w4s sti1000 or belles 150a ref for audio physic??

Tvad, I assume you're referring to Doug Blackburn's 2004 review of the Belles 150A Reference amp at SoundStage.com? At least that was the only one of consequence that came up in my search.

I have respect for Doug Blackburn's opinions and what he said in that review was indeed high praise. Certainly I can't dispute it as I haven't heard that model of Belles amp.

That said, I am a little puzzled by your apparent closed-minded posture. So because you've heard a couple of ICE amps that you didn't like, now all ICE amps are bad, is that it? That's like me saying, "I heard a few solid-state amps and didn't like them so all solid-state amps are bad and I'll never listen to one again."

Excuse me for saying so, but that is the kind of attitude that prevents progress. There are still people who won't listen to CD's, only vinyl, and while the CD format is not perfect by a long shot, even you'd probably agree that it's not all that bad and is in fact much better now than it was 20 years ago. And of course vinyl is wonderful, but many post baby boomers would disagree with that as well.

Listen to some music, you'll feel better. :)

Plato, I no longer have the interest in investigating amplifiers that everyone else thinks is the best around...particularly ICE, Class D and switching amplifiers. I've auditioned several amps that were the topics of incredible praise and audiophile buzz, only to decide they weren't for me. I'm doubtful that my lack of interest in auditioning gear prevents the progress of the companies or the technology.

If you believe my lack of interest in auditioning these components prevents personal progress in audio, then that's fine with me.

I hope you can respect my decision to not spend my time auditioning gear.

But, we're off topic, and we should move on.

and the winner is.......

nobody.

Coleman22, Wyred4Sound offers a 30 day home trial period (subject to a 15% re-stocking fee if the amps are returned). This is your best bet. Order one. Listen to it, and decide for yourself.

If you want to try Belles, I strongly encourage you to be patient and buy a used version. Then, it if doesn't do it for you, it can be resold without much pain.