Hi guys,
It’s time to say goodbye to my Bellari VP130 Phono Preamp after having it for about twelve years it decided to die this morning. It was probably the hardest working preamp on the net lol. It served me well since I used it daily to transfer my vinyl. This means that I cannot do any further transfers until I replace it with another phono preamp. The one I have my eye on is the Schiit Mani Phono Preamp I have read some great things about it and the price is good. I will be using donation money that you guys generously donated back in October. As soon as I get another amp purchased and delivered I will begin posting again, hopefully, this will only take few days.
Thank you for understanding.
-DjPaulT
Nobody puts DjPaulT into a corner… keep on spinning brother!!! Your 12″ collection is UNSURPASSED and UNTOUCHABLE. I have yet to see anyone else hold their own against your archives. Second to none, hands down! Hate to see the Bellari go away, what a preamp! Great memories, but the show must go on! Thanks as always, Paul!
Brilliant reply Paul to the troll’s remarks. I don’t think I would have replied to this guy’s nasty comments in the cool response like you did though. I have nothing but respect, admiration and praise for you and that all that you do on your awesome site. I have asked for loads of requests in the past and you always deliver every time. You are a lovely, friendly guy and very professional and polite too. To the vile troll… Jog on mister!!!
Another week to christmas (my favourite time of year), so let’s hope you will be able to get a preamp that you want.
Every time I’ve suggested a vinyl, you’ve always answered my question and even though you might not have that record, you always let me and the other readers know.
You really have remastered these better than most record companies, and I think someone should give you a job with great pay, for all the hard work put into these classics,
Great Work Paul.
Before you get an all new Tube Amplifier, have you checked the tube itself?
Friend, do you live in the united states and do not have a better preamplifier? I do not get it
Friend,do you live información the unit edad states and do not have a better preamplifier? I do not get it
RIP Bellari, you’ve had an enchanted life. Not many pieces of equipment have the opportunity to facilitate warm, wonderful memories in people all around the globe. History will reflect Paul’s transfers as an act of curating some of the finest music available, saving it from oblivion.
THAT’S the “T”.
RIP VP130 – during your time you provided some outstanding rips!
@DjPaulT – Keep up the fantastic rips when the new “Schitt” arrives – You are truly a musical angel …THANK YOU 🙂
Excellent work you carry out doing those processes of digitizing vinyl, although I keep very quiet, I greatly appreciate your work because it is full of absolute quality in terms of sound and volume, thanks for making your work come and share that material so remembered in times golden of the decades of the seventies, eighties and nineties, fraternal greetings from Venezuela Paul.
Twelve year old, you say? I’ve been recapping several monitors, amps, motherboards, synths, mixers, fx units bought between ’98 and ’08 (the “capacitor plague” years, currently waiting for a couple 680µF 25V caps for my trusty old E-mu 1820m. Have a look inside and see if any electrolytic capacitors are leaking/bulging. They’re usually large enough that they’re a breeze to de-solder. And they’re fairly cheap. Those for my E-mu weren’t even two dollars each, including 25% VAT. 🙂
I spoke too soon…today, 7:30am Friday, and the website on my desktop and iPhone is showing Madonna Live To Tell again. I even tried Private Browsing in Firefox which has no cache/history information. Internet Explorer also shows Live To Tell.
Not sure about the others. I bet they are decent also but I too had a budget. The list of phono stages I want versus what I could afford were very different. 😉
Rest in peace VP130, and thank you for your years of service! You will not be forgotten!
Paul, why not just buy another Bellari VP130 Phono Preamp? Obviously your old one lasted a long time so you know it’s high quality and you like it. You also wouldn’t have to wonder if a new/different unit would acoustically be different. If I were in your shoes, I would just buy an exact replacement.
Also, remember, most credit cards give you an extra 1 year free warranty coverage.
I liked the Bellari but I do want to try something different I can always return the new unit if I don’t like it. So far I have read great reviews about the Schiit Mani and purchased it this morning it should arrive in a couple of days.
Edit: is the site working better? WordPress has been doing updates lately so that could be the issue. I also deactivated a cache plug-in.
No improvement yet for the iPhone but it seems to work better today on my desktop running Firefox. Hopefully it will be 100% back to normal soon!
Glad you ordered your new unit and happy ripping!!
Also, speaking of edits…any way to alter this website so we can edit our post instead of having to write a 2nd post? It would be really helpful but my guess is that would require us to register…otherwise I could alter anyone’s posts.
i was wondering if maybe the tube itself was the issue… my dad used to run his own TV/radio repair shop in the 70s/80s, and i would see all sorts of units comer in that just needed the tube replaced. i have no knowledge of this unit, and not sure how easy/difficult it is to get it looked at.
just tossing a suggestion out there. thanks, Paul, for all of your hard work!
