Musica Bella Feedback and Reviews

Music Bella SP/AV-1

Bill,

Thank you very much for allowing me to visit your shop for several hours recently, where I was able to spend time listening closely your new Musica Bella SP/AV-1 speakers.  Also, thanks for allowing me to play some good vinyl that I know well, and for being such an excellent and friendly host. I was able to spend almost 3 extremely enjoyable hours soaking up the Bella’s sounds.  Unlike most speaker evaluations, it was great having the designer and builder present, because you were able to provide detailed information about the construction and materials used for the speakers. 

It was also good to be able to hear the Bella speakers through two different amplifiers: a 25W push-pull 300B amplifier, and a 40W 805-tubed SET amplifier.  Vinyl included Jacintha’s Bossa Nova (45 RPM), Best of Lambert Hendricks and Ross, Eva Cassidy, Dave Matthews, Rikki Lee Jones “Volcano”, Duke Ellington “Blues in Orbit”, etc.

To get right to the point, the Bella speakers were wonderful.  They have an expansive, very natural, harmonious sound, and at the same time, they present great musical detail (but without being etched or aggressive). I think that the external cross-overs (with a low cross-over point), and the two-way sealed-box construction contribute to the highly musical performance of the speakers (no port boominess).

The treble performance is accurate, exhibiting great musical detail, but without being grating or harsh (or annoyingly revealing).  One of the Bella’s particular strengths was the ability to reproduce piano clearly and realistically (usually challenging even for the best of speakers), with the ringing clarity of high notes and the power of lower notes. 

The bass/woofer performance differed between the two amplifiers.  I though that the 300B-tubed amp presented a sweet, balanced sound.  Due to the sealed enclosure, bass seemed slightly recessed.  However, the 300B tube is not known for its low frequency performance – rather it is known for a beautiful midrange, which is what the speakers conveyed.  When I switched to the 805-tubed SET amp, which is known for stronger bass output than the 300B, the bass/midbass performance kicked up a notch and the sound jumped into a harmonic balance that I rarely hear.  Bass was punchy, controlled, and strong but fully integrated.

The speakers really get out the way of the music and sound clear, musical, detailed, and naturally accurate.  I keep coming back to the word “natural”.  The sounds just flowed from the speaker, without edginess or effort.  One other aspect that was really nice was the high efficiency of the Bella speaker. Both the 25-watt and 40-watt amps drove these speakers to quite loud room-filling levels (and your listening space is quite large!).  Also, this sensitivity allowed for highly nuanced dynamic detail.

One other aspect of my listening session is worthy of mention: the tweeter “waveguide” technology definitely contributes to a wide and even dispersion of sound throughout your large listening space.  You jokingly mentioned that this reduced the need for the listener, especially with listening company present, to jockey for the “sweet spot”.  That made me believe that perhaps there was not a strong sweet spot, but I was wrong.  In the right spot the focus and soundstage improved dramatically.  So these speakers allow dual function -- they present highly musical sound for groups of listeners, while also excelling in a focused listening session.  For me, your speakers set a new standard for musicality (especially at this price point).  I hope to hear the SP-2's in the near future!

Bill Cesanek / New Jersey /  Product Owner

 

 

Audiojerry / Audio Circle Member / Review

In my initial review, http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewtopic.php?t=23735,
I felt the Bella's were not fully burned in, and I decided to give them more playing time before making my final evaluation. But even by then, I realized that they had achieved a higher level of performance over the Essence.

With nearly 200 hours of burn-in, the Bellas have evolved into a very impressive speaker. Without waiting until the end of my review, I will state right away that I believe the Response Audio mod to the Essence is well worth the investment. If I were an Essence owner, I'd be thrilled to know I could take my already great speaker and turn it into a significantly better speaker.

Now if you are interested in some details, this is what I heard:

I should first point out that I had to use my 4 pillar 24" tall sand filled steel speaker stands. They are very good stands, but too tall for the Bellas. The Bellas should have been at least 4-6" lower to get the tweeter at or below ear level. It also gets the midbass lower to the floor, which may help enhance the low-end response.

Another observation is the highly effective waveguide. It really helps to project strongly into the room, which I think has a lot to do with the large soundstage and dynamic punch of the Bella. However, for me I was not accustomed to this, so I personally preferred the Bellas set up with significant toe-in - about 35-40 degrees. Changing toe-in / toe-out can make a big difference in the way the Bella will perform for you.

I first compared the Bella directly to my ProAc Response 2.5 floorstanders. This is what my ProAc looks like if you haven't seen one.

Next to it is my former, and still favorite, Dynaudio Special 25. I got the 2.5 at a really good price because of the chip near the bottom. 

