[sts9fan]

I have had this unit in house for around five days now.  I had a bit of difficulties getting it up and running due to some system incompatibilities.  This was because my amp has very low gain ~13db.  This cause me to have to crank my pre.  Anyway I switched out the Pass F3 Clone for a amp with twice the gain.  I am now very happy with what I am hearing. 
I would say the number one word I would use to describe the sound is holographic.  I will post more impressions in a few days.

[Bill Baker]

Thank you for your initial findings sts9fan. I am looking forward to your further impressions.

[tybee]

Bello Phono Unit #2 has arrived safely on it's second leg of the tour using a custom power cord with a Sovtek 12AX7 supplied by Jim McShane and a 1952 Sylvania 12AU7 D getter.  I had to try some tube rolling from the start.  Since I have many 12AU7 tube types, I will roll some of my favorites throughout my audition.  My equipment includes an Eddie Vaughn custom EL 34 SEP integrated using Genalex KT77s, Mullard 5AR4 rectifier, and Amperex Holland 7308 preamp tube and an Acoustic Solid Machine Small turntable with a Michel Tecnoarm and Ortofon 2M Black MM cartridge. My speakers are the 96 dB 8" Radian SAP Duets with a passive MGD subwoofer.

It's time to go listen to some music.  I will post my impressions later after I have a chance get several hours on this great looking cherry phono pre-amp.

Tybee

[tybee]

After a many hours last night getting acquainted with the Bella, I can strongly confirm the Billc observations offered in his excellent review of Unit #1.  As he described, the bass was light, the treble seemed exaggerated, and the dynamics were compressed; however, I did notice a huge soundstage both in height and width. I can also attest that the Bella does remove a veil on clarity.  My EV amp shines at recreating the human voice, and the addition of the Bella is proving to be a synergistic match.  Although I liked that 1952 Sylvania 12AU7 tube, I did replace it with a Sylvania 6189/12AU7WA round getter, and the sound became much better balanced.  Although the treble still stuck out, it was not as pronounced as with the older Sylvania.  I suspect with a settling of the Bella in my system the Bella’s charms offered by Billc will be confirmed.

After reading sts9fan’s review of the Bella, I had fears that my EV amp would not have the gain required to show off the Bella’s skills. Several solid state phono pres have come and gone in my system, because they did not have enough gain to enjoy the music. The Bella does not have a gain problem working with my Eddie Vaughn integrated. When cranking my EV for a couple rock albums last night, I easily registered 100 dBs using my rat shack sound level meter. Later next week, I plan to try the Bella with a Music Reference EM7 (2.5 watter) and a C4 preamp.  The C4 with tone controls was set up to handle single driver speakers from 90 dB to 93 dB, so my 96 db speakers are almost a mismatch for gain.  I will report my findings with the Music Reference equipment at the end of my review period.

To end this Bella introduction, let me comment that I have made many purchases over the years from Bill Baker.  On my short list of favorite audio dealers, Bill remains at the top. He is a positive example of what audio builder/dealers should be.  I will always purchase products from him when I can.  He sold me the excellent Acoustic Solid turntable which has changed my listening habits from 80/20 cds to turntable a year ago to 80/20 turntable to cd, today.  I have acquired over 900 LPs this past year replacing many that I had previously sold and introducing me to many excellent LPs that I had missed. The Bella phono pre has already made a positive impression. More later.

[billc]

Given my experience with Unit #1, I am curious about the comments regarding gain.  I swapped this unit into my system and the volume control on my ModWright SWL 9.0SE was pretty much in exactly the same position for similar gain as my existing phono stage, which is very close to my previous phono stage...  So I did not experience any major changes in that regard. 

I am also eager to see how your unit settles in.  I found significant change over the first 10-20 hours of play...  I found the "new unit" compression and edge nearly entire gone during that period, with the unit settling into a very musical yet detailed response.

Have fun listening ! 

