Sorry for another M1200 vs BHK 250 thread.
It seems Paul and many others suggested BHK 250 is a better performer, I would guess the BHK is still better than M1200s with a regenerator, but my question is, with a regenerator, say P15, will the performance gap between the two models widens or narrows?
Thanks!
Build a house from the foundation, up.
The M1200s are excellent.
I’m absolutely convinced that regenerators are a necessary foundation for any system. And if you have dirty, unreliable power coming in, even the BHK250 won’t sound it’s best.
So imo, the regenerator comes first.
Thanks Ron, I guess I worded my title kinda wrong, so I reworded it.
I’m curious as how much sonic improvement M1200 can gain against the BHK when both are benefitting from P15s. Want to justify the performance gap when the weight and size of the BHK is an issue.
Oh, I understand. Sorry, I haven’t made that comparison.
I wonder how many, if any, have done this comparison in their home.
I would say the performance gain would be equal across both units.
I dont think you could say that the gain would be bigger with either one. Both would perform closer to their design intent using a regenerator if that makes sense.
I haven’t heard the 1200’s yet but I think that they would serve you well if weight of the amps is an issue.
As someone who owned the BHK and now owns the M1200s I think the issue of which amplification is “better” is a false dichotomy. They have quite different characters and each will shine in different contexts. The idea that there’s a universal “better” isn’t accurate once you get to a certain performance plateau in my experience. I do think the M1200 amps respond “more” to upgrades in cables, footers, and power conditioning than the BHK. However the gap doesn’t narrow in the sense of them sounding more alike, the gap narrows and they display more of their unique potential positive qualities and they sound even less “alike.”
Photon46, that is very good info, thanks!
If classic solo piano is your thing, which amp is better in term of tonal decay after the key attack?
I listen to a good bit of solo classical piano myself but it is hard to say which would be “better” without knowing more about your system. Offhand, I’d say that if you have extracted the maximum potential from your M1200s with cables, power conditioning, cables, etc. then the M1200s reveal more of the nuances of a piano’s tonal and dynamic nuances compared to the BHK. The extra power and greater damping factor that the M1200s have compared to the BHK lends extra dynamic authority to the initial attack of a piano’s key strikes (with my speakers.) Hard to say if that would be universally true because previous experiences and findings can be different in another system.
Both the M1200s and the BHK250 like being plugged into a regen and they benefit a lot so I wouldn’t say it narrows the gap. BHK250 still beats out the 1200s.
James,
How pronounced the gap is for 85db-ish listen levels? Do I really have to crank it up louder to appreciate the BHK?
Thanks!
That’s a good question. I think you can you easily hear the gap listening around the 85dB mark. The BHK250 is outstanding at very low level listening. The detail and dark background I get with mine is fantastic. When I listen at low levels in the morning before anyone is awake in the house, I’m always pleasantly surprised with how deep the stage is.