I have the M1200’s in a 2-channel system (plus 2 subwoofers) and had upgraded from the M700.
My 2-channel system serves for both music and movies.
While there are many wonderful things with the sound quality of the M700, there is a warmth and presence from the tubes in the signal path with the M1200’s that I cannot go without.
The M1200’s have presence and dynamics that benefit both music and movies.
Your current speakers and potential future speakers are good enough to hear strong enough differences between the 2 amps. But at the same time, the M700’s are quite good. Very, very, very good. If I had not had full tube pre and power amps in my system for 20 years, I would have been 1 million percent happy with the M700’s.
It might depend on how many amps you would purchase. Are you looking at 3 M1200’s for the front? 5 M700’s for the entire system? 5 M1200’s? 2 M1200’s for left and right and 3 M700’s for the center and rear channels? 3 M1200’s for the front and 2 M700’s for the rear? 2 M1200’s for the front 1 M700 for the center and an S300 for the rear channels?
3 M1200 for the fronts. IMO the surrounds don’t make a big enough difference for me to get anything more than my current Marantz. I mean, maybe a S300, but that’s way way later.
I have a blended home theater and 2 channel rig and my 2 channel upgrade path was the same as davidnapo that posted above and could not agree more with what he has said. I currently have M1200’s on my fronts with an Outlaw Audio 7000X running everything else in my 5.2.4 setup. The M700’s were awesome but the 1200’s are just better. Getting three 1200’s in the front with two 700’s in the back would be amazing. A 700 for center channel would be good as well with 1200’s on your mains but won’t have the same tonal balance as if all three amps were the same as far as blending your front sounstage.
Ok…so I don’t want to come off like the guy who plugs in an amp, listens for 10 seconds and says “oh it’s……”
I don’t like my centre channel. In fact I have a new one sitting in box waiting for my amp to break in before hooking it up……but I suddenly don’t mind it
Voices during TV watching never sounded so real.
Rough discs are not harsh or grainy.
And I feel I finally understand why a great amp is needed.
That’s all I’ll say for now. I leave it on 10 hours a day for the next 2 weeks. Then I make my final thoughts with a couple 4K UHD Blu rays
I know it hasn’t been mentioned because the focus has been on the power amps. However, being both a dedicated 2-channel and an HT guy (want my cake and eat it too); you really ought to consider adding an SGCD and use it in HT mode with your Marantz. Then you can have your 2-channel sources directly connected improving the signal path. This is what I am doing with my Dunlavy’s across the front (2x SCIII.A and SCC1) along with a pair of M700s’ and Anthem power for all other channels. For those source devices that I want to use both for stereo and surround, I simply use their additional outputs.