Objective meets Subjective: Six Moons to review Topping B200

[Axo1989]

Oh and by the way, do ANY of us here, 'listen' to music waveforms using an oscilloscope or similar?

I open up Decibel X on the phone to watch the FR, spectrogram and waveform views of music I'm listening to quite frequently, as it happens. Are you saying you don't?

Going back a while I've shared my thoughts with Srajan a few times (including when he reviewed some loudspeakers I own) but he never answered, despite promising that they'll acknowledge every letter.

 

[A Surfer]

Whenever it comes to matters of epistemology there are always people who are smarter, more educated, and more successful than me on either side of me. Even smart, successful people have blind spots, ourselves included. From this I conclude that we should not be so contemptuous of people who interpret reality in different ways than we do. Particularly here where the stakes are so low.

Ordinarily I would concur, but living in a post truth world, I find all extreme deviations from the need for evidence somewhat disturbing.

 

[wwenze]

His food analogy missed out on the fact that in majority of countries the government requires a component breakdown or they slap a ban on the sale of that food product.

And periodic testing too, how else would we know about melamine.

 

[Ropeburn]

By the gods, that guy is painful to read. How self absorbed can you be before collapsing into a black hole?

 

[norman bates]

It reads as if 6moons subjectively dislikes it without even hearing it.........................

I can understand the skepticism of specs.
I had a 100w Sony receiver (early 90's) with thd with many zeros after the point mark.
A cheaper yamaha from the same time, 40w at .01% that sounded much better to my (subjective) ears.

Great measurements can sound great..........................
I'm thinking multitone, 1khz harmonic, and the 19khz+20khz are the most revealing.



Seeing as the objectively great measuring Topping LA90 was given great subjective praise by The absolute sound....

Topping LA90 Power Amplifier Review

Very occasionally, acquiring a component is the hardest part of writing the review. Usually, that is not the case. Most times, one phone call to the right

www.theabsolutesound.com

"remained musical even during massed dynamic peaks. Flutes and piccolos were sweet rather than piercing."

"Ranking the most impressive aspects to the LA90’s sound, the first would have to be the additional ease in listening. The lack of low-level noise imbues the entire soundstage with a quieter background than I’m accustomed to hearing, even with quiet amplifiers like the Pass 150.8, which only produce the slightest hiss (you need to put your ear extremely close to the tweeter to hear it). There were several heretofore-undecipherable throwaway lines in the background of some Billie Eilish’s singles that I listen to regularly. Through the LA90 I could make out words that even through headphones had previously been a blur. Was I surprised? You bet."

"The second most impressive sonic characteristic was the LA90’s clarity throughout its frequency range. Even in the lower midrange and upper bass, which usually have the most issues with homogenization, sluggishness, and murkiness, through the LA90 these frequencies had a level of detail and lack of constriction that made music refreshingly easy to hear and decipher."

"extremely accurate image placement within the soundstage. Not only was lateral placement precise, but the layering of instruments, with the brass slightly higher (they were on risers) and farther back on the stage, was easy to hear."

"Vocals through the LA90 have a remarkable clarity coupled with natural warmth."

"Turning off the JL subs let me hear how the LA90 was supporting the bass. Again, I was struck by the clarity, especially in the midbass region, where the low ranges of synthesizers combined with guitars and keyboards compete and conflict on many pop releases. On Finneas’ “Partners in Crime” from Blood Harmony, the fluttery synth part had a level of texture and inner detail that was easy to luxuriate in."

"I seriously doubt you will be disappointed by its capabilities or performance."

 

[shuppatsu]

By the gods, that guy is painful to read. How self absorbed can you be before collapsing into a black hole?

I listen to Darko’s podcast (where he is a regular guest) because I’m a degenerate and he talks in exactly the same way that he writes. It’s really quite remarkable. Even more remarkable that there’s an audience for this discursive, stream-of-consciousness style. But then I listen to him on Darko so maybe I’m the problem.

In Germany's inglorious warmonger past, SS insignia were feared. They stood for Schutzstaffel (protection squads), Hitler's paramilitary elite forces which started as his personal bodyguard unit. In Topping's glorious present, SS abbreviates Sexy Specs. Though I'm playing word games, it's still about warfare; number's warfare. To arrive at the 151dB claimed S/NR figure for their smaller B100 amp, "the actual noise level is obtained by boosting the noise of the B100 by 40dB using a low-noise amplifier in front of the APx555B then dividing the measured noise by 100". Topping's elite squad of noise ninjas thus adds a 3rd S for 'sneaky'.

When I first read this I thought Topping must have used the SS initials in their marketing materials, and that was his excuse for bringing up the Schutzstaffel. But no, it was all a product of his “beautiful mind.”

The rest of the paragraph is dumb because there’s nothing sneaky about using an LNA—it’s accepted practice in those domains. Though I do agree with him that such a SNR yields no practical benefit. It’s only for people like Amir who get aroused by engineering prowess.

 

[Mart68]

I listen to Darko’s podcast (where he is a regular guest) because I’m a degenerate and he talks in exactly the same way that he writes. It’s really quite remarkable. Even more remarkable that there’s an audience for this discursive, stream-of-consciousness style. But then I listen to him on Darko so maybe I’m the problem.


