Paul-
Im breaking in new M1200 and BHK pre for the last 2 weeks…im loving them both
Thank you
5 Likes
@gd7288 i’m getting sq improvements a year later, enjoy!
1 Like
What a terrific combination. As musical as it gets. Thanks for sharing.
1 Like
Gift that keeps on giving
Will have 400 hrs of burn in on bhk on Saturday
Exited to explore the trigger connections to the mk1200’s
4 Likes
My M1200’s driven by my BHK Pre make my Magnepan 1.7i’s sing beautifully!!!
6 Likes
HiFi News reviewed the M1200s in 2021 very effusively. Totally smitten.
My only concern is that reviewers tend to not tube roll. The stock amplifier is great but with the right tube and power cable is totally awesome magnificent.
I’m driving my M1200s with the Doge 8 Clarity preamplifier. A real sleeper cheapy from China but you have to use the right tubes, again.
The lodspeakers are these Chinese heavyweights with ribbon tweeters (front and back). Aurum Cantus New Grand Supreme. I wsa using an Australian designed and manufactured power amplifier putting out 600W a channel into 4 Ohms. The Aussie SS power amplifier was the closest to tubes we’d had in our system until the M1200s arrived.
Paul
3 Likes
With the CJ tube preamp in my system feeding the M1200’s, there is no need to tube roll. With instruments sounding THAT real, I am extremely happy with the stock tubes in my modest system. With that said, I do have Mullards that I will try one of these days, lol.
1 Like
It’s been awhile. I wanted jump back in and let the community know that a full two years after my review for Positive-Feeback, I’m still completely smitten with the M1200’s. I’ve been tweaking and upgrading nearly everything in my system and these amps reveal even the most subtle changes. It just keeps getting better and better. For my parsimonious pals, here is my short list of the very best, affordable tweaks for the M1200:
-
Herbies Ultrasonix RX Tube Damper. Properly applied, the only tube damper I’ve found that does its job without sucking the life out of the sound.
-
Golden Lion 12AU7 tubes - Get top grade, cryo-treated from Upscale Audio. The tube rolling continues, but these are a sure thing. I don’t think I can beat them for anywhere near the price.
-
Ice Age Audio - Copper/copper OFC, cryo-treated power cords. Only $116.00 and they are stupid good at 4X the price. Adds a little warmth and heft to the bottom end and great soundstaging.
-
Acme Audio Labs Silver Cryo fuses. They are only $22 each and they perform as well, or better than some very expensive fuses I’ve tried. Of course you need to get the same value as used in the ICE module and you could possibly create a warranty problem for yourself, but for a mere 44 dollars you just can’t go wrong with these.
Enjoy mates and a very happy holiday season to you all.
Stu
10 Likes
Is the fuse box hidden inside? I did not find a fuse access in the back of M1200.
The fuse is slightly buried on the densely packed circuit board of the ICE module itself. You have to disassemble the top of the casework to get inside. It’s a bit of a trick to reassemble the two part power switch when reassembling the case. Replacing the factory fuse voids the warranty, ICEpower is emphatic about that point on their website.
1 Like
Thanks! I’ll leave it alone for the time being.
1 Like
I deleted my comment, as I realized you asked “fuse” and not “tubes”, lol
Hi Paul. I’ve enjoyed the music from practically all the artist you’ve listed.
Here’s an update. Enjoyed the M1200s immensely in the past 2 yrs without issues. They are no lightweight contenders. Originally purchased to drive a pair of Martin Logan 13a hybrid electrostats, they have delivered an incredible sound consistently with little effort. Considering their size and weight factors, these monoblocks are very easy to live with. They have an incredible power reserve, give lifelike reproduction of male and female vocals, and have an inside your room performance of the artist. They are fast, have a wide dynamic range, no problems driving the ML 13a electrostats and deliver solid and articulate bass without missing any details in the mid to high range.
But the real musical performance of the M1200 was hidden until I got the DS MKII. The M1200 really came alive when matched with the DS MKII revealing an even more detailed reproduction throughout the whole spectrum. I heard details that were hidden. My whole system sounded new, simply glorious. The wife says the new sound is amazingly clear. See my post #1349 under DS MKII beta review for additional information. These are the best amps I’ve owned so far and have no regrets making the purchase. If one compares the spects and dollar value to other amps costing 2 to 5 times more, this pair of mono blocks are an incredible value.
Reference system & few songs from Qobuz to enjoy:
PW P15: Roon Nucleus Plus >> USB A-B >> DS MKII >> XLRs BHK Preamp >> M1200 >> ML 13a
Chant (2022. Remastered) - Fourplay 96/ 24.
