Stellar M1200 Mono Beta Test

They are straight out of the box…no proper burnin, no tube rolling, And for my system (posted later) they are so engaging, that I can hardly post this…back later. :notes::notes::notes:

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Again…reserving judgment until more listening/burnin…but these 1200s are in a different league. Goodnight.

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I’m chompin at the bit for mine. However, I’m in Oklahoma so I probably won’t see them till sometime next week :frowning_face:

I sure hope they have a two stage power switch like the BHK amps as those IcePower modules need to stay powered up all the time to sound their best.

I look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts!

We hope a good league. My experience with them was the same. Jaw dropping and definitely in a class all by themselves. Keep us up to date.

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Yep. When in standby, the ICE module is left on while the vacuum tube turns off as in the BHK amps.

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They ought to be in a different league at twice the price, right? Good to hear that it’s not close though. I’m sure PSA wouldn’t have let the 1200’s see the light of day unless they destroyed the 700’s, which are half the price.

I will be interested to see if some of the reviewers can compare the m1200’s against other $5-8k power amps as a better representative competition. That’s a competitive price category and there are plenty of competitors, so hopefully we’ll get some of that comparative data. This is really neat though the way it is being done - kudos to all involved.

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My 1200s have been plugged in for 24hrs now and have been streaming background music since early this morning. More listening later today. In the meantime, I’ll describe my system for future reference:
Sources: SOTA Star Sapphire TT with new/current motor/electronics/vacuum system. Sumiko MDC 800 ‘The Arm’, Grace F9 Ruby with Soundsmith sapphire cant/contact line stylus. PSA Stellar Phono Pre, PSA DS Sr, WiFi Streamer, DMP disc spinner.
Amps: BHK Pre, Stellar M1200s (replacing Stellar M700s)
Speakers: Dunlavy Audio Labs SC IV.A, REL S/5 SHO Subwoofer
Cables: ICs: Iconoclast OFE XLR, Speaker: Iconoclast OFE
Power: PSA P5 Regenerator.
Primary listening: Vinyl, CDs/SACDs Background: Qobuz, Spotify Prem. internet stations.

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Wow I have the same Grace F9 and Soundsmith stylus, you use this as your main cartridge? What have you compared it to

I am very interested in the M1200’s I wish I knew about the beta I guess I have been to busy since I am essential still busy. I would compare them to my Nord One Up mono’s which are excellent amps I do have a BHK preamp so i kind of halfway there LOL

Also have a Stellar phono on order wont come to May :unamused:

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Are the tubes or the glow from the tubes visible when 1200’s in use?

From image I remember seeing looked like tubes were fully covered by chassis but not sure whether vented top for example would let glow show thru?

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Shoot me an email, and I may be able to help you out. jamesh@psaudio.com

I highly doubt it. I haven’t been in a completely dark room with them yet, but you might be able to see a tiny bit of glow through the side vent. It would be really subtle though.

There are vent slots on the left side rear right next to the tubes. In daylight I see no tube glow…BUT, there is a soft blue glow…probably from Darren’s biasing LEDs as he used in the SPP. It would make sense since they would be near the input stage near the tube.
Before I placed my amps, I experimented with pulling, replacing a tube just to see how it went. The vent slots next to the tube are useful in locating the pins in the socket…I put on a headlamp and peered through the slots to get it started and to see that it was fully seated in the socket. Latex or nitrile gloves will help your fingers get a grip on the tube.

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Delivered today and in the quarantine zone now. I’ll unbox tomorrow.

Good health to all.

Jeff C

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Hey, Betas – How about some unboxing and set up pictures? I would like to see these monsters being unpacked and lurking in their natural habitats.

Have fun.

I’ll do that once mine arrive, good idea

Greetings!
I was lucky enough to get my Beta M1200’s delivered today and wanted to post my setup and first couple of hours observations. I am looking to replace\upgrade my S300 and the stars aligned for these monsters. Thanks Chris H for all of your excellent advice and assistance!

My current system is comprised of the following:

  • Dynaudio Contour 60
  • Dual REL T9i
  • PS Audio Stellar GainCell PreAmp
  • PS Audio Stellar S300
  • PS Audio Stellar Phono
  • Clearaudio Concept with Satisfy Black Tonearm
  • Dynavector DV-20x2 cart
  • Bluesound Node 2i
  • Sony DVP-NS999ES SACD/CD player
  • Custom NUC running Roon server

Here are a few pics of the M1200s in their new natural environment :slight_smile:

Setup observations:

  • Nice and solid. Slightly larger than the SGC and S300.
  • One thing I found interesting and different from the S300 binding posts is that the pass through holes are horizontal rather than vertical. @Paul or @jamesh is this expected?
  • Hooking up the REL subwoofers it was interesting in the manual that it recommends you use the chassis ground post for the black wire.

Initial sound impressions:
I couldn’t help myself, I had to listen rather than wait for them to settle in. And boy, am I glad I did even at this early stage. As I went through my various playlists in Roon, popped a few CDs, and a vinyl or two I found myself being impressed with the sound. If I had to pick a few words to describe what I was experiencing “Effortless” and “A lot of meat on this bone” and “Increased depth and separation” kept coming back to me. I found myself sitting there for several hours more than what I had initially planned on. I believe we are off to a fantastic start! Will post more soon.

Be safe all.

David W

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What’s on TOP of your Stellar Phono Pre ??
Tom - NJ

Bluesound node