As I point out my impressions, bear in mind that these comments are based on how one speaker sounded in relation to the other, and not necessarily how I would describe the speaker if I were comparing it to some other speaker.

These are my notes from the ProAC/Bella comparison

The ProAc's are lush, warm, mellow, and laid back in comparison to the Bella. Compared to some other speaker this would probably not be the case.

The Bella is clean, cool, clear, and more forward.

Each speaker is what I would consider high-rez. They each provide lots of information and allow the listener to hear deeply into the recording. With the ProAc, the beauty is in the midrange. With the Bella, the beauty is in the neutrality.

The low frequency response seemed fairly close. This was somewhat surprising, because the Bella's response is listed at 50hz -2db. The ProAc's have very good bass for a speaker its size, and I believe is publicized in the low 30's or upper 20's. However, the Bella's bass is punchier with greater perceived speed. Don't expect these results, however, until you've gotten at least 100 hours on them.

The Bella's have much more power handling capacity than the ProAc's. They can really crank out the spl's with ease. The Bella's can really rock - big time!

Each speaker is hi-rez. They each have the ability to dig deeply into the recording and extract the low level details. With the ProAc the beauty is in the midrange. With the Bella, the beauty is in the neutrality.

The ProAc had a list price of $4500. 

These are my notes from the Essence/Bella comparison

Bearing in mind that the Essence and Bella use the same drivers and same cabinets, they share a certain degree of similarity in the sonic signature. The Bella just takes it all to another level.

The Bella is more resolving. It is readily apparent that when listening to the Bella that a veil has been lifted. Individual notes are more easily distinguished. When listening to cymbals or triangles, the striking of these instruments are crisper and more distinct.

Performers on the soundstage are more clearly defined with greater separation between them. It is easier to visualize a virtual stage in front of you

The texture and timbre of instruments and voice are a more lifelike and realistic.

Finally, the bass is better defined. The plucking of the strings and the resonance of the wood body are more lifelike. This ranks very high for me because I love stand-up bass. Too many speakers and too many systems just don't get the bass right. It may be deep and punchy, but lacking in complex woody timbre that breathes life into the music.

Actually, one final observation. The Bella sounded less boxy, which I think was the result of elimination of the ringing resonance I noted in the Essence, probably accomplished in some measure by the use of better damping material in the cabinets.

Bella SP/AV-1 owner

BUT, my most favorite speakers of all are the new Bella 1's that are now happily playing in my living room.  My wife heard them twice, and upon the second listen said "these are really much clearer and better than the old speakers"

 

And I couldn't agree more. The difference I heard between my old speakers and the Bella's in your place was masked somewhat by the large size of your listening area.  When I listen in more of a near field environment (I usually sit about 6-8 feet from the speakers), the sound improvement is really easy to hear.  Especially the clarity.  The overall sound is much cleaner and, as a result, more harmonious and musical.  For my wife to pick up on this after two listens indicates that you have built an amazing speaker. 

 

And, with the Waveguide design, I can walk around the entire room (12x24) and hear the music with almost equal clarity and presentation.

 

A great great design job! -- which is really becoming more and more apparent as I have been listening over the past week. 

 

Last, but certainly not least, thank you for the Windsor Merlot, which we opened to start the New Year yesterday.  What a wonderful accompaniment to starting the new year !  The wine was very full, with good intensity, and had a very strong cherry fruit taste and nose, which was quite enjoyable.  You have a very nice wine on your hands!  It had already started to throw off some sediment, which means that it is ready for prime time.  Good choice, and many many thanks for the bottle.  I can see it now:  "Bill Baker's Response Audio and Fine Wine"!  :-)

New Jersey

 

Bella SP/AV-1 Owner

Good morning Bill!  -  We were not able to send you email right away because we're so pre occupied with listening to your speakers.  Again, I would like to congratulate you for a job well done. They perfectly match my audio set up.  I am so pleased with your work. The whole group was here yesterday - my wife, my brother, Pablo and me.  Pablo was so happy with your work.   The wait was worth it.

On the other hand, you know how I've wanted these speakers - clean and versatile, I really love them so much, don't mind the  scratches, but the visible  chipped off section of the baffles (corner of both speakers) bothers me.  I don't have any idea of what to say, it's up to you what are your plans or suggestions. 

These  UPS incidents (I guess they love me so much, remember 2x already) doesn't stop me from doing business with you again...I really love your work. AWESOME!!!!!

Looking forward for your suggestions.  THANK YOU!!!!!

RG - California

Comment: The reasoning for the mention of UPS was due to the fact that although these speakers were very well packed in custom boxes and well secured, they were dropped (quite hard) with both speakers damaged beyond repair.