I’m debating something here since I haven’t been super thrilled with class D amps so far.
I owned the Stellar Strata and it was really good but didn’t quite have the “grunt” for the speakers I had at the time. Also, with the speakers I used to have I tried the M700 and the BHK 250.
Didn’t care for the M700, felt it was a little hard and a bit edgy in the treble, basically the polar opposite of a tube amp.
The BHK 250 ended up staying for a few years until the downsize happened.
Now, I’m looking to go back to separates and with my Maggie 3.7i or FR5 (Maybe FR10 someday) I’m looking at the M1200. (Replacing a Hegel H390 integrated)
The BHK 250 is a known amp to me, and while I liked it, the thought of getting this heavy beast down the stairs to the basement listening room, and positioning it on the rack are not appealing.
A lightweight pair of M1200 amps seems great, and I’m hoping the tube stage will mellow things out a bit, but how close are they to the M700 in sound? Are they a LOT different, or just barely different?
TIA
I have FR10 speakers, and have used both the M700 and M1200 amps with them. The M1200s are a lot better, IMHO. (I also use a BHK preamp.) I’m 73 and I take advantage of Roon’s eq feature to boost the highs from roughly 5k -10K. Also I replaced the stock tubes in all three amps with Apos Ray tubes, which I really like. Hope this helps …
I very much enjoy M1200 now. I upgraded the other gears but kept the amps. I like the cool running, size and weight of the pair. I am a previous owner of BAT and Krell monoblocks, and M1200s are the cheapest amps that I have owned. My wife told me the M1200 is perfect for her.
I used to own the BHK250 and had trouble with mine regarding it turning off at times when the dynamic range of some piees of music went high. Sent it to PS Audio to be checked and they returned it saying there was nothing wrong. The problem still occurred. I got a pair of M1200’s and WOW!!! My Magnepan 1.7i’s sing beautifully with these. I was not expecting them to be so good but IMHO, they are… I personally recommend them.
Thanks everyone. It seems like a great choice but the one thing that is bothering me is several reviews I’ve read mention an upper midrange glare or brightness. This is one place where I’m especially sensitive, especially when I use the Magnepans.
Maybe it’s just me because I had a friend here who is reviewer and I pointed out certain notes in that range which jump out at me, and he didn’t hear it the same as I did.
So, if there is even a bit of glare in the female vocals, that would be something I couldn’t live with.
Anyone noticed any glare, edge, brightness, shout?
“I’m debating something here since I haven’t been super thrilled with class D amps so far”
You came into this on the fence. Now you mention glare.
Seems you are suspect of class D, and no telling if the 1200s will change that. Probably best to either evaluate them in your own home (knowing you may need to return) or choose another direction?
Class D works for a variety of folks. However A / AB is predominant for a reason.
M1200 midrange sounds fine in my system. But it does not produce a sweet and rich female vocal like what BAT VK150 did (nothing could that I have heard). The soundstage is not as deep as BAT and Krell either. But it’s more dynamic, faster, and more neutral sounding. Both BAT and Krell monos I paid around $20k years ago, and I actually prefers the overall SQ of M1200.
Having just had the best preamp ever in my system (BAT VK 80) and a older BAT amp, I can attest to the richness. No D amps and not a ton of AB can get there.
I have two sets of M1200s, in Florida powering my new F10 speakers. On Long Island I’ve had, for some time, a set of M1200s powering the F 30 speakers. I am satisfied with both systems.
From lower bass to the highest frequencies I am hearing what is on the cd. On Long Island I originally had the 250 and a pair of 300s. At first I replaced these with the current Hegel top of the line power amp. The thought of replacing these heavy duty amps with a relatively light and
more powerful power amp, namely the 1200 was intrieging. Since replacing I have been most
happy with the sonic presentation. In Florida, where I get to infrequently, the speakers are beginning to reflect the house sound at just under 300 hours. Final judgement there has to await more hours on the F10s. But, it does seem fine at this point.
I’ve had the BHK250 in the past and have M1200 monos now, in addition to a Luxman M700u and Modwright KWA99 mono amps. Through my Tidal Piano Ceras (which are quite revealing of brightness, sibilance, and other downstream unpleasantness) there is no doubt the M1200s could be perceived as having a tendency towards accenting the upper frequencies when fresh out of the box. After replacing the stock tubes with varieties less bright, using IsoAcoustic Orea footers and Furutech Powerflux cables, that tendency is tamed. Still, if there’s anything substandard or non-copacetic in downstream cabling or sources, you’re going to hear it. When everything is right in the system, they are quite excellent sounding amps and I really enjoy using them in rotation with the others. They aren’t going to be mistaken for a tube amp but the sound can definitely be shifted in one direction or another with the choice of tubes and preamp. They sound well matched with my DeHavilland UltraVerve preamp as the big fat tone of a 6sn7 is a great counterpoint to the sound of the M1200s. A ModWright LS36.5’s 6h30 tubes make for a fast and agile combo more likely to over accentuate high frequency information. Like you, I tired of dealing with large heavy amps and the M1200s get points for their ease of use. If you’re interested in buying used, the Music Room is a good source to buy from as you can return them if they don’t work for you.
Thanks.
I really liked my UltraVerve back in the day. Wish it would have had a volume display and I was “surprised” a couple times.
I didn’t care for the ModWright preamps, too bright and edgy. Listener fatigue sat in quick.
The Modwright LS36.5 is very revealing. I use IsoAcoustic Orea footers and replaced the stock tubes with NOS 6h30s and a Mullard GZ34. I also use a High Fidelity Cables MC-1 Pro power conditioner on the outlet for the pre. I’ve found that many times a component that seems edgy is just revealing issues elsewhere in the system that need attention. All that said, The LS 36.5 works much better with the Modwright KWA99 amps than the M1200s.
I have been running amps through here like crazy for the last 4 years. Most recently because back issues dictated I had to. I parted with my Michi S5 which I loved but at 160# couldn’t move without help. I went with the m1200’s and was pretty skeptical. I almost immediately started swapping tubes. I found some of the jazz, blues, and rock I listen too a little sharp and bright until I started changing tubes. Tubes and cables really impact these amps as Photon46 has detailed in his posts. I am really happy with my m1200’s. They are super easy to manage. They have got better and better over time. Currently enjoying mine with gold lion tubes. I have a tube preamp as well. I think it has a lot to do with how much they have smoothed out. I have played with the tubes in the pre-amp and found a balance I really enjoy. I think they are chameleons. They can be just about whatever you want them to be. Your supporting gear and accessories can get them very close if not exactly what you want them to be.
