PS audio m1200

Just set up my M1200 monoblock amps.  I am smitten.  They are clean, clear, textured with tremendous spatial qualities.  I mean, they are barely warm and for sure not broken in but I love their sonic signature.

@tweak1 

I never said or implied PS was garbage. But there are better sounding amps., ones I would consider a much better match.

fUNNY, CAUSE THIS WAS MY TAKEAWAY "Putting a much lower quality amp like PS or some others recommended here is not going to result in a great sounding system.'

@ghdprentice 

while I agree that PS Audio tends to over value the MSRP of their products, they aren't garbage either. Michael Fremer kept the M1200s he reviewed. I have a Ric Schultz EVS 1200 dual mono (one chassis) based on the same IcePower modules which I have owned for roughly 2 years: it's one hell of an amp and at almost 1/3 the price of the M1200s. Another great option would be LSA Voyager GaN 350, which I also have and can be fund used for ~ $1500 

Orchard Audio is running the Stereo Ultra on an amp tour. Listen to it in your system for a week then ship it to the next person on the list. You can read more on the Hoffman forums and contact Leo via the Orchard Audio website. Gan-fets are used in Orchard Audio's proprietary circuit. The Absolute Sound did a great video on using them to drive Magneplanars. 

Thanks,

aldnorab 

I’ll have to think about your dilemma. But you have an outstanding preamp and speakers. Putting a much lower quality amp like PS or some others recommended here is not going to result in a great sounding system. 
 

If I were you I would be looking at Pass, Audio Research and VAC or CJ for amps.

While B&W are “hot” in the treble… Audio Research is definitely not.

My systems are under my ID.

The Peachtree GaN 400 for $2500 is a beautiful amp. I use a Tube pre-amp and it's very musical.

Sanders Magtech. The one to rule them all. LIFETIME warranty. Super Stable. Huge Power. Dead Quiet. Call roger sanders and get one to try. 

@zpatenaude37 The Bel Canto Ref 1000m also use ICEpower modules, though they use the older 1000ASP boards. I would go for the PS Audio M1200 for the tube input stage and power supply mods. The Ref 1000m is basically just the ICEpower board hooked up in a chassis, nothing more really.

That said, it would be great to be able to demo them before you make any moves. It should probably work, but in my experience ICEpower boards suffer most in the upper midrange and highs (being thinner and fatiguing). A speaker that is low impedance in the midrange like yours can make it sound even thinner, but that may be alleviated by the mods PS Audio has done (tube input stage and power supply upgrades). Asking them may be a good way to move forward.

They are great D class amps with a Tube stage

PSAUDIO has a 30 day trial period that is no charge

They will also give you $$$ towards old equipment towards purchase

Trying out equipment via PSAUDIO is a no brainer

Will see if I can find a better match of amp for the ref 6

Interesting. I have the ref 6 and don't have that problem. Good luck and I hope you can figure it out

Gain switch makes a difference, but the ceiling is still there.

Can't comment on input impedance. The pairing was suggested and confirmed by multiple dealers.

Thank you all for the info and advice. I will continue to research your recommendations. 

And mossyrocks, it looks like those amps have 2 options for gain. Does it make a difference between the 2 gain options? And also, I am no expert either, but I never looked much into Bryston because the input impedance is lower than what is recommended for the ARC ref 6. Could it be due to that?

I am not an audiophile, but have spent like one.

I have the ref 6 paired with a Bryston 4 b cubed.

I find if I want to crank it up the volume flattens out.

It was relayed to me that the design of the volume control on the ref pre is the limiting factor, something to do with gain.

Will a more powerful amp solve this? I don't think so.

On that note does anyone know if that vole control on the ref 6 can be modified?

Mossy

Hi, I have no experience with the M1200's but I did have the M700's. I used these to drive my 4ohm Kef Reference 5's. Although these have a reasonably high sensitivity I do play them quite loud and the M700's coped admirably with plenty more to give. I was so impressed with them (and PS Audio) that I wanted to upgrade, the 1200's would of been a natural progression but I jumped straight to the BHK 300'S - no regrets there. I suspect that the 1200's will have oodles of power for your D3's. My advice is don't get too hung up on specs, they can sway you away from making good decisions.

cheers, Mark

Hello zpatenaude37!  If you have not made a purchasing decision yet, I recommend you try the Fiera4 from Starke Sound. It is new model of an amp whose mame ended in AD4. I have six of that discontinued model and am waiting for the new one to arive. They have a return policy and the new model  has a switching power supply and is not nearly as heavy as the previous version. The AD4s do a beautiful job with every speaker I've tried it on. I have five systems in the house and many sets of commercial and DIY speakers to play with. I have no affiliation with the company, but I've been building amps and speakers for over 50 years and know a winner when I encounter one. Needless to say, I have a very tolerant wife. The amp goes on sale during holiday periods for about $999. It's a bargain at the regular price. Check out their website, their name - no spaces dot com. It is a very remarkable product and is 4 channel amp, switchable to 2 or 3 chanels with the flick of a switch, no cable unplugging and replugging. Enjoy the music!.

Look up d sonic as well call him. I have d sonic and ps audio1200. I like them both. I do enjoy a conversation with the designer . The d sonic are driving the betta woofers and ps 1200 drive eminent lft 8b.i have called Bruce a few times these people have decades of knowledge. 

you might to try an Anthem P2 amp, they have one listed here for $1,900.00 it will go down to 0 ohms (dead short) and keep on playing plus they do not get hot, room temp is all. This amp is built like a tank and has plenty of power for most any speaker you can get.

I've had one for over 10 years and you can run this thing at full blast all day everyday and it will just keep going, not a lot of reviews but the ones you find all say this amp is worth it and the sound is very neutral.

Ask ps audio he is very knowledgeable

Have you heard Bel Canto Ref 1000m? I'm just looking for cheaper amp options with high power at this point. I wish I could afford some Accuphase class A, but that's just not in the budget. My budget ran thin by the time I got to the amps. 

I would make sure you could demo the M1200s with a return policy. I generally have a lot of great things to say about them, but they are founded on ICEpower 1200AS modules. While they are fantastic for much low impedance performance, they are rated to a minimum 2.7 ohm load or they may thin out. Your speakers have an impedance dip under 4ohm between 100Hz-1kHz. That is one heck of a dip, and you will want to ensure proper amp pairing with it.

Also, the B&W emits a brilliant sound, such as does the Ref 6. The M1200 has some nice harmonics but is otherwise a very neutral amp. It might not be a bad idea to find an amp that has a richer tonal density to balance out the sonics with the rest of your system, otherwise it may sound too dry.