Night Wind - David Arkenstone 44.1/ 16. Mid with sparkle highs
Azul - Jesse Cook 44.1/ 16. Lows to highs
Queen of Ice (Nora en Pure Remix) - Claptone/Dizzy 44.1/ 24. Articulate bass
Headaches - Raveena 44.1/ 16
Kiss in blue - Yello/ Heidi Happy 44.1/ 16
6 Likes
Great to hear you are enjoying the M1200’s! Especially with the new DAC. I’ve heard the new Dac just not in my system yet! I also had a nucleus and noticed a fairly substantial increase in sound quality with my dedicated streamer (Auralic Aries G2) was a real eye opener IMO. Not that you need a Auralic but I think you will be pleasantly surprised again when you hear what a dedicated streamer can do! Enjoy!
2 Likes
I think this subject needs a little more explanation, so I’m only responding to you, Photon46, as a means to do so.
ICEpower is indeed emphatic about the fuse situation, but quite frankly, nearly every audio manufacturer is equally emphatic about fuses, or at least they should be. I’ve done a few product liability cases in my tenure and for these kinds of products you always want to be emphatic about fuses to limit your liability. ICEpower says their fuse is non-replaceable because if it has blown, there must have been a major failure on their board. The fuse is a failsafe for a situation that would in all likelihood require a complete power board replacement. This type of failure will be readily apparent to any repair person and will NOT be attributed to a fuse. That situation is going to be an extremely rare occurrence, particularly after you have put some substantial hours on the amps. My EE friends tell me about the bathtub curve and Weibull distribution for electronics mortality and infant mortality is greatest in the first 6 months with the greatest deaths in the first 100 hours. Late failures ( the other end of the bathtub curve) will most likely occur well after the expiration of PS Audio’s 3-year warranty.
So, I made a quick benefit/risk analysis and concluded that being in year two of ownership, I might as well give it a go. The manual for the 1200AS1 says a fast blow 5 amp fuse must be used, so that is exactly the value I used with the Acme Audio Silver Cryo fuse. I am very pleased with the results and I’m Ok with paying PSAudio for the repair in the event of a very rare failure.
2 Likes
I agree with all your observations. Most (but not all) audio product malfunctions I have experienced followed the pattern you mention. I have another amplifier that uses an ICEpower 1200 stereo module and I replaced the manufacturer’s fuse immediately after buying the amplifier. Never had any issues after doing so.
1 Like
Hi Serhan. Finally got a hold of DS MKII and it sounds wonderful when heard through BHK Preamp and M1200. These amps I believe are exceptionally good with the electrostats, but I have limited experience with other amp types. The DS MKII seems to bring out the best from the entire set using Roon Nucleus+ via USB as transport source.
4 Likes
Congratulations Manny! Wow! That is the best setup I could look up to! By the way, Nucleus+ is a wonderful file player / streamer and has held its place in Seterophile’s “A” recommended list. I prefer its sound a lot more with HDPLEX 300 over PLiXiR Elite BDC.
3 Likes
Thank you Serhan for the information regarding Roon Nuc. It seemed like a good platform when I was looking, and many music aficionados seemed to enjoy it. Like everyone, I closed my eyes one day and took the dive. Been very happy so far. I’ve been using the Nuc mainly for its processing power. Don’t have a large music library, and I’m still trying to figure out how to upload some CD into the 1 TB HD.
1 Like
I just finished my comparison of my latest upgrade from the M700 (which was upgraded from the S300) to the M1200.
My initial impressions were that maybe I made a mistake spending the additional money with the M1200.
Then I recalled feeling the same feeling with the S300 to the M700. That upgrade opened up my soundstage as well as gave me that ‘velvet glove’ overall underlying power improvement across the entire acoustic range.
I was locked in and happy as a clam, until … reading the reviews and comments about what Mr. Myers’ hybrid approach to the Stellar amps would do to the high and mid range sounds.
So, being in the ‘show me’ mode, I brought in the M1200 for a 30 day side-by-side comparison.
First impressions: Damn, they were heavier than I expected and not a lot else … until I heard some real differences in how acoustic pianos approached more true realistic playback.
Hmmmm. Let’s listen to some acoustic guitar … uhuh, and how about a tougher test, mandolin and violin … OK.
Now add in the overall deeper bass sound without any additional volume. WOW!
Is the M1200 this super great musical AHAH?
No. but it was one of those inclusive system upgrades that is hard to fully describe but is there.
And I can’t go back.
11 Likes