cables vision' allows his piano to clang right in on peaks with no compression. not bad for a $2 columbia issue through a $200 tubed phono stage. i hear a very slight hum which could be a result of its position in the system. i did NOT waste my money.

be reminded that this is EARLY in the eval, the first 24 hrs. it sets behind the sony ns500v dvd/sacdp and it makes NO diff if that unit is off or on.

this unit is better than i expected.

more later.

Jimmy C
10-09-2005, 05:56 AM
i had to start taking notes. i put it into the system a few nites ago and played two different copies of passion, grace, and fire by mclaughlin/de lucia/di meola, both of which i paid a dollar for. one an import in noisy condition and the other american in great cond.

whereas the soundcraftsmen pe2217 was a bit more incisive, guitars sounded like guitars and had more flow than the ss phono section with the bellari. then i put on a basie disc called verve's choice which i found to be boxy and closed in, dull. THEN jazz at the pawnshop (atr mastercut reissue, not the original). its a valid version of the disc, and yielded a distinct transient signature with a good tang on edge struck cymbals, excellent room sound, great tonality and texture.

this recording has suffered from overexposure in the audiophile community. i, otoh, have limited my exposure and can enjoy the recording. the diaphragm of the snare is quite apparent, the disembodiment of elements, and spatiality are evident.

i will have to play the classic vinyl of norah jones first disc to evaluate textural definition. this phono section hold together on peaks. on dexter gordons 'manhattan symphonie' the cymbals creep through and the saxophone textural feel is there.

goerge cables 'cables vision' allows his piano to clang right in on peaks with no compression. not bad for a $2 columbia issue through a $200 tubed phono stage. i hear a very slight hum which could be a result of its position in the system. i did NOT waste my money.

be reminded that this is EARLY in the eval, the first 24 hrs. it sets behind the sony ns500v dvd/sacdp and it makes NO diff if that unit is off or on.

this unit is better than i expected.

more later.

...aspect of this unit is, once again, how quiet everything is. The music seems to come from a very black, velvety background. I'm not saying there are zero ticks and pops, but I can't imagine it getting too much better. But, hey... I've been suprised before.

Instruments just seem to "emerge".

Have you given your Weather Report rekkids a spin yet?

hifitommy
10-09-2005, 06:56 AM
the unit has grown in stature since your first report? i find it inviting me back repeatedly just for the music. moreso than the soundcraftsmen pe2217 phono section and the bellari is running through the 2217 line stage PLUS the b&k pre/pro (a REALLY transparent piece of electronics).

soon i am going to reconfigure my system so that my arc sp3c is the main line stage and the 2217 will retire for a while. the b&k will run out of a tape loop and will function only as a video switcher. my daughter will not be happy but what the hey.

the bellari will then run through an aux input. i dont expect it to compete head to head with the arc but it will be fun there. ostensibly i could then run three separate TTs!

the cartridge i am using is an ortofon mc200 with t20 transformer. i have yet to try a mm but thats coming soon too. the mm will be an atML170. the v15Vxmr runs into the sota clamp in the runout groove and CLUNKS with every rotation until i snag it away.

Jimmy C
10-09-2005, 08:15 AM
the unit has grown in stature since your first report? i find it inviting me back repeatedly just for the music. moreso than the soundcraftsmen pe2217 phono section and the bellari is running through the 2217 line stage PLUS the b&k pre/pro (a REALLY transparent piece of electronics).

soon i am going to reconfigure my system so that my arc sp3c is the main line stage and the 2217 will retire for a while. the b&k will run out of a tape loop and will function only as a video switcher. my daughter will not be happy but what the hey.

the bellari will then run through an aux input. i dont expect it to compete head to head with the arc but it will be fun there. ostensibly i could then run three separate TTs!

the cartridge i am using is an ortofon mc200 with t20 transformer. i have yet to try a mm but thats coming soon too. the mm will be an atML170. the v15Vxmr runs into the sota clamp in the runout groove and CLUNKS with every rotation until i snag it away.

...grown on me as I have not spun a single CD since I got this thing... really. OK, not on my livingroom rig, anyway.

I still think it's tonally similar to the Rotel. Bass and treble extension, as well as soundstaging are similar. The mids are a bit more resolved.

A good $200 stage.

I

KitR
01-31-2006, 06:13 PM
Hey Jimmy - thanks for posting your impressions. Keep us posted in the event there's a "break-in" period.

I'm curious as to how you have it connected to your system. I understand it has a volume control and was wondering whether it would have problems driving an amp directly.

Have you tried headphones yet?
I've had mine for nearly 2 years and I've used it for both purposes with the Bellari running through an aux(vid on my Pro5) input. I've had mixed results with the headphone output in that if listening to vinyl it's more than satisfactory through my HD580's and Koss Porta-Pros. As long as I'm running the Electro-Harmonix instead of the Sovtek, it sounds really great for Rock and the converse for Classical, if somewhat less lush, granted. It has "level" controls, not volume - amounts to the same thing though! You can run HO MC's at the max setting quite easily: plenty of gain - and I run my Pro5 in Passive mode. But I've had trouble trying to use it as a stand-alone headphone amp although one day I was fiddling about and suddenly heard one of my cassettes playing through it and then, nothing! A mystery. For a mo I thought 2 birds with one stone! Ah well. But as long as you listen to vinyl you could actually dispense with amps and speakers and use the Bellari's level control. Haven't tried a direct input to my Power Amps - they're mono's and 8' apart.
Try that next...will get back.