[mlundy57]

Great review Mike! I was wondering if you would like them well enough to buy them. That is the danger of trying expensive gear. I'm sure I would be trying to see what I could sell if I were in your shoes. LOL! Glad you like them!

Already done that. I traded in my PrimaLuna Prologue 4 towards the price of the M1200s.

Now I'm looking at what I can trade in and sell to get a Direct Stream DAC Sr. Of course, then I'll be looking at what I can trade in and sell to get a BHK preap. Then .... AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!

[mlundy57]

Oh, absolutely! And considering my current budget constraints, it's everything i could ask for & then some! Its got me exited for further growth into this hobby esp outside the headphone space.

But maybe one day I'll make it back up to Texas for the aforementioned audio show to hear Mike's setup with the new M1200s. A set up like that would probably ruin me, but it'd be worth it, tbh.

Don't sweat it. You might be spoiled a little, just like I was when I heard Danny's Line Force speakers, but not ruined. As great as the Line Forces and triple 12 subs sounded, I was still very happy with my Wedgies and triple 8 subs.

It's like I used to do when looking for a new bike during my avid cycling days. I would test ride the most expensive bikes available to me so I knew what they rode like, then get as close as I could to that level of performance within my budget.

[Rocket_Ronny]

I traded in my PrimaLuna Prologue 4 towards the price of the M1200s

Can you share the differences you hear between the two and how significant they are? You don't miss the tube goodness going to the M1200s?

Thanks

Rocket Ronny

[mlundy57]

Can you share the differences you hear between the two and how significant they are? You don't miss the tube goodness going to the M1200s?

Thanks

Rocket Ronny

When I was evaluating the M1200s I was comparing them to both the PS Audio M700s and the PrimaLuna Prologue 4. I went into the Beta test with the mindset that the M1200s would have to best both of those amps. This set a very high bar for the M1200s which they easily cleared.

With the M1200s I didn't lose any tube goodness, it's still there just fuller, with more body, detail, clarity, extension, and effortlessness than the Prologue 4 was capable of even with the NOS tubes.

Mike

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Don't sweat it. You might be spoiled a little, just like I was when I heard Danny's Line Force speakers, but not ruined. As great as the Line Forces and triple 12 subs sounded, I was still very happy with my Wedgies and triple 8 subs.

It's like I used to do when looking for a new bike during my avid cycling days. I would test ride the most expensive bikes available to me so I knew what they rode like, then get as close as I could to that level of performance within my budget.

That's actually a good point.
It gives me something to strive for, and a better understanding of what i can achieve.
Much as I'd love to jump right NX Oticas & dual triple subs, i simply don't have the funds or the space to support them, but the NX Studios, fit that bill really well, as would a pair of the XLS Encore.
Hopefully ill be in a better place in the next 3-5 years, and it'll give me a goal to work towards.
Plus there's no telling what Danny will come up with in the meantime. 

[mlundy57]

That's actually a good point.
It gives me something to strive for, and a better understanding of what i can achieve.
Much as I'd love to jump right NX Oticas & dual triple subs, i simply don't have the funds or the space to support them, but the NX Studios, fit that bill really well, as would a pair of the XLS Encore.
Hopefully ill be in a better place in the next 3-5 years, and it'll give me a goal to work towards.
Plus there's no telling what Danny will come up with in the meantime. 

All true but don't sell the NX-Studios short. They are going to scale extremely well. By that I mean they will sound great with the Sprout 100 but put better electronics in front of them and they will reward you for it. You may find that given you space limitations, the NX-Studios, with one or two sealed servo subs and some higher end electronics will have you in hog heaven.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Oh, certainly! The plan is for the Studios to remain a permanent part of my desk setup well into the future, with at least one sealed sub hopefully by the end of the year.
But as I stick around here & learn more, I'll definitely be interested in trying out bigger & better equipment to drive them!
But for now, one step at a time! 

[roscoe65]

I own a pair of XLS Encores built by Reuben (RIP) a few years ago.  With cabinets, drivers, No Rez, and IIRC the upgraded but not super duper covers were about $700 shipped.  They are a high-quality, conventional stand mount that I feel is a direct competitor to the KEF LS50.  I really like them for what they are:  a very nice stand mount that punches above their weight and that have more perceived bass than many cheap “subwoofers”.  It would be a great pair of speakers with a 50-100wpc system.

However, it is not a high end monitor.  If I were buying today I would buy the NX Studio Monitor kit.  All in, it would end up less than $1,500 for the speaker if you paid someone to build them.  In either case you would want a subwoofer our two.

My larger room system is anchored by stereo Rhythmik F8 subwoofers.  These add a lot of flexibility as they can cross over as high as 300hz.  I get the feeling the Rhythmik F8 + Studio Monitor + Dennis Had Inspire Preamp/Amp (20 wpc) would be a dynamite combo.  The Inspire PSE amp can drive speakers of average efficiency despite it’s low power.  It works really well with Omega Super 3 Monitors (97dBW/m or so) and I am curious (but not ready to spend $$) as to how it would work with the Studio Monitors.

