The name for the new product is the PS Audio Stellar M1200 and it will retail for roughly $6k per pair. Pre orders are currently available with a projected ship date of June this year. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive into some of the more interesting bits.
Output is rated at 1200 Watts into 4 ohms, 800 into 8. If you are guessing from the relative size that the amp is class D, then you would be correct for the most part. While the output stage is a custom ICE Edge class D design, the input section also employs a 12UA7 tube for a more hybrid approach. The tube selection is the same as PS Audio’s BHK Signature Flagship products, and claims to deliver “optimum gain and voltage characteristics in the circuit, and for its ability to preserve the most delicate nuances of the amp’s input signals.”
More in the full press release below:
“PS Audio to Begin Shipping Its New Stellar™ M1200 Monoblock Power Amplifier
PS Audio Press Release, 5/7/20
– 1200-watt mono power amp features hybrid tube/ICE Edge design, balanced circuitry, ultra-efficient operation and extraordinary musical performance –
Boulder, Colorado, May 7, 2020 – PS Audio today announced it will begin shipping its new Stellar M1200 Power Amplifier in June 2020. Designed to deliver extraordinarily clear, detailed and musically accurate performance, the monoblock M1200 features an all-new hybrid design that combines a tube input stage with a customized ICE Edge output stage and delivers 1200 watts (into 4 ohms, 800 watts into 8 ohms), to effortlessly reproduce the most dynamic musical passages as well as the subtlest musical details.
The M1200 was designed by Darren Myers, the engineer who created the acclaimed Stellar Phono stage and other PS Audio products. The M1200 employs a 12AU7 vacuum tube at its input, chosen for its optimum gain and voltage characteristics in the circuit, and for its ability to preserve the most delicate nuances of the amp’s input signals. The 12AU7 is the identical tube used in PS Audio’s flagship BHK Signature amplifiers, chosen after extensive listening and performance tests.
The ICE Edge output stage is a new type of high-current Class D design, offering extremely low total harmonic and intermodulation distortion with high headroom and linear performance across the frequency range. As Darren Myers explained, “other output modules can exhibit non-linear phase and impedance issues at the frequency extremes. The ICE Edge design eliminates these problems thanks to patented circuitry and feedback techniques.” Myers continued, “Although it can deliver massive amounts of clean power into even the most demanding loudspeaker loads, the M1200 sounds equally good at lower volumes.”
Like every PS Audio product, meticulous attention has been paid to parts quality and construction. The M1200 has a sleek, elegant appearance that matches other Stellar Series components and is available in silver or black.
The PS Audio Stellar M1200 Power Amplifier will be available in June 2020 at a US manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $5,998 per pair. Pre-orders are currently being taken.
M1200 Features at a Glance:
Zero-loss vacuum tube input stage and custom ICE Edge output stage
Fully balanced circuitry
RCA single-ended and XLR balanced inputs
1200 watts RMS into 8 ohms, 600 watts into 4 ohms, stable to 2 ohms
Greater than >1100 damping factor for exceptional loudspeaker control
High-efficiency operation
Dual, solid copper, plated output binding posts facilitate bi-wiring
12-volt input trigger
27 lbs. each; 17″ wide by 3.75″ high by 12″ deep (13″ with connectors)”