Just wondering what the verdict is on the BHK250 vs the M1200. I’m reading some really interesting points of view and need to make a call on the M1200 or if I should spend a little more for the BHK250?
I currently have the m700’s and love their sound. I’m convinced the 1200’s will be consistent with the 700’s but better. Unfortunately I haven’t got the opportunity to audition the BHK250 and I’m really struggling to make a call on which one to get.
That is a very hard question for us to answer without knowing which speakers you have, how big you room is or what type of music you listen to. That said, look at the specs below. Some say they don’t matter. Paul McGowan told us these do. All switching amps have a 50 KHz cut off. You say who cares as we can only hear up to roughly 20 KHz. But, just like a CD, the 50KHz cut off impacts upper harmonics we can hear. I’ve owned switching amps from PS Audio, Bel Canto and Resolution Audio based on both ICE and Hypex designs. My previous BHK 250 and current BHK 300s sound more natural, no doubt. Good luck on your journey!
I am in the same indecision, go with bhk 250 and p15 power plant or go with m1200 and p12 power plant for my legacy focus se speakers. I don’t what to do
That is a tough decision and I think I’d go for the BHK 250/P15 combo if sound quality is paramount. Either option would be great, but BHK still outperforms M1200 to my ears.
i have also wondered about going to either bhk 250 or m 1200s from m 700s. i have maggie 1.7s and thought the 1200s would be better but dont know. i did recently pick up the bhk pre amp though. amy thoughts?
Hello, the SGC is a good preamp. It adds some goodness to the sound, has all the features you need and is a good size. It also has a reasonably good DAC (but not anywhere near as good as the DSD or the chord qutest that I was previously using).
The BHK Pre is much the same in a lot of ways but the sound is worlds apart. It’s a instant game changer. As soon as I switched it on my whole system came alive. The musicality and width / depth is immense and it just seems to improve everything.
The only other preamp I’ve had that really impressed me was the Primaluna dialogue. That preamp is beautiful and it produces a fantastic stage. It’s also much cheaper. Between it and the BHK pre there’s much less of a gap but the BHK is definitely better.
I’m really at that stage now where I’m suffering from depreciating returns. It’s not often I get a sizable improvement anymore. I’m hoping the upgrade to a
BHK250 will give me a big jump. I’ll let you know in a few days when it arrives.
i just recieved my bhk pre friday so its doing its burn in thing. but right out of the box it feels like everything is opened up and the bass is tighter. very noticable.
I made that upgrade earlier this year (SGCD to BHK Pre), mated to the M700 monoblocks.
For me, the BHK pre brought the magic that I was looking for in my system. The SGCD to M700 was a great combo, and I did like the sound quality of that combo (very clean, very musical) but was ultimately missing something, basically needed some warmth and openness and vibrancy that, for me, only tubes can do justice with female vocals. Violins sound like real violins and can be magical, depending on the recording. I also have a 20-year old Conrad Johnson tube preamp and poweramp that sounded wonderful with my newer speakers but were not happy and kept on hissing when connected with the Sonist Audio Concerto 4 speakers (they stopped hissing when connected to my older speakers, then would hiss again when connected to the newer speakers again (yes I replaced all the tubes and had the same results)). I tried multiple combinations with the SGCD to CJ poweramp and CJ pre to M700’s, but the midrange just wasn’t right (yes I am nitpicking (or did nitpick)). It was the BHK to M700 combination, with balanced connections, that did the trick for me with the newer speakers. Though I admit am trying one last tweak going to balanced Cardas Parsec cables between the BHK pre and M700.
Thanks for the info on your experience with the BHK Preamp feeding the M700s. I’m currently using the SGCD and M700s, and liking the combo a lot, but I’m seriously considering upgrading the preamp to the BHK for reasons similar to your own. I’d love to also get the BHK250 or the M1200, but the cost of that option is beyond what I want to spend right now. If the BHK Pre mates well with the M700s, I’ll be able to wait a while before replacing the amps. If I were to replace the amps now, I’d probably lean toward the M1200s due to cost and weight considerations.
I currently use the Parsec XLR between my SGCD and M700s and would use that same cable with the BHK Pre if I decide to get one. I’m going to use the DAC in the SGCD for now, but I’ll eventually invest in a new DAC as well. Fighting the upgrade bug is an ongoing battle - and I’m losing.
I’m struggling with the same choice. I recently moved from a Herron VSTP-3A preamp and Herron VTPH-2A phono pre to a BHK preamp and Stellar phono preamp, and an Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE DAC to a DirectStream Sr. DAC. Overall, my system sounds better. Vinyl is somewhat of a toss-up; streaming using the BHK/DSD combo is better.
I have Tannoy DC8Ti speakers (89db) and a NAD M22v2 power amp. The NAD works well, but I’m looking for more midrange warmth, musicality, and tighter speaker control. I want the BHK250 but I am strongly considering the M1200. I’m 72; I dread getting a BHK250 from my 1st floor to my basement listening room .
And then there’s the power plant. The jump from a P12 to a P15 isn’t pocket change on a retirees budget. Decisions, decisions, …
The 250 is in fact very heavy and bulky. In your situation I would tie a rope or strap around the amp still in the box and let it slide down under control.
@OldSchool1948, I feel your pain. I’ll be 70 next week and can’t imagine trying to move a BHK250 or BHK 300 even a few feet let alone down stairs to my basement. To avoid that situation, I’ve put off a BKH250 vs. M1200 decision until I’m older - and hopefully wiser. For now, I’m expecting delivery of a BHK preamp on Tuesday and will probably upgrade my DAC before revisiting a replacement for my M700s.
You, on the other hand, being so much older (and probably wiser) than me, have already upgraded your pre and DAC and must now face the difficult amp decision head on. If I were at that point, I’d probably wait a few more months and see what insights come out of the pending professional reviews of the M1200. Those reviews won’t tell you exactly what the M1200 would sound like in your system, but they may point out characteristics of tonal balance or performance issues that could influence your decision.
It’s great to hear from another “seasoned citizen” who is still seeking better sound rather than just shutting down their musical journey and retiring from life. Stay safe and keep getting wiser!
@SDL - Agreed on the waiting. I’ve auditioned the LTA ZTOL40; it sounds really nice in my system. Having said that, my preference is to have an all PS Audio system so I can use one remote to control everything, except for the streamer. I use an Innous Zenith MKII with a Matrix SPDIF X to the DSD and I’m quite satisfied with the synergy. I also like PS Audio’s trade-in program.
@joma0711. This wasn’t a problem until PS Audio when to direct sales. I could always hire a local “mover” to move it to the basement !
Now that looks rather wonderful, I hope it sounds to match - in the 80s/90s I had a pair of 1960s EL34 based monoblocks, and they were really quite special.
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