[Captainhemo]

Glad to hear initial impressions are promising! I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of them!
(Not that I'll be able to afford separates from PS-A anytime soon.. lol)

LOL,    I seem to recall having a chat  with you  a while back regarding the AS1200's when you  told me that  yo couldn't ever see the need for the 1200 watts (actually 600 into 8 ).  Doesn't   hurt  does it     Now,   hook those  things up  to some speakers with multiple drivers  covering the bottom  and let tehm  stretch   ouit......   the 1200's brought the NX-Otica's / NX-Treme's  to life

Nice review too man @
And just an fyi,  you  should  listen to Gordon Lightfoot's  "Lightfoot" album for a much different  version of Early Morning  Rain,  much  ealier,  him  and his  guitar ......
 

jay

[genjamon]

Bypassing the stock input stage of the 1200’s entirely and replacing with a tube stage sounds awesome to me. One of two big reasons I got rid of my Mivera 1200 amp is that it had too low of an input impedance to play nice with my tube preamp. I would have needed to yet again increase the size of the pre’s output coupling caps, and I wasn’t able to fit large enough copper foil caps in the pre.

With tube input stages, I bet tube lovers could probably be happy without a tube pre, and could just power straight from a DAC with digital volume control. Avoiding a preamp could make these more affordable for many.

[mlundy57]

LOL,    I seem to recall having a chat  with you  a while back regarding the AS1200's when you  told me that  yo couldn't ever see the need for the 1200 watts (actually 600 into 8 ).  Doesn't   hurt  does it     Now,   hook those  things up  to some speakers with multiple drivers  covering the bottom  and let tehm  stretch   ouit......   the 1200's brought the NX-Otica's / NX-Treme's  to life

Nice review too man @
And just an fyi,  you  should  listen to Gordon Lightfoot's  "Lightfoot" album for a much different  version of Early Morning  Rain,  much  ealier,  him  and his  guitar ......
 

jay

Jay,

Who meeeeee? 

I'll get that album, thanks. Songs done solely acoustic have something about them that I like. I have a CD from a group called Brainwake. The first time I heard the songs it was live with just the male and female vocalists and an acoustic guitar. The cd is a full amplified band. I don't like that version of the songs near as much.

Mike

[Captainhemo]

You'll find it quite different from  his  "later"  stuff.

There is a really good  documentary on  him as well , think it's called  "If you could see my heart"... worth the watch.

As mentioned above,  you   won't need a pre,  just adds  more   to the signal path and I guess gain  if  needed ,  that is  becoming  a thing of the past.

Also, I wasn't  trying to imply  that  it is only the As1200 module   and it's additional power  that is   dooing it for you.. but, the 1200's are   far better  than the  ealier  700's  on their own,  have listened to them  numerous times  side by side.
The AS1200's do need a lot of  input voltage to drive them to full   power, right around  6V....  I'd like to hear    input/gain stage at some point that PSA  has  come up with.

Enjoy     them    Mike   !

jay

[mlundy57]

You'll find it quite different from  his  "later"  stuff.

There is a really good  documentary on  him as well , think it's called  "If you could see my heart"... worth the watch.

As mentioned above,  you   won't need a pre,  just adds  more   to the signal path and I guess gain  if  needed ,  that is  becoming  a thing of the past.

Also, I wasn't  trying to imply  that  it is only the As1200 module   and it's additional power  that is   dooing it for you.. but, the 1200's are   far better  than the  ealier  700's  on their own,  have listened to them  numerous times  side by side.
The AS1200's do need a lot of  input voltage to drive them to full   power, right around  6V....  I'd like to hear    input/gain stage at some point that PSA  has  come up with.

Enjoy     them    Mike   !

jay

In my case I have three input sources so I need a preamp. If I step up to a Direct Stream DAC Sr. I'll have four inputs.

[genjamon]

And it looks like it has a 50kOhm input impedance, which is a bit more versatile in terms of matching with tube preamps than the stock AS1200's input impedance of 38kOhm.  A 2.2uF coupling cap in the preamp will work fine into 50kOhm, whereas it's not ideal into the 38kOhm. 

[mlundy57]

And it looks like it has a 50kOhm input impedance, which is a bit more versatile in terms of matching with tube preamps than the stock AS1200's input impedance of 38kOhm.  A 2.2uF coupling cap in the preamp will work fine into 50kOhm, whereas it's not ideal into the 38kOhm.

single ended is 50kOhm, balanced is 100kOhm

[gab]

Mike - I have a question for you regarding your PS Audio amp that incorporates the Icepower 1200AS2 module.

I own one of the Mivera 1200AS2 amps and I notice a "buzz" after power up if I put my ears close enough to the chassis. Its kinda of like a sharp loudish 60 Hz buzz when you first apply power, then a few seconds later a lower level 60 Hz buzz that doesn't ever go away. Its a known common issue with these Icepower modules (at least the original versions when they first introduced them) and I believe some modules exhibit it more so than do others.

I am curious if the PS Audio implementation exhibits this same 1200AS2 buzz characteristic or if they have done something to greatly minimize it so its no longer audible. I would sure be interested in how they might have accomplished that!

gab