I drove 8 hrs to pick up these three BEL 1001 Mk5 amplifiers a couple of days ago! From one private seller. I am ecstatic! This makes 11 of them. I wasn't planning on buying them, but the deal was way too good!
Oops ... sorry. How this relates to DIY:
I'm planning on using the funds from a couple of these to purchase everything needed for a Frankenstein project 😉.
I'm going to purchase a large, thick and fine aluminum case for combining a pair into a stereo amplifier. I'm going to use quality connectors and thick copper interior shielding, for a true dual mono, stereo amplifier.
I'm planning on using the funds from a couple of these to purchase everything needed for a Frankenstein project 😉.
I'm going to purchase a large, thick and fine aluminum case for combining a pair into a stereo amplifier. I'm going to use quality connectors and thick copper interior shielding, for a true dual mono, stereo amplifier.
I like your enthousiasm!
Never heard of Bel amps, and they look very nice.
https://www.soundsgoodtomehouston.com/bel1001mkv.html
Hugo
Never heard of Bel amps, and they look very nice.
https://www.soundsgoodtomehouston.com/bel1001mkv.html
Hugo
Hi Hugo. The Absolute Sound used them for many years as their "reference" amplifiers.
Chosen over Rowland, Krell, Ayre, Levinson, and .... well, literally every other amplifier TAS tested 😉.
I use 4 ohm speakers in my main system. But they will play 800 watts into 2 ohms with zero issues at all.
Chosen over Rowland, Krell, Ayre, Levinson, and .... well, literally every other amplifier TAS tested 😉.
I use 4 ohm speakers in my main system. But they will play 800 watts into 2 ohms with zero issues at all.
Nice, I would love to hear them, but aren't you a bit over enthusiastic on the power specs?
The link I posted says 50W X 2 or bridgeable to 200W.
Could also be they are wrong. Me, I don't know them. 😉
The link I posted says 50W X 2 or bridgeable to 200W.
Could also be they are wrong. Me, I don't know them. 😉
"... but keep in mind that the BEL uses only two output transistors and it is rated at 50 watts per channel in stereo and 200 watts bridged... "
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/bel-1001-amp-does-it-deserve-the-hype
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/bel-1001-amp-does-it-deserve-the-hype
Not even a little bit. Each BEL is a 50w ch/ 100 w ch / and 200 w ch as a stereo amplifier at 8/4/2 ohms.
When you bridge one of these, it becomes a monoblock that is 200 w ch / 400 w ch / and 800 w ch .... 8 ohms, 4 ohms, 2 ohms
There is not a speaker it can't drive extremely well.
There's a touch of mystery, to just what Dick was doing. He did things extremely differently.
Not truly Class A, but acting and sounding like it. Crazily lifelike, smooth, natural, and resolving. Kind of the perfect balance of Yin and Yang.
Not truly Class A, but acting and sounding like it. Crazily lifelike, smooth, natural, and resolving. Kind of the perfect balance of Yin and Yang.
Yup, incredible amps! I owned a 1001 Mk3 for several years. Stupidly sold it 
. Would like to have that one back!
Dan
. Would like to have that one back!Dan
I repaired a few of these in my day. Very strange circuit. Doesn't like capacitive loads but doesn't shy away from lower impedance loads. A little shy in the bass compared to others.
I used to think they were bass shy too. Until I saw one on an oscilloscope and other tests. Seems the distortion profile was a good bit lower than other great amplifiers, lending to a perceived lighter bass.
They are definitely neutral. Nothing added or subtracted at all.
Using them as monoblocks changes the bass performance considerably. But they still are more tight, fast, and impactful more than they are bass monsters. Good to see someone that's familiar with their strange topology
They are definitely neutral. Nothing added or subtracted at all.
Using them as monoblocks changes the bass performance considerably. But they still are more tight, fast, and impactful more than they are bass monsters. Good to see someone that's familiar with their strange topology
Hello Citizen. I'll be happy to. But I think you should know something first.
Several extremely good engineers have tried ... and it's just this simple:
Dick was way outside of the lines. He came from a completely different background than literally any other amplifier designer.
And he did many things that left the best engineers scratching their heads when trying to clone it. He had extremely different beliefs and approaches, and a lot of what he did was hand tuning by ear.
There's even mystery parts .... yeah. Sourced from nobody knows where. He didn't believe in special wiring. He used military grade telecommunications wire internally. He used quality, but generic terminals. And didn't believe in fancy wiring or connectors. Claimed they would not improve the sound quality. He had his cables specially made for him. They weren't off the shelf, that anyone has ever been able to find. Extremely odd cables that shouldn't sound very good. But they do.
I'll gladly send you photos! But I recommend looking up BEL repair info, and BEL schematics. And I also have personal handwritten notes from Dick. I believe it to possibly end like all the other attempts. Due to his eccentricities in design.
Several extremely good engineers have tried ... and it's just this simple:
Dick was way outside of the lines. He came from a completely different background than literally any other amplifier designer.
And he did many things that left the best engineers scratching their heads when trying to clone it. He had extremely different beliefs and approaches, and a lot of what he did was hand tuning by ear.
There's even mystery parts .... yeah. Sourced from nobody knows where. He didn't believe in special wiring. He used military grade telecommunications wire internally. He used quality, but generic terminals. And didn't believe in fancy wiring or connectors. Claimed they would not improve the sound quality. He had his cables specially made for him. They weren't off the shelf, that anyone has ever been able to find. Extremely odd cables that shouldn't sound very good. But they do.
I'll gladly send you photos! But I recommend looking up BEL repair info, and BEL schematics. And I also have personal handwritten notes from Dick. I believe it to possibly end like all the other attempts. Due to his eccentricities in design.