Which ever scratches your back the best… 
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Initial impressions of BHK Pre to M1200 compared to BHK Pre to M700:
Female vocals are smoother, much smoother. Playing back a recording of a live violin concerto, the lead violin sounds even more natural and with better separation of the lead violin. The backing string section sounds noticeably more alive while still remaining in the background. You get a better the sense of the performance and there is better focus on each and every every instrument involved in the concerto. This vibrancy is especially noticeable at lower volumes, as the volume does not need to be cranked up in order to hear instruments and female vocals bloom. I like what I am hearing now and can’t wait until the amps open up as everyone else says these amps will.
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Awesome to read you have the M1200’s hooked up! It only gets better with more hours! I left mine on for 2 weeks. What the amps do for music at low volume is pretty miraculous! I always felt with my M700’s and other amps I had to crank the volume up to hear all the sonic benefits not so with the M1200’s! Welcome aboard!
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Interesting observation about the M1200. I tend to listen to music most of the time at a moderate level. My McIntosh amp sounds really good, but it also sounds better at a higher volume.
Good morning all! Just an update on my system. I replaced the Psvanes tubes in my M1200’s with Brimar NOS tubes a couple weeks ago. IMO not as bright in my system as the Psvanes. The Brimar’s seemed to be a little too laid back and seemed to hold back some of the higher frequency dynamics which is the negative in removing some of the stock harshness on certain music. I hope that made sense. Today I replaced the Brimars with the Gold Lions and only a handful of songs I can say I’m very pleased with I’m hearing! The Gold Lion seems to sit perfectly between the NOS Brimar’s and the stock Psvanes IMO. https://upscaleaudio.com/products/brimar-cv4003-12au7
https://upscaleaudio.com/products/gold-lion-ecc82-b749?variant=29530422476860
Hope this helps. Enjoy the music!
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Thanks again Stu! Fantastic choice on the Gold Lions! I just installed mine this morning and both me and the M1200’s love them! Herbies are on the way!
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Glad they were the right “flavor” for you. They do improve with a little run-in time. Let me know what you think when you get the Herbies installed. They made the biggest difference for me. Try bending the titanium rings so that the dampers are making only very light contact with the glass. That was the “ahhhh” sweet spot for me.
The Gold Lion 12AUs are recommended for the BHK Preamp as well Paul.
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I might give the gold lions a try for the bhk pre amp. Right now I want to give the the Tungsram a try. I have 500 hours on the Brimar’s but curiosity is getting the best of me. The gold lions are keepers on the m1200’s!
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Hi Paul, Are the M1200’s meeting your expectations?
Hi Stu, the Herbie’s are installed. It’s crazy how something so small can change the sound in a system! Initially I installed the rings and they were too tight i thought they were loose enough I could hear a difference not for the better. I took the rings out loosened them up some more and like you said much better! I’m enjoying what I’m hearing!
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It’s crazy what those little Herbie’s can do. It took a little patience to get the tension just right, but when I did, whoa! significant gains in focus and detail from a blacker (more silent) background. It’s like a fine layer of haze has been removed from the entire soundstage. I listened for a few days when I had it right and then took them off for another comparison. It took all of about 10 seconds for me to say to myself, nope, I will not run these tubes naked ever again.
@stuartmc Have you tested them on BHK Pre tubes? They’re not overly expensive, but any feedback on that application before ordering is always reassuring. 
Yes I only made two adjustments on the rings and I was pleased with the results! Thanks for leading me to the Herbie’s tweek!
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audiojan, I haven’t tried the Herbies with BHK Pre tubes because I don’t have a BHK. Most of my experience with tube dampers has been with preamps of various kinds. Some experiences were, meh, others were quite good. The secret is to provide the right amount of damping without over doing it or creating heat issues. The Herbies Ultra happens to be the best product I have every used because of its adjustable minimal, but effective contact area.
I have the BHK Preamp and I don’t use the Herbie’s on it. The reason I tried the Herbies on the M1200 is I felt the tubes on the M1200 would be more susceptible to vibration because of the horizontal mounting compared to vertical tubes in the BHK.
On my preamp I use those where possible (output tubes)
https://www.europeanaudioteam.com/en/e.a.t.-cool-damper-wp000039.html
as well as the Herbie’s where’s not enough space for the EAT (input tubes)
Vibration seems to play a role especially with input tubes as the input tube boards of my pre are designed spring suspended.
So far, yes. Haven’t had the time I wanted to continue listening this week
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Which Herbie’s tube dampers did you use? Seems like a lot of choices on the web site.