PS audio m1200


Hi,

I have an ARC Ref 6 preamp with B&W 803 D3 speakers. The M1200’s have a lot of power. I am going to look for a way to demo them. The specs list 600W into 8ohm, 1200 into 4, and stable transients at 2ohms.

I believe the speaker impedance curve has a 3ohm dip. Does anyone have experience to know if these amps are stable at 3ohms with enough power?

 

Thanks

zpatenaude37

Showing 2 responses by blisshifi

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. 

@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.