When I first read this I thought Topping must have used the SS initials in their marketing materials, and that was his excuse for bringing up the Schutzstaffel. But no, it was all a product of his “beautiful mind.”

Glad I'm not the only one who struggled with that diversion. Although I was also distracted by his misuse of the apostrophe.

That reviewing an amp should lead his thought process to Nazi Germany I think says a lot about where he's coming from and where he's going with this.

 

[Purité Audio]

He has a thought process? They used to come along to Munich, three of them it was a little like when the circus comes to town.
Keith

 

[JSmith]

That guy is on the Shrooms man!

Probably 6 of them... rename to 6Shrooms?


JSmith

 

[pma]

I agree with him on one point. It would indeed be interesting to see measurements of high-end brands like the ones he mentioned.

Stereophile has loads and loads of them.
If I had to summarize, most suffer by low (measured) mains noise, nothing to worry about of course but does give a measured penalty.

And then there are some silly or eccentric designs which are all over the place.

Recently I have tried to add my 12 cents, though there was no initial intent to write a review, as I checked those amps before my registration at ASR. Please note that high level of mains related noise is not necessarily the case with such audio components.

'Parasound Halo A21 stereo power amplifier and P5 preamplifier review'

Aug 28, 2025

Intro

Sometimes we can read questions why more expensive "high-end" components are not tested at ASR. The reasons are obvious - there must be a piece available to be tested. Let me make a small try - a result of my short test dated January 2019, when I was asked by the Halo A21 owner to check his amplifier.

Parasound HALO A21

It was a nicely built power amplifier produced between the years 2002 - 2020.

Basic parameters per the manufacturer

• Power output: 250 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo), 750 watts into 8Ω (mono)
• Frequency response: 5Hz to 100kHz...

• pma
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Stereo and Multichannel Amplifier Reviews

• 

 

[Phorize]

Too many variables when tasting food - company and mood are probably the most important there anyway as even well cooked food lacks lustre without good company to enjoy it with.. Mind you, a music session can be like that I've discovered in recent decades

I bet he'll hate that amp, as i doubt sonically there's anything at all to criticise as long as it's working within its power 'envelope.'

Thank heck I don't listen like that any more (I fooled myself again recently with a particular gear combination that 'transcended' what I expected it to sound like, purely because I wasn't thinking about the system at all for once and just let the music speak - it's all in the eyes and imaginative mind of the listener over a certain performance level as far as I'm concerned).

Still, that 'reviewer' has his audience to please, so even if they wanted to, i doubt he'd come down on Amir's side.

Oh and by the way, do ANY of us here, 'listen' to music waveforms using an oscilloscope or similar?

Lol, I used to think nothing of spending £2500 on a tonearm and now I do most of listening through an £89 Bluetooth speaker at my desk. Never been happier.

 

[Chrispy]

Lol, I used to think nothing of spending £2500 on a tonearm and now I do most of listening through an £89 Bluetooth speaker at my desk. Never been happier.

Man never got that insane myself to play cheaply stamped plastic discs....crazy!

 

[pma]

Parasound Halo A21 - more in this post.

 

[fatoldgit]

Well, the impossible has happened... the objective and subjective agree.

I hate salad (word salad even more) but I did read the review so you don't.

The early parts of the review wonder whether pursuing a feedback regime that delighted the oscilloscope but bled the ears would be the fate of the B200's but no, it also delighted the ears.

You can't cut and paste text from 6 moons so I have highlighted (in a bit map) the relevant (as in minimal word salad) text from the conclusion.

Still some word salad but the conclusion is the B200's pass the subjective test summarized by "netted absolutely brilliant sonics here on the moons" (with the moons being Sarjan review site, his safe space)

Maybe ASR and Six moons should create a love child where they co-review gear that tops ASR's measurements?

 

[A Surfer]

Lol, I used to think nothing of spending £2500 on a tonearm and now I do most of listening through an £89 Bluetooth speaker at my desk. Never been happier.

It's great when you stop chasing and realize that good enough is actually good enough. I still have sunk some cost into my audio, but I happily went lifestyle with Sonos and it fits my life and is absolutely good enough.

 

[Jcrow]

I actually read this review recently, as I'm currently consdering getting the B200s for desktop use as well. It was interesting to read an subjectivist's critical take on one of the most objectively advanced amps around. I'm glad he like it in the end.
Honestly, though, I found the article a real slog to read. I get the whole thing about making it more than just a review, and he's creating a narrative experience about a product. But, it has to be interesting, and I just couldn't get into his silly vignettes linking the listening experience to copulation.
In a more general sense, I do find his website and those like it interesting. I'm fairly new to this hobby, and was more naturally drawn to the objectivist perspective, so I find the subjectivist point of view to be quite strange. They create this kind of esoteric terminology and attitude toward hifi gear that, while I can see the allure, I just see as totally superfluous to enjoying good quality hardware. It's so odd.

 

[A Surfer]

Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Or said another way, bullshit baffles brains.