Bill C   

[Bill Baker]

Thank you for the initial comments tybee. I look forward to further comments. On a different note, I am really missing that Acoustic Solid table

[tybee]

This has been a pleasant week watching the Bella phono pre-amp adjust to my system and open up.  After settling in my system, I must re-confirm billc’s observations in his review of unit 1.  Unit two like unit one can be summed as having, “Clarity, balance, speed/dynamics, and ability to unravel complex passages”.  I found that my amps and/or pre-amps were a good match in gain with the Bella.  Keep in mind that the Bella has a listed gain of 32 dB which is lower than many competing MM phono stages.  Since I do not try to entertain my neighbors with loud music, I did not find the Bella gain as a limiting factor to enjoy music.  So, what else can I add to this fine product?

Tube rolling baby!  What the Bella phono can offer your system depends on your listening preferences, but the Bella can quite handily display the strengths of the various 12AU7 tube family.  I have chosen the 12AU7 tube because many vintage phono quality tubes can be found at much less cost when compared to vintage 12AX7s.  During my listening sessions this past week, I kept the excellent Sovtek 12AX7LPS as my 12AX7 choice and rolled many of favorite 12AU7s.  The Bella easily displayed the tonal characteristics of whatever 12AU7 was utilized.  I often use Tube World’s chart for describing the tonal characteristics of the 12AU7 and 12AX7 tube family. Although the 12AX7s chart is similar, here is Tube World’s description for 12AU7s:

High Resolution/Clear, Detailed/High End Extension   
RCA Cleartops
12AU7 Sylvania
12AU7 Tung Sols

Warm/ Smooth/ Rich
7316 Amperex
1950s 12AU7 Black plates
12AU7 Brimar
12AU7 Mullards

Lively 3D Midrange/ Good bass/ Midrange vocals more pronounced/Sweet highs
12AU7 Amperex Bugle Boys
12AU7 Phillips Holland

Detailed/ Articulate/Warm

12AU7 Telefunken smooth plates
1960s Mullard Box plates
12AU7 1960s GE
50s-60s Mullard long plates

My listening preference depending on the music generally falls between high resolution/clear, detailed or warm/smooth/rich.  Tubes used this past week include:

RCA 5963 50's black plate D-getter version which is balanced, very smooth with nice/round bass, 3 dimensional sound. I like this tube with most every music style.
50's Sylvania JAN 12AU7 - lush tone, slamming bass, smooth and lively. I like female vocals like Alison Krauss and Eva Cassidy with this tube. A great Rock tube in my system.

Tung sol early 50's black glass – very detailed, smooth highs but slightly drier in the midrange.  A great tube for classic jazz like Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Ellington

CBS/Hytron 5814 displays bass with good detail, excellent top to bottom extension, a very good tonal quality, and can offer an interesting dynamic presentation. I like this tube with classical music.

A mid 60s Sylvania 6189WA – very balanced tube that matches nicely with the Sovtek 12AX7LPS.  Some say this tube reminds them of the excellent Amperex 7316.  Jim McShane recommended this combination and I must agree.  This tube combination sounded excellent with all music styles.

As I ran out of time, I was not able to try a 50s Amperex D getter or an Amperex 7316 as well as any of my Mullards or Brimars, but the Bella is very capable of displaying the sonics of any 12AU7 tube type. If I have time this week, I will switch from my Ortofon 2M Black MM cartridge to a MC with a step up that should match the Bella. I have been breaking in the 2M Black on my Acoustic Solid table, but it will reside on my Doug Olsen modded plinth/Thorens 150/ Grace 707 Mk11, my second table.  Yes, I have two tables set up like toobluvr. But I am not like Doug, who has too many “tunas” and too little time.

I hope this review is helpful for those of you in the market for a high quality phono pre-amp like the Bella.  It will be interesting to read what others in this demo tour observe in their systems.

[Bill Baker]

Thanks for such in depth comments tybee. I too am now starting to play with some NOS 12AU7 tubes in my Bella Phono now that I have some breakin hours on it. I know tubes are very subjective and personal but I won't report on my findings until everyone on the tour has had the chance to listen and post.