I thought about that too but the tube is fairly new I just replaced it a few months ago. I am going to try a new amp and explore the possibility of fixing the Bellari.
Hi Paul – sad news, but I wonder if it can be fixed?
Sometimes it’s a simple thing like a power fault, not the actual unit itself. I resurrected a ‘dead’ external hard drive once that turned out to be a simple fault like that.
Maybe try searching http://www.fixya.com before throwing in the towel? 🙂
Thanks for the info Jermajesty 🙂
It seems that there are some who do not understand how donations work on this site. It’s easy, it works like this: you choose one or more oddities that you can hardly find anywhere else and download them to have them on your computer forever, if then you feel so satisfied as to make a contribution you do it and that’s it. It does not work the other way around, nobody donates for something that is not there. As always, thanks for your generous work Paul, I hope you can renew your setup as soon as possible.
Thank you Walter C. 🙂
🙂 The Good news is, that it died along with your soul.
🙁 The bad news is, that now you’re going to have another fundraiser after a month or so on our backs and give us the little crumbs of your bad shitty taste and never fill up request…well only if you donate huge money to meet your bad shitty taste again.
Do us a favor, and start posting music that people request.
Sorry, but I had to get it out of my system.
Next time, get it out of your system into a pillow.
I already did!
I have the right to say my opinion since I donate a shit load of money for this place and I entitled to get at least something in return, yes Goodguy, the least one 12″ inch that I want, not just a politically correct answer.
be a Good guy on your account! sorry for the typos.
Dang, entitled much?
No one forced you to donate.
It’s sad that this has bothered you so much that you had to make yourself Anonymous. As a matter of fact, I fill requests all of the time I just don’t always label it as such. Sometimes requests take time to fill especially if I am trying to find a record that I do not have in near mint condition. I do read all comments and emails even if I do not always answer. Why don’t you instead send me an email, tell me who you are, and let me know when you have problems with how I do things… Read more »
Is that so?! I have sent you a couple of emails requesting a 12″ or two and you never replied and also ignore my request online, and that was a year ago, and 6 months ago (online), (you have them twelves and you promised to do so(?)). I highly appreciate your work but it seems obvious that your supporters don’t get the same feeling from you. -There is no need to tell you who I am because you need to treat everyone here just the same and fill requests now and then. -I don’t care how you run your blog… Read more »
I am late to this post and I see Paul’s reply. First, it should strike you as amazing that Paul replied with such professionalism and care, not because he should have responded differently but because this is how he is. He cares deeply about the site, the music, and the visitors. Second, as I’ve said in the past, you do not need to donate a single penny. Nobody is telling you to donate and this topic has been stated dozens of times over the years by visitors and Paul himself. But, my guess is that if you do download a… Read more »
Wow, man. Just… wow. If you don’t like what he posts, you are more than welcome to go through the trouble of setting up your own blog to share whatever you think is superior, and go through the trouble of seeking out, ripping, cleaning up, scanning and cleaning up artwork. I know I’m forever grateful for so much that’s been posted.
Awful attitude on display here. Embarrassed for you.
It’s odd that you keep donating money even though you’re obviously not happy with what Paul posts here. It would probably be best to stop donating and look elsewhere for your music.
You are basically someone who expects FREE high quality music on your own terms but not willing to spend a penny or put any effort into it yourself. Does that sum it up?
More power to you Paul, for an articulate and respectful response to someone who clearly does not deserve it and thank you for all that you do. Nothing but respect for you.
Wow, aren’t you an annoying troll… it makes no sense to donate tons of money when you could be doing all the hard work of ripping your own vinyl yourself… Methinks you are lying and just being a jerk. There are tons of cool things posted here, with that save oneself the time of ripping their own collections and rarities that are fun to hear for the first time!!!
Go Djpault!
And this weak person thinks that by tearing into you it’s going to make everything ok?
What a deluded scumbag.
Treat the anonymous loser with the contempt they deserve.
Oh and thanks for the great work and effort.
Hero fallen in battle. greetings from peru. Paul
Def worked itself into he grave! 😉
Any possibility it just needs a new tube?
How bad are the non-tube ones, like the Art models, in comparison?
I am not sure I have only ever used this amp. I am thinking of getting this one based on reviews http://www.schiit.com/products/mani
I debated the same phono stage and there were enough people that reported the device picked up radio interference as it isn’t shielded from RF. For me I opted to go with the Mofi StudioPhono. It is very balanced and has a fairly flat audio profile which I prefer. The circuitry was developed by Tim De Paravicini, who if you follow audiophile circles knows his stuff. It is very well reviewed and if you haven’tplunked downfor the Schitt yet, take a look!
This discussion has turned to things FAR outside of my budget right now. Unless you’ve seen one at the local Goodwill you can pickup for me? 🙂
Aaron, are the Art ones pure garbage in comparison?