It is not hard. Perhaps some have made more of it than it is. I think we’re always looking at things from the perspective of, “What is the easiest possible thing?” and then comparing with that imagined ideal. There’s a Door on the dang thing for that purpose. You don’t even have to remove the top, as you would with most tubed gear.
Thanks. I hope to hear from others who are more inexperienced at this, as I am.
Perhaps slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb.
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How many audiophiles does it take to change a tube?
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OK I just pulled then reinserted one of the tubes to see how easy/difficult it is. I did use a tube puller since I ordered one. I could have removed the tube without the puller but it made it much easier.
The only hard part about inserting a tube is making sure it is aligned properly. This was a little more difficult than on my Prologue 4, but there the tubes are out in the open on top of the chassis. Again, it wasn’t difficult, you just have to be a little more careful lining the pins up. Shining a flashlight through the vent slots made the pin locations easy to see.
I didn’t experience any flexing. The tube seated easily.
All in all I didn’t have any more of an issue removing and reinstalling the tube in an M1200 than with any other tube amp I have.
Mike
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Thanks, Mike
Thanks very much.
It Takes A Village✊🏻
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Sorry to be late to the party, but I had some storm damage to deal with and couldn’t play with my new toys until this past weekend. My man-cave is being upgraded with new gear and is still a work in progress.
- Gem Dandy Polytable with Super 12 upgrade and Hana ML cartridge
- PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter
- PS Audio DirectStream DAC with Windom
- PS Audio BHK PreAmp
- PS Audio M1200s replacing M700s
- Revel Performa F208 towers
- Definitive Technology center & surround speakers
- Oppo UDP-203
- Anthem MRX1120 AVR for the home theater & playing 5.1 SACDs
- JRiver Media Center 26 on an HP PC running Win10 feeding the DAC (for now, looking at Sonore or Octave or d.Bob for future use)
- PS Audio P20 regenerator provides the juice for all the above
Interconnects are a combination of Kimber Hero & Audioquest King Cobra all XLR
except for the Oppo’s link to the BHK which is a Kimber Hero with WBT-0114.
Speaker cables are Kimber 8VS.
Niles Audio SPK-1 switch for sharing the Revels between the M1200s and the AVR
I had planned on doing some extensive A-B testing, but it quickly became painfully obvious even with only a couple of hours warm up that the M1200s are indeed in a different league and that what I was doing was wasting my time. The M700s (as good as they were and they sounded terrific) are now back in the box awaiting a trip to Boulder.
I listen to a lot of 70s prog rock (Moody Blues, Yes, Floyd, ELP, Genesis) with plenty of more mainstream classic rock (Zep, Beatles, Stones, CSNY, Doors, Hendrix, Springsteen, Allman Bros, Steely Dan, etc…) and go to Jeff Back for a change of pace into jazzier fare, then to Brubeck & Miles. For classical I have a bunch of SACDs that I’ve picked up over the years and I’m slowly working my way through the George Szell box set.
The M1200s just blow me away. I’m reminded of the time when I bought my B&K AVR 507 back in 2003. I auditioned top of the line AVRs from Pioneer, Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha and maybe Marantz and they all sounded great, but the B&K just blew them all out of the water and I had to have it. That’s the way I feel listening to the M1200s. More clarity in the mids, better sound stage, heftier bass. They are keepers. Kudos to Darren and the entire team.
Walt
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Your complete review was a very pleasant read. Thanks.
For me this point, details, low frequencies, soundstage, yet the feeling of dynamics at low volume are what distinguishes a very good sound system from the rest.
I love the PolyTable and really enjoy mine!
So I finally peeled myself away from listening 11 days later to share my 2nd round of observations. 
I am fortunate enough to have a dedicated room that serves as both my audio room and office and have had the opportunity to listen to my system for 8-10+ hours a day as I work and relax. It has been a immense pleasure to have the M1200s in my system. There have been many many times where I stop working and turn around and just listen because of how engaging these amps are. Several songs later I find myself reluctantly getting back to work.
My initial impressions that these amps are “effortless” and have “increased depth and separation” on my system still hold true and have only increased. I echo many of the observations of other testers. holographic 
smooth revealing punch and neutral tone
The M1200s have definitely have brought an increased appreciation for well recorded\mastered recordings. 
I found it sometimes frustrating to listen to less than optimal recordings since the bar has been raised by others and you know what they could sound like if only…
In my day to day meanderings I have listened to a wide range of music styles and they have brought new and interesting things to each listening session. I can’t help but feel I leveled up multiple times in one purchase. Keepers for sure!
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Nice speakers! Have an all Revel system myself.
I have the same equipment rack as yours but in grey. No clue who the manufacturer is. Would you know ? Nice setup BTW.
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Love the listener-centric speaker and listening positioning…
I’ll bet you are enjoying an immersive and detailed presentation, especially with exceptionally good recordings.
Regards.
If you use the Home Theater function of your BHK preamp you can eliminate the Niles speaker switch between the M1200s and your speakers.
My rack is the Lambda from Schroers & Schroers, purchased in 2003. I don’t think they make that one anymore. Their name is pretty boldly etched into the glass shelves.
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Thanks, I’m aware of the HT bypass, but chose not to use it.
You might want to give it a try. I use the HT by-pass function on my Stellar GCD for HT. That way when I’m watching a movie, the Marantz AVR controls the volume for all speakers without a separate switch. It works well. It would be a simple matter to try it both ways and see which one you like better.
I thought I had read an early post by someone who said they are currently using McIntosh equipment and would be comparing the sound of the 1200s to that. Now I don’t see it.
I currently own a McIntosh MA6500 integrated amp which I have loved for a good 15 years or more. But if there is a Beta tester who is comparing to McIntosh I’d very much like to know what they heard as the did their comparison.
Thanks.